SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-13900K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090

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

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
96%
VS
GPU
93%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core i9-13900K

61,766 Benchmark Score
Top 4% 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
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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

# Gaming Performance

No measured FPS data exists for this exact CPU+GPU combination. The FACT PACK contains no measuredFps rows for the Intel Core i9-13900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, so all frame rate discussion below is estimated from benchmark scores rather than direct game testing.

The RTX 3090's PassMark G3D score of 26645 places it at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 5118 points. These figures suggest strong 1440p and capable 4K gaming performance, though the 73rd percentile indicates it is not at the absolute top of the GPU hierarchy. The card's 24 GB GDDR6X memory with 936.2 GB/s bandwidth provides substantial headroom for high-resolution textures and demanding visual workloads.

The Core i9-13900K's single-thread performance, highlighted by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1187 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2238.5, ensures that CPU-bound scenarios in games will not hold back the GPU. The 24-core, 32-thread configuration, with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, delivers exceptional frame pacing in CPU-heavy titles. The 92nd percentile CPU ranking versus all CPUs means the processor is well above the vast majority of installed hardware.

For esports and competitive titles at 1080p, the combination of high single-thread scores and the GPU's raw compute output should produce frame rates well beyond typical high-refresh monitor capabilities. The RTX 3090's 35.58 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 189.8 GPixel/s pixel rate support this expectation. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary determinant of frame rates, and while the 3090 is capable, it sits below newer generations in raw performance — the 73rd percentile GPU ranking reflects this reality.

Ray tracing performance benefits from 82 dedicated RT cores and 328 tensor cores. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support with feature level 12_2 ensures compatibility with modern rendering techniques. The 19.5 Gbps effective memory clock and 384-bit bus width provide the bandwidth necessary for RT workloads, which are memory-intensive. Estimated 4K ray-traced frame rates would be playable but not class-leading, given the GPU's percentile standing relative to newer Ampere successors and competitors.

# Balance and Bottleneck

The balance between the Core i9-13900K and RTX 3090 depends heavily on resolution and workload type. At 1080p, the CPU's exceptional single-thread performance — 3DMark single-thread score of 1187 and PassMark single-thread score of 4608 — means the processor can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them in most scenarios. This creates a GPU-bound condition, which is generally desirable for consistent frame delivery. The CPU's 92nd percentile ranking versus all CPUs far exceeds the GPU's 73rd percentile, indicating the processor will rarely be the limiting factor.

At 1440p and 4K, the balance shifts decisively toward the GPU. The RTX 3090's 73rd percentile means it will be the performance ceiling in most graphically intensive titles. The GPU's 24 GB memory capacity and 936.2 GB/s bandwidth prevent capacity-related bottlenecks even in heavily modded games or high-resolution texture packs. The data suggests this pairing is well-matched for 1440p high-refresh gaming, where both components contribute meaningfully to frame rates.

Multi-threaded workloads reveal a different balance. The CPU's 3DMark max-thread score of 15509 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 38271.5 place it in the top percentile of processors. In CPU-bound tasks like physics simulation or game logic processing, the i9-13900K will dominate. Conversely, the GPU's PassMark GPU Compute score of 15356 indicates strong but not exceptional compute performance relative to its gaming capabilities. For workloads that offload to the GPU, such as certain rendering tasks, the 3090 will be the constraint.

The 125 W TDP of the CPU combined with the 350 W TDP of the GPU creates a system where power delivery is unlikely to bottleneck performance, provided the suggested 750 W PSU is used. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface on the GPU and PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes on the CPU ensure no bandwidth limitations between the two components. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K will follow the typical pattern: CPU-bound at lower resolutions transitioning to GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the crossover point likely around 1440p given the GPU's percentile position.

# Benchmark Performance

The Core i9-13900K delivers an average benchmark score of 61766, placing it at the 92nd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-13900T, scores 61723 — a mere 0.1% difference. The Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus and Core i9-13900KF score 61834 and 61841 respectively, each showing a -0.1% delta against the 13900K. The Intel Xeon 636 trails at 61360, a 0.7% gap. These tight margins indicate the 13900K sits in a highly competitive performance cluster at the top of the CPU market.

