SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-12900K + NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation

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

96 / 100
ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 4% 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
99%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core i9-12900K

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

NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation

135,218 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
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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 RTX 4000 Ada Generation is a workstation-class GPU built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. Its memory subsystem is notable: 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus delivers 360.0 GB/s of bandwidth, a configuration that prioritizes capacity for large datasets over raw bandwidth. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1500 MHz and boosts to 2175 MHz, with memory clocked at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Rendering workloads benefit from the 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output pipelines. The pixel rate is 139.2 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 417.6 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is rated at 26.73 TFLOPS, with FP16 at the same 26.73 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), indicating that the GPU does not halve throughput for half-precision work — a useful trait for AI-assisted rendering and denoising pipelines. The RT cores number 48, and there are 192 tensor cores, providing dedicated hardware for ray tracing and tensor-accelerated operations.

Benchmark results place this GPU in the 95th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 135218. In Geekbench OpenCL it scores 146593, and in Geekbench Vulkan it scores 123842. The nearest rivals show how tightly clustered the top workstation GPUs are: the NVIDIA A10M scores 135230 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 scores 135396 (-0.1%), the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo scores 135774 (-0.4%), and the AMD Radeon PRO V620 scores 136472 (-0.9%). The RTX 4000 Ada is essentially neck-and-neck with these competitors, within a single percentage point in either direction. This means that in raw compute terms, the card is competitive with the previous generation of high-end workstation GPUs, but its 20 GB frame buffer and Ada architecture give it an edge in memory-heavy tasks where the newer RT and tensor cores are exercised.

For rendering, the 20 GB VRAM is the headline feature. It can hold large scenes, high-resolution textures, and multi-layer compositing buffers without spilling to system memory. The 360.0 GB/s bandwidth is moderate by 2025 standards, but the large pool compensates in workloads that are capacity-bound rather than bandwidth-bound. The 48 RT cores accelerate ray-traced rendering, while the 192 tensor cores handle denoising and AI-based upscaling. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, covering all modern rendering APIs. Display output is four DisplayPort 1.4a connectors, and the card is single-slot with a 16-pin power connector and a suggested 300 W PSU.

FAQ

Q: What is the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth?

A: The RTX 4000 Ada Generation has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 360.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GPU scores 135218 on average, sitting in the 95th percentile. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA A10M, scores 135230 (0% delta). The AMD Radeon PRO W6800 scores 135396 (-0.1%), the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo scores 135774 (-0.4%), and the AMD Radeon PRO V620 scores 136472 (-0.9%). All are within one percentage point.

Q: What are the CPU's core and thread counts?

A: The Intel Core i9-12900K has 16 cores and 24 threads, based on the Alder Lake architecture. It features a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz.

Q: What is the CPU's benchmark standing?

A: The i9-12900K sits in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 42335. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-12950HX, scores 42487, just 0.4% higher.

Q: What is the combined performance tier of this build?

A: This desktop build achieves a combined percentile of 92 across CPU and GPU, indicating a high-end pairing that outperforms the vast majority of systems.

Q: Does the CPU support ECC memory?

A: Yes, the Intel Core i9-12900K supports ECC memory. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s.

Q: What is the GPU's architecture and process node?

A: The RTX 4000 Ada Generation is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process. It contains 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die.

Gaming Performance

No measured FPS rows exist for this exact CPU+GPU combination. The FACT PACK contains no measured FPS data, so all frame rates discussed here are estimated from the benchmark scores and should be treated as qualitative expectations rather than measured results.

The GPU's 95th percentile standing and the CPU's 88th percentile standing suggest a system capable of high-refresh gaming at 1440p and solid 4K performance. The RTX 4000 Ada's 20 GB VRAM is ample for modern titles at high resolutions, and its 26.73 TFLOPS FP32 compute is sufficient for demanding rasterization. The 48 RT cores provide ray tracing acceleration, and the 192 tensor cores enable DLSS-style upscaling (though the exact DLSS version is not specified in the data). The GPU's OpenCL score of 146593 and Vulkan score of 123842 indicate strong compute throughput that translates well to modern game engines.

The CPU side is equally strong. The i9-12900K's single-thread score of 1073 in 3DMark single-thread and 4136 in PassMark single-thread indicates excellent per-core performance, which is critical for gaming. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9912 and max-thread score of 11620 suggest that the CPU can feed even a high-end GPU without bottlenecking in most scenarios. The 30 MB shared L3 cache helps with game data locality.

