SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-14900K + AMD Radeon RX 6600

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
97%
VS
GPU
91%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core i9-14900K

79,097 Benchmark Score
Top 3% Market Ranking
View Full Specs →
GRAPHICS CARD

AMD Radeon RX 6600

19,036 Benchmark Score
Top 9% 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

This pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 creates a stark contrast between a top-tier CPU and a mid-range GPU. The data shows a system where the processor holds a 95th percentile rank among all CPUs, while the graphics card sits at the 63rd percentile, resulting in a combined percentile of 79. This configuration yields a measured average of 96 FPS across the tested game suite, placing it at rank 2975 out of 3861 pairs, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in gaming workloads.

Balance and Bottleneck

The core dynamic of this build is a severe imbalance in compute capability between the two primary components. The CPU's performance ceiling is exceptionally high, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. In contrast, the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1492 and Passmark G3D score of 15096 put it in the 63rd percentile, far below the processor's standing. Benchmark results indicate that for any workload that primarily stresses the graphics card, such as gaming at higher resolutions or rendering complex scenes, the RX 6600 will cap performance.

The FPS scaling data across resolutions confirms this bottleneck. For example, in Cyberpunk 2077, the system delivers 40.3 FPS at 1920x1080, which drops to 29.7 FPS at 2560x1440 and 20.5 FPS at 3840x2160. This steep decline with resolution is a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario, as the CPU has ample headroom to handle the increased pixel workload. In contrast, lighter titles like Valorant show less severe scaling (326.2 FPS at 1080p, 277.3 FPS at 1440p, 218.3 FPS at 4K), suggesting that even at lower resolutions, the GPU cannot fully saturate the CPU's capabilities in some scenarios, but the overall trend points to the GPU as the limiting factor.

The CPU's Passmark multi-thread score of 58674 and data compression score of 792694 indicate massive headroom for non-gaming tasks. When performing CPU-intensive work like video encoding or software compilation, the i9-14900K will operate at near-peak efficiency, but adding a GPU-heavy task on top will cause the system to hit the graphics card's ceiling. The GPU's Passmark compute score of 6554 is modest, further illustrating that any parallel processing task involving graphics or compute will be constrained by the RX 6600.

Benchmark Performance

The Intel Core i9-14900K delivers outstanding benchmark numbers across all tested workloads. Its Cinebench R15 multi-core score is 6103, with a single-core score of 324.5, while the R20 test shows 20793 multi-core and 2935 single-core. The R23 results are particularly strong: 39399.5 multi-core and 2262.5 single-core. In Geekbench, the processor achieves 21697 multi-core and 2655 single-core. The Passmark suite shows a single-thread score of 4697 and a multi-thread score of 58674. These figures place the CPU at the 95th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79097.

The nearest rivals show how tightly contested this performance tier is. The Intel Core i9-14900KF scores 79371, which is 0.3% higher, while the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, 0.6% higher. The AMD EPYC 7413 leads slightly at 80041, 1.2% higher, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 trails at 77740, 1.7% lower. This indicates that the i9-14900K is within 2% of its closest competitors, making it a top-tier choice for CPU-bound work.

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 produces more modest results. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1492, while Geekbench OpenCL scores 28850, Vulkan scores 67623, and Metal scores 88398. The Passmark G3D score is 15096, with a GPU compute score of 6554. These results place the GPU at the 63rd percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19036. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 at 19030 (0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile at 19049 (0.1% higher), the NVIDIA Tesla K20m at 19089 (0.3% higher), and the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation at 18954 (0.4% lower). The GPU's performance is effectively on par with these older or mobile-oriented products.

The combined picture shows a system where the CPU's 95th percentile performance dwarfs the GPU's 63rd percentile standing. The combined percentile of 79 reflects this gap, indicating that the overall system is held back by its graphics component. For applications that leverage the CPU heavily, this build will perform exceptionally well, but any GPU-bound workload will see performance consistent with the RX 6600's mid-range tier.

Gaming Performance

Measured FPS data at ultra settings across a wide range of games shows a clear pattern of strong 1080p performance that declines at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates in most titles. Call of Duty: Warzone hits 185.3 FPS, Counter-Strike 2 reaches 143.9 FPS, and Valorant tops out at 326.2 FPS. More demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 manage 40.3 FPS, Red Dead Redemption 2 runs at 38 FPS, and Ark: Survival Ascended dips to 20.4 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the GPU's limitations become more apparent. Warzone drops to 164.5 FPS, Counter-Strike 2 to 94.4 FPS, and Valorant to 277.3 FPS. Cyberpunk 2077 falls to 29.7 FPS, Red Dead Redemption 2 to 28 FPS, and Ark to 12 FPS. The 3840x2160 results show the RX 6600 struggling with modern titles: Warzone manages 137.3 FPS, but Cyberpunk 2077 drops to 20.5 FPS, Red Dead Redemption 2 to 19 FPS, and Ark to 9.6 FPS.

