Core Ultra 9 285
Model frame rate limit of 172 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 Ultra 9 285 is a high-end gaming processor in our database, with a model frame rate limit of 172 FPS.
With 24 cores and 24 threads it is as much a workstation chip as a gaming one, and games use only part of it.
It uses the LGA 1851 socket with DDR5 memory, and at 1440p it can keep up with a card as fast as the GeForce RTX 5080.
Frame Rate Limit in Popular Games
| Game (settings) | Most FPS the Core Ultra 9 285 can feed |
|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 (High, no ray tracing) | ~145 |
| Fortnite (High, DirectX 12) | ~215 |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (High) | ~190 |
| Counter-Strike 2 (High) | ~380 |
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 4080 Super | 168 |
| 1440p | GeForce RTX 4090 | 160 |
| 4K | GeForce RTX 5090 | 139 |
"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 5090 | 172 cpu | 172 cpu | 139 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4090 | 172 cpu | 160 gpu | 108 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 5080 | 172 even | 149 gpu | 99 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4080 Super | 168 even | 136 gpu | 88 gpu |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 165 even | 134 gpu | 86 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4080 | 164 even | 133 gpu | 86 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | 156 gpu | 125 gpu | 79 gpu |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | 156 gpu | 125 gpu | 79 gpu |
| Radeon RX 7900 XT | 153 gpu | 122 gpu | 77 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super | 152 gpu | 120 gpu | 76 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3090 Ti | 149 gpu | 118 gpu | 74 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti | 143 gpu | 112 gpu | 70 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | 143 gpu | 112 gpu | 70 gpu |
| Radeon RX 9070 | 143 gpu | 112 gpu | 70 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3080 Ti | 141 gpu | 110 gpu | 68 gpu |
| Radeon RX 6950 XT | 139 gpu | 109 gpu | 67 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 5070 | 136 gpu | 106 gpu | 65 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Super | 138 gpu | 106 gpu | 64 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | 136 gpu | 106 gpu | 65 gpu |
| Radeon RX 7900 GRE | 136 gpu | 106 gpu | 65 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3080 | 132 gpu | 102 gpu | 62 gpu |
| Radeon RX 6900 XT | 132 gpu | 102 gpu | 62 gpu |
| Radeon RX 7800 XT | 130 gpu | 100 gpu | 60 gpu |
| Radeon RX 6800 XT | 127 gpu | 98 gpu | 59 gpu |
The tag after each number says which part hits its limit first.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Intel |
| Generation | Intel Core Ultra 200S (Arrow Lake) |
| Cores | 24 |
| Threads | 24 |
| Released | 2025 |
Other Intel Core Ultra 200S (Arrow Lake) Processors
- Core Ultra 7 265K bottleneck and GPU pairing
- Core Ultra 9 285K bottleneck and GPU pairing
- Core Ultra 7 265F bottleneck and GPU pairing
- Core Ultra 5 245K bottleneck and GPU pairing
Common Questions
Is the Core Ultra 9 285 good for an RTX 5070?
Yes. At 1440p the RTX 5070 is the limit, not the Core Ultra 9 285, 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 Ultra 9 285?
At 1440p, the GeForce RTX 4090 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 Ultra 9 285 still good for gaming?
Yes. With a model frame rate limit of 172 FPS it is among the faster gaming processors we track, and it will feed a high-end card at 1440p.
Will the Core Ultra 9 285 bottleneck an RTX 5080?
Not meaningfully. At 1440p the RTX 5080 is still the limit in our model, at around 149 FPS.