SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-14900KS + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070

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
90%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core i9-14900KS

81,127 Benchmark Score
Top 3% Market Ranking
View Full Specs →
GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070

17,208 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

# CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i9-14900KS is the flagship desktop processor in Intel's Core 14th Gen lineup, built on the Raptor Lake architecture with the Raptor Lake-R codename. This 24-core, 32-thread part combines 8 performance cores with 16 efficiency cores, running at a 3.20 GHz base clock and boosting up to 6.20 GHz. The chip is manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process node with a die size of 257 mm², and it carries a 150 W TDP. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel memory bus, includes ECC memory support, and offers PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU. An integrated UHD Graphics 770 unit is present, and the multiplier is unlocked for overclocking.

The cache hierarchy is substantial: 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. This large cache pool helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, which is critical for workloads that exhibit high data locality. The 6.20 GHz boost clock is among the highest available in any desktop processor, giving this chip a commanding lead in single-threaded responsiveness.

Benchmark results place this CPU in the 96th percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 81,127. In Cinebench R23, the chip scores 50,995 in multi-core and 7,199 in single-core. The multi-core score reflects the combined throughput of all 24 cores, making it suitable for heavily threaded workloads such as 3D rendering, video encoding, and scientific simulations. The single-core score of 7,199 is driven by the 6.20 GHz boost clock, which translates to snappy application launches, responsive UI interactions, and strong performance in lightly threaded games and legacy software.

Geekbench results show 23,931 multi-core and 2,692 single-core. The multi-core figure is competitive with workstation-class Xeon processors, as evidenced by the nearest rival comparisons. The Intel Xeon w5-3535X averages 81,115 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX averages 81,103 (0% delta), and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395 averages 80,762 (0.5% slower). This clustering indicates that the i9-14900KS sits at the very top of the desktop CPU hierarchy, trading blows with server and high-end mobile parts.

PassMark results break down performance by workload type. The multithread score is 60,012, integer math scores 212,644, floating-point math scores 153,975, and extended instructions (SIMD) score 45,524. Data compression hits 803,368, data encryption 47,717, and random string sorting 89,789. Physics simulation scores 3,381, and find prime numbers scores 244. Single-thread PassMark is 4,815. These numbers indicate exceptional throughput in arithmetic, cryptographic, and data-manipulation tasks, making the CPU suitable for financial modeling, data analytics, and engineering simulation.

# Benchmark Performance

The combined picture for this CPU+GPU pairing shows a 79th percentile ranking overall, which places the system above the majority of tested configurations. The CPU alone is in the 96th percentile, while the GPU sits in the 61st percentile among all GPUs. This gap in percentile rankings is the first indication of a performance imbalance, where the processor far outclasses the graphics card in relative standing.

Looking at the GPU benchmarks specifically, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,162. Geekbench OpenCL scores 112,821, and Vulkan scores 21,022. PassMark G3D scores 22,214, with GPU compute at 11,195. The DirectX 11 PassMark is 182, DirectX 12 is 85, DirectX 10 is 150, and DirectX 9 is 247. The G2D score is 1,001. The average benchmark score for the GPU is 17,208, with a 61st percentile standing.

The RTX 3070's nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (average 17,083, 0.7% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (average 17,037, 1% slower), the AMD Radeon HD 7970M (average 17,019, 1.1% slower), and the NVIDIA Tesla K40c (average 17,468, 1.5% faster). The tight clustering of these scores shows that the RTX 3070 is positioned in a crowded mid-to-high tier of GPU performance, where small percentage differences separate adjacent products.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 81,127 is roughly 4.7 times the GPU's 17,208, which quantifies the substantial gap in relative processing power between the two components. In CPU-bound scenarios, the system will exhibit exceptional responsiveness and throughput, while GPU-bound scenarios will be limited by the graphics card's capabilities. This imbalance is typical of pairing a flagship processor with a mid-range GPU, and it has specific implications for gaming, content creation, and professional workloads that are explored in the following sections.

# Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: The RTX 3070 is the limiting factor for high-refresh gaming. With the CPU's 96th percentile standing and single-core Cinebench R23 score of 7,199, the processor can feed frames far faster than the GPU can render them. At 1080p and 1440p, the GPU's 61st percentile standing suggests it will deliver smooth frame rates in most titles, but the 8 GB VRAM and mid-range compute throughput will cap performance below what the CPU could otherwise support.

Streaming: The i9-14900KS has ample headroom for concurrent encoding and gaming. The PassMark data encryption score of 47,717 and multithread score of 60,012 indicate strong capability for handling encoder workloads alongside game logic. The GPU's NVENC hardware is present but the 8 GB VRAM may limit simultaneous game capture and rendering at higher resolutions.

