Fivem

Fivem is a demanding multiplayer modification for Grand Theft Auto V, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT reveals a system that is heavily influenced by both the CPU's single-thread might and the GPU's raw throughput. The measured frames per second across resolutions and settings show a predictable pattern of scaling, but the deltas between presets offer deeper insight into where the bottleneck shifts. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes it against other tested combinations, and provides actionable settings guidance based strictly on the available data.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a steep and consistent performance drop across all settings, indicating that the rendering load scales aggressively with pixel count. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 242 FPS at 1080p to 159 FPS at 1440p, and then to 88 FPS at 4K. That represents a 34% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a further 45% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is similar for Medium settings, where 191 FPS at 1080p drops to 126 FPS at 1440p and then to 70 FPS at 4K. The absolute delta between 1440p and 4K is larger than the delta between 1080p and 1440p, which is a classic sign that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

At High settings, the scaling is slightly less dramatic but still pronounced: 153 FPS at 1080p, 101 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. The most telling data point is at Ultra settings, where the 4K average of 43 FPS is barely playable, while the 1080p Ultra average of 119 FPS remains smooth. The frame rate drop from High to Ultra at 4K is 13 FPS (from 56 to 43), which is a 23% performance penalty for the highest preset. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are disproportionately expensive at high pixel counts, likely related to shadows, reflections, or post-processing that stress the GPU's compute units.

The data implies that the limiting component changes as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU's strong single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303) is able to feed the GPU sufficiently, allowing the RX 6800 XT to reach 242 FPS at Low. However, at 4K, the GPU's raw fill rate and memory bandwidth become the primary constraint. The RX 6800 XT has a pixel rate of 288.0 GPixel/s and a bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s, which are substantial but still insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 3840x2160 with demanding settings. The scaling pattern indicates that for this game, 1440p is the sweet spot where the CPU and GPU are more evenly matched, while 4K is firmly GPU-bound.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 21 chip, featuring 4608 shading units and 128 ROPs. Its boost clock of 2250 MHz and game clock of 2015 MHz provide the compute throughput needed for high refresh rate gaming at lower resolutions. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for texture streaming in a game like Fivem, where large open-world assets are constantly loaded. The benchmark results show that the GPU's memory capacity is not a bottleneck at any tested setting, as even the 4K Ultra preset with 43 FPS does not exhibit stuttering or min FPS data that would suggest memory swapping.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is modest. Its average benchmark score of 48477 places it in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, with the nearest rival being the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile at 47743 (1.5% slower) and the Intel Arc A550M at 49737 (2.5% faster). The data shows the RX 6800 XT is slightly outclassed by the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, which scores 49957 (3% faster), and the Radeon RX Vega 64 at 50001 (3% faster). In Fivem specifically, the GPU's role is most evident in the 4K results, where the Ultra preset's 43 FPS average indicates that the card is near its limits. The fact that Low settings at 4K still achieve 88 FPS shows that the GPU has headroom when effects are reduced, but the scaling from Low to Ultra at any resolution is substantial.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3689 and Passmark G3D score of 24980 suggest that its DirectX 12 performance is solid, which aligns with Fivem's engine requirements. The 72 ray tracing cores are present but not heavily utilized in this game, as the measured FPS does not show a disproportionate penalty for Ultra settings that might include RT effects. Overall, the RX 6800 XT is a capable 1440p-class GPU that can handle 1080p with ease but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K on the highest preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus combined with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT achieves a combo rank of 893 out of 3005 tested combinations in Fivem. This places it in the top 30% of all systems tested, which is respectable but not elite. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's exceptional multi-core performance and the GPU's mid-high tier standing. The CPU alone has a percentile of 96 versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003, while the GPU sits at the 85th percentile. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a mid-high tier GPU results in a system that excels in CPU-bound scenarios but is limited by the GPU in GPU-bound scenarios like 4K Ultra.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with an average score of 83807 (0.2% slower) and the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 83090 (1.1% slower). The delta between these rivals is minimal, indicating that the 290K Plus is not significantly faster than its immediate predecessor in synthetic benchmarks. However, in Fivem, the CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads are likely more than sufficient, as the game is not heavily multi-threaded. The combo rank of 893 suggests that many other systems with faster GPUs or more balanced configurations outperform this pairing in Fivem. For context, a system with a slower CPU but a top-tier GPU like the RTX 4090 would likely rank higher due to the game's GPU sensitivity at higher resolutions.

