A massive evolution with physically based rendering and fluid animations. The high density of effects creates a heavy load on both CPU and GPU. It scales well up to 16 threads.
Actual FPS may vary based on RAM speed, background processes, and other system factors
Performance Report
At 1080p, all quality settings exceed 101 FPS. At 1440p, all settings exceed 62 FPS. At 4K, frame rates range from 34 to 67 FPS.
The GeForce RTX 4090 is 170% above the recommended GPU (GeForce RTX 2060) for Path of Exile 2. The M2 Pro is 2% below recommended, but 134% above minimum.
The M2 Pro determines the performance ceiling at all 1080p settings, all 1440p settings, all 4k settings, while the GPU has headroom.
At 4k medium, the M2 Pro sets the ceiling at about 50 FPS, while the GeForce RTX 4090 could reach 166 FPS. In this scenario, the CPU limits the GPU potential by 70% (FPS gap: 116 FPS). Overall distribution: CPU limits 12/12 cells, GPU limits 0/12, balanced 0/12.
Your M2 Pro 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 42% | CPU Limits GPU 47% | CPU Limits GPU 42% | CPU Limits GPU 55% |
| 1440p (2K QHD) | CPU Limits GPU 60% | CPU Limits GPU 62% | CPU Limits GPU 58% | CPU Limits GPU 64% |
| 4K (Ultra HD) | CPU Limits GPU 69% | CPU Limits GPU 70% | CPU Limits GPU 69% | CPU Limits GPU 68% |
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.
The displayed percentages are derived from FPS ceilings, not generic utilization heuristics.
| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p (Full HD) | CPU67% - 74% <> GPU51% - 69% <> | CPU62% - 66% <> GPU79% - 89% <> | CPU62% - 66% <> GPU79% - 89% <> | CPU55% - 64% <> GPU79% - 90% <> |
| 1440p (2K QHD) | CPU44% - 51% <> GPU51% - 69% <> | CPU33% - 50% <> GPU79% - 89% <> | CPU33% - 50% <> GPU79% - 89% <> | CPU28% - 51% <> GPU79% - 89% <> |
| 4K (Ultra HD) | CPU33% - 35% <> GPU51% - 69% <> | CPU24% - 32% <> GPU79% - 89% <> | CPU24% - 32% <> GPU79% - 89% <> | CPU18% - 33% <> GPU79% - 89% <> |
The M2 Pro + GeForce RTX 4090 pairing runs this title with CPU utilization between 18% and 74% and GPU utilization between 51% and 90%. M2 Pro stays in a controlled operating range, while GeForce RTX 4090 is utilized efficiently without persistent saturation. As resolution scales, average GPU load rises from 78% at 1080p to 78% at 4K, while CPU averages move from 65% to 29%.
The utilization pattern is relatively balanced. The GeForce RTX 4090 reaches 84% average at its highest-load preset, while the M2 Pro peaks at 70% average, with no single component consistently acting as a hard bottleneck.
At 1080p, averages sit around CPU 65% and GPU 78%. At 1440p, that shifts to CPU 43% and GPU 78%, and at 4K it reaches CPU 29% and GPU 78%. This shows that workload scaling is present on both components, with stronger pressure on the GPU.
1080p (Full HD) Medium is the most balanced preset based on this dataset. It runs around CPU 64% (62-66%) and GPU 84% (79-89%), which keeps GeForce RTX 4090 well utilized without constant max-out behavior while M2 Pro remains stable for consistent frame delivery.
Current utilization does not show an urgent upgrade requirement for either component; the M2 Pro and GeForce RTX 4090 remain reasonably matched for this title.
Understanding Hardware Utilization & Bottlenecks: These percentages represent how much of your component's maximum processing power is actively being used during gameplay. This is the key to identifying performance bottlenecks in any system.
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 CPU is 2% below recommended and your GPU is 170% below recommended, but both meet minimum specs. Playable at Low/Medium settings, 1080p or below.
-2%vsrecommended
+170%vsrecommended
+134%vsminimum
+380%vsminimum
Yes, the M2 Pro paired with the GeForce RTX 4090 can run Path of Exile 2 smoothly up to 1440p achieving around 62 FPS at Ultra quality. Your GPU is 170% above the recommended specs, and your CPU is 2% 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 Path of Exile 2, upgrading the CPU would have the biggest impact on performance. The M2 Pro 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.
Path of Exile 2 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.
Path of Exile 2 requires at minimum a Core i7-7700 (CPU) and GeForce GTX 960 (GPU) with 8 GB RAM and 100 GB storage. For the recommended experience, you need a Core i5-10500 and GeForce RTX 2060 with 16 GB RAM. Your setup meets the minimum requirements but falls short of the recommended specs. You may need to lower some settings for smooth performance.
These Path of Exile 2 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.
