SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation

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

99 / 100
ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 1% 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
99%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus

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

NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation

184,664 Benchmark Score
Top 1% 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

# Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation

This build pairs Intel's flagship 24-core Arrow Lake Refresh desktop processor with NVIDIA's top-tier Ada Lovelace workstation GPU, placing it in the 97th percentile of all desktop configurations. The CPU alone ranks in the 96th percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits in the 98th percentile among all graphics cards, making this a genuinely elite-tier combination for compute-heavy workloads rather than a typical gaming rig.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is built on TSMC's 3 nm process node, containing 17,800 million transistors across a 243 mm² die. This is a 24-core, 24-thread processor — notably without hyperthreading — with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. The architecture is Arrow Lake Refresh, part of the Core Ultra Series 2, and it draws 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache, which is substantial for workloads that benefit from large pooled caches.

Benchmark results show a processor that excels in both single-threaded and multi-threaded scenarios. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 7,303 points in single-core and 51,731 points in multi-core. The single-core figure is exceptional, indicating strong IPC and high boost behavior — this translates directly to snappy application launches, responsive desktop interactions, and strong performance in lightly-threaded workloads like web browsing and office productivity. The multi-core score of 51,731 is equally impressive, placing this chip in rarefied air for desktop processors. The Passmark multi-thread score of 60,860 reinforces this, while the single-thread Passmark figure of 4,823 confirms the processor's strength in latency-sensitive tasks.

The nearest rival comparison shows the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is essentially neck-and-neck with the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, with a delta of just 0.2% in average benchmark score. It also edges out the AMD EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% and the AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.2%, while trailing the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%. This is notable because the EPYC parts are server-class processors, meaning this desktop chip is competing with — and in some cases beating — enterprise silicon in raw throughput. The data compression score of 698,346 in Passmark suggests strong performance in archiving and compression workflows, while the floating-point math score of 214,760 indicates solid number-crunching capability for scientific and engineering applications. The integer math score of 166,194 and extended instructions score of 52,338 round out a well-balanced compute profile.

Memory support includes dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s and ECC memory support, which is a boon for workstation reliability. The CPU provides Gen 5 PCIe with 20 lanes from the processor itself, and it includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units as a fallback display solution. The multiplier is unlocked, so enthusiasts can overclock this part, though the factory boost of 5.80 GHz already pushes into high-performance territory.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation is a workstation-class GPU built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, using the AD102 chip fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. This GPU contains 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, with a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter. Clock speeds are 1,155 MHz base and 2,550 MHz boost, with memory running at 18 Gbps effective. The 32 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth — a substantial amount for large datasets, high-resolution textures, and GPU-compute workloads that exceed the VRAM capacity of consumer cards.

Compute resources are prodigious: 12,800 shading units, 400 texture mapping units, 176 raster output units, 100 RT cores, and 400 tensor cores. The pixel rate is 448.8 GPixel/s and texture rate is 1,020.0 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is rated at 65.28 TFLOPS, with FP16 at the same 65.28 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), meaning half-precision workloads get full-rate throughput — important for AI inference and training where FP16 is common. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, covering all modern graphics APIs.

Benchmark results place this GPU firmly in elite territory. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 175,286, and in Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 194,041. The average benchmark score of 184,664 puts it in the 98th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB, which it trails by 0.5%, and the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 40 GB, which it beats by 1.3%. It also outperforms the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell by 1.4% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D by 3.7%. This means the RTX 5000 Ada Generation is competitive with — and in some cases faster than — data-center accelerators and the most powerful consumer gaming GPU on the market.

The GPU's TDP is 250 W, requiring a suggested PSU of 600 W, and it uses a single 16-pin power connector. It occupies a dual-slot form factor, measures 267 mm in length and 112 mm in height, and provides four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16, which is sufficient for this card's bandwidth needs. With 100 RT cores and 400 tensor cores, this GPU is purpose-built for ray-traced rendering and AI-accelerated workflows, making it a workstation staple rather than a pure gaming card.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU's 5.80 GHz boost clock and single-core Cinebench R23 score of 7,303 will drive high frame rates in CPU-bound titles, while the GPU's 65.28 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 576.0 GB/s memory bandwidth handle GPU-bound scenes. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, but its 98th-percentile standing ensures playable frame rates in most titles, though this is not the card's primary purpose.

Streaming: The CPU's 24 threads and 51,731 multi-core Cinebench R23 score provide ample headroom for encoding while gaming, and the GPU's 400 tensor cores can offload encoding tasks via NVENC-class hardware. The Passmark data encryption score of 52,563 indicates strong cryptographic performance for secure streaming protocols.

