SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-12900K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070

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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94 Score

Top 6% Ranking

94 / 100

ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 6% 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

95%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core i9-12900K

42,335 Benchmark Score

Top 7% Market Ranking

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GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070

40,377 Benchmark Score

Top 5% 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

# GPU Analysis — VRAM, bandwidth, clocks, RT/tensor hardware, what the benchmark scores mean for rendering

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 pairs 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus with a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is the defining characteristic of the GPU: the 12 GB capacity is sufficient for high-resolution textures in modern titles at 1440p, but the 192-bit bus and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth place a hard ceiling on how much data can be fed to the 6144 shading units. For perspective, the RTX 5070's predecessor generation (GeForce 40) had different memory arrangements, but the data here shows the 50-series card leans on higher clocked GDDR7 to compensate for a narrower bus.

The GPU's clock behavior is straightforward: a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost clock of 2512 MHz. These clocks, combined with the 80 ROPs and 192 texture mapping units, yield a pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute throughput is 30.87 TFLOPS, with FP16 running at the same 30.87 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). This 1:1 FP16/FP32 ratio is notable because it means the card does not artificially inflate half-precision performance for marketing; the raw compute is identical regardless of precision.

For ray tracing and AI workloads, the RTX 5070 carries 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. The RT core count is what drives the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077, which is a demanding next-generation ray-traced benchmark. The tensor cores, meanwhile, feed the PassMark GPU Compute score of 15787, which measures general-purpose compute rather than gaming. The architecture is Blackwell 2.0, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process with 31,100 million transistors on a 263 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 118.3M per mm².

The benchmark scores tell a clear story about rendering performance. The PassMark G3D score of 29137 places the RTX 5070 at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs. In the nearestRivals data, the RTX 5070's average benchmark score of 40377 is within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (40318), 0.8% above the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (40063), 1.2% below the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (40870), and 2.0% above the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (39568). These are all professional or mobile workstation cards, which indicates that the RTX 5070's raw compute profile sits in a professional-tier band despite being a consumer gaming GPU.

The DirectX benchmarks reveal the API-level strengths: PassMark DirectX 11 scores 277, DirectX 12 scores 108, DirectX 10 scores 180, and DirectX 9 scores 320. The DirectX 12 score being lower than DirectX 11 is expected, as DX12 workloads often stress different parts of the pipeline. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, covering the full modern API stack for both gaming and professional applications.

For rendering specifically, the combination of 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores means the card can handle both real-time ray tracing and AI-accelerated denoising or upscaling. The 12 GB VRAM is the limiting factor for 4K texture-heavy scenes, but the 672.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that the 6144 shading units are well-fed at lower resolutions. The 201.0 GPixel/s pixel rate is sufficient for high-refresh 1440p rendering, while the 482.3 GTexel/s texture rate supports complex material systems.

# Benchmark Performance — exact CPU and GPU scores, percentile positions, and what the combined picture is

The Intel Core i9-12900K posts an average benchmark score of 42335, placing it in the 88th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the Intel Core i9-12950HX scores 42487 (-0.4% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 7400 scores 42055 (+0.7% delta), the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS scores 41963 (+0.9% delta), and the Intel Core i7-14700T scores 41914 (+1.0% delta). This clustering means the 12900K is effectively at parity with a mobile flagship, a desktop mid-range AMD, a premium mobile AMD, and a low-power desktop Intel — a wide spread of competitors all within 1% of each other.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 40377, placing it in the 82nd percentile among all GPUs. The combined percentile for this CPU+GPU pairing is 85, indicating that the system as a whole sits above both individual component percentiles — a sign that the pairing extracts more performance than either part would suggest in isolation.

Looking at the CPU's benchmark breakdown, the 3DMark tests show scaling from 1073 (single-thread) to 2120 (2-threads), 4145 (4-threads), 7596 (8-threads), 9912 (16-threads), and 11620 (max-threads). This scaling curve is nearly linear through 8 threads, then shows diminishing returns beyond 16 threads — the hybrid architecture's efficiency cores contribute but with reduced per-thread performance. The Cinebench R23 scores are 26125 multicore and 2004.5 singlecore; the R20 scores are 14679 multicore and 2072 singlecore; the R15 scores are 4057 multicore and 289 singlecore.

Geekbench scores are 16378 multicore and 2193 singlecore. PassMark tests show a multithread score of 41213, a single-thread score of 4136, and a singlethread score of 4136 (both listed). Specialized workloads: data compression scores 537341, data encryption scores 29579, extended instructions score 33682, find prime numbers scores 147, floating point math scores 105471, integer math scores 139090, physics scores 2219, and random string sorting scores 57094.

