Core i9-14900K + RTX 5080 in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 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: Epic preset, render scale 100% (native, no upscaling). CPU ceiling measured at 1080p, highest settings (TechPowerUp CPU suite), RTX 5090.

1080p

Mild CPU limit

Expected frame rate: 88–88 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Core i9-14900Kceiling ~88 fps on its own

GPU RTX 5080delivers ~118 fps in this game at 1080p

The CPU side is lower by about 25.2% in this game at 1080p. The math, from the two measured figures above: the pair runs at the lower one (~88 fps), and the gap to the faster side is (118 − 88) ÷ 118 ≈ 25.2% 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.

1440p

Balanced pairing

Expected frame rate: 88–88 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Core i9-14900Kceiling ~88 fps on its own

GPU RTX 5080delivers ~91 fps in this game at 1440p

The CPU ceiling and the GPU's delivered rate sit within 3.0% of each other — neither part wastes much of the other. The gap is measured between the two figures above: (faster − slower) ÷ faster.

That range 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.

4K

Strong GPU limit

Expected frame rate: 58–58 fps (measured range across sources).

CPU Core i9-14900Kceiling ~88 fps on its own

GPU RTX 5080delivers ~58 fps in this game at 4K

The GPU side is lower by about 34.4% in this game at 4K. The math, from the two measured figures above: the pair runs at the lower one (~58 fps), and the gap to the faster side is (88 − 58) ÷ 88 ≈ 34.4% 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

• Alan Wake 2 — Strong GPU limit, 104–104 fps at 1440p
• Baldur's Gate 3 — Estimated: Strong CPU limit, ~123–123 fps at 1440p (labelled estimate)
• Counter-Strike 2 — Mild GPU limit, 409–409 fps at 1440p
• Cyberpunk 2077 — Balanced, 109–117 fps at 1440p
• Elden Ring — Balanced, 168–168 fps at 1440p
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II — Mild GPU limit, 142–142 fps at 1440p
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2 — Balanced, 139–139 fps at 1440p
• Starfield — Strong GPU limit, 101–101 fps at 1440p

Sources for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

• TechPowerUp

Full data: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 benchmarks · how verdicts are computed.