SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

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

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
98%
VS
GPU
95%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus

84,003 Benchmark Score
Top 2% Market Ranking
View Full Specs →
GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

37,648 Benchmark Score
Top 5% 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 24-core Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4070 in a desktop build. The CPU sits at the 96th percentile among all processors, while the GPU lands at the 81st percentile among all graphics cards. Together, the platform achieves an 89th combined percentile, with measured average FPS of 162.7 across all tested games. The data below breaks down how this configuration performs across workloads, where bottlenecks emerge, and what the upgrade path looks like.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: At 1920x1080, this build delivers exceptional frame rates in competitive titles. Counter-Strike 2 runs at 254 FPS, while Valorant reaches 582 FPS. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege hits 302 FPS, and CS:GO achieves 561 FPS. These numbers comfortably exceed 240Hz refresh requirements, making the pairing suitable for esports displays. At 2560x1440, the same titles still produce 168 FPS in CS2, 496 FPS in Valorant, and 198 FPS in Rainbow Six Siege, which remains above most high-refresh monitor thresholds.

Streaming: The CPU’s multi-threaded capacity supports concurrent encoding and gameplay without significant frame loss. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and Passmark multi-thread score of 60,860 indicate substantial headroom for software encoding. The GPU’s 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores also handle hardware-accelerated encoding tasks, though the data does not specify encoder performance. The combination of 24 threads and 12 GB VRAM suggests the system can handle game capture plus encoding workloads simultaneously.

Video editing: The CPU’s single-core performance of 7,303 in Cinebench R23 and 4,823 in Passmark single-thread tests drives timeline responsiveness and effects preview. The GPU’s 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance accelerates render effects and color grading. For export workloads, the multi-core score of 21,727 in Cinebench R20 indicates strong parallel processing across the 24 cores. The 36 MB L3 cache reduces memory latency during complex timeline operations.

3D rendering: The CPU’s 51,731 Cinebench R23 multi-core score places it at the 96th percentile, making it capable for CPU-based rendering. The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3,854 and Passmark G3D score of 26,927 provide a baseline for GPU-accelerated renders. The 12 GB GDDR6X VRAM with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth handles moderately complex scenes, while the 184 texture mapping units process detailed materials. The 17,800 million transistors on the CPU and 35,800 million on the GPU indicate mature architectures for sustained render workloads.

Software development: The Passmark data compression score of 698,346 and encryption score of 52,563 reflect strong throughput for build pipelines and code compilation. The floating-point math score of 214,760 supports scientific computing and simulation tasks. The 24 threads handle parallel builds efficiently, while the single-thread score of 4,823 ensures responsive IDE interactions. The 3 nm CPU process node and 5 nm GPU process node contribute to power efficiency during long compile sessions.

Student and office work: The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU provides basic display output without a discrete GPU, though this build includes the RTX 4070. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking ensures smooth multitasking across office suites, web browsers, and virtual meeting applications. The 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth supports rapid data access for spreadsheets and documents. The 125W TDP keeps power consumption reasonable for all-day academic use.

Balance and Bottleneck

The 89th combined percentile indicates strong overall balance, but the data reveals specific workload-dependent bottlenecks. In CPU-bound scenarios like data compression and encryption, the processor clearly leads; the 698,346 compression score and 52,563 encryption score far exceed what the GPU contributes. Conversely, in GPU-bound tasks like rasterization at high resolutions, the RTX 4070 becomes the limiting factor. For example, Cyberpunk 2077 at 3840x2160 drops to 37 FPS, suggesting the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K with ultra settings.

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 2160p shows where the bottleneck shifts. In Valorant, FPS scales from 582 at 1080p to 496 at 1440p to 397 at 2160p — a relatively mild drop that indicates the CPU still has headroom. In contrast, Ark: Survival Ascended drops from 37 FPS at 1080p to 12 FPS at 2160p, a 68% reduction that points to GPU saturation. The pair rank of 863 out of 3,732 pairs places this configuration above average, meaning the CPU and GPU complement each other well for most games.

The CPU’s 24 threads without hyper-threading (24 cores, 24 threads) means each core handles one thread, which can limit performance in highly threaded workloads that benefit from SMT. The Passmark physics score of 3,315 and find prime numbers score of 503 indicate moderate physics processing capability. For gaming, the 5.80 GHz boost clock provides strong single-thread performance, but the GPU’s 2,475 MHz boost clock and 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate become the constraint at resolutions above 1440p.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The CPU uses Intel Socket 1851, which supports DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration. The memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s and ECC memory support make this platform suitable for workstation tasks. The CPU provides 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes, while the GPU uses PCIe 4.0 x16, meaning the graphics card operates at Gen 4 speeds without bottlenecking. The platform supports 3 nm process technology for the CPU and 5 nm for the GPU.