For the GPU, the Geekbench scores are 172660 (OpenCL) and 178923 (Vulkan). The Vulkan score being higher than OpenCL indicates strong cross-API performance. The PassMark G2D score of 1305 is modest, reflecting that the card is not optimized for 2D workloads. The DirectX scores (9: 320, 10: 180, 11: 277, 12: 108) show a pattern where legacy APIs score higher — this is typical for modern GPUs that prioritize the latest API features.

The combined picture is one of a high-end desktop CPU (88th percentile) paired with a strong GPU (82nd percentile) that together achieve an 85th percentile combined score. The CPU's 42335 average score and the GPU's 40377 average score are close in magnitude, which is unusual — most systems have a larger gap between CPU and GPU benchmark averages. This proximity suggests a balanced pairing where neither component drastically outclasses the other.

# Gaming Performance — measured FPS by game and resolution from measuredFpsUltraByGame (or, if dataIsMeasured is false, frame expectations qualitatively from the benchmark scores and say the figures are estimates)

No measured FPS rows exist for this exact combination — the FACT PACK contains no measuredFps data. All frame rate figures below are estimates derived from the benchmark scores, not measured results.

The RTX 5070's 82nd GPU percentile and the i9-12900K's 88th CPU percentile provide a strong foundation for gaming. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 29137 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077 indicate that the card is positioned for high-refresh 1440p gaming and capable 4K at reduced settings. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1440p ultra textures in most current titles, but 4K ultra texture packs may exceed this capacity in some games.

At 1080p, the CPU becomes the primary constraint. The i9-12900K's single-thread score of 1073 in 3DMark and 4136 in PassMark single-thread indicate strong per-core performance, but the GPU's 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 compute is more than enough to drive frame rates beyond what most displays can show at this resolution. Expect the GPU to be underutilized at 1080p in CPU-bound titles, with frame rates limited by the CPU's thread scheduling rather than raw GPU throughput.

At 1440p, the balance shifts. The 672.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 201.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are well-matched to this resolution. The RTX 5070's 48 RT cores provide ray-traced performance that should handle medium-to-high RT settings at 1440p, assuming the 12 GB VRAM is not exceeded. Estimated frame rates in the 80-120 FPS range for demanding titles at ultra settings, with competitive esports titles pushing well beyond 144 FPS.

At 4K, the 12 GB VRAM and 192-bit bus become limiting factors. The 672.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate but not generous for 4K textures, and the 12 GB capacity may force texture quality reductions in the most demanding titles. Estimated frame rates in the 40-60 FPS range for ultra settings, with 60+ FPS achievable by reducing texture quality or using upscaling technologies. The tensor cores can accelerate AI-based upscaling, which effectively extends the card's 4K capability beyond what raw rasterization would suggest.

The i9-12900K's 16 cores and 24 threads provide ample CPU headroom for gaming at all resolutions. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9912 and max-thread score of 11620 indicate that the CPU will not bottleneck the GPU in most scenarios, even in CPU-heavy simulation or strategy games. The PassMark physics score of 2219 supports this, showing strong physics computation capabilities.

# Balance and Bottleneck — which component limits which workload, using percentiles and FPS scaling as evidence

The CPU and GPU percentiles (88th and 82nd, respectively) are close enough that the bottleneck shifts depending on the workload and resolution. The combined percentile of 85 indicates that the system as a whole performs better than either component's individual percentile would predict, suggesting good synergy.

At 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor in most gaming scenarios. The i9-12900K's single-thread 3DMark score of 1073 and PassMark single-thread score of 4136 represent the ceiling for frame generation in CPU-bound games. The GPU's 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 compute is far beyond what 1080p requires, so the GPU will idle while the CPU works. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2120 is particularly relevant here — many games still rely heavily on 1-2 threads, and this score determines the practical frame rate ceiling.

At 1440p, the balance evens out. The GPU's 82nd percentile and the CPU's 88th percentile mean that neither component is drastically over- or under-powered for this resolution. The GPU's 672.0 GB/s bandwidth and 201.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient to keep up with the CPU's thread throughput. This is the resolution where the pairing is most balanced, with neither component consistently bottlenecking the other.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The 12 GB VRAM and 192-bit bus are the primary constraints, and the GPU's 82nd percentile is below the CPU's 88th percentile. The CPU will have significant headroom at 4K, with the 16 cores and 24 threads rarely fully utilized. The PassMark multithread score of 41213 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 26125 indicate that the CPU can handle any background tasks while gaming at 4K.

