1Can the Phenom II X4 965 BE (125W) and GeForce RTX 4090 run Civilization VI well?
The Phenom II X4 965 BE (125W) and GeForce RTX 4090 will struggle to run Civilization VI at smooth framerates.
Civilization VIFPS onPhenom II X4 965 BE (125W)&GeForce RTX 4090
Civilization VI
The standard for turn-time benchmarks. Late-game turns require huge CPU throughput to process AI moves. High-resolution textures also demand a fair amount of VRAM.
Performance Report
Civilization VI
GeForce RTX 4090 + Phenom II X4 965 BE (125W)
🎮Visual Experience
✅Official Requirements
The GeForce RTX 4090 is 539% above the recommended GPU (GeForce GTX 770) for Civilization VI. The Phenom II X4 965 BE (125W) is 57% below recommended, but 29% above minimum.
✅FPS Ceiling Analysis
No major FPS-ceiling mismatch detected. The GeForce RTX 4090 and Phenom II X4 965 BE (125W) stay close in effective frame-generation ceiling across the tested resolutions and quality settings.
Civilization VI Requirements Comparison
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.
CPU - Phenom II X4 965 BE (125W)
2,544
Your Score
MinimumCore i3-2120
RecommendedCore i5-4xxx
GPU - GeForce RTX 4090
38,112
Your Score
MinimumGeForce GTS 450
RecommendedGeForce GTX 770
Your CPU is 57% below recommended and your GPU is 539% below recommended, but both meet minimum specs. Playable at Low/Medium settings, 1080p or below.
-57%vsrecommended
+539%vsrecommended
+29%vsminimum
+2751%vsminimum
Minimum Requirements
Video Card: GeForce GTS 450
Processor: Core i3-2120
Memory: 4 GB
Disk Space: 12 GB
System: Windows 10 64-bit
Recommended Requirements
Video Card: GeForce GTX 770
Processor: Core i5-4xxx
Memory: 8 GB
Disk Space: 16 GB
System: Windows 10 64-bit
Frequently Asked Questions
2Is there a more cost-effective setup to run Civilization VI?
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.
3Which component should I upgrade first to improve Civilization VI performance?
This setup is already well-balanced for Civilization VI. No significant bottleneck - CPU and GPU are well matched across all settings. Both the Phenom II X4 965 BE (125W) and GeForce RTX 4090 complement each other effectively, so upgrading either component individually would yield diminishing returns. If you want more FPS, you'd benefit most from upgrading both CPU and GPU together.
4Does this setup support Frame Generation for Civilization VI?
Civilization VI 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.
5What are the minimum and recommended specs for Civilization VI?
Civilization VI requires at minimum a Core i3-2120 (CPU) and GeForce GTS 450 (GPU) with 4 GB RAM and 12 GB storage. For the recommended experience, you need a Core i5-4xxx and GeForce GTX 770 with 8 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.
6How accurate are these Civilization VI FPS estimates for the Phenom II X4 965 BE (125W) and GeForce RTX 4090?
These Civilization VI 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.