SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-12900K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2

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

91 / 100
ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 9% 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%
VS
GPU
90%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core i9-12900K

42,335 Benchmark Score
Top 7% Market Ranking
View Full Specs →
GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2

16,504 Benchmark Score
Top 10% 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 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 represent a pairing of a high-core-count desktop processor with an actively produced, high-end graphics card, resulting in a combined benchmark percentile of 74. The data indicates this is a desktop build where the CPU, holding an 88th percentile rank among all CPUs, significantly outperforms the GPU, which sits at only the 59th percentile in its own category. No measured FPS rows exist for this exact combination in the FACT PACK, so all frame rate discussion here is estimated from the raw component benchmark scores rather than direct game testing.

FAQ

Q: What is the combined performance percentile of this CPU and GPU pairing?

A: The build holds a combined percentile of 74, indicating it outperforms a majority of system configurations in the database, though the individual component percentiles (CPU at 88, GPU at 59) show a notable performance gap between the two.

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

A: The Core i9-12900K has an average benchmark score of 42335, which is 0.4% lower than the Core i9-12950HX's score of 42487, making the two effectively identical in overall CPU performance despite the 12900K being a desktop part.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the RTX 5090 D V2, and what type of memory does it use?

A: The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.34 TB/s, which is a critical specification for high-resolution texture loading and compute workloads.

Q: What are the core counts for the CPU and the GPU's shading units?

A: The Intel Core i9-12900K has 16 cores and 24 threads, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 contains 21,760 shading units, 170 RT cores, and 680 tensor cores.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance relative to its multi-thread performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The CPU scores 2004.5 points in Cinebench R23 single-core and 26125 points in multi-core, showing a roughly 13x scaling from single to multi-threaded workloads, which reflects the efficiency of its hybrid architecture under full load.

Q: Does the GPU have a single benchmark score, and what does that score represent?

A: Yes, the GPU has only one benchmark entry: 3dmark_3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 with a score of 16504. This single data point is the basis for its average benchmark score and its 59th percentile ranking.

Q: What is the thermal design power (TDP) for the CPU and the suggested PSU wattage for the GPU?

A: The CPU has a TDP of 125 W, while the GPU has a TDP of 575 W, and the suggested PSU for the system is 950 W, indicating the GPU is the dominant power consumer in this configuration.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark data reveals a stark imbalance between the two core components. The Intel Core i9-12900K achieves an average benchmark score of 42335, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 has an average benchmark score of 16504, which lands it in only the 59th percentile of all GPUs. This discrepancy is the central finding of the performance analysis: the CPU is a top-tier performer relative to its peers, while the GPU, despite its modern architecture, ranks closer to the median in the database's GPU pool.

Looking at the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26125 points demonstrates substantial parallel processing power, while its single-core score of 2004.5 points shows strong per-thread performance. The Geekbench scores corroborate this, with a multi-core score of 16378 and a single-core score of 2193. The CPU's 3DMark thread scaling tests show a steady progression from 1073 points in single-thread to 11620 points at max threads, indicating excellent scalability across its 16 cores and 24 threads. For the GPU, the single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 16504 is the only quantitative measure available, and it places the card in a tight cluster with rivals like the NVIDIA T400 (16508, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 (16415, 0.5% delta).

The combined picture is one of a system where the CPU is the clear performance leader. The GPU's 59th percentile rank suggests that while it is a capable card, it does not represent the absolute pinnacle of graphics performance in this database. In practical terms, the CPU's high percentile means it will rarely be the limiting factor in a workload, whereas the GPU's lower percentile suggests it will more frequently cap frame rates or rendering throughput. The 88th percentile CPU paired with a 59th percentile GPU creates a system where the CPU has significant headroom to feed the GPU, but the GPU may hold back the system in graphics-intensive tasks.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a massive die size of 750 mm² containing 92,200 million transistors. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz for 28 Gbps effective. The memory subsystem is substantial: 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 384-bit bus provides 1.34 TB/s of bandwidth, which is essential for high-resolution textures and large datasets in rendering workloads. The card's compute capabilities include 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs, yielding a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s.

For ray tracing and AI-accelerated tasks, the GPU packs 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. The FP32 performance is rated at 104.8 TFLOPS, with FP16 also at 104.8 TFLOPS in a 1:1 ratio, indicating balanced compute for both single and half precision workloads. The single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 16504 places this GPU in the 59th percentile, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA T400 (16508, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 (16415, 0.5% delta). This clustering suggests that in the specific DX12 workload tested, the RTX 5090 D V2 performs nearly identically to much lower-tier cards, which is a surprising result given its high-end specifications.

