SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-12900K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090

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

93%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core i9-12900K

42,335 Benchmark Score

Top 7% Market Ranking

View Full Specs →

GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090

27,565 Benchmark Score

Top 7% 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

The Intel Core i9-12900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is a desktop build that combines a 16-core Alder Lake processor with a 24 GB Ampere flagship, and the benchmark data shows a system with exceptional multi-threaded throughput and immense graphics compute, yet one where the CPU’s single-thread lead is narrower than its core-count advantage. This combination sits at the 81st percentile overall among all builds, driven by a CPU that scores at the 88th percentile versus all CPUs and a GPU that ranks at the 73rd percentile versus all GPUs. The data indicates a platform engineered for heavy parallel workloads — 3D rendering, video encoding, and scientific computing — while still delivering class-leading gaming frame rates, though the absence of measured FPS data for this exact pairing means all gaming expectations must be inferred from synthetic benchmark scores rather than direct gameplay measurements.

Balance and Bottleneck

The balance between the Core i9-12900K and the RTX 3090 is characterized by a CPU that can feed a very fast GPU in most scenarios, but the data reveals where each component dominates. The CPU’s 3DMark scores scale from 2,120 in the 2-thread test to 11,620 in the max-thread test, a 5.5x increase that shows strong multi-core scaling. In contrast, the GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 26,645 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,118 place it well above the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, meaning it can generate frames faster than most processors can issue draw calls. For gaming at high refresh rates, the bottleneck is likely the CPU’s single-thread performance, which scores 1,073 in 3DMark single-thread and 2,004.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core — strong numbers, but the 4-thread score of 4,145 suggests that lightly-threaded game engines will not fully utilize the 24 threads available.

In multi-threaded workloads, the balance shifts entirely to the GPU. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26,125 and Geekbench multi-core score of 16,378 show that the processor can sustain heavy compute, but the RTX 3090’s FP32 throughput of 35.58 TFLOPS and 936.2 GB/s memory bandwidth mean that any task involving large data sets — like 3D rendering or video processing — will spend most of its time waiting on the GPU rather than the CPU. The PassMark data compression score of 537,341 and integer math score of 139,090 indicate the CPU handles data manipulation efficiently, but for graphics workloads, the GPU’s 10,496 shading units and 328 tensor cores are the primary engines. The combined percentile of 81 suggests a well-matched pair, with the CPU providing enough headroom to avoid starving the GPU in most applications, though the 0.9% delta to the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS (average score 41,963) shows the CPU is competitive but not dominant in its class.

The bottleneck analysis from the data points to a system where the GPU becomes the limiting factor in pure compute tasks, while the CPU limits frame rates in esports titles or games with heavy physics simulations. The CPU’s PassMark single-thread score of 4,136 is respectable, but its 16-core design means that games optimized for fewer threads will leave most of the processor idle. The GPU’s pixel rate of 189.8 GPixel/s and texture rate of 556.0 GTexel/s are far above what any current game requires at 1080p or 1440p, so the CPU will dictate maximum FPS in those scenarios. Conversely, at 4K resolution, the GPU’s fill rate and bandwidth become the dominant factor, and the CPU’s 76.8 GB/s memory bandwidth is unlikely to cause a bottleneck given the GPU’s much larger 936.2 GB/s.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: The data indicates this build is overqualified for 1080p and 1440p high-refresh gaming, where the CPU’s 3DMark 8-thread score of 7,596 and 4-thread score of 4,145 will drive high frame rates in most titles. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 26,645 places it in the 73rd percentile, suggesting it can output frames faster than most 144Hz monitors can display, though the lack of measured FPS data means exact numbers are estimates. For 4K gaming, the GPU’s 24 GB VRAM and 936.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for ultra textures, but the CPU’s single-thread score of 1,073 in 3DMark may limit frame rates in CPU-bound scenes.

Streaming: The combination of the CPU’s 24 threads and the GPU’s 328 tensor cores (which handle NVENC encoding) makes this a capable streaming rig. The CPU’s PassMark multi-thread score of 41,213 and data encryption score of 29,579 show it can handle encoding overhead, while the GPU’s dedicated tensor cores offload the video encoding workload, leaving CPU cores free for game logic. The 3DMark max-thread score of 11,620 indicates the CPU can maintain high performance even with streaming software running concurrently.