The GPU’s suggested PSU is 550W, while the CPU’s TDP is 125W. This leaves headroom for additional components, though the exact total system draw is not specified. The GPU is dual-slot with a 240 mm length and uses a single 16-pin power connector. The CPU is unlocked (multiplier unlocked true), allowing overclocking to extract additional performance. The production status is active for the CPU and end-of-life for the GPU, meaning replacement GPUs may be harder to source.

A sensible next upgrade would be a newer-generation GPU, as the RTX 4070 is end-of-life. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface remains compatible with current graphics cards, and the 550W PSU recommendation provides some headroom for higher-TDP GPUs. The CPU’s 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes could support faster storage or other accelerators. The 12 GB VRAM might become limiting for future AAA titles at 4K, so a GPU with more memory would be the logical upgrade path.

Who Should Build It

Gamers at 1080p and 1440p: The measured FPS data shows this build excels at these resolutions. At 1080p, most titles exceed 100 FPS, with competitive games well above 200 FPS. At 1440p, the average across games remains playable, with demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 at 56 FPS and Red Dead Redemption 2 at 51 FPS. The 81st GPU percentile and 96th CPU percentile make this a high-tier gaming rig for non-4K displays.

Content creators: The CPU’s 51,731 Cinebench R23 multi-core score and GPU’s 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance support video editing, 3D rendering, and graphic design. The 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth handle 4K video timelines and complex compositing. The ECC memory support adds reliability for long render jobs.

Software developers: The data compression and encryption scores indicate strong performance for build servers and code compilation. The 24 threads handle parallel builds, while the single-thread performance ensures fast IDE responsiveness. The 36 MB L3 cache reduces latency for frequently accessed data structures.

Students and small business workstations: The 89th combined percentile ensures smooth multitasking for office applications, web browsing, and light content creation. The integrated GPU provides a fallback if the discrete GPU fails, and the 125W CPU TDP keeps power costs manageable. The platform’s active production status for the CPU ensures ongoing availability.

Benchmark Performance

The CPU’s average benchmark score is 84,003, placing it at the 96th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with an average score of 83,807, representing a 0.2% advantage for the 290K Plus. The AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83,090 (1.1% behind), and the EPYC 9135 scores 82,980 (1.2% behind). The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85,072, which is 1.3% ahead of the 290K Plus. These deltas are small, indicating the 290K Plus sits at the top of desktop CPU performance.

The GPU’s average benchmark score is 37,648, placing it at the 81st percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P4 with a score of 37,628 (0.1% behind), followed by the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37,507 (0.4% behind). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38,135 (1.3% ahead), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 scores 37,157 (1.3% behind). The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3,854, Geekbench OpenCL score of 154,858, and Vulkan score of 174,152 reflect strong DirectX 12 and compute performance.

The combined picture shows a CPU that outperforms its closest desktop rival by a narrow margin, paired with a GPU that sits near the top of the mid-range segment. The CPU’s 96th percentile versus the GPU’s 81st percentile creates a slight CPU-forward imbalance, which explains why the combined percentile (89th) falls between the two individual rankings. The pair rank of 863 out of 3,732 confirms this configuration performs better than 77% of all tested CPU-GPU pairs.

FAQ

Q: What is the CPU’s position relative to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K’s score of 83,807. It also beats the AMD EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% and the EPYC 9135 by 1.2%, but trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest competitors?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37,648, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56. It trails the RTX 4080 Mobile by 1.3% and beats the Radeon PRO W6400 by 1.3%.

Q: What resolutions can this build handle for gaming?

A: Measured data shows 1080p gaming is excellent, with most titles above 100 FPS and competitive games like Valorant at 582 FPS and CS:GO at 561 FPS. At 1440p, most games remain playable (e.g., Cyberpunk 2077 at 56 FPS, Red Dead Redemption 2 at 51 FPS). At 2160p, performance drops significantly, with Ark: Survival Ascended at 12 FPS and Cyberpunk 2077 at 37 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this build?

A: It depends on the workload. For CPU-bound tasks like data compression (698,346 score) and encryption (52,563 score), the CPU leads. For GPU-bound tasks like high-resolution gaming, the RTX 4070 becomes the constraint, particularly at 2160p where FPS drops by 50-70% compared to 1080p in demanding titles.

Q: What memory and expansion options does this platform support?

A: The CPU supports DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth and ECC memory support. It provides 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes, while the GPU uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The CPU has an integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU for basic display output.

Q: What is the power requirement for this build?

A: The GPU has a TDP of 200W and a suggested PSU of 550W. The CPU has a TDP of 125W. The combined draw is not specified, but the 550W PSU recommendation accounts for the GPU and leaves headroom for the CPU and other components.

Q: Is this a good configuration for 4K gaming?

A: The data suggests limited 4K capability. Only a few games exceed 60 FPS at 3840x2160, such as Valorant (397 FPS) and CS:GO (228 FPS). Most demanding titles fall below 60 FPS, including Cyberpunk 2077 (37 FPS), Red Dead Redemption 2 (34 FPS), and Ark: Survival Ascended (12 FPS).