For rendering, the 24 GB VRAM and 1.34 TB/s bandwidth are the standout features, allowing for large scenes and complex shaders without memory swapping. The 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 throughput provides raw compute for 3D rendering and simulation tasks, while the 170 RT cores handle ray-traced effects. However, the benchmark score indicates that real-world performance in this particular DX12 test does not exceed that of professional workstation cards like the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (16408, 0.6% delta) or gaming cards like the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (16361, 0.9% delta). This suggests that while the hardware specs are impressive on paper, the actual benchmark outcomes show the card performing in line with mid-range options in this test.

Usage Scenarios

For high-refresh gaming, the CPU's strong single-thread score of 2004.5 in Cinebench R23 and 1073 in 3DMark single-thread tests ensures it can handle game logic and draw calls, but the GPU's 59th percentile ranking may limit frame rates in demanding titles. The combination is better suited for 1440p or 4K gaming where the GPU's 24 GB VRAM can handle large textures, but the estimated FPS will be constrained by the GPU's mid-pack benchmark score.

Streaming is a mixed scenario. The CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads, evidenced by a 26125 Cinebench R23 multi-core score, can handle encoding workloads, but the GPU's tensor cores could offload this task. However, the GPU's modest percentile means it may struggle to simultaneously render and encode at high settings, making a dedicated streaming setup more reliable.

Video editing benefits from the CPU's high multi-threaded performance, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 16378 and a Passmark multithread score of 41213, which accelerates timeline rendering and effects processing. The GPU's 24 GB VRAM and 1.34 TB/s bandwidth assist with GPU-accelerated effects, but its 59th percentile score suggests it will not provide top-tier acceleration in this workload.

3D rendering is where the system shines on paper. The CPU's 26125 Cinebench R23 multi-core score provides robust CPU-based rendering, while the GPU's 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 and 24 GB VRAM offer substantial compute and memory for GPU rendering. Yet, the 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 16504 indicates that GPU rendering performance may not outpace lower-tier rivals, making the CPU the primary rendering engine.

Software development is a strong suit for this CPU. The Passmark data compression score of 537341 and integer math score of 139090 show excellent performance for compilation and code analysis tasks, which are heavily multi-threaded. The GPU is less relevant here, but its 24 GB memory is useful for large dataset processing.

Student and office work is overkill for this system, but the CPU's single-thread score of 4136 in Passmark ensures snappy responsiveness in productivity applications. The GPU's power draw of 575 W makes this an inefficient choice for basic tasks, but the CPU's 125 W TDP keeps idle power reasonable.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i9-12900K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process with a die size of 215 mm². It operates at a base clock of 3.20 GHz and boosts to 5.20 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 30 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s, and includes an integrated UHD Graphics 770, plus ECC memory support.

Benchmark results show a processor that is well-rounded for both single and multi-threaded tasks. The Cinebench R23 scores of 2004.5 single-core and 26125 multi-core place it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. The 3DMark thread scaling tests show nearly linear improvement from 2120 points at 2 threads to 11620 points at max threads, indicating excellent thread utilization. The Passmark suite reinforces this, with a single-thread score of 4136 and a multithread score of 41213, plus strong results in floating-point math (105471) and data encryption (29579).

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Core i9-12950HX (avg score 42487, -0.4% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7400 (avg score 42055, 0.7% delta), showing that the 12900K is competitive with both mobile and desktop parts. Its percentile rank of 88 means it outperforms 88% of all CPUs in the database, making it a high-end choice for compute-heavy workloads. The 30 MB L3 cache and dual-channel memory support provide adequate bandwidth for most applications, though the 76.8 GB/s memory bandwidth is modest compared to the GPU's 1.34 TB/s.

For real workloads, this CPU excels in multi-threaded applications like video encoding, 3D rendering, and scientific computing, where the 16 cores can be fully utilized. Its single-thread performance is also strong, handling everyday tasks and lightly-threaded games with ease. The unlocked multiplier allows for overclocking, and the 125 W TDP is manageable for most mid-range coolers, though a capable air cooler or liquid cooler is recommended for sustained workloads.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core i9-12900K uses the Intel Socket 1700 platform, which supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The CPU provides 16 PCIe Gen 5 lanes, allowing for high-bandwidth connections to the GPU or NVMe storage. The platform supports ECC memory, which is a boon for workstation tasks. The GPU connects via PCIe 5.0 x16, and the system's PSU requirement is 950 W, which is driven by the GPU's 575 W TDP.

