SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070

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

Build Configuration

Select your components

PROCESSOR (CPU)

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GRAPHICS CARD (GPU)

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94 Score

Top 6% Ranking

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

98%

GPU

90%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus

84,003 Benchmark Score

Top 2% Market Ranking

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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

This pairing combines Intel’s top-tier Arrow Lake Refresh desktop processor with NVIDIA’s Ampere-based mid-range GPU from the previous generation. The data shows a system where the CPU is operating at the very top of its class, while the GPU, though capable, is the limiting factor in most modern gaming scenarios. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread desktop processor with a 3.70 GHz base clock and 5.80 GHz boost clock. The RTX 3070 is an 8 GB GDDR6 card with a 256-bit memory bus and 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Benchmark results indicate a combined percentile ranking of 79, reflecting a system that is powerful overall but unevenly matched in specific workloads.

Balance and Bottleneck

The performance data clearly identifies the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 as the primary bottleneck in this configuration. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 84,003 places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU’s average score of 17,208 sits in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. This discrepancy is significant and manifests directly in gaming performance metrics. When analyzing the measured FPS data, the impact of the GPU becomes evident as resolution increases. For example, in Call of Duty: Warzone, the system achieves 188 FPS at 1920x1080, which drops to 167 FPS at 2560x1440 and 141 FPS at 3840x2160. This scaling pattern shows that even at 4K, the frame rate remains high, suggesting that the CPU is feeding the GPU efficiently, but the GPU is hitting its limits in other titles.

In contrast, the CPU’s workload is evident in multi-threaded applications. The processor scores 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 60,860 in Passmark multithread, demonstrating immense headroom. The bottleneck shifts in less demanding games. In esports titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the system hits 461 FPS at 1080p, proving that the CPU is not the limiting factor there. However, in graphically intensive titles like Cyberpunk 2077, the frame rate drops to 62 FPS at 1080p and 46 FPS at 1440p, indicating the GPU is the constraining component. The data suggests that the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has significant untapped potential for gaming, as the RTX 3070 cannot fully utilize the CPU’s capabilities in most scenarios. The pair’s rank of 1546 out of 3732 pairs, with an average FPS of 135 across all tested games, reinforces this imbalance.

Gaming Performance

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of gaming performance across a wide range of titles and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system performs exceptionally well in competitive shooters. Valorant runs at 478 FPS, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive at 461 FPS, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege at 248 FPS. These figures show that for high-refresh-rate esports gaming, the combination is more than adequate. For AAA titles at 1080p, performance is generally good but varies. Assetto Corsa hits 124 FPS, Doom reaches 155 FPS, and Control manages 87 FPS. However, demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 (62 FPS) and Red Dead Redemption 2 (56 FPS) show the GPU’s limitations.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance scales down as expected. Counter-Strike 2 runs at 138 FPS, Fortnite at 64 FPS, and Grand Theft Auto V at 64 FPS. The drop is more pronounced in graphically intense games; Cyberpunk 2077 falls to 46 FPS and Red Dead Redemption 2 to 42 FPS. At 3840x2160, the RTX 3070 struggles to maintain playable frame rates in many modern titles. Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2 both drop to 30 FPS and 28 FPS respectively, while Ark: Survival Ascended becomes nearly unplayable at 10 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming is only viable for less demanding or older titles, with Valorant hitting 326 FPS and Roblox at 102 FPS. For the most part, 1440p presents a reasonable compromise, but 1080p remains the sweet spot for this GPU.

Benchmark Performance

The CPU’s benchmark scores are impressive across the board. In Cinebench R15, it scores 5,214 in multicore and 736 in singlecore. In Cinebench R20, the scores are 21,727 and 3,067 respectively. The Cinebench R23 results show 51,731 in multicore and 7,303 in singlecore. Passmark results further illustrate the CPU’s strength: 60,860 in multithread, 4,823 in single-thread, and 698,346 in data compression. These scores place the CPU in the 96th percentile, with its nearest rival being the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which has an average score of 83,807 and a delta of 0.2%. The AMD EPYC 7F72 is slightly ahead with a delta of -1.3%, but the 290K Plus outperforms the AMD EPYC 4584PX and 9135 by 1.1% and 1.2% respectively.

The GPU’s benchmark performance is more modest. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 3,162. Geekbench results show 112,821 in OpenCL and 21,022 in Vulkan. Passmark GPU tests show 22,214 in G3D and 11,195 in GPU compute. The GPU’s percentile rank is 61, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT at 17,083 average score and a 0.7% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 and AMD Radeon HD 7970M are also close, with deltas of 1% and 1.1% respectively. The combined picture is a CPU that is in the top 4% of all processors and a GPU that is in the top 39% of all graphics cards. This creates a system where the CPU’s average benchmark score of 84,003 dwarfs the GPU’s 17,208, indicating a substantial performance gap.

Who Should Build It

This system is well-suited for users who prioritize CPU-intensive workloads and play games at 1080p or 1440p. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a monster for content creation, software development, and any multi-threaded task. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking means it can handle video editing, 3D rendering, and compilation tasks with ease. The Passmark data encryption score of 52,563 and floating point math score of 214,760 highlight its capability for scientific computing and financial modeling. For gamers, the system is ideal for those with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, as evidenced by the 478 FPS in Valorant and 461 FPS in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It is also adequate for 1440p gaming in most titles, though users may need to lower settings in the most demanding games.

