Overpower

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 2000 series, built on the 12 nm Zen architecture (specifically Zen+ Pinnacle Ridge). Its base clock is 3.40 GHz, boosting up to 3.90 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. This is a 2018-era desktop part, and its age shows in synthetic benchmarks: it scores 1,248 in Cinebench R15 multi-core, 157.3 in single-core, 5,648 in Geekbench multi-core, and 1,154 in single-core. In Passmark, the multi-thread score is 13,160 and single-thread is 2,239. The processor sits at the 75th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21,484.

What does this mean for Overpower? The game is an Action title released in 2023, and the CPU's single-thread performance is modest by modern standards. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 148 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all configurations. This suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at lower resolutions and settings, but the headroom is limited. The nearest rivals in CPU performance are the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (average score 21,440, delta 0.2%), Intel Core i9-11900H (21,367, delta 0.5%), Intel Xeon D-1746TER (21,635, delta -0.7%), and AMD EPYC 9454 (21,223, delta 1.2%). Notably, the Ryzen 5 2600 is within 1.2% of all these parts, meaning its compute capability is comparable to far newer mobile and server chips — but that doesn't translate directly to gaming performance, where single-thread speed and memory latency matter more.

The CPU's memory bandwidth is 46.9 GB/s on dual-channel DDR4, which is low compared to the GPU's memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This disparity hints that the CPU may become a bottleneck when the GPU is waiting for draw calls or physics updates. The 16 MB shared L3 cache is small relative to modern gaming CPUs, and the 96 KB L1 per core and 512 KB L2 per core are typical for the generation. The processor supports PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes, which limits data transfer to the GPU compared to PCIe 5.0 on the RTX 5090 D — a mismatch that could reduce frame delivery in CPU-bound scenarios.

Looking at the FPS deltas: from Low to Medium at 1080p, the average drops from 148 to 123 FPS (a 16.9% decrease), and from Medium to High it drops to 120 FPS (2.4% decrease). This small delta between Medium and High suggests the game is not heavily CPU-limited at those settings, or the CPU is already at its limit. From High to Ultra at 1080p, the drop is from 120 to 113 FPS (5.8% decrease). The CPU's 12 threads help in multi-threaded scenes, but the single-thread score of 157.3 in Cinebench R15 is low; modern CPUs often score triple that. The data implies the Ryzen 5 2600 is a capable but not exceptional partner for the RTX 5090 D, and the game's performance scaling reflects that.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship Blackwell 2.0 GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 2017 MHz, boost clock 2407 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The chip has 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 170 RT cores, and 680 tensor cores. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GPU's synthetic scores are impressive: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 scores 14,326, Geekbench OpenCL scores 310,674, Vulkan scores 376,915, and Passmark G3D scores 44,065. The GPU sits at the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712.

The RTX 5090 D's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904, delta 1.1%), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, delta -1.6%), NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396, delta -2.1%), and NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, delta -2.4%). These deltas are tiny, but the RTX 5090 D is a desktop part with massive VRAM — 32 GB — which is far more than any of those rivals. In Overpower, the GPU's role is evident in the 4K results: at 4K Ultra, the combo averages 103 FPS, which is only 10 FPS lower than at 1080p Ultra (113 FPS). This 8.8% drop from 1080p to 4K is remarkably small, indicating the GPU has enormous headroom and is not the limiting factor even at 4K.

The GPU's memory bandwidth (1.79 TB/s) and 32 GB VRAM mean texture-heavy scenes at 4K Ultra are unlikely to cause stuttering or frame drops. The min FPS at 4K Medium is 96, which is close to the average of 112 — the data shows consistent frame pacing. The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz is high, and the 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is more than enough for any current game. However, the CPU's limitations become apparent: at 1080p Low, the GPU is likely idle much of the time waiting for the CPU, as evidenced by the 148 FPS cap — this is not a GPU limit, as the GPU could push far more frames if fed properly. The RTX 5090 D is overkill for this CPU, and the benchmark data reflects a system where the GPU is underutilized, especially at lower resolutions.