In multi-threaded benchmarks, the 13900K achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 38271.5 and a Geekbench multicore score of 22820. The 3DMark max-thread score of 15509 and 16-thread score of 11201 demonstrate strong scaling across thread counts. The PassMark multithread score of 58589 and integer math score of 207792 reinforce the processor's compute-heavy capabilities. Data compression performance is exceptional at 793645 in PassMark, while encryption scores 46609 and extended instructions reach 46477.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 posts an average benchmark score of 27565, placing it at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile at 27435 (0.5% higher), AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT at 27425 (0.5% higher), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 at 27839 (-1% delta), and AMD Radeon RX 7800M at 27883 (-1.1% delta). The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5118 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 172758 indicate solid DirectX 12 and compute performance. The Vulkan score of 53927 shows moderate API efficiency.

The combined percentile for this pairing is 83, reflecting the CPU's stronger relative position compared to the GPU. The CPU's 92nd percentile against the GPU's 73rd percentile creates an asymmetric performance profile: the processor is near the top of its class, while the graphics card is solidly mid-to-upper tier but not elite. This combined picture suggests a system that excels in CPU-intensive tasks while delivering respectable, though not top-tier, GPU-bound performance.

# Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: The CPU's single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 1187, Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2238.5) and the GPU's 35.58 TFLOPS FP32 output support frame rates well above 144 Hz at 1080p and 1440p in most titles. The 92nd percentile CPU ensures minimal frame pacing issues.

Streaming: The 24 cores and 32 threads provide ample headroom for encoding while gaming. The PassMark multithread score of 58589 and data compression score of 793645 indicate the CPU can handle simultaneous game rendering and stream encoding without significant performance degradation.

Video editing: The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 38271.5 and Geekbench multicore score of 22820 make short work of render tasks. The GPU's 24 GB VRAM and 936.2 GB/s bandwidth accelerate effects and color grading. The combination handles 4K timelines with multiple layers efficiently.

3D rendering: The CPU's 15509 3DMark max-thread score and 207792 PassMark integer math score drive CPU-based render engines. The GPU's 15356 PassMark GPU Compute score and 172758 Geekbench OpenCL score support GPU-accelerated renderers, though the 73rd percentile GPU ranking means it is not the fastest option for this workload.

Software development: The 13900K's compilation throughput, evidenced by the 20740 Cinebench R20 multicore score, reduces build times. The 36 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache improve code locality and compilation performance. The GPU is less relevant here but provides compute acceleration for testing.

Student and office work: This configuration is massively overprovisioned for document processing, spreadsheets, and web browsing. The CPU's single-thread capabilities and the GPU's 1063 PassMark G2D score ensure responsive everyday use, but the power draw and cost make this far more than needed for basic productivity.

# CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i9-13900K is a 24-core, 32-thread desktop processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process with a 257 mm² die size. It features a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 36 MB shared L3 cache. Memory support covers both DDR4 and DDR5 in dual-channel configuration, with ECC memory support enabled.

Benchmark results show exceptional multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 38271.5, while Cinebench R20 scores 20740 and Cinebench R15 scores 5805.5. The 3DMark thread-scaling tests reveal strong scaling from 2 threads (2355) through 16 threads (11201) to max threads (15509). The single-thread score of 1187 in 3DMark and 2238.5 in Cinebench R23 demonstrate class-leading per-core performance.

The PassMark suite provides additional insight into real-world workloads. Integer math scores 207792, floating-point math scores 151562, and find prime numbers scores 236. Data encryption reaches 46609, extended instructions hit 46477, and random string sorting scores 87705. Physics simulation scores 3140. These figures indicate balanced performance across diverse computational tasks.

The 92nd percentile ranking places the 13900K among the fastest desktop CPUs available. Its nearest competitor, the 13900T, is only 0.1% behind, while the 13900KF matches within 0.1%. This tight cluster suggests that performance differences among top-tier Intel processors are minimal, and the choice between them comes down to features like integrated graphics or power characteristics rather than raw speed.

