SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-12900KS + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D

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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96 Score

Top 4% Ranking

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%

GPU

99%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core i9-12900KS

45,094 Benchmark Score

Top 7% Market Ranking

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GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D

178,050 Benchmark Score

Top 1% Market Ranking

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Market Position

How your build compares to others

Budget

0-30

Mid-Range

30-60

High-End

60-85

Enthusiast

85-100

Your Build

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Real-world 4K FPS in popular titles

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Performance Insights

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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.

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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 i9-12900KS is a 16-core, 24-thread desktop processor built on the Alder Lake architecture and manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process node. It belongs to the Core 12th Gen series and uses the Intel Socket 1700 platform. The chip operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and reaches a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with an unlocked multiplier for enthusiast overclocking. Its thermal design power is rated at 150 W.

The processor implements a hybrid architecture typical of Alder Lake-S, combining performance and efficiency cores, though the FACT PACK does not break down core types. The cache hierarchy consists of 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 30 MB L3 cache. Memory support spans both DDR4 and DDR5 in a dual-channel configuration, with a theoretical memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. ECC memory is supported, which matters for workstation reliability. The CPU provides 16 PCIe Gen 5 lanes, and integrated graphics come in the form of UHD Graphics 770.

Benchmark data shows strong scaling from low to high thread counts. The 3DMark 2-thread score is 2212, the 4-thread score is 4320, the 8-thread score is 7872, and the 16-thread score reaches 10316. The maximum-thread score is 11897, while the single-thread score in the same suite is 1121. This progression indicates that performance scales effectively up to 16 threads, with diminishing returns beyond that point—the jump from 16 threads to max threads is only 15.3% (from 10316 to 11897), suggesting the efficiency cores contribute meaningfully but not proportionally to the performance cores.

Cinebench results reinforce this picture. In Cinebench R23, the multi-core score is 36859 and the single-core score is 5203. The ratio of multi-core to single-core performance is roughly 7.1x, which is typical for a 16-core processor with hyperthreading but also reflects the frequency headroom of the KS variant. Geekbench scores of 18538 (multi-core) and 2408 (single-core) place the chip in a competitive position for both threaded and lightly threaded workloads.

PassMark scores provide insight into specific workload types. Integer math scores 147575, floating-point math scores 111429, and extended instructions score 35089. Data compression scores 563709, while data encryption scores 31403. The random string sorting test scores 60539, and the find prime numbers test scores 158. The multithread score is 43698, with a single-thread score of 4330. Physics simulation scores 2437. These numbers suggest the CPU handles integer-heavy tasks better than floating-point-heavy ones relative to its peers, and encryption performance lags behind compression performance—a common pattern for consumer desktop CPUs without dedicated cryptographic acceleration.

The CPU's average benchmark score is 45094, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Among its nearest rivals, it sits nearly level with the AMD EPYC 4344P, which scores 45122 (a delta of -0.1%, meaning the EPYC is effectively tied). The Intel Core i5-14600 scores 44889, putting the 12900KS ahead by 0.5%. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D scores 44573, with the 12900KS ahead by 1.2%, and the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H scores 44466, with the 12900KS ahead by 1.4%. These deltas are small, indicating that the 12900KS is competitive with modern mid-range and upper-mid-range processors despite being from an older generation.

# Benchmark Performance

The average benchmark score for the Intel Core i9-12900KS is 45094, placing it in the 89th percentile among all CPUs. This percentile ranking means the processor outperforms roughly nine out of ten CPUs in the database, though it is not at the very top tier. The nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4344P, scores 45122—a difference of only 0.1%, which is within statistical noise. The Intel Core i5-14600 trails by 0.5%, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D trails by 1.2%, and the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H trails by 1.4%. These margins are narrow, so the 12900KS does not dominate its closest competitors; rather, it sits in a dense cluster of similarly performing processors.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D achieves an average benchmark score of 178050, placing it in the 98th percentile among all GPUs. This is an exceptionally high ranking, meaning the GPU outperforms nearly all other graphics cards in the database. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell at 182109 (a delta of -2.2%, meaning the RTX 4090 D trails by 2.2%), the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB at 183725 (trailing by 3.1%), the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation at 184664 (trailing by 3.6%), and the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 40 GB at 187147 (trailing by 4.9%). These deltas indicate that while the RTX 4090 D is not the absolute fastest GPU in the database, it is within a few percentage points of several professional and datacenter-class cards.