The data shows that the system is well-suited for competitive gaming at 1080p, where high refresh rates are achievable. Valorant's 326.2 FPS, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's 312.7 FPS, and Roblox's 184 FPS all exceed 144Hz monitors. At 1440p, many esports titles still remain above 100 FPS, such as Warzone at 164.5 FPS and Rainbow Six Siege at 111 FPS. For AAA games, 1080p is the practical ceiling for maintaining 60 FPS, with titles like Control at 60.4 FPS, Greedfall at 63 FPS, and Microsoft Flight Simulator at 51.1 FPS. At 4K, only lighter titles remain playable, such as Valorant at 218.3 FPS and Minecraft at 46 FPS, while most demanding games fall below 30 FPS.

Who Should Build It

This configuration targets users who require extreme CPU performance for productivity but game at 1080p or are willing to accept lower settings at higher resolutions. The i9-14900K's 95th percentile CPU standing makes it ideal for content creators who work with video editing, 3D rendering, or software compilation, as tasks like Cinebench R23 multi-core at 39399.5 demonstrate exceptional throughput. Gamers at 1920x1080 will find this build suitable for high-refresh esports titles, with Valorant reaching 326.2 FPS and Counter-Strike 2 at 143.9 FPS.

The RX 6600's 63rd percentile GPU performance means that users targeting 1440p or 4K gaming will need to adjust settings significantly. For developers and students, the CPU's 24 cores and 32 threads, combined with a Passmark multi-thread score of 58674, provide ample power for compiling code, running virtual machines, or handling complex simulations. Small business workstations that rely on CPU-intensive applications like data analysis or financial modeling will benefit from the processor's Geekbench multi-core score of 21697, while the GPU handles basic graphics tasks adequately.

The pairing is less suitable for gamers aiming for 4K ultra settings in modern AAA titles. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, Cyberpunk 2077 runs at 20.5 FPS and Red Dead Redemption 2 at 19 FPS, which is below playable thresholds. Users in this category would be better served by reallocating budget from the CPU to a more powerful GPU. However, for those who prioritize productivity and accept 1080p gaming, this build offers an extreme CPU with a functional mid-range GPU.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: At 1920x1080, the system excels in competitive titles. Valorant delivers 326.2 FPS, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive hits 312.7 FPS, and Call of Duty: Warzone reaches 185.3 FPS, all exceeding 144Hz requirements. The 95th percentile CPU ensures minimal frame drops in CPU-bound scenarios.

Streaming: The CPU's 24 cores and 32 threads provide ample headroom for encoding while gaming. The Passmark data compression score of 792694 and encryption score of 46813 indicate strong throughput for software encoding. The GPU's 63rd percentile performance, however, limits game settings when streaming, as the RX 6600 will be the bottleneck.

Video editing: Cinebench R23 multi-core at 39399.5 and Geekbench multi-core at 21697 indicate exceptional rendering and export performance. The CPU's high single-core score of 2262.5 in R23 ensures responsive timeline scrubbing. The GPU can assist with effects via its 8.928 TFLOPS FP32 performance, though larger projects may see slower preview render times.

3D rendering: The CPU's Passmark floating-point math score of 152975 and integer math score of 210622 provide strong CPU-based rendering capabilities. For GPU rendering, the RX 6600's 17.86 TFLOPS FP16 performance is modest, leading to longer render times compared to higher-tier GPUs. The CPU will handle complex scene calculations efficiently.

Software development: The multi-threaded performance is exceptional for compilation tasks. The Passmark multi-thread score of 58674 and the CPU's 32 threads allow parallel builds to complete quickly. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for basic graphics debugging but may struggle with large shader workloads.

Student and office work: This build is overkill for basic productivity, but the CPU's Geekbench single-core score of 2655 ensures instant response in office suites. The GPU handles 2D workloads well, with a Passmark G2D score of 889. For students in engineering or computer science, the CPU power is beneficial, though the GPU is adequate for standard coursework.

GPU Analysis

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC with 11,060 million transistors. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's clock speeds are 1626 MHz base, 2044 MHz game, and 2491 MHz boost, with memory running at 1750 MHz or 14 Gbps effective. The card has 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, 64 ROPs, and 28 ray tracing cores.

The benchmark data shows that the RX 6600 performs at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1492 and Passmark G3D score of 15096 indicate mid-range performance. The GPU's compute capabilities are limited, with a Passmark GPU compute score of 6554 and 8.928 TFLOPS FP32 performance. The 28 ray tracing cores provide hardware acceleration for RT effects, but the raw throughput is insufficient for demanding RT workloads at higher resolutions.