The integrated UHD Graphics 770 provides basic display output and hardware acceleration, though paired with a discrete GPU it serves mainly as a fallback. The 125 W TDP represents the base power envelope, with boost behavior pushing higher under load. The 10 nm process node and Raptor Lake architecture deliver strong performance per clock, evidenced by the high single-thread scores relative to the boost clock.

# FAQ

Q: How does the Core i9-13900K compare to its closest rivals?

A: The 13900K scores 61766 average, which is 0.1% above the 13900T (61723), 0.1% below the Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus (61834), and 0.1% below the 13900KF (61841). It leads the Xeon 636 (61360) by 0.7%.

Q: What is the RTX 3090's performance position relative to other GPUs?

A: The RTX 3090 has an average benchmark score of 27565, placing it at the 73rd percentile. It edges out the RTX 4070 Mobile (27435, 0.5% higher) and RX 6700 XT (27425, 0.5% higher), but trails the Radeon Pro Vega 20 (27839, -1%) and RX 7800M (27883, -1.1%).

Q: Is this pairing suitable for 4K gaming?

A: The GPU's 73rd percentile ranking and the CPU's 92nd percentile suggest 4K gaming is viable but not top-tier. The 24 GB VRAM and 936.2 GB/s bandwidth handle 4K textures, but frame rates will be lower than with higher-percentile GPUs.

Q: What memory types does the CPU support?

A: The Core i9-13900K supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. ECC memory is also supported, which is unusual for consumer desktop processors.

Q: How does the RTX 3090's ray tracing performance compare to its overall position?

A: With 82 RT cores and 328 tensor cores, the 3090 offers dedicated hardware for ray tracing. The 19.5 Gbps memory clock and 384-bit bus provide bandwidth for RT workloads, but the 73rd percentile GPU ranking means newer cards with higher RT core counts will outperform it.

Q: What is the power requirement for this system?

A: The CPU has a 125 W TDP and the GPU has a 350 W TDP. The suggested PSU wattage is 750 W, which provides adequate headroom for both components under load.

Q: Does the CPU have integrated graphics?

A: Yes, the i9-13900K includes UHD Graphics 770. This can drive displays without a discrete GPU and provides hardware acceleration for media playback, though it is not suitable for gaming.

# Who Should Build It

Gamers targeting 1440p high-refresh displays will find this pairing well-suited. The CPU's 92nd percentile single-thread performance ensures high frame rates, while the GPU's 73rd percentile delivers smooth gameplay at this resolution. 1080p competitive gamers benefit from the CPU's exceptional frame pacing, though the GPU is overkill for this resolution. 4K gamers can achieve playable frame rates with adjusted settings, but those seeking maximum 4K performance should look at higher-percentile GPUs.

Content creators working with video editing will leverage the 38271.5 Cinebench R23 multicore score for fast renders and the 24 GB VRAM for GPU-accelerated effects. 3D artists using CPU-based renderers benefit from the 15509 3DMark max-thread score, while those using GPU renderers will find the RTX 3090's 15356 PassMark GPU Compute score adequate but not exceptional. Software developers compiling large codebases will appreciate the 207792 PassMark integer math score and 36 MB L3 cache.

Students and office workers should not build this system. The combination of a 125 W TDP CPU and 350 W TDP GPU with a 750 W PSU requirement is excessive for productivity tasks. Small business workstations handling data analysis, virtualization, or engineering simulations could justify the CPU's capabilities, but the GPU adds significant cost without proportional benefit for these workloads. The 92nd CPU percentile and 73rd GPU percentile create a system that excels at CPU-heavy tasks while providing solid, but not best-in-class, graphics performance.

# Build Overview

This is a desktop-class build combining the Intel Core i9-13900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090. The CPU ranks at the 92nd percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 73rd percentile among all graphics cards. The combined percentile is 83, reflecting the CPU's dominant position and the GPU's solid mid-to-upper tier standing.

