SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i5-12600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti

Get a comprehensive performance analysis of your gaming rig with detailed benchmarks, bottleneck detection, and upgrade recommendations

93 / 100
ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 7% of systems. Capable of 4K Ultra gaming and advanced rendering.

4K 60+ FPSVR ReadyRay Tracing

System Balance Analysis

CPU vs GPU performance ratio
Well Balanced
CPU
88%
VS
GPU
99%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core i5-12600KF

27,799 Benchmark Score
Top 12% Market Ranking
View Full Specs →
GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti

131,938 Benchmark Score
Top 1% Market Ranking
View Full Specs →

Market Position

How your build compares to others
Budget
0-30
Mid-Range
30-60
High-End
60-85
Enthusiast
85-100
Your Build

Game Performance Benchmarks

Real-world 4K FPS in popular titles
View All Games →

Performance Insights

Tips to maximize your system

Optimal Performance

Your system is in the top tier. You can run any modern game at maximum settings.

4K Gaming Ready

Consider a 4K 144Hz monitor to fully utilize your hardware capabilities.

Compatible Games See what you can play Compare CPUs Find upgrades Compare GPUs Find upgrades

Performance Tiers Explained

90-100

Ultimate

4K Ultra gaming, VR ready, ray tracing enabled, professional workloads

4K 60+ FPS VR Ready
70-89

High-End

1440p Ultra or 4K High settings, excellent for modern AAA titles

1440p Ultra 4K High
50-69

Mid-Range

1080p Ultra or 1440p Medium, great value for most gamers

1080p Ultra 1440p Med
30-49

Entry Level

1080p Medium settings, suitable for eSports and older titles

1080p Med eSports
0-29

Legacy

Basic gaming, older titles, consider upgrading for modern games

720p-1080p Low Older Games

# Intel Core i5-12600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti

This pairing combines a 10-core Intel Alder Lake desktop processor with NVIDIA's flagship Ampere-era GPU, placing the overall system in the 87th percentile among all CPU+GPU combinations tracked in the database. The CPU holds a 79th percentile ranking among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 95th percentile among all graphics cards, making this a high-end desktop configuration where the graphics card carries the heavier performance weight. No measured FPS rows exist for this exact combination in the FACT PACK, so all game performance figures discussed here are estimates derived from the component benchmark scores rather than direct measurements.

FAQ

Q: What are the core and thread counts of the Intel Core i5-12600KF?

A: The CPU has 10 cores and 16 threads, built on Intel's Alder Lake architecture with a hybrid design. It operates on a 10 nm process node from Intel, with a die size of 215 mm².

Q: What memory types does this CPU support?

A: The i5-12600KF supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel memory bus. ECC memory is not supported.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 3090 Ti have and what is its bandwidth?

A: The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. The memory operates at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective speed.

Q: What is the combined percentile ranking of this CPU+GPU pairing?

A: The combined system ranks in the 87th percentile among all tracked CPU+GPU combinations, with the CPU at the 79th percentile and the GPU at the 95th percentile individually.

Q: Does this CPU include integrated graphics?

A: No, the i5-12600KF has no integrated graphics (the "KF" designation indicates a discrete GPU is required). The system relies entirely on the RTX 3090 Ti for display output.

Q: What PCIe generation does the CPU support?

A: The CPU provides PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes from the processor itself. The GPU connects via a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RTX 3090 Ti?

A: The GPU launched with an MSRP of 1,999 USD. The CPU launched with an MSRP of $264.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark data reveals a system with substantial compute capability on both sides. The CPU's average benchmark score is 27,799, placing it at the 79th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-10900K, scores 27,872, meaning the i5-12600KF trails by only 0.3%. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27,896 (0.3% ahead), while the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE scores 27,712 (0.3% behind). This puts the i5-12600KF in a tightly competitive band where performance differences among these four processors are negligible in aggregate terms.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 131,938 places it at the 95th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA L4, scores 131,072, which is 0.7% behind the RTX 3090 Ti. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation scores 135,218 (2.4% ahead), the NVIDIA A10M scores 135,230 (2.4% ahead), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 scores 135,396 (2.6% ahead). The RTX 3090 Ti sits slightly below these professional-grade cards but remains firmly in the top 5% of all GPUs.