At 1080p, this pairing would likely be CPU-bound in many titles, given the GPU's workstation-class compute. At 1440p, the balance shifts toward the GPU. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary limiter — but with 20 GB of VRAM, texture-heavy 4K assets will fit comfortably. Ray tracing at 4K may pressure the 48 RT cores, but the tensor cores can offload some of that work. Overall, the estimated gaming experience is high-refresh at 1440p, playable 4K, and ray tracing at reduced resolutions or with upscaling enabled.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: The i9-12900K's single-thread performance (1073 in 3DMark single-thread, 4136 in PassMark single-thread) and the GPU's 95th percentile standing support high frame rates at 1440p. The 16 cores and 24 threads handle background tasks while gaming. The GPU's 20 GB VRAM prevents texture pop-in at high settings.

Streaming: The CPU's 24 threads and 3DMark max-thread score of 11620 provide ample headroom for game capture and encoding alongside gameplay. The GPU's 192 tensor cores can also accelerate encoding tasks, though the specific encoder is not detailed in the data.

Video editing: The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 26125 and the GPU's OpenCL score of 146593 indicate strong performance for timeline rendering and effects. The GPU's 20 GB VRAM holds large preview buffers and multi-layer compositions. The 360.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is adequate for 4K video workflows.

3D rendering: The GPU's 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores accelerate ray-traced and AI-denoised renders. The FP32 throughput of 26.73 TFLOPS handles heavy compute. The 20 GB VRAM is a major asset for complex scenes. The CPU's Cinebench R20 multicore score of 14679 supports CPU-based rendering fallbacks.

Software development: The CPU's PassMark data compression score of 537341 and data encryption score of 29579 indicate strong performance for build pipelines and cryptographic workloads. The 16 cores compile code quickly. The 88th percentile CPU standing means faster iteration cycles for developers.

Student and office work: This is overkill for typical productivity. The i9-12900K's PassMark single-thread score of 4136 handles spreadsheets and browsers instantly. The GPU's compute power is largely idle in office tasks, but the system cruises through multitasking without slowdown. The 125 W TDP CPU and 130 W TDP GPU are manageable for a desktop workstation.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i9-12900K is a 16-core, 24-thread desktop processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process with a 215 mm² die. It uses the Intel Socket 1700 and supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. ECC memory is supported. The base clock is 3.20 GHz, boosting to 5.20 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and a 30 MB shared L3 cache. The multiplier is unlocked, and integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 770) are included. PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes is available from the CPU.

Benchmark results place this CPU in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 42335. Its nearest rivals are tightly matched: the Intel Core i9-12950HX scores 42487 (0.4% higher), the AMD Ryzen 5 7400 scores 42055 (0.7% lower), the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS scores 41963 (0.9% lower), and the Intel Core i7-14700T scores 41914 (1.0% lower). The 12900K is effectively within one percent of these competitors, meaning that any of these chips would deliver nearly identical multi-threaded performance in real workloads.

Multi-threaded scores are strong: Cinebench R23 multicore hits 26125, R20 multicore hits 14679, and R15 multicore hits 4057. Geekbench multicore is 16378, and PassMark multithread is 41213. These figures indicate a CPU that handles heavily threaded workloads — video encoding, 3D rendering, scientific computing — with authority. Single-threaded performance is equally impressive: Cinebench R23 single-core scores 2004.5, R20 single-core 2072, and R15 single-core 289. Geekbench single-core is 2193, and PassMark single-thread is 4136.

The 3DMark thread scaling shows the hybrid nature of the chip. The 2-thread score is 2120, the 4-thread score is 4145, the 8-thread score is 7596, and the 16-thread score is 9912. Max-thread score is 11620. The scaling from 8 to 16 threads is not linear (7596 to 9912, roughly 30% gain for doubling threads), which reflects the efficiency cores' contribution. The single-thread score of 1073 is the foundation for responsiveness.

The PassMark sub-tests reveal workload character: integer math scores 139090, floating-point math 105471, data compression 537341, data encryption 29579, extended instructions 33682, find prime numbers 147, random string sorting 57094, and physics 2219. These numbers indicate a balanced CPU that excels at integer and floating-point operations, with strong compression and sorting performance that benefits file archiving and database workloads.

Who Should Build It

This build targets users who need a high-end desktop workstation with balanced CPU and GPU compute. Gamers at 1440p will find the i9-12900K's single-thread performance (1073 3DMark single-thread) and the RTX 4000 Ada's 95th percentile standing sufficient for high-refresh gaming. 4K gamers will rely on the GPU's 20 GB VRAM to handle large textures, though the 360.0 GB/s bandwidth may limit some ultra-high settings.

Content creators — video editors, 3D artists, motion graphics designers — are the primary audience. The GPU's 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores accelerate ray-traced rendering and AI denoising. The 20 GB VRAM holds complex scenes, and the CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 26125 handles CPU-based tasks. The combination of 26.73 TFLOPS FP32 GPU compute and strong CPU multi-threading makes this a capable rendering workstation.