Students and small business users would benefit from the CPU’s speed for multitasking and productivity applications. The processor’s 24 cores and 24 threads are overkill for basic office work, but the system will never feel sluggish. However, for users primarily focused on 4K gaming, this build is not recommended. The RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for consistent high frame rates at 3840x2160 in modern AAA titles. The data shows that demanding games like Ark: Survival Ascended (10 FPS) and Cyberpunk 2077 (30 FPS) at 4K are not playable. This system is for users who want a top-tier CPU for work and a capable GPU for gaming, accepting the GPU as the limiting factor in the graphics department.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture using Samsung’s 8 nm process. It features 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operations pipelines. The GPU has 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores, which provide hardware acceleration for ray tracing and DLSS. The memory configuration consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The clock speeds are a base of 1500 MHz and a boost of 1725 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, making it compatible with all modern game APIs.

In terms of raw compute, the GPU offers 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and the same for FP16 (1:1). The pixel rate is 165.6 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 317.4 GTexel/s. These specifications place the RTX 3070 in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The benchmark scores reflect a capable mid-range card. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3,162 is modest, and the Passmark G3D score of 22,214 is respectable. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 112,821 shows its compute potential. For rendering workloads, the GPU can handle 1080p and 1440p tasks, but the 8 GB VRAM is a limitation for large 3D scenes or high-resolution textures. The tensor cores enable DLSS, which can boost frame rates in supported games, but the data shows that without it, the GPU struggles at 4K. The card’s predecessor is the GeForce 20 series and its successor is the GeForce 40 series, indicating it is a product of a previous generation.

FAQ

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

A: The combined percentile for this desktop build is 79.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its nearest rival, the Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: The 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003, which is 0.2% higher than the Core Ultra 9 285K’s score of 83,807.

Q: What is the RTX 3070’s memory bandwidth and how does it affect 4K gaming?

A: The RTX 3070 has a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This is insufficient for high frame rates at 3840x2160, as seen in titles like Cyberpunk 2077 at 30 FPS and Red Dead Redemption 2 at 28 FPS.

Q: What is the CPU’s boost clock speed?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has a boost clock of 5.80 GHz.

Q: In which game does this system achieve the highest frame rate at 1920x1080?

A: The system achieves its highest frame rate in Valorant at 478 FPS at 1920x1080 resolution.

Q: Does the CPU support ECC memory?

A: Yes, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus supports ECC memory.

Q: What is the GPU’s launch MSRP?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 had a launch MSRP of 499 USD.

Usage Scenarios

For high-refresh gaming, this system excels at 1080p. The measured FPS shows 478 in Valorant and 461 in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, making it perfect for competitive play on 240Hz or 360Hz monitors. At 1440p, the frame rates remain playable, with Counter-Strike 2 at 138 FPS and Call of Duty: Warzone at 167 FPS. Streaming is also viable, as the CPU’s 24 cores can handle encoding and gaming simultaneously without impacting performance. The Passmark multithread score of 60,860 ensures smooth streaming and recording.

Video editing is a strong suit for this build. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51,731 allows for fast rendering and export times in applications like Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. The GPU’s 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute can accelerate effects and color grading. For 3D rendering, the CPU is a powerhouse, but the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM may limit very large scenes. The Passmark physics score of 3,315 and integer math score of 166,194 indicate strong performance in physics simulations and general processing. Software development benefits from the CPU’s high single-thread score of 4,823 and multithread score of 60,860, enabling fast compilation times. For students and office workers, the system is overkill, but the 96th percentile CPU ranking ensures that even the most demanding multitasking workflows will not cause slowdowns. The low frame rates at 4K in AAA titles, such as 30 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077, are the only significant drawback.

Build Overview

This build class is desktop, combining the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070. The CPU is part of the Core Ultra Series 2, codenamed Arrow Lake Refresh, and is manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. The GPU is from the GeForce 30-series, based on the Ampere architecture and the GA104 chip, manufactured on an 8 nm process by Samsung. The combined percentile rank for this pair is 79, placing it above the majority of systems. The overall tier is defined by a CPU in the 96th percentile and a GPU in the 61st percentile. This is a high-end CPU paired with a mid-range GPU, resulting in a system that is unbalanced but highly capable in CPU-bound tasks and competitive gaming at lower resolutions. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 84,003 is nearly five times the GPU’s average score of 17,208, highlighting the performance disparity.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2. It is built on a 3 nm process by TSMC and features 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. The CPU has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. It uses the Intel Socket 1851 and supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, offering a memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking and includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are outstanding. In Cinebench R23, it scores 51,731 in multicore and 7,303 in singlecore. Passmark results show 60,860 in multithread and 4,823 in single-thread. The data compression score of 698,346 and encryption score of 52,563 demonstrate its strength in data-intensive tasks. The 96th percentile ranking puts it among the fastest desktop processors available. Its nearest rival, the Core Ultra 9 285K, is only 0.2% slower. The CPU’s 24 threads are ideal for heavily parallelized workloads like video encoding and 3D rendering. The high boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensures excellent single-thread performance for gaming and legacy applications. The 3 nm process node contributes to its efficiency, allowing high performance within a 125 W TDP. For real-world workloads, this CPU provides exceptional performance, making it a top choice for professionals and enthusiasts.

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070

Apex Performer

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070

Market Position

Game Performance Benchmarks

Valorant

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Valorant

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Valorant

Valorant

Performance Insights

Optimal Performance

4K Gaming Ready

Performance Tiers Explained

Ultimate

High-End

Mid-Range

Entry Level

Legacy

Balance and Bottleneck

Gaming Performance

Benchmark Performance

Who Should Build It

GPU Analysis

FAQ

Usage Scenarios

Build Overview

CPU Analysis

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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