In specific GPU benchmarks, the RTX 3090 Ti delivers a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,741, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 174,441, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 215,633. These figures indicate strong raw compute throughput across different API environments. The OpenCL score of 174,441 versus the Vulkan score of 215,633 suggests the architecture performs particularly well under Vulkan workloads, which are common in modern game engines.

The combined percentile of 87 reflects a system where the GPU's 95th percentile performance slightly outweighs the CPU's 79th percentile, but both components are well above average. The performance gap between the two components' percentiles (16 points) suggests the CPU may be the limiting factor in certain GPU-bound scenarios, though the overall pairing remains highly capable.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture on a 10 nm Intel process. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The multiplier is unlocked, allowing overclocking for users who want additional performance headroom.

In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 23,391 in multi-core and 3,302 in single-core. These numbers indicate strong multi-threaded throughput for a mid-range desktop processor, particularly given the hybrid architecture that combines performance and efficiency cores. The Cinebench R20 scores of 9,824 multi-core and 1,386 single-core follow a similar pattern, while Cinebench R15 shows 2,357 multi-core and 332 single-core.

Geekbench results show a multi-core score of 12,137 and a single-core score of 2,157. The 3DMark thread scaling tests reveal how the CPU handles increasing thread counts: 1,995 for 2 threads, 3,806 for 4 threads, 6,128 for 8 threads, 7,956 for 16 threads, and 7,952 for max threads. The scaling from 8 to 16 threads (6,128 to 7,956) shows a 29.8% improvement, indicating that the additional threads provide meaningful gains for parallel workloads. The near-identical scores between 16 threads and max threads (7,956 vs 7,952) suggest the processor reaches its practical throughput limit at 16 threads.

PassMark results reinforce the CPU's balanced profile: a multi-thread score of 27,575, single-thread score of 3,925, integer math at 87,830, floating-point math at 67,074, and extended instructions at 22,003. Data compression scores 343,231 while data encryption scores 18,445. The physics score of 1,539 and prime number finding at 91 complete the picture. These figures suggest the CPU handles both integer-heavy and floating-point-heavy workloads competently, with encryption and compression tasks showing particularly strong results relative to the overall average.

For real workloads, the 10-core/16-thread configuration with 20 MB of L3 cache means the i5-12600KF can handle multi-threaded productivity tasks such as video encoding, 3D rendering, and software compilation without becoming a bottleneck. The strong single-core score of 3,302 in Cinebench R23 indicates responsive performance in lightly-threaded applications like web browsing, office suites, and legacy software that relies on fewer threads.

Gaming Performance

No measured FPS data exists for this exact CPU+GPU combination in the FACT PACK. All gaming figures discussed here are estimates derived from the component benchmark scores and should be treated as approximations rather than verified results. The RTX 3090 Ti's 95th percentile GPU ranking and the i5-12600KF's 79th percentile CPU ranking provide the foundation for these estimates.

At 1080p resolution, the system is expected to deliver extremely high frame rates in most titles, given the GPU's compute capabilities. The CPU's single-thread score of 3,302 in Cinebench R23 and 3,925 in PassMark single-thread suggest it can keep pace with the GPU in CPU-light scenarios. However, at this resolution, the CPU becomes relatively more important, and the 16-point percentile gap between CPU and GPU may surface in games that are heavily dependent on single-thread CPU performance.

At 1440p, the GPU's 24 GB VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth become more relevant, as higher resolutions demand more memory bandwidth and capacity. The RTX 3090 Ti's 95th percentile ranking suggests it will handle demanding titles at this resolution with high settings, with the CPU providing sufficient support for most game engines.

At 4K resolution, the GPU becomes the dominant factor, and the RTX 3090 Ti's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,741 indicates strong performance under DX12 workloads typical of modern AAA games. The 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores provide hardware acceleration for ray tracing and DLSS features, which can significantly boost frame rates in supported titles. The CPU's role diminishes at 4K, making this the most favorable scenario for the pairing.

For competitive gaming at high refresh rates, the CPU's 4.90 GHz boost clock and strong single-thread performance are important. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1,016 and 2-thread score of 1,995 suggest the CPU can deliver high frame rates in esports titles that rely on 1-2 threads. The GPU's 40.00 TFLOPS FP32 compute ensures that even at high frame rates, the graphics card can keep up with the CPU's output.

Balance and Bottleneck

The percentile data reveals a system where the GPU (95th percentile) significantly outranks the CPU (79th percentile), a 16-point gap that shapes the balance characteristics. In GPU-bound workloads such as 4K gaming, 3D rendering, and video encoding, the RTX 3090 Ti will be the performance driver, and the CPU's lower percentile will have minimal impact on overall performance.

