HankiPerformance diagnosis
What does CPU-bound or GPU-bound mean?
A game is CPU-bound or GPU-bound when that part of the system is currently limiting frame production in a particular workload.
QUICK EXPLANATION
Look for the limiting component in a repeatable scene
Limits can shift with the game, resolution, scene and background work. A single utilization reading is not enough to diagnose a permanent hardware bottleneck.
A CPU-bound scene may not improve much from lowering resolution; a GPU-bound scene sometimes will.
Result: Reducing GPU-heavy settings may raise FPS when the GPU is the active limit, but not necessarily when another part is limiting.
How to check it
Measure frame time and component use during the same scene. Change one relevant setting and observe whether the expected component and frame rate respond.
Check: Repeat the test and confirm the same component remains the limit before considering hardware changes.
Sources & page details
Microsoft: DXGI flip model and frame presentation ↗
Reviewed
These are general explanations; available features and results vary by game, graphics hardware, driver and display.