Bottleneck

Category: science

A component of a system that limits the performance of the entire PC.

The bottleneck is the "slowest link." If you have a $2,000 graphics card but a slow processor, your PC will perform at the level of the slow processor. You always want a balanced system where every part can "keep up" with the others.

Common Examples

• The older generation CPU acted as a system bottleneck, preventing the high-end GPU from reaching its full potential frame rate.
• Identifying your system bottleneck is the key to cost-effective upgrading; don’t replace parts that aren’t the cause of your performance lag.