Ryzen 9 9950X3D + RTX 3080 10GB in Baldur's Gate 3

Every figure below is a measurement aggregated from published review charts — the CPU's frame-rate ceiling and the GPU's frame-rate ceiling in this game, combined. Settings: Ultra preset, DX11, native rendering, no upscaling, no frame generation. CPU ceiling measured at 1080p, Medium preset (reviewers' CPU-isolation method), flagship GPU, Act III.

1080p

Balanced pairing

Expected frame rate: 160–160 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Ryzen 9 9950X3Dceiling ~169 fps on its own

GPU RTX 3080 10GBceiling ~160 fps on its own

The two measured ceilings sit within 5.5% of each other — neither part wastes much of the other.

That range justifies a 144 Hz monitor in this game.

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

1440p

Mild GPU limit

Expected frame rate: 124–124 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Ryzen 9 9950X3Dceiling ~169 fps on its own

GPU RTX 3080 10GBceiling ~124 fps on its own

The GPU side is lower by about 27.0%: the pair runs at the lower ceiling, and upgrading the other part alone would not raise it.

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: 73–90 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Ryzen 9 9950X3Dceiling ~169 fps on its own

GPU RTX 3080 10GBceiling ~73–90 fps on its own

The GPU side is lower by about 51.9%: the pair runs at the lower ceiling, and upgrading the other part alone would not raise it.

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

Confidence: MEDIUM — based on 3 source measurements for these two parts.

GPUs measured in this game at 1440p that clear this CPU:

RX 7900 XTX — ceiling ~176 fps (smallest step that removes the limit) · full result
RTX 4090 — ceiling ~216 fps (strongest measured) · full result

This pair in other measured games

Alan Wake 2 — Strong GPU limit, 65–65 fps at 1440p
Counter-Strike 2 — Strong GPU limit, 257–257 fps at 1440p
Cyberpunk 2077 — Strong GPU limit, 74–79 fps at 1440p
Elden Ring — this pair is not both measured there yet.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II — Strong GPU limit, 83–83 fps at 1440p
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 — Strong GPU limit, 77–77 fps at 1440p
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 — Strong GPU limit, 57–57 fps at 1440p
Starfield — Strong GPU limit, 35–68 fps at 1440p

Sources for Baldur's Gate 3

Full data: Baldur's Gate 3 benchmarks · how verdicts are computed.