METHODOLOGY

How We Estimate

PCPlayCheck uses a deterministic, tier-based calculation engine. No random numbers. No fake decimal precision. Every result is reproducible and explained.

The Core Principle

Instead of claiming exact benchmark results that vary wildly by driver version, OS settings, background processes, and scene complexity, we give you honest ranges: minimum, average, and maximum FPS — plus a 1% Low for frametime stability.

Why ranges instead of one number? A game that "averages 60 FPS" might deliver 15 FPS in a busy city scene. A range of 38–61–82 FPS is far more useful than a single "61 FPS" that implies false precision.

Hardware Tier System

Every CPU and GPU in our database is assigned a performance tier from very-low to enthusiast. Tiers are derived from real gaming benchmark aggregates and relative performance indices.

Tier	CPU Examples	GPU Examples	Avg FPS Score
Very Low	Core 2 Duo, Atom	Intel HD 2000, GT 710	~8
Low	i3-3xxx, Pentium G	Intel HD 4000, GT 1030	~20
Entry	i5-4xxx, Ryzen 3 1xxx	GTX 1050, RX 560	~45
Mid	i5-9600K, Ryzen 5 3600	GTX 1660, RX 5600 XT	~75
Upper Mid	i7-10700, Ryzen 7 5800X	RTX 3060 Ti, RX 6700 XT	~115
High	i9-12900K, Ryzen 9 7900X	RTX 4070, RX 7800 XT	~165
Enthusiast	i9-14900KS, Ryzen 9 7950X	RTX 4090, RX 7900 XTX	~240

FPS Calculation Model

The base FPS calculation combines CPU and GPU constraints, then applies scaling penalties:

GPU Score: Base GPU tier score, scaled by resolution multiplier (720p = 1.45×, 1080p = 1.0×, 1440p = 0.65×, 4K = 0.38×) and quality preset (Low = 1.35×, Ultra = 0.55×)
CPU Score: Base CPU tier score, scaled by the game's CPU-weight factor (CPU-bound games like CS2 weight CPU more heavily)
Constraint Binding: Effective FPS = min(GPU effective FPS, CPU effective FPS). The lower limiter defines the result.
RAM Penalty: If system RAM < minimum requirement, progressive performance penalty applied (up to −40%)
VRAM Penalty: If GPU VRAM < minimum VRAM, paging penalty applied (up to −50% at very low VRAM)
Upscaling Multipliers: DLSS Quality/Performance/Ultra-Performance, FSR, and XeSS each have separate multipliers per GPU type
Ray Tracing Penalty: Off / Low / Medium / Ultra each deduct a preset fraction from the GPU effective FPS

Can I Run It? — Verdict Logic

Each component (CPU, GPU, RAM, VRAM, Storage) gets an individual verdict:

PASS — Hardware meets or exceeds the game's recommended requirements
BORDERLINE — Hardware is between minimum and recommended
FAIL — Hardware is below the game's minimum requirements

The overall verdict is the worst individual verdict. If even one component fails, the overall is "Not Recommended".

Bottleneck Analysis

Bottleneck percentage represents how much headroom exists on each component relative to the constraint:

If GPU effective FPS is significantly lower than CPU effective FPS: GPU-Limited (GPU bottleneck)
If CPU effective FPS limits before GPU can be fully utilized: CPU-Limited (CPU bottleneck)
If RAM is the limiting factor via the penalty system: RAM-Limited
If both are within ~15% of each other: Well Balanced

Unknown Hardware (Manual Profiles)

When your specific CPU or GPU isn't in our database, you can enter a manual hardware profile — choosing core count, approximate performance tier, and VRAM. We generate a synthetic CpuEntry/GpuEntry that passes through the same calculation engine. These results are always marked with:

⚠ Approximate Result — Your exact hardware was not found. This result uses an approximate hardware profile. Confidence is reduced.

Confidence Levels

Level	When
High	Both CPU and GPU found in database, game has full requirement data
Medium	Hardware found but game req data is partial
Low	One or more hardware items uses a manual/approximate profile
Very Low	Both CPU and GPU are manual profiles