For rendering tasks, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth can handle moderate textures and scenes. The 159.4 GPixel/s pixel rate and 279.0 GTexel/s texture rate provide adequate fill for 1080p gaming. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring compatibility with modern APIs. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface provides sufficient bandwidth, though lower than x16 options. The 132 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU requirement make it an efficient choice for system integration.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The CPU's cache configuration includes 80 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 36 MB shared L3. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode, with ECC support, and provides PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 provides basic display output.

The benchmark results place the CPU at the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with an average score of 79097. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 demonstrates exceptional multi-threaded performance, while the single-core score of 2262.5 shows strong per-thread capability. The Geekbench scores of 21697 multi-core and 2655 single-core corroborate this. The Passmark results show a multi-thread score of 58674, single-thread score of 4697, and strong scores in specialized tests like data compression (792694) and floating-point math (152975).

For real workloads, this CPU excels in heavily threaded applications. The 24 cores and 32 threads handle video encoding, 3D rendering, and software compilation with ease. The high boost clock of 6.00 GHz ensures snappy single-threaded performance in everyday tasks. The 36 MB L3 cache reduces memory latency in data-intensive workloads. The CPU's unlocked multiplier allows overclocking, and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, offering flexibility in platform configuration. The 95th percentile standing means it outperforms 95% of all CPUs benchmarked, making it an excellent choice for demanding productivity tasks.

Build Overview

This desktop build pairs a flagship Intel processor with a mid-range AMD graphics card. The Intel Core i9-14900K represents the top tier of the Core 14th Gen series, released on 2023-10-16, with a launch MSRP of $589. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is part of the Radeon RX 6000 series, released on 2021-10-12, with a launch MSRP of 329 USD. The CPU's 95th percentile and GPU's 63rd percentile result in a combined percentile of 79, indicating an overall system that is above average but heavily skewed toward CPU performance.

The build class is desktop, and the measured FPS data shows an average of 96 FPS across games, placing it at rank 2975 out of 3861 pairs. This ranking reflects the GPU's limitations in the overall system. The CPU's performance is exceptional, but the GPU holds back the system's gaming potential. This pairing is best described as a productivity-first system with gaming capability at 1080p, rather than a balanced gaming rig. The CPU's 24 cores and 32 threads, combined with the GPU's 8 GB VRAM, create a system that can handle heavy multitasking and content creation while offering playable frame rates in most esports and lighter titles at 1080p.

FAQ

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

A: The combined percentile is 79, reflecting the CPU's 95th percentile and GPU's 63rd percentile performance.

Q: How does the Intel Core i9-14900K compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900KF?

A: The i9-14900KF has an average score of 79371, which is 0.3% higher than the i9-14900K's 79097, indicating nearly identical performance.

Q: What is the average FPS across all tested games for this system?

A: The benchmark data shows an average of 96 FPS across the game suite, with the system ranking 2975 out of 3861 pairs.

Q: Can this system run Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K ultra settings?

A: Measured data shows Cyberpunk 2077 runs at 20.5 FPS at 3840x2160, which is below playable thresholds, indicating the GPU is insufficient for 4K in demanding titles.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and how does it affect performance?

A: The RX 6600 has 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth from its 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, which is adequate for 1080p gaming but limits higher-resolution performance.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance?

A: The CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5 and multi-core score of 39399.5, showing exceptional strength in both areas, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4697 and multi-thread score of 58674.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the Intel Core i9-14900K?

A: The launch MSRP is $589, with the CPU releasing on 2023-10-16.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core i9-14900K uses the Intel Socket 1700, supporting DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode with ECC capability. The platform provides PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU, allowing for high-bandwidth expansion cards. The CPU has a TDP of 125 W, while the GPU has a TDP of 132 W, with a suggested PSU of 300 W for the GPU alone. The system's power requirements are manageable, but the CPU's boost clock of 6.00 GHz may require robust cooling.

The most sensible next upgrade for this system is a more powerful GPU. The current RX 6600, with its 63rd percentile performance, is the primary bottleneck. Replacing it with a higher-tier GPU would significantly improve gaming performance, as the CPU's 95th percentile standing provides ample headroom. The GPU's PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is compatible with newer cards, though some may prefer a x16 slot. The 8 GB VRAM on the RX 6600 is a limitation for modern games, so a GPU with more memory would be beneficial for higher-resolution textures.

For memory, the CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5, allowing users to choose based on budget and platform. The 36 MB L3 cache benefits from fast memory. Storage expansion is available via PCIe Gen 5 lanes, supporting the fastest NVMe SSDs. The platform's dual-channel memory architecture ensures adequate bandwidth for the CPU's multi-threaded workloads. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 provides a fallback display output if the GPU is removed or fails. The overall platform is mature and stable, with the CPU's unlocked multiplier allowing for overclocking to extract additional performance.