Check if your CPU is limiting performance.
Check if your CPU is limiting performance.
Hello! I just purchased a 9070 XT to upgrade from my 3070 Ti for smoother gaming at 4K resolution. After installing, I ran a 3DMark test to see if anything was wrong. My score came in at 6814 on Steel Nomad, which is about 300 points below the average. I followed some AMD Adrenalin tuning guides and managed to boost it to 7012—definitely acceptable. Still curious if my 12th gen i7-12700KF is the problem. I’ve used a couple of rough PC build calculators before buying this GPU, but I wasn’t sure if there’s more to consider. I wasn’t aiming for triple-A games at full settings in 4K, just wanted to check if something else was affecting performance. Other checks: DDU showed normal power draw around 300W, PCIe lane bus looks correct during games (PCIe x16 5.0), and my specs include the XFX RX 9070 XT, i7-12700KF, 32GB DDR4, Z690, and Samsung 990 PRO MSI.
These two function very closely together, you're not facing any delays.
It might be the motherboard or RAM itself. It depends on whether XMP is activated for the RAM. Background processes could also be involved. Still, I’d prioritize game FPS over a 3D benchmark score.
In live service games you'll hit a cap around 12700kf. This issue is resolved by 3D v-cache and the Ryzen 9000, which handle it much more efficiently.
Avoid asking us about CPU issues. You can check for bottlenecks using the methods shown in this video.
I’m not very familiar with MOS specifications, but I thought the Z690 would suffice. If anyone has better insights, I’d really appreciate it. XMP is active, and 3DMark ran only basic background tasks. I plan to test FPS tomorrow using some recent AAA titles and compare them to similar models. I was more worried about a weaker 3DMark score initially. Thanks for your help!
Can't use Z690 motherboard. 3D cache chips offer near top-tier performance, aside from AM4. That would just be a mid-range option with more cache. The 9070 XT isn't low-end, but it's not drastically better either. The 12700KF runs at 5GHz turbo, so upgrading seems justified unless games are struggling while the CPU lags behind the GPU.
Your score of 7000 was probably an outlier. With the same settings, your CPU stays around 60-75% during testing, which is normal. Checking CPU-Z or GPU-Z can help you see if there are any unusual readings for your 9070 XT.