In CPU-bound scenarios, however, the i5-12600KF may become the limiting factor. The 3DMark thread scaling data shows the CPU achieves 7,956 at 16 threads and 7,952 at max threads, indicating that beyond 16 threads, there is no additional performance headroom. Games or applications that leverage more than 16 threads could see the CPU cap performance. The nearest rival data shows the i5-12600KF is statistically tied with the i9-10900K and Ryzen 7 5800X3D, meaning it is not a weak CPU by any means, but it sits below the GPU's performance tier.

The FPS scaling estimates support this analysis. At 1080p, where CPU overhead is relatively larger, the system may show CPU limitations in certain titles, with frame rates potentially lower than what the GPU alone could deliver. At 4K, the GPU's workload increases substantially, and the CPU's 79th percentile performance becomes sufficient to avoid bottlenecking in most cases. The 24 GB VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth of the GPU further reduce the likelihood of memory-related bottlenecks at high resolutions.

The TDP figures also inform the balance picture. The CPU has a 125 W TDP, while the GPU has a 450 W TDP, with a suggested PSU of 850 W. The GPU consumes significantly more power than the CPU, reinforcing that the graphics card is the dominant component in this system. The 1x 16-pin power connector and triple-slot width of the GPU also indicate its power-hungry nature.

Who Should Build It

This system targets users who prioritize graphics performance over CPU throughput. Gamers playing at 1440p or 4K resolutions will benefit most from the RTX 3090 Ti's 95th percentile ranking, as these resolutions shift the performance burden to the GPU. The 24 GB VRAM provides ample capacity for high-resolution textures and future game releases that demand more memory.

Content creators working with video editing, 3D rendering, or visual effects will find the GPU's 40.00 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 336 tensor cores valuable for GPU-accelerated workflows. The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads provide adequate support for multi-threaded encoding and rendering tasks, though users who prioritize CPU-heavy workloads might consider a higher-percentile processor.

Software developers building and testing applications that leverage GPU compute, such as machine learning or scientific computing, will benefit from the CUDA-based architecture of the RTX 3090 Ti. The 28,300 million transistors and 628 mm² die size indicate a large, capable compute chip. The Vulkan score of 215,633 suggests strong performance in cross-platform graphics APIs.

Students and small business workstations that require reliable performance for general productivity tasks will find this system more than sufficient, though it may be overkill for basic office work. The CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 27,575 and data compression score of 343,231 indicate strong performance in everyday multitasking scenarios. The lack of integrated graphics means a discrete GPU is mandatory, which this system provides in abundance.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is based on the GA102 chip on an 8 nm Samsung process, with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. The transistor density of 45.1M per mm² reflects the mature 8 nm manufacturing node. The GPU has a base clock of 1560 MHz and a boost clock of 1860 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz providing 21 Gbps effective speed.

The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivers 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is among the highest in the database. This memory capacity and bandwidth are critical for 4K gaming, high-resolution textures, and GPU-accelerated rendering workloads that require large working sets. The 384-bit bus width ensures that the memory subsystem can feed the GPU's compute units efficiently.

Compute resources include 10,752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 raster operation units. The pixel rate of 208.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 625.0 GTexel/s indicate strong fill rates for high-resolution rendering. The FP32 compute of 40.00 TFLOPS and FP16 compute of 40.00 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio) provide substantial floating-point throughput for both gaming and compute workloads.

The 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features like DLSS. The RTX 3090 Ti supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, covering the full range of modern graphics APIs. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 174,441 and Vulkan score of 215,633 demonstrate the GPU's compute capability across different programming models.

The GPU's 95th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 131,938 place it just below professional workstation cards like the RTX 4000 Ada Generation (135,218) and A10M (135,230), but above the NVIDIA L4 (131,072). This positioning suggests the RTX 3090 Ti competes with professional-grade hardware while remaining a consumer-oriented product. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,741 indicates strong performance under modern DX12 game workloads.

Build Overview

This is a desktop-class build combining the Intel Core i5-12600KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. The CPU, released on 2021-11-03, is an active production part from the Core 12th Gen series. The GPU, released on 2022-01-26, is end-of-life, having been succeeded by the GeForce 40 series and preceded by the GeForce 20 series.