Video editing: The combination of the CPU's 214,760 floating-point Passmark score and the GPU's 194,041 Vulkan score accelerates timeline rendering, effects processing, and export in applications that leverage GPU acceleration. The 32 GB VRAM allows for editing multi-layer 4K or 8K projects without spilling to system memory.

3D rendering: The GPU's 100 RT cores and 400 tensor cores excel in ray-traced and AI-denoised rendering workloads. The CPU's 51,731 Cinebench R23 multi-core score complements this with fast CPU-based rendering in applications that don't use GPU acceleration. The 36 MB L3 cache helps with scene data locality.

Software development: The CPU's 24 threads and high single-core performance enable fast compilation of large codebases, while the 698,346 Passmark data compression score speeds up build artifact packaging. The ECC memory support adds reliability for long-running build servers or development workstations handling critical code.

Student and office work: This is massively overprovisioned for typical office tasks, but the 4,823 Passmark single-thread score ensures instant responsiveness in document editing, spreadsheet calculations, and web-based applications. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG graphics provide a fallback if the discrete GPU is disabled for power savings.

Who Should Build It

This system targets professionals and power users who need both high-end CPU compute and workstation-grade GPU acceleration. Content creators working with 8K video, complex 3D scenes, or large machine-learning models will benefit from the 32 GB VRAM and 65.28 TFLOPS FP32 performance. Developers compiling large codebases or running multiple virtual machines will leverage the 24 threads and 125 W TDP efficiency. Students in engineering, data science, or computer graphics programs will find the performance headroom for demanding coursework, though the cost of this pairing suggests a funded lab or professional budget rather than a personal purchase.

Small business workstations handling CAD, financial modeling, or scientific simulations will appreciate the ECC memory support and the GPU's compute capabilities. The 96th-percentile CPU and 98th-percentile GPU rankings mean this system can handle nearly any single-user workload without hitting a performance ceiling. Gamers at 4K with high refresh rates will find the GPU capable, but the workstation focus of the RTX 5000 Ada Generation means gaming is a secondary consideration — the card's 3.7% lead over the RTX 4090 D in average benchmark score suggests it can game well, but its 32 GB GDDR6 and 576.0 GB/s bandwidth are tuned for compute density rather than frame pacing.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The CPU uses Intel Socket 1851, which is the platform for Core Ultra Series 2 processors. This is a current-generation socket, so future upgrades within the same generation are possible, though the 290K Plus is already the top-tier part in its lineup. Memory support is dual-channel DDR5 with ECC capability, so users can expand from the base configuration to larger capacities or higher-speed kits, though the 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is a fixed characteristic of the dual-channel design. The CPU provides 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes, while the GPU uses PCIe 4.0 x16 — this means the GPU is not bottlenecked by the bus, and the Gen 5 lanes remain available for NVMe storage or other add-in cards.

The GPU's 250 W TDP and the CPU's 125 W TDP combine for 375 W of component power draw, and the suggested PSU of 600 W provides headroom for drives, cooling, and peripheral power. A sensible next upgrade would be adding Gen 5 NVMe storage to utilize the CPU's PCIe lanes, or increasing system memory to complement the 32 GB VRAM for datasets that exceed VRAM capacity. The dual-slot GPU and 267 mm length are standard form factors, so case compatibility is broad, and the single 16-pin power connector simplifies cabling. The platform's Active production status for both components means ongoing availability and driver support.

Gaming Performance

No measured FPS data exists for this exact CPU+GPU combination — the benchmark database contains no measuredFps rows for this pairing. All frame rate figures referenced here are estimates derived from the component benchmark scores, not measured results. The CPU's 7,303 Cinebench R23 single-core score and the GPU's 194,041 Geekbench Vulkan score indicate strong gaming potential, but actual FPS will vary by title, resolution, and game engine.

Based on the GPU's 98th-percentile ranking and its 3.7% lead over the RTX 4090 D in average benchmark score, 4K gaming at ultra settings should deliver high frame rates in most titles, with esports titles potentially exceeding 144 FPS at 1440p. The CPU's 5.80 GHz boost clock and 4,823 Passmark single-thread score ensure that CPU-bound scenarios — such as large open-world games or simulation titles with heavy physics — will not bottleneck the GPU. However, the RTX 5000 Ada Generation's driver optimization and feature set are geared toward workstation applications, so gaming performance may not match a consumer gaming GPU with the same raw compute in every title. The 32 GB VRAM is far more than any current game requires, so texture streaming and high-resolution packs will never exceed memory capacity.