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

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, average FPS decreases, but the drop is far smaller than expected for such a powerful GPU. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 148 at 1080p to 142 at 1440p (a 4.1% drop) and then to 135 at 4K (a 4.9% drop from 1440p). This total drop of 13 FPS from 1080p to 4K is only 8.8%. At Medium settings, the averages are 123 (1080p), 119 (1440p), and 112 (4K) — a total drop of 11 FPS (8.9%). At High settings, the averages are 120 (1080p), 116 (1440p), and 110 (4K) — a total drop of 10 FPS (8.3%). At Ultra, the averages are 113 (1080p), 108 (1440p), and 103 (4K) — a total drop of 10 FPS (8.8%).

This consistency — around 8-9% FPS loss from 1080p to 4K regardless of settings — is highly informative. If the GPU were the limiting factor, the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K would be much larger, often 40-50%, because 4K has four times the pixel count. The fact that the drop is under 10% indicates the system is CPU-limited at all resolutions and settings. The RTX 5090 D is fast enough to render 4K frames almost as quickly as 1080p frames, but the Ryzen 5 2600 cannot generate draw calls or process game logic fast enough to push higher frame rates.

The data suggests that the CPU is the bottleneck even at 4K Ultra, where the avg FPS is 103. In a balanced system, 4K Ultra would typically show a much larger drop relative to 1080p, but here the CPU caps performance. The min FPS values (only available for Medium settings) show 96 at 4K, 101 at 1440p, and 105 at 1080p — a narrow range, further confirming that the CPU is the consistent limiter. The implication is that upgrading the CPU would yield significant FPS gains across all resolutions, but the GPU's headroom cannot be fully exploited with this processor. For a game like Overpower, the resolution scaling data reveals that the GPU is not the bottleneck; the CPU is.

# FAQ

Q: Why does the FPS drop so little from 1080p to 4K?

A: The average FPS drops from 148 at 1080p Low to 135 at 4K Low, a total decline of only 13 FPS (8.8%). This small drop indicates the system is CPU-bound, not GPU-bound. The RTX 5090 D has enough power to render 4K nearly as fast as 1080p, but the Ryzen 5 2600 cannot feed it frames faster than the observed rates.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D being fully utilized in this combo?

A: The data suggests no. At 1080p Low, the average is 148 FPS, which is likely a CPU cap. The GPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score (e.g., AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with a delta of -1.6%) are far less powerful but would likely achieve similar FPS in this CPU-limited scenario. The GPU is underutilized.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 4K Ultra delivers an average of 103 FPS, which is only 10 FPS lower than 1080p Ultra (113 FPS). Given the minimal FPS penalty for higher resolution, 4K is the best choice to leverage the GPU's 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, as the CPU bottleneck is consistent across all resolutions.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 2600 has an average benchmark score of 21,484. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V, scores 21,440 (delta 0.2%), while the Intel Core i9-11900H scores 21,367 (delta 0.5%). The AMD EPYC 9454 scores 21,223 (delta 1.2%). These differences are within 1.2%, meaning the CPU is competitive in compute, but gaming performance depends on other factors.

Q: Does the GPU's 32 GB VRAM matter for Overpower?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 103 FPS with a min FPS of 96 at 4K Medium. The large VRAM capacity ensures texture loading is not an issue, but since the system is CPU-bound, the VRAM's impact on FPS is indirect. The GPU's bandwidth (1.79 TB/s) is more than sufficient for the game's needs.

Q: What does the combo rank tell us?

A: The combo ranks 768 out of 2,980 tested combos in Overpower, placing it in the top 25.8% of all configurations. This rank reflects the CPU bottleneck; a more balanced CPU-GPU pairing would likely rank higher.

