Fivem

Fivem is a demanding multiplayer modification, and this pairing of the flagship Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the entry-level NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 produces a profoundly GPU-limited experience. The benchmark data shows that the processor's immense power is effectively neutralized by the graphics card, resulting in playable frame rates only at lower resolutions and settings, while the combo ranks in the bottom 4% of all tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate deltas between 1080p and 4K are stark, revealing a classic case of severe graphics card bottlenecking. At 1080p Low, the system produces 76 FPS, but this collapses to just 28 FPS at 4K Low — a 63% reduction in performance. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the GTX 1650 is the sole limiting factor; the CPU is never the constraint.

The scaling behavior is particularly telling at higher settings. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 37 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 14 FPS — a 62% loss. The data shows that the performance penalty from resolution scaling is nearly identical regardless of the quality preset, which is a hallmark of a GPU that is completely saturated. With a pixel count increase from 1080p to 4K (a 4x jump), the expected frame rate drop would be roughly 75% if the GPU were the only variable; the observed ~62-63% drop is slightly less severe, suggesting that at these low absolute frame rates, some minor CPU overhead or driver limitations are coming into play, but the trend is overwhelmingly GPU-bound.

The 1440p results sit predictably between the two extremes. At Medium settings, the system delivers 40 FPS at 1440p versus 60 FPS at 1080p — a 33% reduction. At Low settings, it drops from 76 FPS at 1080p to 50 FPS at 1440p, a 34% reduction. This consistent ~33% penalty for stepping up from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a similar ~44% penalty from 1440p to 4K, illustrates a linear relationship with pixel count that is typical for a GPU operating at its absolute performance ceiling.

What this means for the user is that resolution choice is the single most impactful decision. The GTX 1650 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and a 128-bit memory bus providing 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth; these specifications are simply insufficient for high-resolution rendering in Fivem's complex multiplayer environments. The data confirms that 1080p is the only viable resolution for acceptable frame rates, and even then, only at Low or Medium settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame data places this configuration at rank 2887 out of 3005 tested combos, putting it in the bottom 4% (approximately the 4th percentile). This is an exceptionally low ranking that underscores the fundamental mismatch between the components. The CPU, Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 84003, making it one of the most powerful processors available. The GPU, however, sits in the 40th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 7472, placing it firmly in the entry-level category.

This pairing is analogous to hitching a Formula 1 engine to a bicycle. The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (0.2% faster) and the AMD EPYC 7F72 (1.3% faster), while the GPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A310 (1% faster) and the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (0.3% slower). The delta between the CPU's elite status and the GPU's below-average standing creates a bottleneck so severe that the system's overall gaming performance is determined almost entirely by the graphics card.

The data shows that in Fivem, this combo's ranking is not merely low but near the absolute bottom. With 196 combos ranked below it, there are very few systems that would perform worse in this specific game. This is not a situation where the CPU can "make up" for the GPU's deficiencies; Fivem's engine is heavily reliant on GPU throughput for rendering the dense, detailed world, and the GTX 1650's 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is simply inadequate for the task.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Fivem at 4K resolution?

A: Technically yes, but not playably. The data shows an average of 28 FPS at 4K Low and 14 FPS at 4K Ultra. These frame rates are below the threshold for smooth gameplay, making 4K impractical for this combination.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo?

A: According to the measured FPS data, 1080p Low provides the highest average frame rate at 76 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, 1080p Medium delivers 60 FPS with better visuals, while 1080p High drops to 48 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs with a multi-threaded Passmark score of 60860 and is far more powerful than necessary. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, with its 40th percentile ranking, is the clear performance bottleneck.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7472. The Intel Arc A310 scores 7550 (1% higher), while the AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447 (0.3% lower) and the Intel UHD Graphics 750 scores 7441 (0.4% lower). The differences are minimal, placing the GTX 1650 in a tightly contested group.

Q: What is the expected frame rate at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 40 FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS. This is marginally playable but not ideal for fast-paced multiplayer scenarios.

Q: Is the CPU's performance in this game relevant at all?

A: The data suggests it is not a limiting factor. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 24 cores and 24 threads with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, which is far beyond what Fivem requires. The frame rates are consistently low across all settings, indicating the GPU is the sole constraint.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset reveals a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system achieves its best results. Low settings yield an average of 76 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 69. High settings drop to an average of 48 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, resulting in an average of 37 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance declines significantly. Low settings deliver an average of 50 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 45. High settings average 32 FPS. Ultra settings drop to an average of 25 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 28 FPS. Medium settings average 22 FPS, with a minimum of 19 and a maximum of 25. High settings average 18 FPS. Ultra settings produce the lowest results at an average of 14 FPS.

This data shows a consistent pattern: for every resolution, there is a predictable step-down in performance as settings increase from Low to Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 39 FPS (76 vs 37), at 1440p it is 25 FPS (50 vs 25), and at 4K it is 14 FPS (28 vs 14). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the absolute performance headroom shrinks with increasing pixel count.

Settings Recommendations

The data clearly indicates that the optimal experience for this combo is at 1080p with Low or Medium settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 76 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset that approaches the smoothness expected for a multiplayer game. This setting should be the default recommendation for any user prioritizing frame rate.

For those who want better visual fidelity, 1080p Medium at 60 FPS is a strong alternative. This preset provides a 21% improvement in visual quality over Low (based on the settings tier) while maintaining a playable frame rate. The minimum FPS of 51 at this setting means the system should stay above the 50 FPS threshold in most scenes, though there may be occasional dips in dense areas.

The 1080p High setting at 48 FPS is borderline playable but not recommended for competitive play. The drop from Medium to High costs 12 FPS (20%), which is a significant sacrifice for modest visual gains. The Ultra setting at 37 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate falls below the 40 FPS minimum typically required for responsive gameplay.

At 1440p, the system can only achieve playable frame rates at Low (50 FPS) and Medium (40 FPS). The Medium setting at 1440p is a viable option for users with 1440p monitors who are willing to accept a lower frame rate for higher resolution. However, the minimum FPS of 34 at this setting suggests that there will be noticeable stutters in heavy multiplayer scenarios.

The 4K resolution should be avoided entirely for gameplay. Even at Low settings, the 28 FPS average is far below the threshold for smooth interaction, and the Ultra setting at 14 FPS is akin to a slideshow. Users with 4K displays should run the game at a lower resolution or accept the poor performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a flagship desktop processor with 24 cores and 24 threads, based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with 36 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of Fivem, this CPU is massively overqualified. The game's performance is entirely dictated by the GPU, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across all settings and resolutions. The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads are never fully utilized, and its single-thread performance, while excellent, is irrelevant when the GPU is the bottleneck.

The data shows that the CPU's nearest rivals (Intel Core Ultra 9 285K at 0.2% faster, AMD EPYC 7F72 at 1.3% faster) all produce nearly identical average scores, but none of this matters in Fivem because the GTX 1650 cannot translate CPU power into frame rate. The CPU's 3 nm process node and 17,800 million transistors provide immense computational capability, but the GTX 1650's 4 GB of VRAM and 128.1 GB/s memory bandwidth are the hard limits.

The CPU's role in this system is to feed the GPU with data, but the GPU is too weak to process it all. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely delivering frames faster than the GPU can render them, but the GPU caps the output at 76 FPS. The 24 threads of the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus are effectively idle, waiting for the GPU to catch up. This is a textbook example of a CPU bottleneck in reverse — the GPU is the limiting component, and the CPU's capabilities are wasted. For users with this CPU, upgrading the GPU would yield massive performance gains in Fivem, as the CPU could easily support a much more powerful graphics card.