A sensible next upgrade would focus on the GPU, as it is the performance bottleneck in this configuration. The CPU's 88th percentile rank leaves significant headroom, so upgrading to a higher-performing GPU would balance the system. However, the current GPU's 24 GB VRAM is already generous, so the upgrade would target raw compute performance rather than capacity. Alternatively, adding more memory or faster DDR5 modules could improve the CPU's 76.8 GB/s bandwidth, though the impact would be less than a GPU upgrade.

The platform's longevity is a consideration. Socket 1700 supports 12th Gen processors, and while the CPU is still active in production, the platform is not the latest. The PCIe Gen 5 support ensures compatibility with future GPUs and storage devices, but the dual-channel memory may limit performance in memory-bandwidth-intensive workloads compared to newer quad-channel platforms. The 125 W CPU TDP is modest, so a 950 W PSU has ample headroom for overclocking both the CPU and GPU.

Balance and Bottleneck

The data clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting factor in this build. The CPU's 88th percentile rank versus the GPU's 59th percentile shows a 29-point gap, meaning the CPU is significantly more capable relative to its peers than the GPU. In gaming, this means the GPU will cap frame rates in most titles, as the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them. In compute workloads, the CPU's 26125 Cinebench R23 multi-core score will finish tasks quickly, but the GPU's 16504 3DMark score will be the ceiling for GPU-accelerated rendering.

The FPS scaling, estimated from the benchmark scores, would show that increasing resolution from 1080p to 4K would shift the bottleneck further onto the GPU, as the CPU's single-thread performance (1073 in 3DMark single-thread) is sufficient for high frame rates at lower resolutions. Conversely, at 4K with ultra settings, the GPU's 59th percentile will be fully utilized, and the CPU will have spare capacity. The CPU's Passmark physics score of 2219 and the GPU's pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s suggest that the CPU handles physics calculations well, while the GPU handles pixel output, but the GPU's lower percentile means it will struggle to maintain high pixel throughput in demanding scenes.

The combined percentile of 74 reflects this imbalance, indicating the system is stronger than average but not top-tier due to the GPU's mid-pack ranking. To balance the system, a GPU with a higher percentile would be needed, but the current pairing is functional for most tasks, with the CPU carrying the load in non-graphics workloads.

Build Overview

This is a desktop-class build combining the Intel Core i9-12900K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2. The CPU is a 12th Gen Alder Lake-S processor with 16 cores and 24 threads, released in November 2021 with a launch MSRP of $599, and it remains an active production part. The GPU is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture card with 24 GB of GDDR7 memory, released in August 2025 with a launch MSRP of 2,299 USD. The pairing results in a combined percentile of 74, placing it above average in the database.

The overall tier of this build is "upper-mid-range" due to the GPU's 59th percentile, despite the CPU's 88th percentile. The CPU is a high-end part, rivaling mobile HX-series chips and desktop Ryzen 5 parts in average score. The GPU, despite its modern architecture and large memory pool, scores similarly to much older or lower-tier cards in the Steel Nomad benchmark, which drags the system's overall ranking down. This is a system where the sum is greater than the parts in compute tasks, but graphics performance is the weak link.

The build class is explicitly desktop, and the components are both actively in production, making this a viable new build. The CPU's 125 W TDP and the GPU's 575 W TDP require a robust cooling solution, but the 950 W PSU suggestion provides sufficient headroom. The system is best described as a workstation-oriented desktop with strong CPU compute and adequate, if not class-leading, GPU performance.

Who Should Build It

This system targets users who prioritize CPU-intensive tasks over raw GPU performance. Gamers at 1080p or 1440p with moderate settings will find the CPU's 4136 Passmark single-thread score provides smooth frame pacing, but those seeking maximum FPS at 4K ultra should look to a higher-percentile GPU. The 24 GB VRAM is beneficial for modded games or high-resolution texture packs, but the GPU's 59th percentile limits overall graphical fidelity.

Content creators in video editing and 3D rendering will benefit most from this build. The CPU's 26125 Cinebench R23 multi-core score accelerates CPU-based rendering, and the GPU's 24 GB VRAM allows for large scenes, though the GPU's compute score suggests it will not excel in GPU-accelerated rendering. Software developers will appreciate the CPU's Passmark integer math score of 139090 and data compression score of 537341, which speed up compilation and data processing. Students and small business workstations that run multi-threaded analytics or virtualization will find the CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 16378, more than sufficient, while the GPU's 1.34 TB/s bandwidth handles data visualization tasks. However, for pure gaming or GPU compute, this pairing is suboptimal, and the system's overall tier reflects that compromise.