SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i5-14600 + AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT

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

Build Configuration

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PROCESSOR (CPU)

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GRAPHICS CARD (GPU)

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93 Score

Top 7% Ranking

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

93%

GPU

92%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core i5-14600

44,889 Benchmark Score

Top 7% Market Ranking

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GRAPHICS CARD

AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT

24,442 Benchmark Score

Top 8% 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

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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

# CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i5-14600 is a 14-core, 20-thread desktop processor built on the Raptor Lake architecture (Raptor Lake-R refresh) using Intel's 10 nm process node. Its configuration splits into performance and efficiency cores, with a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The chip carries 24 MB of shared L3 cache, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 80 KB of L1 per core. This is a locked multiplier part (no overclocking headroom via multiplier), and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus, with ECC memory support included.

In multi-threaded workloads, the i5-14600 posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30464, which places it at the 89th percentile among all CPUs in the database. That percentile rank signals strong performance for a mainstream desktop part, sitting comfortably above the median but below the top-tier HEDT and flagship parts. The single-core Cinebench R23 score of 4300 is equally telling: it indicates excellent per-thread performance, which matters for lightly threaded applications like legacy software, scripting, and certain simulation tasks. The Geekbench scores reinforce this picture — a multi-core score of 14680 and a single-core score of 2424 — showing balanced scaling from one thread to many.

The PassMark suite provides more granular insight into workload-specific strengths. The integer math score of 117078 and floating-point math score of 85759 both reflect high throughput for number-crunching tasks. Data compression hits 434620, while data encryption reaches 25082, and extended instructions score 25674. The random string sorting benchmark of 48043 suggests strong memory subsystem performance, which is often a bottleneck in text processing and database-style workloads. The find prime numbers score of 155 is comparatively modest, but that benchmark is highly sensitive to specific instruction sequences rather than raw core count.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the i5-14600's average benchmark score of 44889 sits just 0.5% below the Intel Core i9-12900KS (45094) and the AMD EPYC 4344P (45122). Against the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, the i5-14600 is 0.7% ahead, and it leads the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H by 1%. These deltaPct values are small, which means the i5-14600 trades blows with a previous-generation flagship (the 12900KS) and a current server-oriented EPYC part, while slightly edging out a modern 3D V-cache gaming chip. For real workloads, this translates to: the i5-14600 will not embarrass itself in any multi-threaded production task, and it will outperform many older high-core-count parts despite having fewer cores than some rivals.

The architecture's efficiency is notable: a 65 W TDP for this level of performance indicates the 14th Gen refresh improved power management. The 257 mm² die size and 10 nm process are consistent with a mature, well-binned design. For content creation, video encoding, software compilation, and heavy multitasking, the 14-core/20-thread configuration provides a strong foundation. The single-thread performance, highlighted by the 433 Cinebench R15 single-core score and 4167 PassMark single-thread score, ensures snappy responsiveness in everyday use and in applications that rely on one or two fast cores.

# Benchmark Performance

The combined benchmark picture for this CPU+GPU pairing shows a system at the 80th percentile overall — a solidly above-average desktop configuration. The CPU holds an 89th percentile rank among all CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 70th percentile among all GPUs. This asymmetry is the first clue about system balance: the processor is capable of driving more graphics performance than the GPU can deliver, meaning the graphics card will often be the limiting factor in gaming and GPU-accelerated workloads.

The CPU's specific scores have been detailed above, but the GPU benchmarks merit close examination. The Radeon RX 6600 XT scores 1804 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is a modern DirectX 12 test that stresses ray tracing and mesh shaders. The Geekbench compute scores show 88720 in Metal, 80503 in OpenCL, and 72417 in Vulkan. The PassMark G3D score of 16461 and GPU compute score of 7520 round out the compute picture. The PassMark DirectX tests show 194 in DX9, 163 in DX11, 109 in DX10, and 61 in DX12 — note that DirectX 12 is the lowest of these, which may reflect driver overhead or benchmark characteristics rather than raw capability.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (0.7% higher average score), the Intel Arc A350M (0.8% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (0.8% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (1.1% higher). These deltaPct values are all within a couple of percent, which is surprising given the architectural differences. The RX 6600 XT's average benchmark score of 24442 places it in the same performance band as a GTX 780 Ti from a much older generation and an RTX 2080 SUPER, which was a high-end card in its time. The inclusion of the GTX 1630 and Arc A350M — both decidedly lower-tier parts — suggests that the average benchmark score may be pulled down by compute workloads where the RX 6600 XT underperforms relative to its rasterization ability.