For non-gaming workloads, the CPU is the primary compute engine. The PassMark integer math score of 139090 and floating point math score of 105471 show strong general-purpose compute, while the data compression score of 537341 indicates excellent throughput for archive operations. The GPU's compute capabilities (PassMark GPU Compute score of 15787) are supplementary — useful for GPU-accelerated tasks, but the CPU handles most traditional workloads.

The nearestRivals data provides additional context. The CPU's closest rival, the Intel Core i9-12950HX, scores 42487 (-0.4% delta) — essentially identical. This means the 12900K's performance is not unique; a laptop CPU can match it. The GPU's closest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 580, scores 40318 (+0.1% delta) — also essentially identical. Both components are in performance bands where small percentage differences are common, and the bottleneck behavior is similarly sensitive to workload.

# CPU Analysis — cores, clocks, architecture, what the benchmark scores mean for real workloads

The Intel Core i9-12900K is a 16-core, 24-thread desktop processor built on the Alder Lake-S architecture, fabricated on Intel's 10 nm process with a 215 mm² die size. The core configuration uses Intel's hybrid design, combining performance and efficiency cores, though the FACT PACK does not specify the exact P-core/E-core split. The base clock is 3.20 GHz with a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, and the TDP is 125 W. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. ECC memory is supported, which is notable for workstation use.

The cache hierarchy is generous: 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. The L3 cache size is particularly relevant for gaming and content creation, as it reduces memory latency for frequently accessed data. The CPU uses Intel Socket 1700 with PCIe Gen 5 (16 lanes from the CPU), and includes integrated UHD Graphics 770 — useful for troubleshooting or basic display tasks without a discrete GPU.

The benchmark scores paint a clear picture of the 12900K's capabilities. The 3DMark scaling from 1073 (single-thread) to 11620 (max-threads) shows a 10.8x improvement from single to full utilization. This is a strong scaling ratio, indicating that the hybrid architecture does not introduce significant scheduling penalties. The 16-thread score of 9912 is 85% of the max-thread score, suggesting that the efficiency cores contribute meaningfully but with diminishing returns.

Cinebench scores are particularly illustrative. The R23 multicore score of 26125 is 13x the single-core score of 2004.5, showing excellent multi-threaded scaling. The R20 scores (14679 multicore, 2072 singlecore) and R15 scores (4057 multicore, 289 singlecore) follow the same pattern. These scores indicate strong performance in video rendering, 3D modeling, and other multi-threaded content creation workloads.

PassMark scores provide additional depth. The multithread score of 41213 and single-thread score of 4136 show a 10x scaling ratio. The integer math score of 139090 and floating point math score of 105471 are both strong, with integer math leading — typical for a CPU with high per-core IPC. The data encryption score of 29579 and extended instructions score of 33682 indicate solid cryptography and SIMD performance. The physics score of 2219 is moderate, while the find prime numbers score of 147 is low — the latter is a specialized test that does not reflect general performance.

For real workloads, the 12900K's 88th percentile ranking means it outperforms 88% of all CPUs. The nearest rivals are all within 1% — the 12950HX (mobile), Ryzen 5 7400 (desktop mid-range), Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS (mobile), and i7-14700T (low-power desktop). This indicates that the 12900K's performance is well-established and competitive, but not exceptional — it is a high-end CPU from a previous generation that remains relevant.

# FAQ

Q: What is the combined performance percentile of the i9-12900K and RTX 5070 pairing?

A: The combined percentile is 85, which is higher than both the CPU's 88th percentile and the GPU's 82nd percentile individually.

Q: How does the i9-12900K compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-12950HX?

A: The i9-12900K scores 42335 on average, while the i9-12950HX scores 42487 — a delta of -0.4%, meaning the two are essentially identical in performance.

Q: What memory type and bandwidth does the RTX 5070 use?

A: The RTX 5070 uses 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s.

Q: Does the i9-12900K support ECC memory?

A: Yes, the i9-12900K supports ECC memory, along with both DDR4 and DDR5 in a dual-channel configuration.

Q: What is the RTX 5070's process node and transistor count?

A: The RTX 5070 is fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process with 31,100 million transistors on a 263 mm² die.

Q: How many RT cores and tensor cores does the RTX 5070 have?

A: The RTX 5070 has 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, with 6144 shading units.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the i9-12900K?

A: The launch MSRP of the i9-12900K is $599.

# Who Should Build It

This pairing targets users who need strong multi-threaded CPU performance alongside solid GPU compute. The i9-12900K's 88th CPU percentile makes it suitable for content creators, software developers, and anyone running heavily threaded workloads. The 16 cores and 24 threads, combined with the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 26125, handle video encoding, 3D rendering, and compilation tasks with ease.