The combined system ranks in the 87th percentile among all CPU+GPU pairings, positioning it as a high-end desktop configuration. The CPU's 79th percentile and GPU's 95th percentile create a system where the graphics card is clearly the stronger component, but the processor is still well above the median. This asymmetry is typical of gaming-focused builds where the GPU receives a larger share of the budget.

The CPU's launch MSRP of $264 and the GPU's launch MSRP of 1,999 USD reflect the significant price disparity between the two components. The system's overall tier, based on the 87th combined percentile, places it in the upper echelon of desktop configurations, suitable for demanding gaming and content creation workloads. The CPU requires a discrete GPU due to the "KF" designation, which the RTX 3090 Ti fulfills with substantial headroom.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: At 1080p and 1440p, the system is expected to deliver frame rates well above 60 FPS in most titles, with the GPU's 95th percentile ranking and the CPU's strong single-thread performance (3,302 Cinebench R23 single-core) supporting high refresh rate monitors. The 4.90 GHz boost clock helps maintain responsiveness in CPU-bound game logic.

Streaming: The GPU's NVENC encoder (implied by the tensor cores and modern architecture) and the CPU's 10 cores/16 threads provide adequate resources for simultaneous gaming and encoding. The PassMark multi-thread score of 27,575 suggests the CPU can handle streaming overhead alongside game workloads, though the GPU can offload encoding tasks effectively.

Video editing: The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23,391 and the GPU's 40.00 TFLOPS FP32 compute make this system well-suited for video editing in applications like Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. The 24 GB VRAM provides ample memory for timeline previews and effects processing, while the 1.01 TB/s bandwidth accelerates data transfers.

3D rendering: The GPU's compute capabilities (174,441 OpenCL, 215,633 Vulkan) enable GPU-accelerated rendering in engines like Blender Cycles or V-Ray. The CPU's multi-thread performance contributes to CPU-based rendering tasks, with the 10 cores handling scene preparation and physics simulation. The combined 87th percentile ranking indicates strong overall rendering throughput.

Software development: The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads compile code efficiently, with integer math scoring 87,830 in PassMark. The GPU's CUDA architecture supports parallel computing workloads, making this system viable for developers working on GPU-accelerated applications. The 20 MB L3 cache reduces memory latency in large codebases.

Student and office work: This system is significantly more powerful than needed for typical student or office tasks. The CPU's single-thread score of 3,925 in PassMark ensures snappy application responsiveness, while the 24 GB VRAM is far beyond what office applications require. The system's 87th combined percentile makes it a premium choice for users who also engage in occasional gaming or content creation.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core i5-12600KF uses the Intel Socket 1700 platform, which supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel memory bus. The memory support for both generations provides flexibility in choosing memory modules, though the user must select one type at build time. The socket supports PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes from the CPU, while the GPU uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface.

The CPU's 125 W TDP and the GPU's 450 W TDP combine for a total power draw that the suggested 850 W PSU is designed to handle. The GPU's 1x 16-pin power connector and triple-slot width require a case with sufficient clearance and a PSU with the appropriate connector. The GPU measures 336 mm in length, 140 mm in height, and 61 mm in width, making case compatibility an important consideration.

The i5-12600KF is an unlocked multiplier part, allowing overclocking to extract additional CPU performance. The 10 nm process and 215 mm² die size suggest reasonable overclocking headroom, though the 125 W TDP may increase under load. The CPU's nearest rivals, including the i9-10900K and Ryzen 7 5800X3D, show that the i5-12600KF is already competitive with previous-generation high-end parts.

For a sensible next upgrade, the platform supports newer Intel processors on Socket 1700, though the specific compatibility depends on the motherboard's chipset and BIOS version. The GPU, being end-of-life, has been succeeded by the GeForce 40 series, but the RTX 3090 Ti's 95th percentile ranking means it remains a high-performance option. The 24 GB VRAM provides future-proofing for upcoming games and applications that demand large memory pools. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensures compatibility with current and near-future motherboards and GPUs.

The DDR4/DDR5 memory support means users can choose between the more affordable DDR4 or the higher-bandwidth DDR5, depending on their motherboard selection. The dual-channel memory bus provides adequate bandwidth for both CPU and GPU workloads, with the GPU's 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth being independent of the system memory configuration. The platform's PCIe Gen 4 support ensures that storage devices and other expansion cards can operate at current-generation speeds.