When combining the CPU and GPU, the data shows a system that is CPU-heavy in relative strength. The CPU's 89th percentile versus the GPU's 70th percentile means that in CPU-bound tasks (compilation, rendering, simulation, data processing), this system performs near the top of the desktop spectrum. In GPU-bound tasks (gaming at high settings, GPU rendering, machine learning inference), the system will perform at a mid-to-high level but will not compete with systems using top-tier GPUs. The 80th combined percentile reflects this averaging: a strong processor paired with a capable but not flagship graphics card.

# Gaming Performance

Important note: The FACT PACK contains no measured FPS data for this exact CPU+GPU combination. The `measuredFpsUltraByGame` field is empty, and `dataIsMeasured` is false. All gaming performance figures below are estimates derived from the benchmark scores and percentile positions, not from direct frame rate measurements.

Based on the benchmark data, gaming performance expectations must be framed through the GPU's capabilities. The RX 6600 XT's 70th percentile rank and its position relative to the RTX 2080 SUPER (just 1.1% behind in average benchmark score) suggest that this card delivers roughly comparable rasterization performance to that older flagship in many titles. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the card is suited for 1080p gaming at high settings and can handle 1440p in less demanding titles.

The CPU's single-core performance (Geekbench single-core 2424, Cinebench R23 single-core 4300) is more than sufficient to feed the GPU in most gaming scenarios. The 5.20 GHz boost clock and strong IPC from the Raptor Lake architecture mean that CPU bottlenecking will rarely occur at 1080p, except in extremely CPU-heavy simulations or strategy games with many AI units. The 24 MB L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 or DDR5) provide adequate memory bandwidth for gaming workloads.

At 1080p with ultra settings, the estimated frame rates would likely range from playable (60+ FPS) in esports and older titles to borderline in the most demanding AAA releases. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 163 and DirectX 12 score of 61 suggest that modern DX12 titles will be more demanding on this GPU, with performance dropping in titles that heavily utilize DX12 features. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1804, which is a more modern benchmark, indicates that the card can handle contemporary rendering techniques but will not excel at high frame rates in modern titles.

At 1440p, the 8 GB VRAM and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors. Texture-heavy games may exceed the VRAM capacity at ultra settings, requiring a reduction to high or medium settings. The 2048 shading units and 128 TMUs provide adequate raw fill rate (331.4 GTexel/s texture rate, 165.7 GPixel/s pixel rate), but the 128-bit memory bus constrains bandwidth-sensitive scenarios.

The CPU's 89th percentile rank means that even in CPU-bound games (e.g., simulation titles, large open worlds with many NPCs), the i5-14600 will not be the primary limiter. The GPU will be the bottleneck in almost all gaming scenarios, which is typical for a pairing where the CPU significantly outranks the GPU in percentile terms.

# Balance and Bottleneck

The balance between the i5-14600 and RX 6600 XT is skewed toward CPU performance. The CPU's 89th percentile versus the GPU's 70th percentile creates a system where the graphics card limits gaming performance, while the processor has headroom to spare. In CPU-bound workloads like video encoding, 3D rendering, software compilation, and data analysis, the system will perform at a level consistent with its 89th percentile CPU rank — near the top of the desktop market.

In GPU-bound workloads, which include most gaming at high settings and GPU-accelerated tasks like deep learning inference, the system will perform at roughly the 70th percentile level. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1804 and PassMark G3D score of 16461 confirm that the GPU is a mid-to-upper-midrange part, not a high-end one. The FPS scaling evidence (though estimated) would show that lowering resolution from 1440p to 1080p would yield diminishing returns because the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth limits persist regardless of resolution.

