CPU and GPU pairings

Does the Core i7-14700K bottleneck the Radeon RX 9070 XT?

At 1080p, the two are well matched. At 1440p, the graphics card sets the pace. At 4K, the graphics card sets the pace, by a wide margin.

Intel Core i7-14700K with AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

  1. 1080p

    Well matched

    The processor can prepare about 90% of the frames this card could draw.

  2. 1440p

    The graphics card sets the pace

    The processor could keep up with a graphics card about 30% faster.

  3. 4K

    The graphics card sets the pace, by a wide margin

    The processor could keep up with a graphics card about 2.1 times as fast.

A balanced pair: at 1080p neither part is wasted, and at higher resolutions the graphics card sets the pace, which is where you want it.

An estimate for a typical game at high settings. Strategy, simulation and large multiplayer games lean on the processor more; lower settings and upscaling do too.

Change either part in the calculator

Does your PC deliver this?

These parts suit each other, so what decides your frame rate is whether your PC runs them as designed. Two PCs with the same parts can perform very differently. On a PC with these parts, Bottleneck checks, free:

  • Intel’s fix for 13th and 14th gen instability. The Core i7-14700K is one of the processors that can wear out and turn unstable without a BIOS update; Bottleneck says whether yours has the fix. What the fault is
  • The monitor’s refresh rate. A 144 Hz monitor left at 60 Hz holds every game to 60 frames a second.
  • Memory at its rated speed, in dual channel. Memory left at a slow default speed costs frames whichever part sets the pace.
  • Heat. A processor or graphics card that slows down to stay cool falls short of these figures.

Then play a game while it measures, and it tells you which part really set the pace, and for what share of the frames: measured on your PC, where this page can only estimate.

The free version has no time limit and needs no account. Pro, $9 once, explains each problem and how to fix it, makes the common fixes in one click, and costs out the upgrade for your own PC. Compare the versions

Graphics cards the Core i7-14700K keeps up with

Current cards that are well matched with the Core i7-14700K at 1440p, fastest first.

Power supply

An 850 W power supply covers this pair: at full load the Core i7-14700K, the Radeon RX 9070 XT and the rest of the PC can draw up to about 617 W. The power supply page for the Radeon RX 9070 XT has the size with other processors.

More pairings

How this is worked out

Each part gets one figure for games from the reference dataset the Bottleneck app uses to judge the hardware it measures, and the two are compared at each resolution. The calculator explains the model; this page is its answer for the Core i7-14700K and the Radeon RX 9070 XT. It is an estimate from the part names: memory speed, settings, heat and the monitor decide what a real PC delivers.