The GPU's individual benchmark scores are as follows: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 scores 8587, Geekbench OpenCL scores 278621, and Geekbench Vulkan scores 246941. The OpenCL score is 12.8% higher than the Vulkan score, suggesting the GPU performs slightly better under OpenCL compute workloads than under Vulkan. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score reflects modern DX12 gaming and rendering performance.

The combined percentile for this CPU+GPU pairing is 94, which places the system in the top 6% of all build combinations in the database. This high combined percentile indicates that the pairing is well-matched for pushing high frame rates and handling demanding compute tasks. The CPU's 89th percentile is the weaker link; the GPU's 98th percentile is significantly stronger. This imbalance suggests that in many workloads, particularly those that are GPU-bound, the RTX 4090 D will be the primary driver of performance, while the CPU may become the limiting factor in scenarios with very high frame rates or heavily threaded CPU workloads.

# GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using the AD102 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process node. The die contains 76,300 million transistors across a 609 mm² area, resulting in a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter. The GPU is equipped with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. The memory clock runs at 1313 MHz, which translates to 21 Gbps effective.

The GPU features 14592 shading units, 456 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation units. It includes 114 ray tracing cores and 456 tensor cores, making it a formidable platform for both real-time ray tracing and AI-accelerated workloads. The base clock is 2280 MHz, with a boost clock of 2520 MHz. Pixel rate is 443.5 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 1,149.1 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance is rated at 73.54 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 (at a 1:1 ratio), indicating that the GPU does not have a separate accelerated FP16 path—it processes both at the same rate.

The GPU's thermal design power is 425 W, with a suggested power supply of 800 W. It uses a single 16-pin power connector and occupies a triple-slot form factor. Dimensions are 304 mm in length, 137 mm in height, and 61 mm in width. Display outputs include one HDMI 2.1 port and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16, and the GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8587 reflects strong performance in modern game rendering. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 278621 indicates robust compute capability for general-purpose GPU workloads, while the Vulkan score of 246941 shows slightly lower but still substantial performance under Vulkan compute. The gap between OpenCL and Vulkan scores suggests that the GPU's compute scheduling is more efficient under OpenCL, which may matter for users running OpenCL-based applications.

In the context of rendering, the RTX 4090 D's 114 RT cores and 456 tensor cores provide dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI denoising, respectively. The 24 GB VRAM capacity is substantial for large scenes and high-resolution textures, and the 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures that memory-intensive workloads are not starved for data. The 73.54 TFLOPS FP32 rate positions the GPU for heavy compute tasks such as 3D rendering, scientific simulation, and machine learning inference, though the 1:1 FP16 ratio means it does not gain a throughput advantage in half-precision workloads compared to some competitors that offer separate FP16 acceleration.

# FAQ

Q: What is the average benchmark score of the Intel Core i9-12900KS, and what percentile does it fall into?

A: The average benchmark score is 45094, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4344P, scores 45122, which is 0.1% higher.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 D compare to the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4090 D scores 178050, while the A100 SXM4 80 GB scores 183725. The RTX 4090 D trails by 3.1%.

Q: What is the memory configuration of the RTX 4090 D?

A: The GPU has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. The memory clock is 1313 MHz, which is 21 Gbps effective.

Q: Does the Intel Core i9-12900KS support ECC memory?

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

Q: What is the combined percentile for this CPU+GPU pairing?

A: The combined percentile is 94, meaning the system outperforms 94% of all build combinations in the database.

Q: What are the Cinebench R23 scores for the i9-12900KS?

A: The multi-core score is 36859, and the single-core score is 5203.

Q: What is the power requirement for the RTX 4090 D?

A: The GPU has a TDP of 425 W, and the suggested power supply is 800 W. It uses a single 16-pin power connector.

# Balance and Bottleneck

The combined percentile of 94 for this pairing masks a significant imbalance between the CPU and GPU. The GPU sits in the 98th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. This 9-percentage-point gap means the GPU is substantially stronger relative to its peers than the CPU is relative to its peers. In practical terms, the RTX 4090 D will be the dominant component in most workloads, and the i9-12900KS will be the limiting factor in scenarios where CPU performance is the bottleneck.

For gaming at high resolutions, the GPU is typically the limiting factor because rendering resolution scales with GPU compute, not CPU speed. The RTX 4090 D's 98th percentile ranking means it will deliver near-top-tier frame rates, and the CPU's 89th percentile ranking is sufficient to feed the GPU in most game scenarios. However, at very high frame rates—such as 1080p or 1440p with lower graphics settings—the CPU may become the bottleneck because the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls and process game logic. The CPU's single-thread score of 4330 in PassMark and 1121 in 3DMark single-thread suggests it is capable, but not the absolute fastest, and the GPU's immense throughput means the CPU must work harder to keep up.

