Core i9-11900
Model frame rate limit of 131 FPS. That is roughly the fastest this processor can feed a graphics card in a modern AAA title, no matter which card you fit.
The Core i9-11900 is a mid-range gaming processor in our database, with a model frame rate limit of 131 FPS.
With 8 cores and 16 threads it has room to game and stream at the same time.
It uses the LGA 1200 socket with DDR4 memory, and at 1440p it can keep up with a card as fast as the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.
Frame Rate Limit in Popular Games
| Game (settings) | Most FPS the Core i9-11900 can feed |
|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 (High, no ray tracing) | ~110 |
| Fortnite (High, DirectX 12) | ~165 |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (High) | ~145 |
| Counter-Strike 2 (High) | ~290 |
Modelled estimates with an unlimited graphics card, rounded to the nearest 5 FPS. Your real frame rate is the lower of this and what your card can render. See the methodology.
Best match at each resolution
| Resolution | Closest matched card | Estimated FPS |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | GeForce RTX 3080 | 131 |
| 1440p | GeForce RTX 4080 | 131 |
| 4K | GeForce RTX 5090 | 131 |
"Closest matched" means the two parts run out of headroom at about the same frame rate, so neither is obviously wasted. A faster card is still worth buying if you plan to raise the resolution later.
The cards it lands closest to
The 24 graphics cards whose frame rate limit sits nearest this processor's, fastest first. Anything faster than the top of this table is wasted on it at 1080p, and anything slower is a card it will never trouble. For any other combination, use the calculator.
| Graphics card | 1080p | 1440p | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 4090 | 131 cpu | 131 cpu | 108 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 5080 | 131 cpu | 131 cpu | 99 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4080 Super | 131 cpu | 131 even | 88 gpu |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 131 cpu | 131 even | 86 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4080 | 131 cpu | 131 even | 86 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | 131 cpu | 125 even | 79 gpu |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | 131 cpu | 125 even | 79 gpu |
| Radeon RX 7900 XT | 131 cpu | 122 gpu | 77 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super | 131 cpu | 120 gpu | 76 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3090 Ti | 131 cpu | 118 gpu | 74 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti | 131 cpu | 112 gpu | 70 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | 131 cpu | 112 gpu | 70 gpu |
| Radeon RX 9070 | 131 cpu | 112 gpu | 70 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3080 Ti | 131 cpu | 110 gpu | 68 gpu |
| Radeon RX 6950 XT | 131 cpu | 109 gpu | 67 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 5070 | 131 even | 106 gpu | 65 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Super | 131 cpu | 106 gpu | 64 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | 131 even | 106 gpu | 65 gpu |
| Radeon RX 7900 GRE | 131 even | 106 gpu | 65 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3080 | 131 even | 102 gpu | 62 gpu |
| Radeon RX 6900 XT | 131 even | 102 gpu | 62 gpu |
| Radeon RX 7800 XT | 130 even | 100 gpu | 60 gpu |
| Radeon RX 6800 XT | 127 even | 98 gpu | 59 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB | 120 gpu | 91 gpu | 54 gpu |
The tag after each number says which part hits its limit first.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Intel |
| Generation | Intel 11th Gen (Rocket Lake) |
| Cores | 8 |
| Threads | 16 |
| Released | 2021 |
Other Intel 11th Gen (Rocket Lake) Processors
- Core i9-11900K bottleneck and GPU pairing
- Core i7-11700K bottleneck and GPU pairing
- Core i5-11600K bottleneck and GPU pairing
- Core i5-11400 bottleneck and GPU pairing
Common Questions
Is the Core i9-11900 good for an RTX 5070?
Yes. At 1440p the RTX 5070 is the limit, not the Core i9-11900, at around 106 FPS in our model. That is the balance you want in a gaming PC.
What is the best GPU for the Core i9-11900?
At 1440p, the GeForce RTX 4080 is the closest match: the two run out of headroom at about the same frame rate, so neither is wasted. A faster card still makes sense if you play at 4K, where the processor matters less.
Is the Core i9-11900 still good for gaming?
Yes, for most builds. Its 131 FPS frame rate limit is plenty for 60 to 144 Hz gaming with a mid-range card, though it will hold back a high-end card at 1080p.
Will the Core i9-11900 bottleneck an RTX 5080?
Yes, at 1440p. It leaves about 12% of the RTX 5080 unused in our model (131 FPS from the processor against 149 from the card). At 4K the gap shrinks a lot.