Built because the others wouldn't show their work
Search "bottleneck calculator" and you'll find a dozen tools that spit out a confident percentage and a buy-now button — with no explanation of where the number came from. We got tired of it, so we built the opposite.
Our one promise
Every number on this site ships with its formula. You can open the transparency panel on any result and read exactly how it was computed, what data fed it, and how wide the confidence range is. If we can't show our work, we don't publish the number.
The public formula and data sources sit one click from every result.
We publish a confidence range and say "estimate, not guarantee" — out loud.
1% lows, resolution effects, upscaling — the things that actually change your experience.
How we pay the bills
Some hardware links are affiliate links — if you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. That funds the site. It does not change which parts we recommend: pairings are chosen for balance and value, and the reasoning is public in our methodology. We'd rather lose a click than lose your trust.
Who builds it
truebottleneck is built and maintained by Nox Star Labs, an independent studio behind a small family of honest, no-nonsense tools. Same principle across all of them: show the work.
Get in touch
Spotted a score that looks off, or want a CPU/GPU added to the dataset? That feedback makes the estimates better for everyone. Reach us at [email protected].
See the promise in action — every result links straight to its formula.