Pc Building Simulator

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i9-14900K compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i9-14900K posts an average benchmark score of 79,097, which places it 0.3% behind the Intel Core i9-14900KF (79,371) and 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (79,574). It is 1.2% behind the AMD EPYC 7413 (80,041) but 1.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (77,740). This puts the CPU in the 95th percentile of all tested processors.

Q: What is the performance gap between the RTX 5090 D and its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 D averages 77,712 in GPU benchmarks, which is 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904) but 1.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940). It trails the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB by 2.1% (79,396) and the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB by 2.4% (79,605). The GPU sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What frame rates does this combo achieve at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo delivers an average of 89 FPS. This is the lowest average among the four settings tested at this resolution, with High at 94 FPS, Medium at 133 FPS, and Low at 187 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 153 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested CPU-GPU pairings in this game?

A: This configuration ranks 6th out of 3,002 tested combos in Pc Building Simulator. That places it in the top 0.2% of all pairings, indicating near-top-tier performance for this simulation title.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-core and single-core performance profile?

A: The i9-14900K scores 39,399.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,262.5 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 21,697 multi-core and 2,655 single-core. PassMark multi-thread score is 58,674, while single-thread is 4,697. These numbers reflect a 24-core, 32-thread design with a boost clock of 6.00 GHz.

Q: What memory and expansion capabilities does the CPU offer?

A: The i9-14900K supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with ECC memory support. It provides PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only) and includes integrated UHD Graphics 770. The CPU uses Intel Socket 1700 and has a launch MSRP of $589.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on a 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.20 GHz, and it boosts up to 6.00 GHz, making it one of the highest-clocked desktop CPUs available. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache.

In Pc Building Simulator, the CPU's role is substantial because the game simulates system-building tasks, component interactions, and diagnostic workloads that stress both single-threaded responsiveness and multi-threaded throughput. The single-core performance, reflected in the 2,262.5 Cinebench R23 score and 4,697 PassMark single-thread score, ensures that UI interactions, menu navigation, and individual component inspections remain fluid. The multi-core muscle, demonstrated by the 39,399.5 Cinebench R23 multi-core score and 21,697 Geekbench multi-core score, handles parallel workloads like stress-testing simulated systems and running simultaneous diagnostics.

The 125 W TDP and active production status indicate this is a mainstream high-end part, not a workstation or server chip. Its 95th percentile ranking across all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the benchmark database. The nearest rivals show a tight cluster: the i9-14900KF is only 0.3% faster, while the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is 0.6% faster. This suggests that for Pc Building Simulator, the i9-14900K is effectively at parity with the top alternatives, with differences that are unlikely to be perceptible in real-world gameplay.

The CPU's 32 threads and 36 MB L3 cache are particularly relevant for a simulation title where the game engine may spawn many background tasks, from tracking component temperatures to calculating power draw. The PassMark data compression score of 792,694 and floating-point math score of 152,975 indicate strong arithmetic throughput, which helps in physics calculations and any procedural generation the game might use.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a rank of 6 out of 3,002 tested combos in Pc Building Simulator. This top-tier placement means that only five other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher measured frame rates in this specific game. Given that the database includes thousands of combinations, this rank places the combo in the 99.8th percentile of all tested configurations.

This ranking is notable because the i9-14900K is not the absolute fastest CPU (it trails the i9-14900KF by 0.3%), and the RTX 5090 D is not the absolute fastest GPU (it trails the RX 6850M XT by 1.6%). Yet, the combination of a 95th-percentile CPU and a 92nd-percentile GPU yields a 6th-place finish, suggesting that Pc Building Simulator is not bottlenecked by either component individually. Instead, the game appears to benefit from balanced high-end hardware, where the strong single-thread performance of the CPU complements the massive memory bandwidth of the GPU.

The rank of 6 indicates that this combo is among the elite configurations for this game, suitable for players who want maximum frame rates at any resolution. The nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark list (the RX 6650M XT and RX 6850M XT) are mobile or lower-tier parts, which underscores that the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are not necessarily the primary drivers of game performance — the CPU's contribution is equally important. The data shows that this combo is 1.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 in CPU benchmarks, which could explain part of its high rank if that rival CPU is paired with a less capable GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the combo delivers 94 FPS on High settings, 133 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 113 and maximum of 153), 187 FPS on Low, and 89 FPS on Ultra. The jump from Ultra to High is 5 FPS, while moving from High to Medium adds 39 FPS, and from Medium to Low adds 54 FPS. The Medium preset offers the only complete frame time data at this resolution, with a 40 FPS spread between minimum and maximum.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales significantly. High settings produce 179 FPS, Medium produces 254 FPS (minimum 216, maximum 292), Low produces 358 FPS, and Ultra produces 171 FPS. The gap between Ultra and High is 8 FPS, but from High to Medium there is a 75 FPS increase, and from Medium to Low another 104 FPS. The Medium preset again shows the widest variance, with a 76 FPS range.

