How we get our numbers

Every FPS number on this site starts with Justin's own testing of gaming PCs on his channel, Just!N Tech, and every price is a real store price we checked this morning. Here is exactly how, and where a number is an estimate instead.

How Justin tests

Justin runs each PC in his own studio (920 results and counting). More about Justin.

The highest graphics preset in each game, with DLSS, FSR, XeSS and frame generation all turned off, so you see what the hardware really does.
Every game at 1080p, 1440p and 4K.
About 3 minutes per game at each resolution, with the average FPS and the 1% low read from MSI Afterburner and HWiNFO.
Every session is screen-recorded, so any number can be checked later.

Settings per game

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultra preset, ray tracing off.
Fortnite: Epic, with Nanite and Lumen off.
Minecraft: Java Edition, 29-chunk render distance, BSL shaders on their Ultra profile.
Call of Duty (BO6, MW2, BO4): Highest preset, upscaling and DLSS off.
Helldivers 2, Witcher 3, Forza Horizon 4 and 5, Tomb Raider: Highest preset, no upscaling.

Measured or estimated

Every FPS number says which kind it is.

Measured. Justin ran this graphics card in this game at this resolution himself. We show his number exactly as he recorded it, never adjusted.
Estimated. Justin has not run this exact card in this game and resolution, so we estimate it from his own results for the cards closest to it, calibrated against published independent reviews (we use only how much faster one card or CPU is than another, never a reviewer's FPS). An estimate is rounded to the nearest 5 FPS, shown with a range, and always labeled "est.". It is never shown as measured.
Rough. Nothing close was run at this resolution, so the number is scaled from another resolution of the same game and called a ballpark. When even that is not possible, we say nothing rather than guess.

Every estimate follows the same hardware rules:

A faster graphics card never gets a lower estimate than a slower one with the same CPU.
The CPU matters most at 1080p; at 1440p and 4K the graphics card sets the pace, so a weaker CPU costs less there.
FPS never goes up when the resolution goes up.

When we hide each card Justin measured and estimate it from the rest, the estimate lands within 10% of his number about half the time and within 20% four times out of five. That is why estimates say "about" and never that a PC "gets" a number nobody measured.

Real store prices, checked every morning

Every morning, starting at 4 AM Central, we read every gaming desktop in stock from each store's own product feed or catalog and keep every day's price.
We then ask the stores about the listings we show, and a listing that is gone or sold out leaves our lists the same morning.
Because we keep every day's price, "lowest price" only appears when our own price history proves it, and a fake "was" price is called out.
Prices and stock can change during the day. The price at the store is the one that counts, so check it before you buy.

The value score is FPS per dollar at your resolution, with the same formula for every store. A store that pays us more never ranks higher. How we make money.

Where AI fits

The FPS numbers and prices come from Justin's runs, the estimates above and the stores' own data. AI helps build the site and writes the chat's answers from those same numbers, and every chat answer is labeled. AI answers can make mistakes. Prices change. Confirm at the store before you buy.