Will the Core i5-12600K bottleneck the GTX 1080 Ti?

No. At 1440p the GTX 1080 Ti is the limiting part, which is the normal state for a gaming PC. The Core i5-12600K has headroom to spare.

What power supply do I need for a Core i5-12600K and GTX 1080 Ti?

Estimated system load is about 500 W. A quality 650 W unit leaves roughly 30% headroom for transient spikes.

Is this pair better at 1080p or 4K?

1080p: GPU-limited 18% (balanced). 1440p: GPU-limited 25% (GPU-bound (normal)). 4K: GPU-limited 42% (CPU overkill).

PCPairs

Core i5-12600K + GTX 1080 Ti: bottleneck check

25%

GPU-limited at 1440p. GPU-bound (normal).

CPU GPU

The GTX 1080 Ti is the part working hardest at 1440p, which is what you want. The Core i5-12600K keeps about 25% in reserve.

By resolution

Resolution	Limiting part	Severity	Verdict
1080p	GPU	18%	balanced
1440p	GPU	25%	GPU-bound (normal)
4K	GPU	42%	CPU overkill

The GTX 1080 Ti is the limit at every resolution and by a wide margin at 4K (42%). The Core i5-12600K is overkill for this card: a faster GPU would give you far more frames than any CPU change.

Specifications

Intel Core i5-12600K
Cores / threads	10 / 16
Max boost	4.9 GHz
Socket	LGA1700
Max turbo power	150 W
Released	2021
Gaming index	72 / 100
Multi-core index	62 / 100

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
VRAM	11 GB
Board power	250 W
Released	2017
1080p index	28.7 / 100
1440p index	23 / 100
4K index	18.4 / 100

Power supply

CPU 150 W + GPU 250 W + about 100 W for motherboard, memory, storage and fans gives an estimated peak load of 500 W. We recommend a 650 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.

Upgrade paths

CPUs that remove the bottleneck

LGA1700

Cards that use the Core i5-12600K fully

Best CPU for the GTX 1080 Ti Best GPU for the Core i5-12600K GTX 1080 Ti PSU requirements

Same CPU, other cards

All

Same card, other CPUs

All

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