Video editing: The CPU's multi-core Cinebench R23 score of 50,995 provides excellent performance for video encoding, timeline scrubbing, and export tasks. The GPU's 20.31 TFLOPS FP32 and 317.4 GTexel/s texture rate accelerate effects and color grading. The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for 1080p and 1440p editing but may be tight for 4K multi-stream projects.

3D rendering: The CPU's 24 cores and 32 threads deliver render times competitive with Xeon workstation parts, as shown by the 0% delta to the Intel Xeon w5-3535X. The GPU's 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores support ray-traced and AI-accelerated rendering, but the 8 GB VRAM will limit scene complexity and texture resolution.

Software development: Compilation tasks benefit from the CPU's 212,644 PassMark integer math score and 60,012 multithread score. The 36 MB L3 cache reduces memory latency for frequently accessed code modules. The GPU's OpenCL score of 112,821 supports GPGPU compute for build acceleration, though the CPU will handle most compilation workloads.

Student and office work: The CPU's single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core 7,199, Geekbench single-core 2,692) ensures rapid application loading and fluid multitasking for document editing, spreadsheets, and web browsing. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 provides a fallback display output if the discrete GPU is not needed. The 150 W CPU TDP and 220 W GPU TDP require adequate cooling but are manageable in a desktop chassis.

# Balance and Bottleneck

The performance data indicates a significant bottleneck on the GPU side. The CPU sits in the 96th percentile while the GPU sits in the 61st percentile, a gap of 35 percentile points. In CPU-bound workloads—such as software compilation, data compression, and single-threaded applications—the system will perform at the level of a top-tier workstation. In GPU-bound workloads—such as gaming at high resolutions, 3D rendering with ray tracing, and GPU compute—the system will perform at a mid-range level, constrained by the RTX 3070.

The FPS scaling picture is not directly measured for this combination, but the benchmark scores allow for estimation. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 50,995 and the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3,162 suggest that at lower resolutions (1080p), the GPU will be the limiting factor in most games, as the CPU can generate frames faster than the GPU can render them. At higher resolutions (1440p and 4K), the GPU's rendering load increases, further widening the gap between what the CPU can deliver and what the GPU can output.

The PassMark G3D score of 22,214 for the GPU, combined with the CPU's PassMark multithread score of 60,012, reinforces this imbalance. For productivity tasks that rely on both CPU and GPU—such as video editing with GPU-accelerated effects—the GPU will cap overall throughput. The 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth of the GPU is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 8 GB VRAM capacity may force texture quality reductions in modern titles, which will be the most visible bottleneck in gaming scenarios.

# GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture with the GA104 chip, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process with 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die. The GPU has 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation units. It includes 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores, which provide hardware acceleration for DirectX Raytracing and AI-based features like DLSS.

The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, with an effective data rate of 14 Gbps. The base clock is 1500 MHz with a boost clock of 1725 MHz. The GPU achieves a pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 20.31 TFLOPS and FP16 performance of 20.31 TFLOPS (1:1).

The RTX 3070 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 card is dual-slot with a 1x 12-pin power connector and a 220 W TDP, requiring a 550 W suggested PSU. It measures 242 mm in length and 112 mm in height.

In benchmark terms, the GPU scores 3,162 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 112,821 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 21,022 in Geekbench Vulkan. PassMark G3D is 22,214 and GPU compute is 11,195. The 61st percentile ranking places it in the upper-mid range of GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are the RX 7600 XT (0.7% slower), GTX 690 (1% slower), HD 7970M (1.1% slower), and Tesla K40c (1.5% faster). This tight grouping means the RTX 3070 competes directly with these cards, and any of them would perform similarly in most workloads.

For rendering workloads, the 46 RT cores provide hardware ray tracing acceleration, while the 184 tensor cores enable DLSS upscaling and AI denoising. The 8 GB VRAM is the primary limitation, as modern 3D scenes with high-resolution textures and complex lighting can exceed this capacity, forcing the GPU to fall back to slower memory management.

# Who Should Build It

This pairing is well-suited for users who prioritize CPU-intensive tasks and want solid, but not top-tier, GPU performance. Gamers playing at 1080p or 1440p will find the RTX 3070 delivers smooth frame rates in most titles, while the CPU ensures no frame drops due to processor limitations. Content creators working with video editing, 3D modeling, and software compilation will benefit from the CPU's 96th percentile performance, though the GPU will limit GPU-accelerated rendering and effects.

Software developers working on large codebases will see excellent compilation times, with the CPU's integer math score of 212,644 and multithread score of 60,012. Data scientists and financial analysts running simulations or processing large datasets will find the CPU's 80,3668 data compression score and 47,717 encryption score valuable. Students and office workers will experience near-instant application responsiveness, though this configuration is overkill for basic productivity tasks.

