Will the Core i7-11700K bottleneck the RTX 5090?

Yes, at 1440p the Core i7-11700K is estimated to limit the RTX 5090 by about 38%. The effect is larger at 1080p and smaller at 4K.

What power supply do I need for a Core i7-11700K and RTX 5090?

Estimated system load is about 800 W. A quality 1200 W unit leaves roughly 30% headroom for transient spikes.

Is this pair better at 1080p or 4K?

1080p: CPU-limited 42% (severe CPU bottleneck). 1440p: CPU-limited 38% (moderate CPU bottleneck). 4K: CPU-limited 22% (mild CPU bottleneck).

PCPairs

Core i7-11700K + RTX 5090: bottleneck check

38%

CPU-limited at 1440p. Moderate CPU bottleneck.

CPU GPU

The Core i7-11700K cannot feed the RTX 5090 fast enough at 1440p, so the card sits partly idle in CPU-heavy games.

By resolution

Resolution	Limiting part	Severity	Verdict
1080p	CPU	42%	severe CPU bottleneck
1440p	CPU	38%	moderate CPU bottleneck
4K	CPU	22%	mild CPU bottleneck

The Core i7-11700K is the limiting part at every resolution, even at 4K (22%). The RTX 5090 is a much stronger card than this processor can drive — plan a CPU upgrade before spending more on graphics.

Specifications

Intel Core i7-11700K
Cores / threads	8 / 16
Max boost	5.0 GHz
Socket	LGA1200
Max turbo power	125 W
Released	2021
Gaming index	62 / 100
Multi-core index	54 / 100

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
VRAM	32 GB
Board power	575 W
Released	2025
1080p index	100.0 / 100
1440p index	100 / 100
4K index	100.0 / 100

Power supply

CPU 125 W + GPU 575 W + about 100 W for motherboard, memory, storage and fans gives an estimated peak load of 800 W. We recommend a 1200 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 5090 Best GPU for the Core i7-11700K RTX 5090 PSU requirements

Compare nearby pairs

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.