Balance and Bottleneck

The balance between CPU and GPU is well-matched for compute workloads, but the bottleneck shifts depending on the task. In multi-threaded CPU workloads like rendering or compilation, the CPU's 51,731 Cinebench R23 multi-core score is the limiting factor — the GPU sits idle while the CPU grinds through work. In GPU-accelerated tasks like ray tracing or AI inference, the GPU's 100 RT cores and 400 tensor cores dominate, and the CPU's role is reduced to feeding data. The CPU's 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is a potential bottleneck for GPU workloads that require frequent data transfers, since the GPU's 576.0 GB/s bandwidth vastly outpaces system memory throughput.

In gaming, the bottleneck is typically the GPU at 4K, where the 65.28 TFLOPS FP32 throughput must render every frame. At 1080p, the CPU's single-core performance becomes more relevant, and the 5.80 GHz boost clock may hold frame rates in check for very high refresh displays. The combined 97th percentile ranking indicates that neither component is dramatically underpowered relative to the other — this is a balanced pairing for its intended workstation use case. The Passmark data encryption score of 52,563 and the extended instructions score of 52,338 suggest the CPU can handle encryption and SIMD-heavy workloads without bottlenecking the GPU's compute pipeline.

FAQ

Q: Does this build support ECC memory?

A: Yes, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus supports ECC memory, which is a critical feature for workstation reliability in scientific, financial, or server-like workloads where data corruption is unacceptable.

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

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation has 32 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for large 3D scenes, high-resolution textures, and datasets that exceed consumer GPU memory limits.

Q: How does the CPU compare to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: The Core Ultra 9 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. This is a marginal difference, so real-world performance between the two is effectively identical.

Q: What power supply is recommended for this build?

A: The suggested PSU is 600 W, based on the GPU's 250 W TDP and the CPU's 125 W TDP. This leaves headroom for storage, cooling, and other components without requiring an oversized power supply.

Q: Is this GPU suitable for gaming at 4K?

A: The GPU ranks in the 98th percentile of all GPUs and leads the RTX 4090 D by 3.7% in average benchmark score, suggesting it can handle 4K gaming at high settings. However, its workstation orientation means gaming performance is a secondary consideration, and no measured FPS data exists for this specific pairing.

Q: What is the CPU's socket and memory support?

A: The CPU uses Intel Socket 1851 and supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. It also provides 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes from the CPU for NVMe storage or other high-bandwidth devices.

Q: Does the GPU support modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes, the GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, covering all current graphics APIs for gaming and professional applications.

Benchmark Performance

The CPU's average benchmark score is 84,003, placing it in the 96th percentile of all processors. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and single-core score of 7,303 are both exceptional, with the multi-core figure being particularly strong for a desktop part. Passmark scores reinforce this: multi-thread at 60,860, single-thread at 4,823, floating-point math at 214,760, and integer math at 166,194. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83,807, a delta of just 0.2%, meaning the 290K Plus is essentially a refresh of an already top-tier chip.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 184,664, placing it in the 98th percentile of all GPUs. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 175,286 and Vulkan score of 194,041 both indicate strong compute performance. The nearest rival, the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB, scores 183,725, a delta of 0.5% — meaning this workstation GPU is within statistical noise of a data-center accelerator that costs significantly more. The GPU also beats the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell by 1.4% and the RTX 4090 D by 3.7%, making it one of the fastest GPUs in the database.

Combined, this pairing achieves a 97th-percentile ranking among all desktop builds, which reflects the synergy of a top-tier CPU and a top-tier GPU. Neither component drags the other down — the CPU's 96th percentile and GPU's 98th percentile both contribute to an overall configuration that is near the top of the performance spectrum.

Build Overview

This is a desktop-class build pairing the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation. The CPU is a 24-core, 24-thread Arrow Lake Refresh part on Intel Socket 1851, built on TSMC's 3 nm process, with a 5.80 GHz boost clock and 125 W TDP. The GPU is an Ada Lovelace workstation card with 32 GB GDDR6, 100 RT cores, 400 tensor cores, and 65.28 TFLOPS FP32 performance, drawing 250 W. The combined 97th-percentile ranking places this system in the top 3% of all desktop configurations in the database, making it a high-end workstation for professionals who need both CPU and GPU compute power. The CPU's 96th-percentile and GPU's 98th-percentile standings mean this build is balanced — it will not bottleneck in either CPU-heavy or GPU-heavy workloads, though the specific bottleneck depends on the task. This is not a typical gaming PC; it is a compute platform for rendering, AI, scientific simulation, and content creation, with gaming capability as a secondary benefit.