Core i9-13900K + RTX 4090 in Elden Ring

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: Highest settings (TechPowerUp RTX 5090 review suite), framerate cap removed - the shipped game caps at 60 fps. CPU ceiling measured at 1080p, highest settings (TechPowerUp CPU suite), RTX 4090, framerate cap removed.

1080p166–166 fps · Mild CPU limit 1440p166–166 fps · Mild CPU limit 4K134–134 fps · Mild GPU limit

1080p

Mild CPU limit

Expected frame rate: 166–166 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Core i9-13900Kceiling ~166 fps on its own

GPU RTX 4090ceiling ~202 fps on its own

The CPU side is lower by about 17.4%: the pair runs at the lower ceiling, and upgrading the other part alone would not raise it.

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 CPU limit

Expected frame rate: 166–166 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Core i9-13900Kceiling ~166 fps on its own

GPU RTX 4090ceiling ~197 fps on its own

The CPU side is lower by about 15.5%: the pair runs at the lower ceiling, and upgrading the other part alone would not raise it.

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.

4K

Mild GPU limit

Expected frame rate: 134–134 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Core i9-13900Kceiling ~166 fps on its own

GPU RTX 4090ceiling ~134 fps on its own

The GPU side is lower by about 19.5%: 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.

CPUs measured in this game that clear this GPU:

Core i7-12700K — ceiling ~139 fps (smallest step that removes the limit) · full result
Ryzen 7 9800X3D — ceiling ~198 fps (strongest measured) · full result

This pair in other measured games

Alan Wake 2 — this pair is not both measured there yet.
Baldur's Gate 3 — Strong CPU limit, 122–122 fps at 1440p
Counter-Strike 2 — this pair is not both measured there yet.
Cyberpunk 2077 — this pair is not both measured there yet.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II — this pair is not both measured there yet.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 — this pair is not both measured there yet.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 — this pair is not both measured there yet.
Starfield — Strong GPU limit, 78–114 fps at 1440p

Sources for Elden Ring

TechPowerUp

Full data: Elden Ring benchmarks · how verdicts are computed.