Core i9-14900K + RTX 5090 in Alan Wake 2

Every figure below is a measurement aggregated from published review charts — the CPU's frame-rate ceiling and the frame rate the GPU delivers in this game, combined. The CPU figure is the highest frame rate that CPU sustained in this game with a flagship GPU installed — past that frame rate, the CPU is the limit. Settings: Max settings, no ray tracing, no upscaling. CPU ceiling measured at 1080p, highest settings (TechPowerUp CPU suite), RTX 5090.

1080p

Balanced pairing

Expected frame rate: 185–185 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Core i9-14900Kceiling ~185 fps on its own

GPU RTX 5090delivers ~205 fps in this game at 1080p

The CPU ceiling and the GPU's delivered rate sit within 10.0% of each other — neither part wastes much of the other. The gap is measured between the two figures above: (faster − slower) ÷ faster.

That range feeds a 165 Hz or faster monitor — this is high-refresh territory in this game.

Confidence: MEDIUM — based on 2 source measurements for these two parts.

1440p

Mild GPU limit

Expected frame rate: 156–156 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Core i9-14900Kceiling ~185 fps on its own

GPU RTX 5090delivers ~156 fps in this game at 1440p

The GPU side is lower by about 15.5% in this game at 1440p. The math, from the two measured figures above: the pair runs at the lower one (~156 fps), and the gap to the faster side is (185 − 156) ÷ 185 ≈ 15.5% of the faster side's output. That percentage belongs to this game, this resolution and these settings only — the same two parts score differently in another game, which is why no universal bottleneck percentage exists for a pair of parts. Upgrading the faster part alone would not raise the frame rate.

That range justifies a 144 Hz monitor in this game.

Confidence: MEDIUM — based on 2 source measurements for these two parts.

4K

Strong GPU limit

Expected frame rate: 94–94 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Core i9-14900Kceiling ~185 fps on its own

GPU RTX 5090delivers ~94 fps in this game at 4K

The GPU side is lower by about 49.3% in this game at 4K. The math, from the two measured figures above: the pair runs at the lower one (~94 fps), and the gap to the faster side is (185 − 94) ÷ 185 ≈ 49.3% of the faster side's output. That percentage belongs to this game, this resolution and these settings only — the same two parts score differently in another game, which is why no universal bottleneck percentage exists for a pair of parts. Upgrading the faster part alone would not raise the frame rate.

That range suits a 60 Hz monitor; a high-refresh panel would be underused in this game.

Confidence: MEDIUM — based on 2 source measurements for these two parts.

This pair in other games

• Baldur's Gate 3 — this pair has figures there at other resolutions.
• Counter-Strike 2 — Balanced, 579–579 fps at 1440p
• Cyberpunk 2077 — Strong CPU limit, 109–117 fps at 1440p
• Elden Ring — Balanced, 168–168 fps at 1440p
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II — Balanced, 186–186 fps at 1440p
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2 — Mild CPU limit, 159–159 fps at 1440p
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 — Mild CPU limit, 88–88 fps at 1440p
• Starfield — Mild GPU limit, 134–134 fps at 1440p

Sources for Alan Wake 2

• TechPowerUp

Full data: Alan Wake 2 benchmarks · how verdicts are computed.