benchmark - gpu bound?

[Supernautilus]

I did the benchmark and it says gpu bound 88%. Can someone tell me what this means? Is 88% good or bad?

[Overseer]

It means that in 88% of the test your GPU is the limiting factor. That also means in 88% your CPU can keep up the GPUs pace.
However on those 12% your CPU is stalling and the GPU has to wait for it.
It's always better to be limited by GPU, because the CPU does all the logic. The Unreal Engine is a good example with its shader compilation stutter.

[Supernautilus]

Originally posted by Overseer:

It means that in 88% of the test your GPU is the limiting factor. That also means in 88% your CPU can keep up the GPUs pace.
However on those 12% your CPU is stalling and the GPU has to wait for it.
It's always better to be limited by GPU, because the CPU does all the logic. The Unreal Engine is a good example with its shader compilation stutter.

Ah, I see. Thanks. So, theoretically 50% would be the ideal number, correct? Would that mean a perfect balance between CPU and GPU?

[Overseer]

No. 100% GPU bound means it can do as much as possible without being held back by the CPU.
The CPU does more than just run the game. The GPU can dedicate all its resources to the game. If your GPU is not at 100% a CPU upgrade could help. But some games are really hard on the CPU and here in Shadow its areas with a lot of NPCs that stress the CPU.

[badiamasabni]

Bound is another way of saying bottleneck. One is a noun the other a verb. The higher the percentage worse the performance, ie you'll have to lower the display settings.
My AMD 7900/i9 12900 returns a figure of 1%. This is running at max settings except for the SMAA setting which I have at x2, with a screen res of 5120 x 1440.
The lower the % the better.
With low resolutions, the GPU has fewer problems and the CPU works harder. With high resolutions, the GPU does a lot more of the heavy lifting.
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/directx/cpu-and-gpu-boundedness/

[Supernautilus]

Originally posted by badiamasabni:

Bound is another way of saying bottleneck. One is a noun the other a verb. The higher the percentage worse the performance, ie you'll have to lower the display settings.
My AMD 7900/i9 12900 returns a figure of 1%. This is running at max settings except for the SMAA setting which I have at x2, with a screen res of 5120 x 1440.
The lower the % the better.
With low resolutions, the GPU has fewer problems and the CPU works harder. With high resolutions, the GPU does a lot more of the heavy lifting.
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/directx/cpu-and-gpu-boundedness/

Oh ok, I think I understand. From this explanation, it sounds like my GPU is having a hard time keeping up with the CPU. Which makes sense, since my CPU is a newer Ryzen 7 5700X3D but my GPU is an older RX 6600.

I'm just trying to learn more about the CPU-GPU relationship and what all these numbers and terms mean, so this helps a lot. Thank you!

[Blaagh]

no, its like overseer said. the higher % is better
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2791562411

[badiamasabni]

I beg to differ.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3384928081

[Overseer]

Originally posted by badiamasabni:

I beg to differ.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3384928081

Your CPU is not fitted for this kind of test as it holds back the GPU. This is a good example of a text book CPU bottleneck, where the GPU spends most of its time waiting for the CPU.
The CPU always does its work first, and it should be done before the GPU is ready to draw a new frame. In you screenshot the GPU is done with the most recent frame, but has to wait until the CPU finished its work. This practically means lost performance.
In that kind of scenario a better CPU can increase GPU performance, which means higher frame rate.

[Blaagh]

wow theres something very wrong with your pc or your settings.
did you forget the thermal compound when installing the cooler?? is it even properly mounted??
you should adjust your settings so you get smooth gameplay not max everything till its choking

[Supernautilus]

Originally posted by Overseer:

Originally posted by badiamasabni:

I beg to differ.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3384928081

Your CPU is not fitted for this kind of test as it holds back the GPU. This is a good example of a text book CPU bottleneck, where the GPU spends most of its time waiting for the CPU.
The CPU always does its work first, and it should be done before the GPU is ready to draw a new frame. In you screenshot the GPU is done with the most recent frame, but has to wait until the CPU finished its work. This practically means lost performance.
In that kind of scenario a better CPU can increase GPU performance, which means higher frame rate.

I don't think I agree with your explanation. Here is my benchmark. The 5700X3D was released in 2024 and the RX6600 was released in 2021. Clearly the GPU is the bottleneck in this situation, which is why it says 89% GPU bound. So it seems like I want that number to go down, not up.

But I'll actually be finding out soon. I ordered a new 7800 XT which should be coming this week. I'll run the benchmark again afterwards and post the results.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3385167503

[badiamasabni]

Originally posted by Blaagh:

wow theres something very wrong with your pc or your settings.
did you forget the thermal compound when installing the cooler?? is it even properly mounted??
you should adjust your settings so you get smooth gameplay not max everything till its choking

My GPU's hotspot hovers around 60-65 degrees, sometimes spikes at around 70 degrees. The CPU ( the 12900 is notorious for running hot) temp is around 50 degrees. I think that's acceptable, at these settings.
Also, it's well known that SotTR has problems at high FPSs, so I've restricted it to 60 FPS.
And, the gameplay is smooth.
From my YT channel:
https://youtu.be/qKWhMOXMhik