Small business workstations that require CPU-heavy workloads—such as engineering analysis, database management, or content creation—will benefit from the CPU's workstation-class performance. The GPU provides adequate acceleration for graphics tasks but is not the primary strength of this build. The 150 W CPU TDP and 220 W GPU TDP require a quality power supply and adequate cooling, which is a consideration for small form factor builds.

# FAQ

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all processors?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900KS is in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 81,127.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rival, the RX 7600 XT?

A: The RTX 3070 scores 17,208 on average, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 7600 XT's 17,083.

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

A: The RTX 3070 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the CPU's boost clock and how many cores does it have?

A: The CPU boosts up to 6.20 GHz and has 24 cores with 32 threads.

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

A: The combined percentile is 79, indicating the system outperforms 79% of tested configurations.

Q: Does the CPU support ECC memory?

A: Yes, the Intel Core i9-14900KS supports ECC memory, which is useful for workstation reliability.

Q: What is the GPU's TDP and suggested power supply?

A: The GPU has a 220 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 550 W.

# Build Overview

This is a desktop-class build pairing the Intel Core i9-14900KS with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070. The CPU is a flagship 24-core, 32-thread processor from Intel's Core 14th Gen series, released in March 2024 with a launch MSRP of $689. The GPU is from NVIDIA's GeForce 30-series, released in August 2020 with a launch MSRP of 499 USD, and is now end-of-life with the GeForce 40-series as its successor.

The system's combined percentile ranking of 79 places it in the upper tier of tested builds, driven primarily by the CPU's 96th percentile performance. The GPU's 61st percentile standing is respectable but represents the weaker component in the pairing. This build is best characterized as a workstation-class CPU paired with a mid-to-high range GPU, resulting in a system that excels at CPU-intensive tasks while providing competent, but not exceptional, graphics performance. The CPU's average benchmark score of 81,127 and the GPU's 17,208 illustrate the performance distribution, with the CPU contributing the majority of the system's overall capability.

# Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core i9-14900KS uses the Intel Socket 1700 platform, which is the final socket for Intel's 14th Gen Core processors. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, giving builders flexibility in memory choice. PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU provides high-bandwidth connectivity for the latest storage and expansion cards.

The GPU uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, which is backward compatible with the CPU's PCIe Gen 5 slots. The RTX 3070 requires a 550 W suggested PSU, which is modest for a mid-range GPU. The CPU's 150 W TDP and the GPU's 220 W TDP combine for a total system power draw that is manageable with a quality 750-850 W power supply, though the exact figure depends on the rest of the system configuration.

For a sensible next upgrade, the GPU is the obvious candidate. The CPU's 96th percentile performance means it will not bottleneck any current or near-future GPU for several generations. Upgrading the RTX 3070 to a higher-tier GPU would allow the CPU to express its full potential in gaming and GPU-accelerated workloads. The CPU's PCIe Gen 5 support ensures compatibility with next-generation GPUs that may leverage this interface. Memory capacity and speed could also be upgraded, as the CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5, giving users the option to move to faster DDR5 modules if they are currently on DDR4.

# Gaming Performance

No measured FPS rows exist for this exact CPU+GPU combination. The FACT PACK contains no measuredFps data, so all frame rate figures discussed here are estimates derived from the benchmark scores, not direct measurements.

Based on the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,162 and PassMark G3D score of 22,214, the RTX 3070 is positioned to deliver smooth frame rates at 1080p and 1440p in most modern games. The 61st percentile GPU standing suggests this card performs in line with the RX 7600 XT (0.7% slower) and slightly ahead of the GTX 690 (1% faster). At 1080p ultra settings, the GPU should handle esports titles and competitive shooters well above 100 FPS, while demanding AAA games will likely run in the 60-100 FPS range depending on optimization.

At 1440p, the GPU will face more challenges. The 8 GB VRAM capacity may force texture quality reductions in games with high-resolution assets, and the 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth will limit performance in bandwidth-sensitive titles. Expected frame rates at 1440p ultra are likely in the 50-80 FPS range for most AAA games, with lighter titles exceeding 100 FPS. At 4K, the RTX 3070 will struggle to maintain 60 FPS in demanding games, and DLSS or reduced settings will be necessary for playable frame rates.

The CPU's role in gaming is to prevent frame drops and maintain smooth frame pacing. With a single-core Cinebench R23 score of 7,199 and Geekbench single-core of 2,692, the i9-14900KS will not be the limiting factor in any gaming scenario. The 6.20 GHz boost clock ensures minimal latency in game logic and physics updates, while the 36 MB L3 cache reduces memory access times for game data. In CPU-bound scenarios, such as large multiplayer battles or complex simulation games, the CPU will maintain high frame rates where the GPU would otherwise be waiting on processor data.