High On Life

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a robust High On Life experience, placing this combination at rank 213 out of 3718 tested combos. This places it firmly in the top percentile of systems, indicating that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for this title. The data shows a clear story: the CPU provides a massive thread count and high clocks to feed the GPU, while the RTX 4080's substantial memory and compute resources dominate the visual output across all measured settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, using a 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 125W TDP. This configuration provides a substantial amount of parallel processing power and high single-thread performance, which is critical for a fast-paced FPS like High On Life.

The benchmark results show that the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are formidable. In Cinebench R23, it scores 30745 in multi-core and 2116 in single-core, while Geekbench shows 19429 multi-core and 2529 single-core. The 3DMark tests further illustrate its scaling: it scores 10717 with 16 threads, 8193 with 8 threads, and 4469 with 4 threads. This scaling suggests that while the game benefits from multiple cores, the strong per-core performance ensures that even fewer threads are utilized efficiently. The single-thread score of 1136 in 3DMark indicates that the processor has no trouble keeping up with game logic and physics calculations.

When compared to its nearest rivals, the CPU's average benchmark score of 46881 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971, a -0.2% delta) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022, a -0.3% delta). It is marginally ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654, a 0.5% delta) and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46653, a 0.5% delta). This shows that the 13700K sits at the top tier of CPU performance, but the specific game results are less about raw CPU dominance and more about the balance between CPU and GPU. The percentileVsAllCpus of 89 confirms that this is a high-end part, but High On Life is not a CPU-bound title at these settings; the processor is providing ample headroom for the GPU to be the primary driver of frames.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy across the four settings presets at each resolution. The primary goal for a high-refresh-rate FPS is to maintain a high average frame rate, and the data shows that the "Low" preset is the only one that consistently achieves extremely high frame rates, while "Ultra" is the only one that dips to a level that might require a high-refresh-rate monitor to be fully utilized.

At 1920x1080, the differences are stark. The Low preset yields a massive 290 FPS average, which is far above the refresh rate of most monitors. The Medium preset still provides a very smooth 228 FPS, and the High preset delivers 189 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 141 FPS, which is still very playable but represents a significant 51% performance hit compared to High. For competitive play, the Low or Medium presets are the best choice to maximize frame rates and minimize input latency. For a single-player experience, the High preset at 189 FPS offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as the jump to Ultra only adds graphical detail while costing a substantial number of frames.

At 2560x1440, the pattern remains consistent. The Low preset achieves 205 FPS, Medium hits 160 FPS, and High drops to 133 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 99 FPS. The High preset at 1440p is the sweet spot for most users with 144Hz monitors, as it provides a perfect 133 FPS average. The Medium preset is also a strong contender if you want to ensure the frame rate never dips below the 136 FPS minimum recorded, whereas the High preset's minimum is not listed.

At 3840x2160, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset achieves 125 FPS, Medium hits 98 FPS, and High drops to 81 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 60 FPS. For 4K gaming, the High preset at 81 FPS is the recommended choice, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium while still maintaining a frame rate that is smooth on most displays. The Ultra preset should only be used if you have a VRR display and prioritize maximum visual quality over frame rate.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary limiting component in this pairing. As resolution increases, the GPU must render more pixels, and the frame rate drops accordingly, while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant.

Looking at the High preset, the average FPS drops from 189 at 1080p, to 133 at 1440p, and finally to 81 at 4K. This represents a 30% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 39% drop from 1440p to 4K. The same pattern is visible in the Low preset, which goes from 290 FPS at 1080p, to 205 FPS at 1440p, and 125 FPS at 4K. This is a 29% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 39% drop from 1440p to 4K.

The fact that the frame rate drops by a similar percentage across all settings presets when moving to higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU is powerful enough to maintain a high frame rate at 1080p, but as the resolution increases, the GPU's fill rate and compute power become the bottleneck. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth are sufficient to handle the higher resolution textures, but the sheer number of pixels at 4K is what causes the performance to drop. This is not a sign of a weak pairing; rather, it shows a balanced system where the CPU is not holding the GPU back.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a combo rank of 213 out of 3718 tested combinations in High On Life. This places the system in the top 5.7% of all tested hardware pairings, which is a very strong result.

This high ranking indicates that the combination is exceptionally well-optimized for this game. The rank is a holistic measure that considers all the measured FPS data points across resolutions and settings. The fact that this combo ranks so highly suggests that it delivers consistently high frame rates across the board, without any major weak points. The CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures that it doesn't bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions, while the GPU's substantial memory and bandwidth allow it to push high frame rates at higher resolutions. This reflects the balance of the two components. It is not just a high-end GPU with a weak CPU, nor a powerful CPU with a mid-range GPU; it is a pairing of two top-tier components that work in concert to deliver a top-tier gaming experience.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, with a 320W TDP. These specifications make it a high-end graphics card that is more than capable of handling High On Life's demands.

The GPU's memory configuration is particularly important. The 16 GB of VRAM is ample for the game at any resolution and settings preset, ensuring that there are no texture loading hitches. The high bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s allows the GPU to quickly access textures and geometry data, which is crucial for maintaining high frame rates in busy scenes. The GPU's compute power, with 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, is what allows it to render the game's visuals at high resolutions. The benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 34457 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 263779, which are strong indicators of raw graphics performance.

The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, has an average score of 54209, which is a 0.1% delta, indicating that the two cards perform nearly identically. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828, a -1.1% delta), AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55698, a -2.6% delta), and AMD Radeon 8060S (55757, a -2.7% delta) are all slightly ahead in average benchmark scores, but the measured FPS in this game shows the RTX 4080 is more than sufficient. The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus of 86 confirms it is a top-tier part, and its performance directly correlates with the high frame rates seen in the measured results.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the performance of this combo. All numbers below are from the measured rows.

1920x1080:

• Low: The average FPS is 290.
• Medium: The average FPS is 228, with a minimum of 194 and a maximum of 263.
• High: The average FPS is 189.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 141.

2560x1440:

• Low: The average FPS is 205.
• Medium: The average FPS is 160, with a minimum of 136 and a maximum of 185.
• High: The average FPS is 133.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 99.

3840x2160:

• Low: The average FPS is 125.
• Medium: The average FPS is 98, with a minimum of 83 and a maximum of 112.
• High: The average FPS is 81.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 60.

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern. At 1080p, the system is capable of pushing well over 200 FPS on lower presets, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate esports-style play. At 1440p, the High preset's 133 FPS average is perfect for 144Hz monitors. At 4K, the High preset maintains a solid 81 FPS, while the Ultra preset just hits 60 FPS. The Medium preset at each resolution offers a good middle ground, with the 4K Medium preset at 98 FPS being a viable option if you want higher frame rates than High. The minimum FPS values, where available, show that the Medium preset at all resolutions maintains a frame rate above 83 FPS, indicating a stable experience. Overall, this combo provides an excellent experience across all resolutions, with the only caveat being that the Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that dips to the 60 FPS baseline.