Are the bars Windows utilisation?

No. They show how close each side's frame-rate limit is to the stronger of the two limits. Task Manager measures something else.

Why does it say GPU bottleneck while the processor bar is full?

The full bar is the stronger side. The shorter side is the brake. If the graphics card is shorter, it is the bottleneck even when the processor sits at 100 percent.

Does the bottleneck depend on the chosen game?

In our formula the game baseline cancels out of the ratio. You see the ratio of the two limits, not an FPS number for a title.

Where do I calculate my own system?

Under Your system or in Studio. Both use the same bottleneck formula as this explainer.

MEASURE

Bottleneck check: what the bars actually mean

When the processor and graphics card are not equally strong, the weaker part limits the frame rate. On Rigmint you see that as a bottleneck. This page explains the display in plain language.

What is a bottleneck in gaming?

Picture two conveyor belts: one from the processor, one from the graphics card. The game can only show as many frames per second as the slower belt delivers. That slower belt is the bottleneck. The other part then has spare capacity, even if it is strong.

What our bars show

Each bar is that side's frame-rate limit divided by the stronger of the two limits. The stronger side is therefore always at 100 percent. The weaker side shows how far it lags behind. The large percentage at the top is the gap between both, relative to the stronger side.

This is not utilisation from the Windows Task Manager. 100 percent on the processor does not mean your CPU is fully loaded. It means that in our model the processor can allow more frames than the graphics card.

Catalogue example

model estimate

The same calculation as in Studio and Your system, with two real parts from our catalogue at 1440p.

48 %Gap 48%. The graphics card is the tighter limit. Example: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D with NVIDIA RTX 4080 at 1440p.

Frame rate ceiling from the processor100 % of the stronger ceiling

Frame rate ceiling from the graphics card52 % of the stronger ceiling

Not utilisation: the bars show how many frames per second each side allows, relative to the stronger of the two.

No game FPS and no measurement on your PC. Only the ratio of the two limits from the same bottleneck formula.

Why can the processor show 100% and the graphics card 52%?

Because 100 percent marks the stronger limit, not the tighter one. In the example above the processor can allow more frames on paper. The graphics card only reaches about half of that. So the card is the brake, and that is why the heading says the graphics card is the tighter limit.

The gap at the top (about 48 percent) is the same distance: the weaker limit sits about 48 percent below the stronger one. 100 minus 52 is the rough reading of that.

In short: the full bar is the stronger side. The shorter bar is the bottleneck. If the heading names the graphics card while the processor bar is full, that is consistent, not a contradiction.

Why resolution moves the bottleneck

More pixels load the graphics card most of all. The processor does not get a matching extra load. So the same pairing can be CPU-tight at 1080p and GPU-tight at 4K. Catalogue example: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 with NVIDIA RTX 4090.

Bottleneck of the same pairing at three resolutions
Resolution	Tighter limit	Processor share	Graphics card share
1080p	The processor is the tighter limit.	79 %	100 %
1440p	Both sides are close together.	100 %	99 %
4K	The graphics card is the tighter limit.	100 %	61 %

Again only shares from the same bottleneck formula, no invented game figures.

When a GPU bottleneck is good for gaming

For gaming you usually want the graphics card to be the tighter limit. Then you get what you paid the card for. If the processor brakes, a more expensive card often helps little at that resolution. A stronger processor, a higher resolution or lower CPU-heavy settings help more.

How to check your own system

This page explains the display. You run the numbers on your parts in the existing tools, always with the same formula.

Your system
Enter parts or take them from the Windows app. Bottleneck bars and resolution switch on one page.
Studio · Configurator
FPS calculator, bottleneck panel and comparison pages. The same bottleneck formula as here.
Methodology
How we calculate, what is measured, and where the model ends.

What the model is not

It is a model calculation, not a live measurement in a specific game on your PC. A game baseline cancels out of the bottleneck ratio, so the display can stand without a chosen game. There are no invented FPS figures for individual titles here. Details and sources live under Methodology.

Short questions

Are the bars Windows utilisation?: No. They show how close each side's frame-rate limit is to the stronger of the two limits. Task Manager measures something else.
Why does it say GPU bottleneck while the processor bar is full?: The full bar is the stronger side. The shorter side is the brake. If the graphics card is shorter, it is the bottleneck even when the processor sits at 100 percent.
Does the bottleneck depend on the chosen game?: In our formula the game baseline cancels out of the ratio. You see the ratio of the two limits, not an FPS number for a title.
Where do I calculate my own system?: Under Your system or in Studio. Both use the same bottleneck formula as this explainer.