At 1920x1080, the combo reaches its highest frame rates. High settings average 284 FPS, Medium averages 402 FPS (minimum 342, maximum 462), Low averages 473 FPS, and Ultra averages 270 FPS. The difference between Ultra and High is 14 FPS, while High to Medium adds 118 FPS, and Medium to Low adds 71 FPS. The Medium preset has a 120 FPS spread between minimum and maximum.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings always produce the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, then High, and finally Ultra. The scaling from 4K to 1440p is roughly 1.9x for High settings (94 to 179 FPS), 1.9x for Medium (133 to 254 FPS), 1.9x for Low (187 to 358 FPS), and 1.9x for Ultra (89 to 171 FPS). From 1440p to 1080p, the scaling is more variable: High improves by 1.6x (179 to 284 FPS), Medium by 1.6x (254 to 402 FPS), Low by 1.3x (358 to 473 FPS), and Ultra by 1.6x (171 to 270 FPS). This indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU becomes more of a limiting factor, but the i9-14900K's strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates exceptionally high.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB202 chip, manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process. It features 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, with a transistor density of 122.9M per mm². The GPU has 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, along with 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores.

Its clock speeds are 2017 MHz base and 2407 MHz boost, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for high-resolution textures and complex scenes. The GPU's pixel rate is 423.6 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 1,636.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS.

In Pc Building Simulator, the GPU's role is to render the simulation environment, including detailed PC components, case interiors, and visual effects. The 32 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for any texture or asset the game can load, even at 4K Ultra settings. The 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates that the RTX 5090 D is a top-tier graphics card, though its nearest rivals in the benchmark list (the RX 6650M XT and RX 6850M XT) are notably less powerful on paper — this suggests that the GPU benchmark scores may not perfectly translate to game-specific performance.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU handles 4K Ultra at 89 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1440p Ultra, it reaches 171 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, 270 FPS. These numbers indicate that the GPU is not the bottleneck in this combo, as even the most demanding settings produce playable frame rates. The 575 W TDP and suggested 950 W PSU indicate that this is a high-power component, but the benchmark results justify the power draw.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility ensure that Pc Building Simulator can leverage modern rendering features. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,326 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 376,915 confirm strong graphics compute capability, which helps with any GPU-accelerated effects in the game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 4K (3840x2160) displays, the Ultra preset delivers 89 FPS, which is already above the standard 60 FPS target. However, the High preset at 94 FPS offers a 5 FPS improvement with presumably minimal visual differences. The Medium preset at 133 FPS provides a significant boost for players with high-refresh-rate 4K monitors, and the Low preset at 187 FPS is available for competitive play or for users who prioritize frame rate above all else. The data shows that Medium is the sweet spot for 4K, as it offers a 39 FPS jump over High while maintaining a minimum of 113 FPS.

For 1440p (2560x1440) displays, the Ultra preset at 171 FPS is already excellent for most high-refresh monitors. The High preset at 179 FPS is marginally better, but the Medium preset at 254 FPS is the best choice for 240 Hz displays, as it stays above 216 FPS at minimum. The Low preset at 358 FPS is overkill for any current display but shows the headroom available. The recommended preset for 1440p is Ultra or High, depending on whether the player prefers maximum visual fidelity or a slight frame rate buffer.

For 1080p (1920x1080) displays, even the Ultra preset at 270 FPS exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors. The Medium preset at 402 FPS is ideal for 360 Hz esports displays, and the Low preset at 473 FPS is the maximum possible. Since the game is a simulation rather than a fast-paced shooter, the visual quality offered by Ultra at 270 FPS is the best experience for most players. The High preset at 284 FPS provides a small improvement over Ultra, but the difference is negligible.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently shows the most stable frame times, as evidenced by the minimum and maximum values recorded. At 4K Medium (113-153 FPS), 1440p Medium (216-292 FPS), and 1080p Medium (342-462 FPS), the variance is larger than at other settings, but the averages are high enough that this variance is unlikely to be perceptible. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset is recommended for 4K and 1440p, while Ultra is recommended for 1080p. Players with high-refresh-rate monitors should consider Medium at 4K or 1440p to fully utilize their display's capabilities.