Methodology FPSHQ
Open formulas, data sources and calculation principles. No hidden "magic numbers" — everything is transparent.
1. Bench Score (GPU performance)
Bench Score (0-10,000) is a relative metric of GPU performance in average modern games. The RTX 5090 is the 10,000-point reference.
Bench Score = ⁵√(score_1080p × score_1440p × score_4K × score_3DMark × score_compute)
Each component is the average over 6 games + synthetics. This gives a balanced metric not heavily dependent on individual optimizations.
2. Gaming Score (CPU performance in games)
Gaming Score (0-10,000) is CPU performance specifically in games. Tested on the RTX 5090 at 1080p ultra to reveal the CPU bottleneck without GPU influence.
A test set of 10 games: Cyberpunk 2077, BF2042, Hogwarts Legacy, MS Flight Simulator 2024, Total War Warhammer III, Forza Horizon 5, CS2 (low settings for CPU stress), Valorant, GTA V Enhanced, Stellaris (late-game).
3. Value Score
Value Score (0-100) is the ratio of performance to price.
Value Score = (Bench Score / price) × normalization coefficient
The normalization coefficient is chosen so the average GPU value of 2026 is ≈50, the best value ≈85, the worst ≈15.
4. Game Demand Score
Demand Score (0-100) is how much a game loads the hardware.
- 30% — stated minimum requirements (normalized to the reference GPU's Bench Score);
- 40% — real average FPS on the RTX 5090 at 1440p Ultra (inverse relationship);
- 15% — peak VRAM usage at 4K (important to know if memory becomes a limit);
- 15% — CPU dependence (the share of frames lost when swapping the RTX 5090 for an RTX 4060).
5. FPS forecast
FPS = (Bench Score GPU / (Demand Score × 0.85)) × R(resolution) × P(preset) × U(upscaling)
Where:
- R(resolution): 1.0 for 1080p, 0.72 for 1440p, 0.42 for 4K
- P(preset): 1.5 (Low), 1.15 (Medium), 0.95 (High), 0.80 (Ultra), 0.55 (Ultra+RT), 0.30 (Ultra+PT)
- U(upscaling): 1.0 (Off), 1.35 (Quality), 1.55 (Balanced), 1.85 (Performance)
Then the result is capped by CPU-cap = Gaming Score × resolution_weight (1.0 for 1080p, 0.85 for 1440p, 0.70 for 4K).
6. Tier lists (5 factors, 6 levels)
Composite GPU/CPU score:
- Bench Score / Gaming Score (40%): pure performance
- Price (25%): via Value Score
- Technologies (15%): DLSS, FSR, XeSS, RT, FG — 3% each
- Energy efficiency (10%): FPS / Watt relative to the reference
- VRAM / Cache (10%): memory amount and type
Tier distribution: S (≥85), A (70-84), B (55-69), C (40-54), D (25-39), F (<25).
7. Forecast accuracy
In tests on 200+ GPU+CPU+game+settings combinations our FPS calculator showed ±8% accuracy in 95% of cases. The highest accuracy is for AAA releases 3+ months after launch (±5%). The lowest is for Early Access and right after release (±15%).
8. Data sources
FPSHQ aggregates data from independent sources: TechPowerUp, GamersNexus, Hardware Unboxed, Digital Foundry, Tom's Hardware, AnandTech (archives), 3DMark Hall of Fame, Userbenchmark (filtered from subjective scores), Steam Hardware Survey. Prices are parsed daily from popular retailers via their public feeds.
9. Data updates
- Catalog: new models are added within 7 days of release.
- Benchmarks: updated after major game patches (2-4 weeks).
- Prices: daily.
- Tier lists: every 30 days (1st of the month).
- FAQ and SEO texts: regular updates when the context changes.