Performance metrics at maximum capacity.
Performance metrics at maximum capacity.
This situation highlights how performance limits work together. When both CPU and GPU hit their maximum usage, the system can't utilize more resources than what's available at that moment. Even if the GPU is near 100%, it might not be able to keep up with the workload because the CPU could be the limiting factor. This means the overall speed drops significantly, as neither component can fully compensate for the other.
From what I've observed, 100% CPU utilization isn't ideal. The GPU is fine, but the CPU shouldn't be fully busy.
You didn't grasp the details. A CPU running at 100% is acceptable if other parts of your computer are also near 100%. This indicates all components are operating at their maximum capacity. When every part reaches its limit, the system is well balanced. If your GPU hits 100% while your CPU stays at just 10%, it suggests you could use a more affordable CPU, indicating a suboptimal setup for that task. A bottleneck occurs when one component can't perform near its potential because another (like Y) restricts its speed.
In games where I achieve perfect performance on both CPU and GPU, there are no bottlenecks. However, when the GPU performance drops below 80% while the CPU stays at 100%, it becomes a bottleneck. An example is Witcher 3 and Shadow Warrior 2. Witcher 3 sometimes causes frame drops to around 10 fps during intense moments, which triggers this issue. In that instant, CPU usage spikes to 100% and GPU drops to about 20%, then recovers. Would you consider this a sign of a bottleneck?
Yes, but 80/100% is pretty close enough so I wouldn’t really think it’s a major problem. But you get the point, and some people do refer to it as a bottleneck. Yes and no. A 20/100% feels like a significant issue, though. These are just temporary slowdowns. They might come from poor coding or lack of optimization. I’m not an expert on this, but I’ve heard that Witcher 3 can behave that way. You’d need to check average playthroughs and see how others handle it with different systems.
The Witcher 3 mainly reflects performance tweaks rather than major problems. Even the newest i5s can hit full speed and lose frames while exploring Novigrad. With a setup similar to yours, a 1080p display works well on an older i5 as long as you don’t push for ultra-high frame rates.