Pc Building Simulator

Pc Building Simulator presents a unique benchmarking scenario: the game itself is a simulation about assembling PCs, yet it still imposes a distinct load on the hardware running it. This analysis focuses on the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, examining how their strengths and bottlenecks manifest across different resolutions and settings in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern as resolution increases. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, clearly indicating that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary limiting component at higher pixel counts, while the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus provides ample headroom.

At 1080p High settings, the combo produces an average of 112 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 71 FPS, a reduction of 41 FPS (approximately 37% slower). Pushing further to 4K High yields just 37 FPS, which is a 75 FPS drop (about 67% slower) from the 1080p result. This trend is even more pronounced at Low settings, where the frame rate nearly doubles at 1080p (225 FPS) compared to 1440p (142 FPS), and then falls by nearly half again to 74 FPS at 4K. The massive delta between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (83 FPS) compared to the delta at High settings (41 FPS) suggests that at lower graphical loads, the CPU is more engaged, but the GPU still governs the final output as resolution climbs.

The scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are the bottlenecks at 4K. The GPU's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 64 ROPs are simply overwhelmed by the 8.3 million pixels in a 3840x2160 frame. The frame rates at 4K High (37 FPS) and 4K Ultra (35 FPS) are nearly identical, suggesting that the GPU has hit a hard computational ceiling where additional settings changes yield diminishing returns. In contrast, the 1080p results show a wide spread from 107 FPS (Ultra) to 225 FPS (Low), demonstrating that the GPU has enough headroom at this resolution to differentiate between settings loads.

The data strongly suggests that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo. At 1440p Medium, the average is 100 FPS, and at High it is 71 FPS. The 4K resolution is only viable at Low settings (74 FPS), but even then, the frame rate is less stable than at lower resolutions. The CPU, with its 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock, is never the constraining factor here; the frame rate is dictated almost entirely by the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity as resolution increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Pc Building Simulator with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 is the optimal resolution for balancing visual quality and smoothness. At High settings, the combo averages 71 FPS, and at Medium it averages 100 FPS, both comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. While 1920x1080 offers much higher frame rates (up to 225 FPS at Low), the visual fidelity gain at 1440p is significant without sacrificing playability.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings?

A: The impact of settings is enormous, but it shrinks as resolution increases. At 1080p, the jump from Ultra (107 FPS) to Low (225 FPS) is a 118 FPS difference, a 110% improvement. At 1440p, the delta is 74 FPS (68 vs 142 FPS), a 108% improvement. However, at 4K, the difference is only 39 FPS (35 vs 74 FPS), a 111% relative increase, showing that the GPU is so saturated at 4K that even Low settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel count.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the definitive bottleneck. The resolution scaling shows that performance drops by roughly half when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, with a PassMark multithread score of 60860 and a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, provides far more computational power than this game requires. The rendering load is entirely on the RTX 2060 SUPER, which sits in the 62nd percentile for GPUs.

Q: What average frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 159 FPS, with a minimum of 135 FPS and a maximum of 183 FPS. This indicates a very smooth experience with minimal frame time spikes, making it ideal for high refresh rate monitors without needing to compromise on visual details.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its direct rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, which is 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile and 0.5% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5700. It is 1.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 460. This places it in a tight performance cluster, meaning the gaming experience in Pc Building Simulator is consistent with what those other cards would offer.

Q: Is the 8 GB of VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The measured data suggests yes. The game is a simulation with modest texture requirements, and the 8 GB GDDR6 memory on the RTX 2060 SUPER is not a limiting factor in the tested rows. The performance bottleneck is the GPU's raw compute and fill rate, not its memory capacity, as evidenced by the severe FPS drops at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Pc Building Simulator, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2098 out of 3002 combos. This places it in the 30th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is far from the bottom of the pile.

This ranking is surprising given the CPU's strength. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a top-tier processor, outperforming its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, by a marginal 0.2% in average benchmark score. It also leads the AMD EPYC 4584PX and AMD EPYC 9135 by over 1%. However, the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU. The RTX 2060 SUPER is positioned just below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile in performance, and its 62nd percentile GPU ranking is significantly lower than the CPU's 96th percentile.

