Starfield
Bethesda's Creation Engine 2 is CPU-dependent, especially in cities, and requires an SSD for asset streaming. Optimization tends to favor AMD slightly, but generally requires powerful hardware to run smoothly.
Actual FPS may vary based on RAM speed, background processes, and other system factors
Performance Report
At 1080p, all quality settings exceed 82 FPS. At 1440p, all settings exceed 71 FPS. At 4K, frame rates range from 47 to 87 FPS.
The GeForce RTX 4090 is 52% above the recommended GPU (GeForce RTX 2080) for Starfield. The Core i9-10900F is 9% above the recommended CPU (Core i5-10600K).
The GeForce RTX 4090 sets the FPS ceiling at all 1080p settings, all 1440p settings, all 4k settings, while the Core i9-10900F still has additional frame-generation headroom.
Approximated average price on current market:
Combo price: $1949. At 1080p Ultra, this combo delivers 82 FPS, equivalent to 0.04 FPS per dollar.
| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 0.080 fps/$ | 0.067 fps/$ | 0.054 fps/$ | 0.042 fps/$ |
| 1440p | 0.072 fps/$ | 0.058 fps/$ | 0.048 fps/$ | 0.036 fps/$ |
| 4k | 0.045 fps/$ | 0.035 fps/$ | 0.028 fps/$ | 0.024 fps/$ |
* Table values represent FPS per Dollar (higher is better)
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This chart answers a simple question: which upgrade is more likely to increase FPS first? In this case, the answer is clearly the GPU.
The largest gap appears at 1080p Medium, where the GeForce RTX 4090 reaches about 131 FPS, while the Core i9-10900F still has headroom up to roughly 195 FPS.
That means the GeForce RTX 4090 is hitting its performance ceiling first, leaving a 33% gap versus the Core i9-10900F's available headroom in the most unbalanced scenario. Across all tested settings, this pairing is GPU-limited in 12 out of 12 cases, with 0 CPU-limited and 0 balanced results.
Overall, this is a clearly GPU-bound combination in this game.
The GeForce RTX 4090 is consistently the limiting part in this game, so upgrading the GPU is more likely to deliver a larger FPS gain than upgrading the CPU.
This chart shows which upgrade is more likely to unlock more FPS in each tested setting. The lower line represents the part that reaches its limit first. When the CPU and GPU lines stay close together, the system is more balanced. When the gap widens, one component is more clearly holding the other back. Hover any setting to inspect it.
The lower line is the current limiter. The closer the two lines are, the more balanced the CPU and GPU are for this game.
Each line represents an estimated FPS ceiling for one component, rather than live usage alone.
To estimate the CPU ceiling, we pair the Core i9-10900F with GeForce RTX 5090, our current GPU anchor. To estimate the GPU ceiling, we pair the GeForce RTX 4090 with Ryzen 9 9950X3D, our current CPU anchor.
The lower line indicates the current limiter, since that component reaches its FPS ceiling first. In most scenarios, that is also the part most likely to deliver the bigger performance uplift if upgraded first.
The percentage shown represents the gap between the two ceilings. In practical terms, it shows how much of the stronger component's potential is left unused because the weaker one becomes the bottleneck first.
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 CPU is 9% above and your GPU is 52% above the recommended specs. High/Ultra at 1080p. Lower settings for higher resolutions.
+9%vsrecommended
+52%vsrecommended
+43%vsminimum
+160%vsminimum
Yes, the Core i9-10900F paired with the GeForce RTX 4090 can run Starfield smoothly up to 1440p achieving around 71 FPS at Ultra quality. Your GPU is 52% above the recommended specs, and your CPU is 9% above the recommended requirements.
This CPU + GPU combo costs approximately $1,949 ($300 CPU + $1,649 GPU). Your GeForce RTX 4090 provides phenomenal top-tier performance but at a premium enthusiast price. Since you are essentially at the ceiling of current hardware capabilities, there are no meaningful performance upgrades available. However, if you wanted a more cost-effective build that still delivers a great experience, you could theoretically step down to a high-end card with a significantly better value rating.
Your GeForce RTX 4090 is already a top-tier graphics card. In the Performance Limiter Analysis, it is still the side that most often reaches its FPS ceiling first, but there is no meaningful upgrade path that would drastically improve your Starfield performance right now. The main bottleneck appears on the GPU side. The largest gap shows up at 1080p Medium, where the GPU reaches about 131 FPS while the CPU still has headroom up to roughly 195 FPS. Across all tested settings, the distribution is 12/12 GPU-limited, 0/12 CPU-limited, and 0/12 balanced.
Starfield 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.
Starfield requires at minimum a Core i7-6800K (CPU) and GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (GPU) with 16 GB RAM and 125 GB (SSD Obrigatório) storage. For the recommended experience, you need a Core i5-10600K and GeForce RTX 2080 with 16 GB RAM. Your Core i9-10900F and GeForce RTX 4090 both exceed the recommended specs, so you're well-positioned for a great experience.
These Starfield 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.