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on a 3 nm TSMC process with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. It belongs to the Arrow Lake Refresh codename and uses the Ultra 9 (Arrow Lake) generation. The base clock is 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, and the multiplier is unlocked for overclocking. The TDP is 125W, and it supports DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth and ECC memory.

The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 36 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU provides 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes and includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU. The production status is active, and the socket is Intel Socket 1851.

Benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 51,731, R20 multi-core scores 21,727, and R15 multi-core scores 5,214. Single-core scores are equally impressive: R23 single-core at 7,303, R20 at 3,067, and R15 at 736. Passmark tests show data compression at 698,346, encryption at 52,563, extended instructions at 52,338, floating-point math at 214,760, integer math at 166,194, and multi-thread at 60,860. The single-thread Passmark score is 4,823.

These scores place the CPU at the 96th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. The nearest rival, the Core Ultra 9 285K, trails by only 0.2%, indicating that this CPU is at the very top of consumer desktop performance. The 24 cores without hyper-threading mean thread counts equal core counts, which can be beneficial for workloads that scale linearly with cores but may underperform in tasks that rely on SMT. The 5.80 GHz boost clock provides exceptional single-thread responsiveness for gaming and day-to-day tasks.

Build Overview

This is a desktop-class build combining the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus CPU with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. The CPU achieves the 96th percentile among all processors, while the GPU achieves the 81st percentile among all GPUs. The combined percentile is 89th, placing this configuration in the upper tier of desktop systems.

The CPU’s 24 cores and 24 threads, 5.80 GHz boost clock, and 36 MB L3 cache make it a top-tier processor for both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. The GPU’s 12 GB GDDR6X memory, 5,888 shading units, and 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance place it in the upper mid-range of graphics cards. The pairing produces an average FPS of 162.7 across all tested games, with a pair rank of 863 out of 3,732, meaning it outperforms 77% of all CPU-GPU combinations tested.

The build class is desktop, indicating a stationary, full-power system suitable for gaming, content creation, and professional workloads. The CPU’s active production status ensures ongoing availability, while the GPU’s end-of-life status suggests it may become harder to source. The 89th combined percentile reflects a high-performance system that excels in most scenarios but may struggle with 4K gaming at ultra settings.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is based on the AD104 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm TSMC process with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The transistor density is 121.8M per mm². The base clock is 1,920 MHz with a boost clock of 2,475 MHz, and memory runs at 1,313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU contains 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, 64 ROPs, 46 RT cores, and 184 tensor cores. The pixel rate is 158.4 GPixel/s, texture rate is 455.4 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 29.15 TFLOPS with FP16 at the same rate (1:1). The TDP is 200W with a suggested PSU of 550W. The card is dual-slot, 240 mm long, 110 mm tall, and 40 mm wide, using a single 16-pin power connector. Display outputs include 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16.

Benchmark scores include 3DMark Steel Nomad at 3,854, Geekbench OpenCL at 154,858, Geekbench Vulkan at 174,152, Passmark G3D at 26,927, and Passmark GPU compute at 14,720. DirectX tests show 139 for DirectX 10, 244 for DirectX 11, and 103 for DirectX 12. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 37,648 places it at the 81st percentile, with the nearest rival being the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (0.1% behind) and the AMD RX Vega 56 (0.4% behind). The 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores provide hardware acceleration for ray tracing and DLSS, though specific RT performance numbers are not listed. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but may limit 4K textures in future titles.

Gaming Performance

Measured FPS data at ultra settings across three resolutions provides a comprehensive view of gaming capability. At 1920x1080, the build excels in competitive titles: Valorant achieves 582 FPS, CS:GO hits 561 FPS, and Counter-Strike 2 reaches 254 FPS. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege runs at 302 FPS, and Roblox hits 328 FPS. Demanding AAA titles also perform well: Cyberpunk 2077 runs at 75 FPS, Red Dead Redemption 2 at 68 FPS, and Microsoft Flight Simulator at 92 FPS. The lowest 1080p result is Ark: Survival Ascended at 37 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong for most titles. Valorant drops to 496 FPS, CS:GO to 386 FPS, and CS2 to 168 FPS. Rainbow Six Siege maintains 198 FPS. AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077 (56 FPS), Red Dead Redemption 2 (51 FPS), and Microsoft Flight Simulator (74 FPS) remain playable. Ark: Survival Ascended drops to 23 FPS, and The Medium runs at 45 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. Valorant still achieves 397 FPS, and CS:GO hits 228 FPS, but most games fall below 60 FPS. Cyberpunk 2077 runs at 37 FPS, Red Dead Redemption 2 at 34 FPS, and Microsoft Flight Simulator at 55 FPS. Ark: Survival Ascended drops to 12 FPS, and The Medium runs at 35 FPS. The average FPS across all games and resolutions is 162.7, reflecting strong performance at lower resolutions.

The data confirms this build is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with excellent frame rates in esports titles and playable performance in AAA games. At 4K, only lightweight or older titles (Valorant, CS:GO, Roblox) maintain high frame rates, while modern AAA games require reduced settings for smooth gameplay.