The CPU's 65 W TDP versus the GPU's 160 W TDP further illustrates the balance: the GPU draws more power and is likely the thermal and performance bottleneck in sustained gaming sessions. The suggested PSU of 450 W for the GPU indicates that the system's total power draw is modest, leaving headroom for the CPU to maintain boost clocks.

One notable bottleneck scenario is memory bandwidth. The CPU supports dual-channel DDR4 or DDR5, but the GPU's 256.0 GB/s bandwidth is fixed by its 128-bit bus. In memory-intensive games or workflows that move large datasets between CPU and GPU, the GPU's bandwidth will be the limiting factor. Similarly, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity can become a bottleneck in modern games at high resolutions or with high-resolution texture packs, forcing the system to swap textures through the PCIe 4.0 x8 interface (which has half the bandwidth of a x16 connection).

# GPU Analysis

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture using TSMC's 7 nm process, with 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die (a transistor density of 46.7M per mm²). The chip, codenamed Navi 23, operates with a base clock of 1968 MHz, a game clock of 2359 MHz, and a boost clock of 2589 MHz. The memory runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed, delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth across an 8 GB GDDR6 frame buffer on a 128-bit bus.

The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. It includes 32 ray accelerators (RT cores) for hardware-accelerated ray tracing, though RDNA 2's RT implementation is less robust than competing architectures. The FP32 compute throughput is 10.60 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 21.21 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). The pixel rate is 165.7 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 331.4 GTexel/s.

In benchmark terms, the GPU's 70th percentile rank and average score of 24442 place it in the mid-upper tier. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1804 suggests that the card can run modern DX12 workloads but will not compete with high-end GPUs in ray-traced scenes. The Geekbench compute scores (Metal 88720, OpenCL 80503, Vulkan 72417) show strong compute capability for a midrange card, which benefits GPU-accelerated rendering in Blender, video encoding, and some scientific workloads.

The nearest rival comparison reveals an interesting anomaly: the RX 6600 XT scores within 1.1% of the RTX 2080 SUPER (a card from two generations prior with significantly more CUDA cores and memory bandwidth), yet also within 0.8% of the Intel Arc A350M (a low-end laptop GPU). This suggests that the average benchmark score is heavily influenced by compute tests where the RX 6600 XT's RDNA 2 architecture performs well, and by older DirectX tests where it also excels, but that modern gaming performance may be more variable.

For rendering workloads, the 10.60 TFLOPS FP32 performance is respectable but not exceptional. The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for 1080p rendering and light 1440p work, but large scenes with high-poly models and 4K textures will exceed this capacity. The 32 RT cores provide entry-level ray tracing capability, but users seeking serious RT performance should look elsewhere. The dual-slot design, 190 mm length, and 1x 8-pin power connector make it a straightforward fit in most cases, with a 450 W suggested PSU.

# FAQ

Q: What is the CPU's core and thread count?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600 has 14 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.20 GHz and a base clock of 2.70 GHz.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-14600's average benchmark score of 44889 is 0.5% below the Intel Core i9-12900KS and AMD EPYC 4344P, 0.7% above the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, and 1% above the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H.

Q: What memory types does the CPU support?

A: The i5-14600 supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with ECC memory support included.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and what is its bandwidth?

A: The Radeon RX 6600 XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile rank and how does it compare to older cards?

A: The GPU is at the 70th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 24442. It is 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER and 0.8% behind the Intel Arc A350M.

Q: Does the system support PCIe 5.0?

A: The CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the GPU uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface.

Q: Is the CPU overclockable?

A: No, the multiplier is locked, meaning the i5-14600 does not support multiplier-based overclocking.

# Who Should Build It

This pairing targets users who prioritize CPU-heavy workloads but also want a competent gaming machine. The i5-14600's 89th percentile CPU rank makes this an excellent choice for content creators who render video, compile code, or run simulations, as those tasks will leverage the 14 cores and 20 threads to near-flagship levels. Software developers working on large codebases will benefit from the strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core 4300) for compilation and the multi-core muscle for parallel builds.