The data implies that the combo's rank is dragged down by the GPU's limitations in 4K, where the CPU's power is underutilized. If the goal is to maximize Fivem performance, a more balanced approach with a mid-range CPU and a higher-end GPU might yield a better combo rank, but the current pairing offers strong 1080p and 1440p performance that many users would find sufficient.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 242 FPS, which is well beyond the refresh rate of most monitors and indicates that the game is heavily CPU-bound at this resolution. Medium settings yield 191 FPS with a minimum of 162 and a maximum of 220, showing smooth frame pacing. High settings average 153 FPS, while Ultra drops to 119 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 123 FPS, which is a 51% reduction, highlighting the significant cost of the Ultra preset's visual enhancements.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear GPU influence. Low settings average 159 FPS, which is a 34% drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 126 FPS with a min of 107 and max of 145, which is still smooth for most displays. High settings average 101 FPS, while Ultra drops to 78 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 81 FPS, a 51% reduction, mirroring the 1080p pattern. The minimum FPS data for Medium at 1440p (107 FPS) indicates that the system does not experience severe frame dips, suggesting adequate GPU memory and bandwidth.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance becomes marginal for high refresh rate gaming. Low settings average 88 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. Medium settings average 70 FPS with a min of 59 and max of 80, putting the system right at the edge of the 60 FPS threshold. High settings drop to 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra falls to 43 FPS, which is borderline unplayable for most users. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is severe: at Low settings, the drop is 64% (from 242 to 88 FPS), and at Ultra, it is 64% (from 119 to 43 FPS). This consistency across settings reinforces that resolution is the dominant factor in performance degradation.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 119 FPS is the best choice for users with high refresh rate monitors, as it provides the highest visual quality while maintaining smooth gameplay. The data shows that even Ultra at 1080p is well above the 60 FPS threshold, so there is no need to compromise on visuals. For users with 144Hz displays, High settings at 153 FPS offer a better balance, while Medium at 191 FPS is ideal for 165Hz or 240Hz monitors. Low settings at 242 FPS are only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate matters more than visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 126 FPS is the optimal choice for most users, as it provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. The min FPS of 107 ensures that there are no significant stutters, and the max of 145 FPS is sufficient for 144Hz displays. High settings at 101 FPS are also viable, but the drop to 78 FPS on Ultra makes that preset less appealing unless the user prioritizes visuals over frame rate. For 1440p, Low settings at 159 FPS are only necessary for competitive gamers who need every possible frame.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 88 FPS is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience, but it sacrifices most visual enhancements. Medium settings at 70 FPS are borderline, with a min of 59 FPS that dips below the 60 FPS target, making it risky for users sensitive to frame drops. High and Ultra settings at 56 and 43 FPS respectively are not recommended for 4K gaming, as they fail to meet the 60 FPS standard. Users with 4K displays should consider reducing the resolution to 1440p or lowering the preset to Low to achieve playable frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.80 GHz provide exceptional single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303. This is critical for Fivem, which relies heavily on single-thread performance for game logic and physics calculations. The CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 4823 further confirms its strength in tasks that depend on high clock speeds.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p Low settings, where the system achieves 242 FPS. This high frame rate is only possible because the CPU can process game state updates faster than the GPU can render frames, effectively removing the GPU as a bottleneck. The CPU's 36 MB of L3 cache and 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth also contribute to smooth performance, as they reduce latency when accessing game data. The CPU's percentile of 96 versus all CPUs and its average benchmark score of 84003 place it in the top tier, and its nearest rival is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with a delta of only 0.2%, indicating that the 290K Plus offers marginal gains over its predecessor.

At higher resolutions, the CPU's influence diminishes, as the GPU becomes the limiting factor. However, the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures that it does not introduce frame pacing issues, as seen in the consistent min FPS values at Medium settings across all resolutions. The data suggests that the CPU is more than capable of handling Fivem's demands, and any performance bottlenecks at 4K are entirely due to the GPU. This makes the 290K Plus a future-proof choice for users who may upgrade their GPU later, as the CPU will not hold back a more powerful graphics card.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Fivem?

A: The highest average FPS is 242, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only setting that exceeds 240 FPS, making it suitable for extreme refresh rate displays.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, only Low settings (88 FPS) and Medium settings (70 FPS) exceed 60 FPS. High settings drop to 56 FPS, and Ultra falls to 43 FPS, so 4K gaming requires a preset of Medium or lower to stay above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K's score of 83807. This represents a negligible performance difference in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the GPU's standing relative to other cards?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT has an average benchmark score of 48477, placing it in the 85th percentile of all GPUs. It is 2.5% slower than the Intel Arc A550M and 3% slower than the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.

Q: Is there a significant frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K?

A: Yes, the drop is substantial. For example, at High settings, the average FPS falls from 101 at 1440p to 56 at 4K, a 45% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is from 78 to 43 FPS, a 45% reduction.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 893 out of 3005 tested combinations, placing it in the top 30% of all systems tested for Fivem. This rank reflects the balance between the CPU's top-tier performance and the GPU's mid-high tier capabilities.