How our FPS estimates work

The short version

GamerSpecs estimates FPS with a benchmark-anchored performance model, not live measurements. Every GPU and CPU in our database carries a relative performance score normalized to two anchors: the GeForce RTX 4060 = 100 for graphics cards and the Intel Core i5-13400 = 100 for processors. Every game carries a demand profile. An estimate is the deterministic combination of the two — the same inputs always produce the same number, never a random one.

What goes into an estimate

• GPU score. Curated relative gaming performance for 230+ desktop and laptop GPUs plus popular integrated graphics, cross-checked against published benchmark data.
• CPU score. Gaming-weighted (single-thread-heavy) scores for 260+ processors, because most games care more about per-core speed than core count.
• Game demand profile. Anchored to each game's official recommended GPU — we treat the publisher's recommended card as ~60 FPS at 1080p and scale your GPU against it (matching the recommended card ≈ 60 FPS, double the power ≈ 120). Where a game doesn't name a recommended GPU we fall back to its minimum-spec GPU, then its stated VRAM, then genre.
• Resolution scaling. 1440p and 4K apply per-resolution scaling factors — GPU load grows faster than CPU load as resolution rises.
• Memory penalties. Falling below a game's recommended RAM or exceeding the card's VRAM applies realistic frame-rate penalties (texture thrashing is modeled, not ignored).

The three FPS data statuses

Every major FPS figure on GamerSpecs carries a status badge that tells you exactly where it came from — the badge is chosen automatically by the data pipeline, never by hand:

• 🟢 Verified Benchmark — real-world or validated benchmark data. These figures may be shown as exact values (average and 1% lows) because they were measured, not modeled.
• 🟡 Community Data — calculated from multiple structured user FPS submissions. Shown as a range with the number of underlying reports (e.g. "based on 53 community reports").
• ⚪ GamerSpecs Estimate — generated by the performance model described on this page. The headline figure is shown as a range, and every estimate carries the ⚪ badge.

Why estimates are shown as ranges

A model can be honest about its own precision. Instead of a false-precision "156 FPS", the headline estimate displays a range like ~150–165 FPS, built deterministically from the estimate's confidence: high confidence ±5%, medium ±10%, low ±15–20%, with the ends snapped to clean values. Confidence drops when a game has highly variable frame times, when the estimate is close to a VRAM limit, or when a laptop GPU's power limit is unknown. The same hardware, game, resolution and settings always produce the same range. Detail views may also show the model's central minimum, average and maximum alongside the range for context.

Laptop GPUs and power limits (TGP)

The same laptop GPU ships at very different power limits — an RTX 4060 Laptop spans roughly 35W to 140W, and watts change real frame rates. When you set up My Rig or use the FPS Calculator and PC Game Finder, selecting a laptop GPU reveals a GPU Power / TGP field. The model applies a generation-aware scaling curve (efficiency-optimized RTX 40/50 chips flatten out above their sweet spot; RTX 30 chips keep scaling with watts) rather than a naive linear multiplier. If you pick "Not sure", the estimate uses that GPU's reference configuration and says so next to the result.

Mobile estimates

Phone estimates follow the same rules with mobile-specific honesty: results respect each game's FPS cap (an estimate is never shown above a confirmed cap — hitting the cap is flagged as "game FPS cap detected"), and confidence reflects thermal throttling risk on demanding titles. Mobile performance additionally varies with device temperature, manufacturer performance profiles and game versions — which is why every mobile figure is a range with a confidence indicator.

What the numbers mean — and don't

An estimate answers "will this be playable, and roughly how smooth?" — it is not a lab benchmark of your exact PC. Real-world results vary with drivers, cooling, power limits, background apps, game patches and scene complexity. That is exactly what the displayed range expresses: a rig estimated at ~55–70 FPS should feel smooth in normal play, with dips and peaks inside that band.

Requirement verdicts (pass/fail) compare your hardware's scores against each game's official minimum and recommended specs as published by the developer, resolved onto the same benchmark scale.

Corrections

The model is tuned continuously. If a verdict or estimate looks wrong for hardware you actually own, tell us on the feedback page — real-rig reports are the fastest way the data improves.