Video editing: The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26,125 and Geekbench multi-core score of 16,378 provide strong performance for timeline scrubbing and export rendering. The GPU’s FP32 throughput of 35.58 TFLOPS accelerates effects and color grading, while the 24 GB VRAM handles large 4K or 8K timelines without swapping. The PassMark floating point math score of 105,471 further supports heavy number-crunching in video processing tasks.

3D rendering: This is where the build excels, with the GPU’s 10,496 shading units and 82 RT cores delivering massive parallel compute. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,118 is a strong indicator of DirectX 12 rendering performance, while the CPU’s multi-core scores ensure that scene preparation and physics simulations are not bottlenecked. The GPU’s 28,300 million transistors on an 8nm process provide the raw compute needed for photorealistic renders.

Software development: The CPU’s 16 cores and 24 threads, combined with a PassMark integer math score of 139,090, handle compilation of large codebases efficiently. The 30 MB shared L3 cache reduces memory latency for frequent access patterns, while the GPU is largely idle during development tasks, meaning power consumption is dominated by the CPU’s 125W TDP. The ECC memory support is a bonus for developers working on data-critical applications.

Student and office work: For typical productivity tasks, this build is massively overpowered. The CPU’s single-thread score of 4,136 in PassMark handles spreadsheet and document workloads with ease, while the GPU is essentially dormant. The DDR4 and DDR5 memory support means flexibility in platform choice, but the 125W TDP and requirement for a 750W PSU make this an inefficient choice for office environments where lower-power systems would suffice.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i9-12900K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10nm process with a die size of 215 mm². It features a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, with a 125W TDP. The core configuration includes a mix of performance and efficiency cores, though the FACT PACK does not specify the exact split; the cache hierarchy shows 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 30 MB shared L3. The processor supports dual-channel DDR4 or DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s, and it offers PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU.

Benchmark scores reveal a processor that excels in multi-threaded tasks. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26,125 is 13x higher than the single-core score of 2,004.5, demonstrating near-linear scaling across the 24 threads. The PassMark multi-thread score of 41,213 and Geekbench multi-core score of 16,378 corroborate this, while the 3DMark max-thread score of 11,620 shows consistency across different benchmark suites. The processor’s 88th percentile ranking versus all CPUs is driven by these strong multi-core results, with the nearest rival being the Intel Core i9-12950HX (average score 42,487, deltaPct -0.4%), indicating the desktop chip is marginally behind a mobile HX variant in average benchmark score.

Single-thread performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,004.5 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,193. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,136 and 3DMark single-thread score of 1,073 show that the architecture delivers competitive per-core performance, though not class-leading. The 2-thread 3DMark score of 2,120 suggests that dual-core workloads benefit from the high boost clock, but the 4-thread score of 4,145 indicates diminishing returns as more cores engage. The processor’s PassMark extended instructions score of 33,682 and find prime numbers score of 147 highlight its capability in specialized workloads like cryptography and mathematical computation.

The 10nm process node and 215 mm² die size are notable, as they represent Intel’s first use of a hybrid architecture in desktop processors. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 provides basic display output, but the presence of a discrete RTX 3090 makes it irrelevant for this build. The multiplier is unlocked, allowing overclocking, though the FACT PACK does not provide overclocked benchmark results. The release date of 2021-11-03 and launch MSRP of $599 position it as a high-end desktop processor, and the active production status means it remains a viable option.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core i9-12900K uses the Intel Socket 1700, which is the LGA 1700 platform. The processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. The platform offers PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU, which is sufficient for a single high-end GPU and fast NVMe storage. The ECC memory support is a distinguishing feature, though it requires compatible motherboards and modules.

The suggested PSU for the RTX 3090 is 750 W, while the CPU’s TDP is 125W. This means the total system power draw, including the GPU’s 350W TDP, is well within a 750W power supply’s capacity, leaving headroom for drives and peripherals. The GPU uses a 1x 12-pin power connector, which may require an adapter for older PSUs. The triple-slot GPU design (336 mm length, 140 mm height, 61 mm width) requires a case with sufficient clearance, and the 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs support multi-monitor setups.