Software developers benefit from the CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads, with PassMark data compression of 537341 and integer math of 139090 speeding up compilation and test execution. The support for ECC memory (with appropriate motherboards) appeals to developers running long-running simulations or data processing tasks where memory errors are costly.

Students in engineering, computer science, or digital arts programs will find this system overqualified but future-proof. The 88th percentile CPU and 95th percentile GPU mean it will handle any academic workload for years. Small business workstations for CAD, financial modeling, or data analysis also fit — the GPU's workstation-class compute and the CPU's encryption score of 29579 support secure, compute-heavy operations.

Balance and Bottleneck

The balance between the i9-12900K and RTX 4000 Ada Generation is generally well-matched, but workload-dependent bottlenecks exist. The CPU sits in the 88th percentile, while the GPU sits in the 95th — the GPU is the stronger component relative to its peers. This means in GPU-bound scenarios (4K gaming, ray tracing, large renders), the GPU will be the limiting factor, and the CPU will have headroom.

In CPU-bound scenarios (1080p gaming, single-threaded applications, compilation), the CPU's single-thread score of 1073 in 3DMark single-thread and the GPU's ability to render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls will cause the CPU to bottleneck. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9912 versus max-thread 11620 shows scaling headroom, but the hybrid core layout means some threads run on efficiency cores, which could limit sustained gaming performance.

The memory bandwidth is a potential bottleneck. The CPU's 76.8 GB/s memory bandwidth and the GPU's 360.0 GB/s are both moderate for their classes. In workloads that stream data heavily — large simulations, 8K video — the GPU's 160-bit bus may limit throughput despite the 20 GB capacity. The CPU's memory bandwidth is dual-channel, which is standard but not exceptional.

The combined percentile of 92 indicates that this pairing is well above average but not at the absolute top. The nearest rival CPUs are within one percent, and the nearest rival GPUs are within one percent, meaning that swapping either component for a close competitor would not materially change the balance. The weak point is the GPU's memory bandwidth relative to its capacity — a workload that needs to sweep the entire 20 GB buffer repeatedly will be slower than one that fits in a smaller, faster pool.

Build Overview

This is a desktop build (buildClass: desktop) pairing the Intel Core i9-12900K with the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation. The CPU is a 12th-generation Alder Lake-S processor with 16 cores and 24 threads, while the GPU is a workstation-class Ada Lovelace card with 20 GB of GDDR6 memory. The combined percentile of 92 places this system firmly in the high-end tier, outperforming 92% of all tested CPU+GPU combinations.

The CPU's average benchmark score is 42335 (88th percentile), and the GPU's is 135218 (95th percentile). The GPU is the stronger component relative to its peers, but the CPU is no slouch — it trades blows within one percent of four rival processors. This is a system built for compute-heavy desktop work: rendering, video editing, software development, and high-end gaming. The 125 W TDP CPU and 130 W TDP GPU are modest for their performance class, and the GPU is single-slot with a 16-pin power connector and a suggested 300 W PSU.

Benchmark Performance

The Intel Core i9-12900K achieves an average benchmark score of 42335, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-12950HX, scores 42487, just 0.4% higher. The AMD Ryzen 5 7400 scores 42055 (0.7% lower), the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS scores 41963 (0.9% lower), and the Intel Core i7-14700T scores 41914 (1.0% lower). This clustering means the 12900K is effectively tied with four other processors — any real-world difference is within run-to-run variance.

Key CPU scores: Cinebench R23 multicore 26125, R23 single-core 2004.5; Cinebench R20 multicore 14679, R20 single-core 2072; Geekbench multicore 16378, Geekbench single-core 2193; PassMark multithread 41213, PassMark single-thread 4136; 3DMark max-thread 11620, 3DMark single-thread 1073.

The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation achieves an average benchmark score of 135218, placing it in the 95th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA A10M, scores 135230 (0% delta), followed by the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 at 135396 (-0.1%), the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo at 135774 (-0.4%), and the AMD Radeon PRO V620 at 136472 (-0.9%). Again, all within one percent. Geekbench OpenCL scores 146593, and Geekbench Vulkan scores 123842.

The combined picture is a system at the 92nd percentile. The GPU is the stronger component in relative terms (95th vs 88th percentile), but both are high-end. The benchmark data shows a desktop workstation that competes directly with the previous generation of top-tier hardware, with the GPU's 20 GB VRAM and Ada architecture providing future-proofing for memory-hungry and ray-traced workloads. The CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads ensure that multi-threaded tasks are not the bottleneck. The pair's nearest rivals are all within one percent, indicating that this is a mature, well-balanced platform rather than a bleeding-edge outlier.