Bottlenecks and How to Get Rid of Them

In the context of computers, when a particular component is so incapable that it hinders the potential performance of other components, that component is called the bottleneck of that system. Essentially, anything in a computer from a cooling fan to a core component like the processor can be a bottleneck. Ideally speaking, every one of those components should perform at its hundred percent at all times. But reaching that equilibrium is nearly impossible. So users tend to focus on maximising the performance of individual components depending on what they're using the computer for. For example, a graphically intense game is more dependent on the graphics card than on anything else. So the best performance would be achieved if bottlenecks are non-existent so that the graphics card always performs its hundred percent. Again, a CPU-intensive software application will not perform optimally if the graphics card cannot keep pace with the processor.

Now that you know what a bottleneck is, here's how you can identify them. The simplest method of determining a bottleneck is to simultaneously monitor the performance of all the components in a given application/game. The component that exhibits a saturation of its full potential is ascertained as the bottleneck of that system in that application/game. We recommend MSI Afterburner as our choice of monitoring application. It is the most reliable application that allows you to monitor and log the usage and temperature of various components while an application/game is running and thus helps to identify a thermal bottleneck as well as a performance bottleneck. You can download it for free at http://event.msi.com/vga/afterburner/download.htm
Once you've identified the bottleneck, proceed to eliminating it via one of the following means.

1.Upgrading: The easiest route to getting rid of a bottleneck is to upgrade the bottlenecking component. Getting substantially better hardware will almost always get rid of a bottleneck unless the issue is very acute. Although in particular cases upgrading becomes a must in getting rid of the bottleneck. For example, if an application/game requires more system/video memory or number of CPU cores than is available, an upgrade becomes a must because of the immutability of these specs of the components.

2.Overclocking: A zero cost procedure called overclocking can do wonders in reducing bottlenecks. But it requires extensive technical know-how on overclocking various components. This is recommended only if you have pertinent knowledge and experience with overclocking. Note that overclocking will not help if the bottleneck is the amount of available system/video memory, number of cores on the CPU, amount of available cooling, amount of wattage on the power supply unit or amount of available space on the hard drive.

Bottlenecks are quite often the culprit behind lacklustre performance in applications/games. Getting rid of bottlenecks can unlock the untapped potential of your system which might even make purchasing a new system redundant. So we suggest that you get your system checked for bottlenecks before splurging on a new computer.