A sensible next upgrade would be to increase memory to the maximum supported capacity, though the FACT PACK does not specify a maximum. Given the CPU’s 16 cores and 24 threads, adding more RAM would benefit memory-intensive workloads like virtual machines or large data sets. The PCIe Gen 5 support means a future GPU that utilizes Gen 5 bandwidth would be compatible, though the RTX 3090 uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The platform’s DDR5 support allows for higher memory clocks in the future, but the current 76.8 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for most tasks. The production status of the CPU is active, so replacements or additional units are available, while the GPU is end-of-life, meaning upgrades would require a newer generation.

Benchmark Performance

The Core i9-12900K achieves an average benchmark score of 42,335, placing it at the 88th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i9-12950HX (average score 42,487, deltaPct -0.4%), AMD Ryzen 5 7400 (average score 42,055, deltaPct 0.7%), AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS (average score 41,963, deltaPct 0.9%), and Intel Core i7-14700T (average score 41,914, deltaPct 1%). The CPU is effectively tied with these competitors, with the largest delta being just 1% behind the i7-14700T. In specific benchmarks, the CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26,125 is 13x its single-core score of 2,004.5, and the PassMark multi-thread score of 41,213 is nearly 10x the single-thread score of 4,136.

The RTX 3090 achieves an average benchmark score of 27,565, placing it at the 73rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile (average score 27,435, deltaPct 0.5%), AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (average score 27,425, deltaPct 0.5%), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 (average score 27,839, deltaPct -1%), and AMD Radeon RX 7800M (average score 27,883, deltaPct -1.1%). The GPU is within 1.1% of these competitors, indicating a tight cluster of performance. The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,118 and PassMark G3D score of 26,645 are the standout results, with the Geekbench OpenCL score of 172,758 showing strong compute capability.

The combined build percentile is 81, which is higher than the GPU’s individual percentile but lower than the CPU’s, reflecting that the GPU slightly drags down the overall position. The data shows a CPU that is near the top of its class, while the GPU is mid-to-high range, meaning the CPU will not be a limiting factor in most workloads. The absence of measured FPS data means that gaming performance must be estimated from these benchmark scores, with the GPU’s PassMark G3D score suggesting it can handle most titles at high settings, but the exact frame rates are unknown.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is based on the GA102 chip, built on Samsung’s 8nm process with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 936.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 1,219 MHz with 19.5 Gbps effective data rate. The GPU has 10,496 shading units, 328 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units, along with 82 RT cores and 328 tensor cores. The base clock is 1,395 MHz with a boost clock of 1,695 MHz, delivering an FP32 throughput of 35.58 TFLOPS and FP16 throughput of 35.58 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). The pixel rate is 189.8 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 556.0 GTexel/s.

The benchmark scores show a GPU that is strong in both rasterization and compute. The PassMark G3D score of 26,645 is the primary gaming indicator, while the Geekbench OpenCL score of 172,758 and Vulkan score of 53,927 demonstrate compute performance for non-gaming workloads. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,118 is a more modern benchmark, showing DirectX 12 performance. The PassMark GPU compute score of 15,356 indicates that the GPU handles general-purpose compute tasks well, which is relevant for machine learning or physics simulations. The DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 scores (268, 182, 220, 110 respectively) show legacy API performance, with the lower DX12 score relative to DX9 suggesting that the GPU’s architecture is optimized for newer APIs.

The RTX 3090’s 82 RT cores provide hardware acceleration for ray tracing, while the 328 tensor cores accelerate AI workloads like DLSS. The 24 GB VRAM is the largest in the GeForce 30-series, allowing for massive textures and complex scenes without memory pressure. The 936.2 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient to feed the 10,496 shading units, preventing stalls in high-resolution rendering. The GPU’s TDP of 350W and suggested PSU of 750W mean that power delivery is a consideration, but the performance per watt is reasonable given the FP32 output. The triple-slot design and 336 mm length require a roomy case, but the cooling is adequate for sustained loads. The GPU is end-of-life, with the GeForce 40 series as its successor, but the 73rd percentile ranking shows it remains competitive.

