An asymmetrical horror game locked at 60 FPS. It is generally GPU-limited at high settings but runs on most mid-range hardware.
This game has a built-in FPS cap of 60 FPS
Actual FPS may vary based on RAM speed, background processes, and other system factors
Performance Report
At 1080p, all quality settings exceed 107 FPS. At 1440p, all settings exceed 87 FPS. At 4K, frame rates range from 57 to 71 FPS.
The GeForce RTX 4090 is 692% above the recommended GPU (GeForce GTX 760) for Dead by Daylight. The Core i3-8121U is 35% below minimum CPU requirement.
The Core i3-8121U sets the FPS ceiling at all 1080p settings, all 1440p settings, all 4k settings, while the GeForce RTX 4090 still has headroom.
This section is based on estimated CPU/GPU FPS ceilings, not utilization percentages.
At 1080p medium, the Core i3-8121U sets the ceiling at about 107 FPS, while the GeForce RTX 4090 could reach 274 FPS. In this scenario, the CPU limits the GPU potential by 61% (FPS gap: 167 FPS). Overall distribution: CPU limits 12/12 cells, GPU limits 0/12, balanced 0/12.
Your Core i3-8121U is the limiting side in the heaviest mismatch. This means part of the GeForce RTX 4090 rendering potential remains unused in those settings.
| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p (Full HD) | CPU Limits GPU 59% | CPU Limits GPU 61% | CPU Limits GPU 61% | CPU Limits GPU 56% |
| 1440p (2K QHD) | CPU Limits GPU 43% | CPU Limits GPU 45% | CPU Limits GPU 48% | CPU Limits GPU 46% |
| 4K (Ultra HD) | CPU Limits GPU 54% | CPU Limits GPU 55% | CPU Limits GPU 58% | CPU Limits GPU 56% |
We estimate the maximum FPS the processor can sustain and the maximum FPS the graphics card can sustain in each setting, then compare those limits directly.
Limit Factor formula: (stronger - weaker) / stronger. Example: if CPU ceiling is 200 FPS and GPU ceiling is 140 FPS, then GPU limits CPU by 30%.
CPU Limits GPU means the processor ceiling is lower. GPU Limits CPU means the graphics ceiling is lower. Balanced means the FPS ceilings are close enough that the gap is negligible.
A component can still be the FPS limiter without reaching 100% utilization. The displayed percentages are derived from FPS ceilings, not generic utilization heuristics.
| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p (Full HD) | CPU39% - 68% <> GPU32% - 63% <> | CPU39% - 68% <> GPU32% - 63% <> | CPU35% - 65% <> GPU60% - 86% <> | CPU39% - 74% <> GPU63% - 90% <> |
| 1440p (2K QHD) | CPU37% - 51% <> GPU54% - 71% <> | CPU37% - 51% <> GPU54% - 71% <> | CPU31% - 49% <> GPU91% - 97% <> | CPU36% - 55% <> GPU100% - 100% |
| 4K (Ultra HD) | CPU35% - 51% <> GPU57% - 71% <> | CPU35% - 51% <> GPU57% - 71% <> | CPU29% - 49% <> GPU94% - 97% <> | CPU33% - 56% <> GPU99% - 100% <> |
The Core i3-8121U + GeForce RTX 4090 pairing runs this title with CPU utilization between 29% and 74% and GPU utilization between 32% and 100%. Core i3-8121U keeps significant headroom across presets, while GeForce RTX 4090 carries most of the graphics load at heavier visual settings. As resolution scales, average GPU load rises from 61% at 1080p to 81% at 4K, while CPU averages move from 54% to 42%.
From a utilization perspective, this is a GPU-heavy load profile. At 1440p (2K QHD) Ultra, the GeForce RTX 4090 averages 100% usage (100-100%), while the Core i3-8121U stays at 46% (36-55%). This shows the graphics pipeline is carrying most of the workload, but utilization alone does not define the FPS limiter.
At 1080p, averages sit around CPU 54% and GPU 61%. At 1440p, that shifts to CPU 44% and GPU 80%, and at 4K it reaches CPU 42% and GPU 81%. This shows that workload scaling is present on both components, with stronger pressure on the GPU.
1440p (2K QHD) High is the most balanced preset based on this dataset. It runs around CPU 40% (31-49%) and GPU 94% (91-97%), which keeps GeForce RTX 4090 well utilized without constant max-out behavior while Core i3-8121U remains stable for consistent frame delivery.
Upgrade priority should be the GPU. The GeForce RTX 4090 reaches 100% average load at 1440p (2K QHD) Ultra while the Core i3-8121U still has headroom, so a faster graphics card would deliver the largest uplift.
Understanding Hardware Utilization: These percentages represent how much of your component's maximum processing power is actively being used during gameplay. They describe hardware load, but they do not directly tell you which component sets the FPS ceiling.
Important: a CPU or GPU can still be the FPS limiter without reaching 100% utilization. Two processors can both show 40% usage and still deliver very different frame rates, depending on per-core speed, cache, engine threading, driver overhead, and frame preparation efficiency.
Data generated by our Machine Learning engine trained on real-world benchmarks. Shows the approximate average utilization at each setting.
See how your processor and graphics card compare against the game official minimum and recommended system specs. The placement of your hardware is calculated using relative synthetic performance scores to help you gauge overall playability.
Your hardware is below minimum requirements. CPU is the limiting factor (35% below minimum). Expect performance issues. Low settings recommended.
-20%vsrecommended
+692%vsrecommended
-35%vsminimum
+1575%vsminimum
Yes, the Core i3-8121U paired with the GeForce RTX 4090 can run Dead by Daylight smoothly up to 1440p achieving around 87 FPS at Ultra quality. Your GPU is 692% above the recommended specs, and your CPU is 20% below the recommended requirements.
Price data is not currently available for this combination. In general, look for setups where the CPU and GPU are balanced — this ensures you're not overspending on one component that the other can't keep up with.
For Dead by Daylight, upgrading the CPU would have the biggest impact on performance. The Core i3-8121U is currently the limiting factor — the GeForce RTX 4090 has extra headroom that a faster processor could take advantage of. This is especially noticeable at 1080p where CPU performance matters more. CPU-limited at: 1080p low, 1080p medium, 1080p high, 1080p ultra, 1440p low, 1440p medium, 1440p high, 1440p ultra, 4k low, 4k medium, 4k high, 4k ultra.
Dead by Daylight does not currently support Frame Generation technologies like DLSS 3 or FSR 3. Your performance is based entirely on native rendering. If the game adds support in a future update, newer GPUs will benefit the most.
Dead by Daylight requires at minimum a Core i3-4170 (CPU) and GeForce GTX 460 (GPU) with 8 GB RAM and 50 GB storage. For the recommended experience, you need a Core i3-4170 and GeForce GTX 760 with 8 GB RAM. Your hardware falls below the minimum requirements for this game, which may result in poor performance.
These Dead by Daylight FPS results are not arbitrary numbers. They come from calculations informed by thousands of real gaming benchmarks, and the typical accuracy range is around 10% to 15%. That makes them far more useful than generic FPS calculators that simply invent values without a benchmark foundation. Actual in-game performance can still vary with drivers, updates, RAM configuration, cooling, and the exact scene being rendered.
Performance estimates are based on synthetic benchmarks and hardware capabilities.
Results may vary based on drivers, OS, and background processes.
