Yes, at 1080p. The Core i9-14900K holds the GeForce RTX 5090 back by about 43.8%, which is a large loss of the card's speed.
Severe CPU bottleneck
The processor holds the graphics card back by about 43.8% at 1080p.
| Resolution | Result | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | Severe CPU bottleneck | 43.8% cpu |
| 1440p | Moderate CPU bottleneck | 24.1% cpu |
| 4K | GPU limited. The CPU has spare power | 19.2% gpu |
The processor launched at $589 and the card at $1,999, so the card cost 3.4 times as much. At 1080p this pairing is held back by the processor by about 43.8% (severe). At 1440p it is held back by the processor by about 24.1% (moderate), and at 4K limited by the graphics card by about 19.2%. The graphics card scores 130 on our index and the processor 86.
The loss is a 1080p problem, and it fades by 4K.
For comparison, with the less powerful GeForce RTX 4090 the 1080p result would be held back by the processor by about 26.9% (moderate).
Yes, at 1080p. The Core i9-14900K holds the GeForce RTX 5090 back by about 43.8%, which is a large loss of the card's speed.
Yes, at 1440p. The Core i9-14900K holds the GeForce RTX 5090 back by about 24.1%, which is a clear loss of the card's speed.
No. At 4K the GeForce RTX 5090 is the slower part by about 19.2%, so the Core i9-14900K has spare capacity. That is the normal way round for a gaming PC. Higher resolutions put more load on the graphics card, so the processor matters less.
Updated October 3, 2026