Gaming Performance

Important: 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 should be treated as approximations, not measured results.

Based on the GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 26,645 and the CPU’s 3DMark 4-thread score of 4,145, this build is expected to deliver high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p in most modern games. The CPU’s single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,004.5) is adequate for esports titles, where frame rates are often CPU-limited. For example, games like Counter-Strike or Valorant would likely see frame rates in the high hundreds, though the lack of measured data prevents exact numbers. At 4K resolution, the GPU’s 24 GB VRAM and 936.2 GB/s bandwidth become the primary factors, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,118 suggests strong performance in AAA titles with ray tracing enabled.

The CPU’s 16 cores and 24 threads provide headroom for background tasks like streaming or Discord, but games that are optimized for fewer threads may not see a benefit from the excess cores. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2,120 and 4-thread score of 4,145 indicate that the CPU’s per-core performance is not exceptional, so games with heavy physics or AI simulations might see lower frame rates than expected. The GPU’s 82 RT cores and 328 tensor cores enable DLSS and ray tracing, which can boost frame rates in supported titles, but the absence of measured FPS means these are speculative improvements. Overall, the gaming performance of this build is estimated to be excellent at 1440p and good at 4K, with the CPU potentially limiting in very high-refresh (240Hz+) scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the Intel Core i9-12900K’s core and thread count?

A: The CPU has 16 cores and 24 threads, based on the Alder Lake architecture with a 10nm process.

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

A: The GPU has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 936.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the combined percentile ranking for this CPU-GPU pair?

A: The build achieves a combined percentile of 81, with the CPU at the 88th percentile and the GPU at the 73rd percentile.

Q: Does this build support DDR4 or DDR5 memory?

A: The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s.

Q: What is the suggested PSU wattage for the RTX 3090?

A: The suggested PSU is 750 W, while the GPU’s TDP is 350W and the CPU’s TDP is 125W.

Q: Is the RTX 3090 still in production?

A: No, the GPU is end-of-life, with the GeForce 40 series as its successor. The CPU is still in active production.

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

A: The launch MSRP is 1,499 USD.

Who Should Build It

This build is suited for users who prioritize multi-threaded compute performance and high-resolution gaming. The CPU’s 16 cores and 24 threads, combined with a PassMark multi-thread score of 41,213 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26,125, make it ideal for 3D rendering professionals who use software like Blender or Maya, where the GPU’s 35.58 TFLOPS FP32 throughput accelerates final frame rendering. Video editors working with 4K or 8K footage will benefit from the 24 GB VRAM, which holds large color-grading LUTs and effects, and the GPU’s tensor cores accelerate encoding and decoding.

High-refresh gamers at 1440p will find this build delivers excellent performance, with the GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 26,645 and the CPU’s 3DMark 8-thread score of 7,596 ensuring that frame rates stay high even in demanding titles. The 82 RT cores enable ray tracing without a significant performance hit, and the 328 tensor cores support DLSS for additional FPS boosts. For 4K gaming, the 24 GB VRAM and 936.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for ultra textures, though the CPU may limit frame rates in CPU-bound scenes.

Software developers compiling large codebases will appreciate the CPU’s integer math score of 139,090 and 30 MB L3 cache, which reduce compilation times. Data scientists running machine learning models can leverage the GPU’s tensor cores and FP16 performance of 35.58 TFLOPS, while the ECC memory support on the CPU provides data integrity for long-running computations. Students and office workers would be better served by a less powerful system, as this build’s 125W CPU TDP and 750W PSU requirement make it inefficient for basic productivity. Small business workstations handling CAD or simulation workloads would benefit from the CPU’s multi-threaded performance and the GPU’s compute capabilities, though the cost of the platform is justified only if those workloads are regular.

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-12900K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090

Apex Performer

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core i9-12900K

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090

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

Balance and Bottleneck

Usage Scenarios

CPU Analysis

Upgrade Path and Platform

Benchmark Performance

GPU Analysis

Gaming Performance

FAQ

Who Should Build It

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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