Core Ultra 9 285K + RTX 3090 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.

1080p

Balanced pairing

Expected frame rate: 147–147 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Core Ultra 9 285Kceiling ~147 fps on its own

GPU RTX 3090ceiling ~164 fps on its own

The two measured ceilings sit within 10.4% 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

Balanced pairing

Expected frame rate: 132–132 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Core Ultra 9 285Kceiling ~147 fps on its own

GPU RTX 3090ceiling ~132 fps on its own

The two measured ceilings sit within 10.1% 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.

4K

Strong GPU limit

Expected frame rate: 85–85 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Core Ultra 9 285Kceiling ~147 fps on its own

GPU RTX 3090ceiling ~85 fps on its own

The GPU side is lower by about 42.4%: 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 2 source measurements for these two parts.

This pair in other measured games

• Alan Wake 2 — Strong GPU limit, 73–73 fps at 1440p
• Baldur's Gate 3 — Mild CPU limit, 107–107 fps at 1440p
• Counter-Strike 2 — Strong GPU limit, 289–289 fps at 1440p
• Cyberpunk 2077 — this pair is not both measured there yet.
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II — Strong GPU limit, 93–93 fps at 1440p
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2 — Strong GPU limit, 91–91 fps at 1440p
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 — Mild GPU limit, 63–63 fps at 1440p
• Starfield — Strong GPU limit, 43–71 fps at 1440p

Sources for Elden Ring

• TechPowerUp

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