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Core i5-12400F + RTX 4090: bottleneck check

26%

CPU-limited at 1440p. Moderate CPU bottleneck.

The Core i5-12400F cannot feed the RTX 4090 fast enough at 1440p, so the card sits partly idle in CPU-heavy games.

By resolution

ResolutionLimiting partSeverityVerdict
1080pCPU 31%moderate CPU bottleneck
1440pCPU 26%moderate CPU bottleneck
4KCPU 7%balanced

The Core i5-12400F is the limiting part at every resolution, even at 4K (7%). The RTX 4090 is a much stronger card than this processor can drive — plan a CPU upgrade before spending more on graphics.

Specifications

Intel Core i5-12400F
Cores / threads6 / 12
Max boost4.4 GHz
SocketLGA1700
Max turbo power117 W
Released2022
Gaming index66 / 100
Multi-core index48 / 100
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
VRAM24 GB
Board power450 W
Released2022
1080p index84.5 / 100
1440p index82 / 100
4K index79.6 / 100

Power supply

CPU 117 W + GPU 450 W + about 100 W for motherboard, memory, storage and fans gives an estimated peak load of 667 W. We recommend a 1000 W unit (80 Plus Gold or better) so transient spikes from the graphics card stay inside the PSU's comfort zone. Try other pairs in the PSU calculator.

Best CPU for the RTX 4090 Best GPU for the Core i5-12400F RTX 4090 PSU requirements

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Same CPU, other GPUs

Same GPU, other CPUs

Indexes are relative estimates aggregated from published reviews; real results vary by game, settings, memory speed and drivers. Methodology.