Students and professionals in engineering, data science, or research fields who run MATLAB, Python-based simulations, or statistical analysis will find the CPU's integer math (PassMark 117078) and floating-point math (85759) scores more than adequate. The ECC memory support is a notable feature for workstation-class reliability, though it requires pairing with ECC DDR4 or DDR5 modules.

For gamers, this system is best suited for 1080p high-refresh-rate play. The RX 6600 XT's 70th percentile rank means it can handle most titles at 1080p ultra settings with acceptable frame rates, and the CPU's strength ensures that even in CPU-bound games, the processor will not hold the GPU back. Gamers targeting 1440p should expect to lower settings in demanding titles, as the 8 GB VRAM and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth will limit texture quality and resolution scaling.

Small business workstations that run office productivity, accounting software, and light database tasks will be well served by the CPU's strong single-thread performance and the GPU's compute capability for any GPU-accelerated spreadsheet or visualization tasks. The system's 80th combined percentile places it above the typical office PC, ensuring longevity for several years of software updates.

# Build Overview

This is a desktop-class build (buildClass: "desktop") combining the Intel Core i5-14600 with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT. The combined percentile of 80 indicates an above-average system overall, but the composition is deliberately CPU-heavy. The i5-14600 is a 14th Gen Core i5 processor from the Raptor Lake refresh, launched on 2024-01-07 with a launch MSRP of $255. The RX 6600 XT is from the Radeon RX 6000 series, launched earlier on 2021-07-29 with a launch MSRP of 379 USD, and is now end-of-life.

The CPU's 89th percentile rank means this processor outperforms roughly 9 out of 10 CPUs in the database, making it a high-end mainstream part. The GPU's 70th percentile rank places it in the upper-midrange tier. The combination creates a system that excels at productivity and content creation while being competent but not exceptional at gaming. The i5-14600 is an active production part, meaning it remains available for new builds, while the GPU is end-of-life, which may affect availability.

The build's overall tier is "high-midrange" — the CPU punches near the top of the consumer desktop market, while the GPU is a generation old and midrange within its own class. For users who upgrade the GPU in the future, this platform has significant headroom, as the CPU can drive much faster graphics cards without becoming a bottleneck.

# Upgrade Path and Platform

The i5-14600 uses Intel Socket 1700, which supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The platform includes PCIe Gen 5 with 16 CPU lanes, though the RX 6600 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x8, so it does not fully utilize the available PCIe bandwidth. The CPU has integrated UHD Graphics 770, providing a fallback display output if the discrete GPU is removed or fails.

The CPU's TDP is 65 W, and the GPU's TDP is 160 W, with a suggested PSU of 450 W for the GPU. This leaves substantial power headroom for upgrades. The 1x 8-pin power connector on the GPU is a modest requirement, and most midrange PSUs will comfortably handle this configuration. A sensible next upgrade would be a higher-performance GPU, as the CPU has the headroom to support it. For example, a GPU with significantly higher benchmark scores than the RX 6600 XT's 24442 average would better match the CPU's 44889 average, though the specific choice would depend on the user's resolution and performance targets.

The memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 means users can choose based on cost and availability. If starting fresh, DDR5 would be the forward-looking option, but DDR4 remains viable and may reduce build cost. The ECC memory support is an unusual feature for a consumer i5 and could be valuable for users running memory-sensitive workloads.

The socket 1700 platform is not forward-compatible with newer Intel generations beyond 14th Gen, so the upgrade path for the CPU is limited to other 12th/13th/14th Gen parts on the same socket. Given that the i5-14600 already sits at the 89th percentile, upgrading the CPU would yield diminishing returns unless moving to a top-tier i7 or i9 on the same socket. The more impactful upgrade is the GPU, which would shift the system's balance toward more even performance and raise the combined percentile.

Rate My PC: Intel Core i5-14600 + AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT

Apex Performer

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core i5-14600

AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT

Market Position

Game Performance Benchmarks

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

Performance Insights

Optimal Performance

4K Gaming Ready

Performance Tiers Explained

Ultimate

High-End

Mid-Range

Entry Level

Legacy

4K Gaming Performance

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

1440p Gaming Performance

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

1080p Gaming Performance

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

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