The 2098th rank out of 3002 combos reflects the GPU's inability to keep pace with the CPU in this context. In a game like Pc Building Simulator, which is not heavily threaded, the CPU's 24 cores are largely idle resources. The frame rate is dictated by the GPU, and the RTX 2060 SUPER's performance is the anchor. This pairing creates a significant bottleneck that prevents the system from climbing higher in the rankings. The data suggests that a more balanced system with a mid-range CPU and a higher-tier GPU would achieve a better rank for this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

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

For 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended choice. It delivers an average of 112 FPS, which is sufficiently high for smooth gameplay on standard 60Hz monitors and even on 144Hz displays. The jump to Ultra only yields a 5 FPS reduction (107 FPS), which is negligible, but the visual difference between High and Ultra is often imperceptible in this style of game. Conversely, dropping to Low (225 FPS) provides no tangible benefit unless the user has a 240Hz display, as the CPU and GPU are already producing well over double the typical refresh rate.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It produces an average of 100 FPS, with a minimum of 85 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS. This provides a solid margin above 60 FPS, ensuring that frame pacing remains consistent. The High preset at 71 FPS is also playable, but the Medium preset offers a 40% performance uplift (29 FPS) while maintaining a good visual quality. The Ultra preset drops to 68 FPS, which is close to High but offers less headroom for demanding scenes.

For 3840x2160, only the Low preset is recommended for a playable experience, averaging 74 FPS. The Medium preset falls to 53 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS target and may result in noticeable stutter. High (37 FPS) and Ultra (35 FPS) are not recommended for this resolution, as the frame rates are too low for a smooth simulation experience. The data clearly shows that 4K is not this GPU's forte, and users should stick to 1440p for the best overall experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all tested configurations.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 225 FPS. This is the highest measured frame rate for this combo, indicating a scenario where neither component is saturated.
• Medium: Average 159 FPS, with a minimum of 135 FPS and a maximum of 183 FPS. This shows a very stable frame delivery with a narrow 48 FPS range.
• High: Average 112 FPS. A significant drop from Medium, but still a very playable frame rate.
• Ultra: Average 107 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 5 FPS, suggesting the game's Ultra preset adds little extra load on the GPU at this resolution.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 142 FPS. A substantial 83 FPS drop from the 1080p Low result, highlighting the GPU's sensitivity to pixel count.
• Medium: Average 100 FPS, with a minimum of 85 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS. This is the most balanced configuration for this resolution.
• High: Average 71 FPS. A 29 FPS drop from Medium, pushing the system closer to the 60 FPS boundary.
• Ultra: Average 68 FPS. Only a 3 FPS drop from High, again showing the diminishing returns of the Ultra preset.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 74 FPS. The only 4K setting that achieves a playable frame rate.
• Medium: Average 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS. The minimum FPS of 45 indicates that even at Medium, there are dips below the 60 FPS threshold.
• High: Average 37 FPS. A steep drop from Medium, showing the GPU is overwhelmed.
• Ultra: Average 35 FPS. The lowest measured score, confirming that 4K Ultra is not a viable option for this hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is an exceptionally powerful processor that is largely underutilized in Pc Building Simulator. The CPU features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Its benchmark results are stellar: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

In this game, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the simulation logic. However, the data indicates that the CPU is never the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 225 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine limits. Even at this extreme, the CPU is not struggling, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rate drops to 142 FPS at 1440p Low, a clear sign that the GPU is now the limiting factor.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (0.2% slower), perform identically in this context. The high single-thread performance (4823 in PassMark single-thread) is more relevant than the 24 cores, as Pc Building Simulator likely relies on a few heavily loaded threads for its simulation. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth provide ample data throughput for the game's assets. Ultimately, the CPU's performance is a non-issue; it provides a massive, untapped reservoir of power that ensures it will never hold the GPU back in this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the decisive component in this pairing. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, it is a competent mid-range card from the Turing generation. Its boost clock of 1650 MHz and 2176 shading units give it a theoretical FP32 performance of 7.181 TFLOPS. However, its 64 ROPs and 224.4 GTexel/s texture rate are the limiting factors at high resolutions.

The benchmark data shows the GPU's performance ceiling. Its PassMark G3D score is 16462, and it holds a 62nd percentile ranking among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, is just 0.4% faster, indicating that this card is at the lower end of the performance spectrum for modern gaming.

In Pc Building Simulator, the GPU's role is to render the 3D scenes of the simulated PC builds and the workshop environment. The resolution scaling data shows that the GPU's fill rate is the primary constraint. At 4K, the GPU is forced to render over four times the pixels as 1080p, and its performance collapses. The 7.181 TFLOPS of compute power is insufficient for the pixel shader load at 4K Ultra (35 FPS), but it is more than adequate for 1440p Medium (100 FPS). The 175W TDP and 450W suggested PSU are not performance metrics, but they indicate the card's power envelope. The GPU is the clear weak link in this combo; its performance dictates the playable settings and resolutions, while the CPU sits idle, waiting for more demanding tasks.