Tools to analyse GPU- or CPU-bound hardware

Hey all!

Been looking for an upgrade to get my frames slightly higher, but hardware is costly and scarce, so making the right choice when it comes to what to upgrade first is crucial.
I was wondering what the people of this lovely forum use to analyse whether their systems are CPU- or GPU-bound when it comes to performance.
Classic Windows Task Manager is of course very lovely, but I feel like more info could definitely be useful. Especially when the info is presented in a clear way, making it easy to spot which component is struggling the hardest.

Love to hear what software you all use to do some analysis!

You should be able to tell just by using the fps monitor within developer mode in the sim.
But afterburner with all the individual cores visible and the CPU and GPU usage.

Looking just at task manager should give a pretty clear idea of which is the limiting component. just look at the CPU and GPU usage.

I use the Xbox Gamebar and have found it useful in tuning my system. I do NOT like the developer mode as it changes the parameters that I am going to be running.

FYI:
Rather than spending money on upgrades, a couple hours of “scientific” tweaking is much easier on the pocketbook and will likely produce greater gains.

Ideally you want to get your GPU cruising along at 80%-90% while keeping your CPU <80%. This will result in the best overall performance for your current system. If you chose to do a hardware upgrade at a later date then you will have a base to build from. A poorly configured powerhouse will likely not outperform a well configured midgrade system.

Start at 1080P and dial back ALL settings. Air, ground traffic, everything. Find out what your max performance with everything off is first. You may need to do some system adjustments in bios, drivers, Win10 settings before you realize any significant gains. From there start loading the CPU and GPU from the sim settings. Adjust one thing at a time. Note whether it is CPU or GPU intensive so that later on you can make those fine adjustments to get the right GPU/CPU balance.

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Agree 110%