The system targets enthusiasts who prioritize CPU performance above all else. The 24-core, 32-thread processor with 5.80 GHz boost capability represents one of the fastest desktop CPUs available. The RTX 3090, while no longer current, delivers strong 1440p performance and capable 4K output. The asymmetry between the 92nd and 73rd percentiles means the CPU will rarely bottleneck the GPU, but the GPU may limit CPU-bound workloads in graphics-intensive scenarios.

This pairing is best described as a CPU-forward configuration. Users who run heavily multi-threaded applications — rendering, compilation, simulation — will extract maximum value from the processor. Gamers and GPU-compute users will find the RTX 3090 competent but will notice its position below top-tier GPUs in the current market. The overall tier is high-end, with the CPU providing the premium experience and the GPU offering solid mainstream-to-high-end performance.

# Upgrade Path and Platform

The Core i9-13900K uses the Intel Socket 1700 platform, which supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration. The CPU provides PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes, enabling fast NVMe storage and future graphics cards. The socket supports the Raptor Lake generation, and the unlocked multiplier allows overclocking with compatible motherboards.

The RTX 3090 connects via PCIe 4.0 x16, which is backward-compatible with the CPU's PCIe Gen 5 lanes. The GPU requires a 750 W PSU as suggested, and its 350 W TDP means a capable power supply is essential. The 1x 12-pin power connector requires an adapter for most PSUs, adding a consideration for builders.

A sensible next upgrade would be a higher-percentile GPU, as the CPU has substantial headroom. The 92nd percentile processor can drive newer graphics cards without bottlenecking. Alternatively, adding more DDR5 memory beyond the dual-channel configuration would benefit memory-intensive workloads. The platform's PCIe Gen 5 support future-proofs storage and expansion, while the CPU's 125 W TDP leaves room for adequate cooling solutions without requiring exotic cooling hardware.

The GPU's end-of-life production status and successor in the GeForce 40 series suggest that upgrading the graphics card is the most logical future step. The CPU's active production status and top-tier performance mean it remains relevant for years. The platform's memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 gives builders flexibility in choosing memory, though DDR5 provides better bandwidth for the CPU's capabilities.

# GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is built on the Ampere architecture using Samsung's 8 nm process, with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die — a transistor density of 45.1M per mm². The GA102 chip features 10496 shading units, 328 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. Core clocks run at 1395 MHz base and 1695 MHz boost, with memory clocked at 1219 MHz, translating to 19.5 Gbps effective.

Memory configuration includes 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, delivering 936.2 GB/s bandwidth. This capacity and bandwidth combination supports high-resolution textures and large datasets in GPU compute workloads. The pixel rate is 189.8 GPixel/s and texture rate is 556.0 GTexel/s. FP32 performance reaches 35.58 TFLOPS, with FP16 at the same 35.58 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), offering balanced compute capabilities.

Ray tracing hardware includes 82 RT cores, and 328 tensor cores provide AI acceleration for DLSS and other neural network workloads. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Display outputs include 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The triple-slot design measures 336 mm in length, 140 mm in height, and 61 mm in width, requiring substantial case clearance.

Benchmark scores show the RTX 3090 at the 73rd percentile with an average score of 27565. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5118 indicates strong DirectX 12 performance. Geekbench OpenCL scores 172758, while Vulkan reaches 53927. PassMark results show G3D at 26645, GPU Compute at 15356, and G2D at 1063. Legacy DirectX tests score 182 (DX10), 220 (DX11), 110 (DX12), and 268 (DX9).

The 24 GB memory capacity is the card's defining feature, making it suitable for large-scale rendering, machine learning inference, and high-resolution content creation. The 936.2 GB/s bandwidth prevents memory bottlenecks in bandwidth-intensive workloads. The 350 W TDP and triple-slot cooler require robust case airflow and a power supply rated at 750 W as suggested. The 8 nm process node and 28,300 million transistor count represent the high end of the Ampere generation, though newer architectures offer better performance per watt.