For compute-heavy workloads, the balance shifts depending on the task. In 3D rendering, the GPU's 73.54 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 114 RT cores will dominate, while the CPU's 36859 Cinebench R23 multi-core score handles scene preparation and physics simulation. In video editing, the GPU accelerates effects and encoding, while the CPU handles timeline operations and codec tasks. The CPU's 16-core, 24-thread configuration with a max-thread 3DMark score of 11897 ensures adequate parallel throughput, but the GPU's 98th percentile means it will finish many tasks faster than the CPU can prepare them.

The CPU's nearest rivals show that it is not head-and-shoulders above comparable processors—it leads the Intel Core i5-14600 by only 0.5% and the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D by 1.2%. This means that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i9-12900KS will not provide a commanding lead over much cheaper modern alternatives. Conversely, the GPU's nearest rivals are datacenter and professional cards that cost substantially more, and the RTX 4090 D trails the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell by only 2.2%, making it nearly as capable as a top-tier professional GPU.

The FPS scaling evidence, while not measured for this exact combination, can be inferred from the benchmark scores. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8587 indicates strong DX12 gaming performance, and the CPU's 3DMark 16-thread score of 10316 suggests adequate multi-threaded game engine support. In GPU-bound scenarios, the system will perform at the level of the RTX 4090 D's 98th percentile; in CPU-bound scenarios, it will perform at the level of the i9-12900KS's 89th percentile. The delta between these percentiles defines the bottleneck range.

# Who Should Build It

This pairing targets users who require extreme GPU performance and are willing to accept strong, but not top-tier, CPU performance. Gamers at 4K resolution or high-refresh 1440p will benefit most, as the RTX 4090 D's 98th percentile ensures maximum frame rates, and the i9-12900KS's 89th percentile is sufficient to avoid major CPU bottlenecks at these resolutions. For 1080p gaming at extreme refresh rates (240 Hz and above), the CPU may become the limiting factor, but the system will still deliver very high frame rates.

Content creators working with 4K or 8K video will benefit from the GPU's 24 GB VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, which handle large timelines and high-resolution effects without memory pressure. The CPU's 36859 Cinebench R23 multi-core score accelerates video encoding and rendering tasks, though the GPU's compute power will handle most of the heavy lifting in effects and color grading. 3D artists and animators will find the GPU's 114 RT cores and 456 tensor cores useful for real-time ray tracing and AI-based denoising, while the CPU's 16 cores handle scene assembly and simulation.

Software developers working on compute-intensive applications—machine learning, scientific computing, or game development—will benefit from the GPU's 73.54 TFLOPS FP32 performance and the CPU's strong integer and floating-point scores. The CPU's ECC memory support is a plus for long-running computations where data integrity is critical. Students in engineering or computer science programs will find the system overkill for coursework but useful for research projects, though the cost may be prohibitive. Small business workstations handling CAD, video production, or data analysis will see substantial throughput gains, but the power requirements (425 W GPU TDP, 800 W suggested PSU) and triple-slot GPU footprint may require a full tower chassis with adequate cooling.

# Gaming Performance

The FACT PACK contains no measured FPS data for this exact CPU+GPU combination. The dataIsMeasured field is false, and the measuredFpsUltraByGame object is empty. Therefore, all frame rate figures discussed here are estimates derived from the benchmark scores, not measured results.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8587 places it in the 98th percentile of all GPUs, which indicates that gaming performance will be at the very high end. For 4K gaming, the RTX 4090 D's 24 GB VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth provide ample headroom for high-resolution textures and modern game engines, and the GPU's 73.54 TFLOPS FP32 performance ensures that most titles will run at high frame rates with ultra settings. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking and 5.50 GHz boost clock are sufficient to avoid major bottlenecks at 4K, where the GPU is typically the limiting factor.

At 1440p, the system will likely deliver very high frame rates, potentially exceeding 144 FPS in many titles with ultra settings. The GPU's 98th percentile means it is among the fastest available, and the CPU's single-thread performance (4330 PassMark, 1121 3DMark single-thread) is adequate for most game engines. At 1080p, the CPU may become the bottleneck in CPU-intensive titles, as the GPU's immense throughput can outpace the CPU's draw call processing. The CPU's 16-thread 3DMark score of 10316 suggests it handles multi-threaded game workloads well, but the single-thread score may limit frame rates in games that rely heavily on a single core.