Gamers at 1440p are the primary audience. The RTX 5070's 82nd GPU percentile and 12 GB GDDR7 memory provide a strong 1440p experience, while the i9-12900K's single-thread performance ensures the CPU does not bottleneck frame rates. The 85th combined percentile indicates a system that performs above the sum of its parts.

Content creators who work with video editing or 3D rendering will benefit from the CPU's multi-threaded performance and the GPU's compute capabilities. The PassMark GPU Compute score of 15787 supports GPU-accelerated rendering, while the CPU's data compression score of 537341 accelerates archive operations common in media workflows.

Software developers will appreciate the CPU's 24 threads for parallel compilation and the PassMark extended instructions score of 33682 for SIMD-heavy code. The ECC memory support adds reliability for long-running build processes.

Students and small business users building a single workstation that handles both gaming and productivity will find this pairing balanced. The CPU covers office workloads with its 88th percentile performance, while the GPU provides 82nd percentile gaming and compute performance. The system is not ideal for 4K gaming (12 GB VRAM is limiting) or extreme multi-threaded workloads (8th-gen Ryzen and newer Intel CPUs outperform it), but it excels in the 1440p gaming and content creation sweet spot.

# Build Overview

This is a desktop build pairing the Intel Core i9-12900K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070. The CPU is from the Core 12th Gen series (Alder Lake-S architecture), featuring 16 cores and 24 threads with a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The GPU is from the GeForce 50-series (Blackwell 2.0 architecture), featuring 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 6144 shading units.

The system's combined percentile is 85, placing it in the upper tier of desktop builds. The CPU's 88th percentile and GPU's 82nd percentile are both above the 80th percentile, making this a high-end pairing by percentile standards. The CPU and GPU average benchmark scores (42335 and 40377 respectively) are closely matched, which is unusual and contributes to the balanced overall performance.

The build class is desktop, meaning both components are designed for stationary systems with adequate cooling and power. The CPU's 125 W TDP and the GPU's 250 W TDP require a capable power supply (the suggested PSU for the GPU is 600 W) and adequate cooling. The CPU uses Intel Socket 1700 with PCIe Gen 5 support, and the GPU uses PCIe 5.0 x16. The system supports DDR4 or DDR5 memory, giving builders flexibility in memory choice.

The release dates are notable: the CPU was released on 2021-11-03 with a launch MSRP of $599, while the GPU was released on 2025-03-03 with a launch MSRP of $549. This generational gap means the CPU is from a previous platform generation, but its performance remains competitive. The GPU is current-generation, representing the latest architecture from NVIDIA.

# Usage Scenarios

High-Refresh Gaming: At 1440p, this system is well-suited for high-refresh gaming. The RTX 5070's 82nd GPU percentile and 672.0 GB/s memory bandwidth provide sufficient throughput, while the i9-12900K's single-thread 3DMark score of 1073 ensures the CPU can keep up with frame generation. The 12 GB VRAM is adequate for 1440p ultra textures in most titles.

Streaming: The i9-12900K's 16 cores and 24 threads provide ample headroom for concurrent gaming and encoding. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 26125 indicates strong multi-threaded performance, while the PassMark multithread score of 41213 confirms the CPU can handle the parallel workload of streaming software alongside games.

Video Editing: The CPU's 88th percentile performance, combined with the GPU's compute capabilities, makes this a capable video editing system. The PassMark GPU Compute score of 15787 supports GPU-accelerated effects, while the CPU's data compression score of 537341 speeds up media file operations. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p video timelines.

3D Rendering: The CPU's Cinebench R20 multicore score of 14679 and R23 multicore score of 26125 indicate strong CPU-based rendering performance. The GPU's 48 RT cores and 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 compute support GPU-accelerated rendering and ray tracing. The 12 GB VRAM may limit very large scenes, but the 672.0 GB/s bandwidth helps mitigate this.

Software Development: The 24 threads and PassMark integer math score of 139090 provide strong compilation performance. The PassMark extended instructions score of 33682 supports SIMD-optimized code. The ECC memory support adds reliability for long-running builds and server-like workloads.

Student and Office Work: The CPU's 88th percentile and the system's 85th combined percentile indicate strong general-purpose performance. The PassMark single-thread score of 4136 ensures snappy responsiveness in office applications, while the 16-core configuration handles multitasking with ease. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 provides a fallback display solution if the discrete GPU is ever removed.

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-12900K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070

Apex Performer

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core i9-12900K

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070

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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