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Core i5-13400F + RTX 4090: bottleneck check

22%

CPU-limited at 1440p. Mild CPU bottleneck.

The Core i5-13400F cannot feed the RTX 4090 fast enough at 1440p, so the card sits partly idle in CPU-heavy games.

By resolution

ResolutionLimiting partSeverityVerdict
1080pCPU 27%moderate CPU bottleneck
1440pCPU 22%mild CPU bottleneck
4KCPU 1%balanced

The Core i5-13400F is the limiting part at every resolution, even at 4K (1%). 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 i5-13400F
Cores / threads10 / 16
Max boost4.6 GHz
SocketLGA1700
Maximum turbo power (MTP)148 W Intel's published maximum sustained turbo power, above its base power; the PSU estimate uses it, so it errs high · Intel ARK
Released2023
Gaming index70 / 100
Multi-core index58 / 100
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
VRAM24 GB
Board power450 W
Released2022
1080p index84.5 / 100
1440p index82 / 100
4K index79.6 / 100

Power supply

The RTX 4090 measured 346 W average while gaming (499 W highest 20 ms spike, TechPowerUp). With the Core i5-13400F at its maximum turbo power of 148 W and about 75 W for the rest of the system, the sustained load is about 569 W. A 1000 W unit is the safe choice. Details on the RTX 4090 PSU page or try other pairs in the PSU calculator.

Best CPU for the RTX 4090 Best GPU for the Core i5-13400F RTX 4090 PSU requirements

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