Ray tracing performance will be exceptional, given the GPU's 114 RT cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support. DLSS and other AI-based upscaling will benefit from the 456 tensor cores, potentially boosting frame rates further in supported titles. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 8587 specifically reflects DX12 gaming performance, which is the dominant API for modern titles.

# Build Overview

This is a desktop-class build pairing the Intel Core i9-12900KS with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D. The CPU is a 16-core, 24-thread processor from the Core 12th Gen series, based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a 150 W TDP and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The GPU is a triple-slot, 425 W card from the GeForce 40-series, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 1.01 TB/s bandwidth.

The combined percentile for this pairing is 94, placing it in the top 6% of all build combinations in the database. The GPU's 98th percentile is the dominant factor, while the CPU's 89th percentile is strong but not exceptional. This pairing represents a high-end enthusiast desktop configuration, suitable for extreme gaming, professional content creation, and compute-intensive workloads. The CPU's launch MSRP was $739, and the GPU's launch MSRP was 1,599 USD, though pricing is not discussed further here.

The overall tier is high-end desktop, with the GPU being near the top of its class and the CPU being competitive with modern mid-range to high-end processors. The system excels in GPU-bound workloads and performs well in CPU-bound tasks, though it is not the absolute fastest in CPU performance. The pairing is well-suited for users who prioritize GPU performance above all else.

# Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core i9-12900KS 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, which is sufficient for a single high-end GPU and one or two NVMe drives. The platform also includes integrated graphics in the form of UHD Graphics 770, which can serve as a fallback if the discrete GPU is removed or fails.

The memory bandwidth is rated at 76.8 GB/s, which is the theoretical maximum for the dual-channel memory controller. Users can choose DDR4 or DDR5 depending on their motherboard and budget, though the FACT PACK does not specify which memory type yields better performance. ECC memory support is available, which is a consideration for workstation use.

The GPU uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, which is backward compatible with the CPU's PCIe Gen 5 lanes. The GPU's 425 W TDP and the system's overall power draw require a power supply of at least 800 W, as indicated by the suggestedPsu field. The GPU uses a single 16-pin power connector, so the power supply must have the appropriate cable or adapter.

A sensible next upgrade for this system would be a newer-generation CPU on the same socket, if one is available, or a platform change to a newer socket for better CPU performance. However, the CPU's 89th percentile ranking means it is not a bottleneck in most workloads, so a CPU upgrade may not yield significant gains unless the user runs heavily threaded applications. The GPU, at 98th percentile, is near the top of its class, and an upgrade would only make sense if the user requires professional-grade features or higher compute performance than the RTX 4090 D provides. The GPU's predecessor is the GeForce 30 series and its successor is the GeForce 50 series, but the FACT PACK does not provide performance comparisons for those generations.

# Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: The RTX 4090 D's 98th percentile and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 8587 indicate that this system will deliver very high frame rates in modern games. At 1440p or 4K with ultra settings, the GPU will be the primary driver, while the CPU's 89th percentile and 5.50 GHz boost clock are sufficient to support high refresh rates, though at 1080p the CPU may become the limiting factor.

Streaming: The GPU's 456 tensor cores and 73.54 TFLOPS FP32 performance can handle encoding and streaming workloads alongside gaming. The CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads provide additional headroom for streaming software, though the data does not specify encoding performance. The system can likely handle simultaneous gaming and streaming without significant frame rate drops.

Video editing: The GPU's 24 GB VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth accelerate effects processing and timeline rendering, while the CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 36859 handles codec tasks and timeline operations. The system is well-suited for 4K and 8K video editing, though the data does not provide specific encoding times.

3D rendering: The GPU's 114 RT cores and 456 tensor cores accelerate ray-traced rendering and AI-based denoising, while the CPU's multi-core performance handles scene preparation and physics simulation. The 73.54 TFLOPS FP32 rate is substantial for GPU-based renderers, and the 24 GB VRAM accommodates large scenes.

Software development: The CPU's PassMark integer math score of 147575 and data compression score of 563709 indicate strong performance for compilation and build tasks. The GPU's compute capabilities are useful for developers working on machine learning or graphics applications. ECC memory support adds reliability for long-running builds.

Student and office work: This system is overkill for typical student or office workloads, which primarily rely on single-threaded performance. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4330 is more than adequate, but the GPU's power draw and physical size are unnecessary for document editing, spreadsheets, and web browsing. The system would be more suitable for students in engineering or media programs who require GPU compute for coursework.

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-12900KS + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D

Apex Performer

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core i9-12900KS

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D

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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