Core i9-14900K with RTX 4080 Super: Bottleneck & FPS

Paired with the RTX 4080 Super, the Core i9-14900K delivers roughly 78 FPS at 4K (1% lows ≈61) in modern AAA games, which our model rates as “heavily GPU-limited”. At 1080p the Core i9-14900K becomes the limit (13% CPU bottleneck at 1080p); from 1440p upward the RTX 4080 Super takes over and the CPU has capacity to spare. In esports titles such as CS2 or Valorant expect around 249 FPS, enough for a 144 Hz monitor, while CPU-heavy games like Microsoft Flight Simulator drop to about 84 FPS. With ray tracing enabled, expect about 45 FPS at 4K, so turn on DLSS or FSR to get back above 60.

Processor
Intel Core i9-14900K
24 cores / 32 threads · LGA1700 · 2023
Graphics card
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super
16 GB VRAM · Ray tracing ✓ · 2024

4K (3840×2160) · High · AAA games · Native · 32 GB · 165 Hz

Change settings
GPU-limited

Heavily GPU-limited at 4K

The RTX 4080 Super is the limiting part at 4K, which is the normal and preferred situation for gaming. The Core i9-14900K has headroom for about 160 FPS, so it can handle a faster GPU later.

Max frames each part can deliver. Frames pile up in front of the slower one.

Avg FPS78
1% low61
CPU load49%
GPU load99%

Bottleneck by resolution

Core i9-14900K + RTX 4080 Super at High settings in AAA games.

ResolutionAvg FPS1% lowBottleneck
1080p (1920×1080)154110CPU 13%
1440p (2560×1440)12698GPU 20%
UW 1440p (3440×1440)10783GPU 33%
4K (3840×2160)7861GPU 51%

FPS by game type

At 4K, High settings.

Game typeAvg FPSLimited by
AAA / mixed games
Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring
78GPU 51%
Competitive esports
CS2, Valorant, Fortnite (Performance), League of Legends
249GPU 40%
CPU-heavy (strategy, sims, MMO)
MS Flight Simulator, Cities: Skylines II, WoW, Baldur's Gate 3 Act 3
84Balanced
Ray tracing / path tracing
Cyberpunk RT Overdrive, Alan Wake 2, Indiana Jones
45GPU 67%

Recommendations

Specific to these parts at 4K.

  • Your 165 Hz monitor can show more frames than this build delivers. Variable refresh (G-Sync/FreeSync) will keep motion smooth.

GPU upgrades for this CPU

The Core i9-14900K can drive a faster card at 4K.

Related builds

Browse all 577 popular builds or open this build in the bottleneck calculator to try other settings.

Core i9-14900K + RTX 4080 Super: quick answers

Does the Core i9-14900K bottleneck the RTX 4080 Super?

1080p: 13% CPU-limited. 1440p: 20% GPU-limited. UW 1440p: 33% GPU-limited. 4K: 51% GPU-limited. At 4K the CPU keeps up, so this is a sensible pairing. A GPU-limited result is the normal, healthy state for gaming.

How many FPS does the Core i9-14900K with RTX 4080 Super get?

About 154 FPS at 1080p, 126 FPS at 1440p, 107 FPS at UW 1440p, 78 FPS at 4K in AAA games at High settings without upscaling. In esports games like CS2 and Valorant it reaches roughly 249 FPS at 4K.

What is the best upgrade for a Core i9-14900K + RTX 4080 Super build?

At 4K, the most effective upgrade is the RTX 5090. Use the calculator to check other resolutions and settings.