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

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low 148, Medium 123 (min 105, max 142), High 120, and Ultra 113. The difference between Low and Medium is 25 FPS (16.9%), while the difference between Medium and High is only 3 FPS (2.4%), and between High and Ultra is 7 FPS (5.8%). The min FPS at Medium is 105, which is 14.6% below the average, indicating some frame dips.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 142, Medium 119 (min 101, max 136), High 116, and Ultra 108. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 6 FPS at Low (4.1%), 4 FPS at Medium (3.3%), 4 FPS at High (3.3%), and 5 FPS at Ultra (4.4%). The min FPS at Medium is 101, which is 15.1% below the average. At 1440p, the Ultra setting averages 108 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 135, Medium 112 (min 96, max 129), High 110, and Ultra 103. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 7 FPS at Low (4.9%), 7 FPS at Medium (5.9%), 6 FPS at High (5.2%), and 5 FPS at Ultra (4.6%). The min FPS at 4K Medium is 96, which is 14.3% below the average of 112. Across all resolutions, the Ultra setting is the most demanding, but 4K Ultra still achieves 103 FPS average, which is above 100 FPS.

The data shows that the FPS scaling across settings is similar at each resolution. For example, the difference between Low and Ultra is 35 FPS at 1080p (148 to 113), 34 FPS at 1440p (142 to 108), and 32 FPS at 4K (135 to 103). This consistent ~35 FPS spread across settings suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU can handle the extra load of higher settings without proportional FPS loss.

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

Based on the measured data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality, particularly at higher resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average is 123 FPS with a min of 105, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1440p Medium, the average is 119 FPS with a min of 101, and at 4K Medium, the average is 112 FPS with a min of 96. The Medium preset consistently delivers above 110 FPS average at all resolutions, and the min FPS never drops below 96.

The High preset is nearly identical to Medium in performance: at 1080p High the average is 120 FPS (3 FPS lower than Medium), at 1440p High it is 116 FPS (3 FPS lower), and at 4K High it is 110 FPS (2 FPS lower). This suggests that High settings provide minimal visual improvement over Medium but slightly lower frame rates. The Ultra preset drops further: 113 FPS at 1080p, 108 FPS at 1440p, and 103 FPS at 4K — still playable but with diminishing returns.

For players prioritizing frame rate, the Low preset at 1080p offers 148 FPS, but the visual quality is likely poor. The Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot, as it maintains high frame rates (above 110 FPS at 4K) while presumably offering better visuals than Low. The data shows that the FPS difference between Medium and High is only 2-3 FPS, so if the visual upgrade is worth it, High is a viable choice. However, given that the system is CPU-bound, the setting choice has less impact on FPS than expected — the GPU can handle Ultra, but the CPU limits the output. For the best experience, Medium or High at 1440p or 4K is recommended, as the frame rates are similar to 1080p but with higher resolution.

# How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 768 out of 2,980 tested combos in Overpower. This places the configuration in the top 25.8% of all systems tested, which is respectable but not outstanding given the GPU's capabilities. To contextualize this rank: the RTX 5090 D is a top-tier GPU (92nd percentile of all GPUs), and the Ryzen 5 2600 is a mid-range CPU from 2018 (75th percentile of all CPUs). The combination of a high-end GPU with a mid-range CPU results in a rank that reflects the CPU bottleneck.

The rank of 768 means that 2,212 other combos perform better in this game. Given the GPU's synthetic scores — 14,326 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 44,065 in Passmark G3D — one might expect a higher rank. The discrepancy is explained by the CPU's limitations. The Ryzen 5 2600's average benchmark score of 21,484 is similar to that of the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (21,440, delta 0.2%), but those rivals likely pair with less powerful GPUs, resulting in more balanced performance.

The data implies that the CPU is holding back the GPU significantly. If the RTX 5090 D were paired with a faster CPU, the combo rank would likely be much higher, perhaps in the top 100. The current rank of 768 suggests that the system is not fully utilizing the GPU's potential, as evidenced by the small FPS drops across resolutions and settings. For a user with this combo, the rank indicates that upgrading the CPU would yield substantial improvements in Overpower, potentially moving the rank up by hundreds of positions.

The percentile data reinforces this: the GPU is at the 92nd percentile, but the combo is only at the 74.2nd percentile (768/2980). This gap between GPU percentile and combo percentile is a clear indicator of CPU bottlenecking. The nearest rival GPUs — AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (avg score 76,904, delta 1.1%) — are far less powerful, but pairing them with a stronger CPU might achieve a similar or better combo rank in Overpower. The data suggests that the RTX 5090 D is overkill for this CPU, and the combo rank reflects that imbalance.