Overpower

The pairing of AMD’s Ryzen 5 5500 with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4090 is a study in extremes: a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 3 processor built for the AM4 socket, matched against the most potent GPU in the GeForce 40-series lineup. The benchmark data for Overpower, an Action title released in mid-2023, reveals a combination that is consistently fast but whose behavior changes character depending on resolution and settings. The measured frames-per-second (FPS) figures suggest that while the RTX 4090 is doing the heavy lifting, the Ryzen 5 5500 is never far from the conversation, particularly at lower resolutions where its limits become visible.

Resolution Scaling

The most telling trend in the data is how average FPS shifts as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low preset, the progression is relatively smooth: 200.6 FPS at 1080p drops to 197.8 FPS at 1440p, then falls more sharply to 186 FPS at 4K. This is a modest 7.3% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which indicates that at Low settings, the system is not being pushed to its absolute limit—the GPU still has headroom, and the CPU is keeping pace.

The story changes dramatically when moving to higher presets. At High settings, the drop from 1080p to 4K is 162.7 FPS down to 132.3 FPS, a 18.7% decline. The Ultra preset shows an even steeper curve: 146.3 FPS at 1080p, 126.7 FPS at 1440p, and 111.2 FPS at 4K. This 24% reduction across the resolution spectrum is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck. As pixel count increases, the RTX 4090 must work harder to fill those frames, and the data reflects that workload.

What is particularly curious is the Medium preset’s behavior. At 1080p, it scores 166.3 FPS, which is higher than High’s 162.7 FPS, but at 1440p it dips to 160 FPS, and at 4K it lands at 143 FPS. The scaling here is less linear than High or Ultra, suggesting that the Medium preset’s specific combination of visual effects creates an uneven load on the GPU. The data implies that at 1080p, the limiting component is the CPU—the Ryzen 5 5500’s 3.60 GHz base and 4.20 GHz boost clocks are likely capping the frame rate, preventing the RTX 4090 from stretching its legs. At 4K, the GPU takes over as the limiting factor, and the FPS drops accordingly.

How This Combo Ranks

Looking at the broader picture, this specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 110th out of 1744 tested combos in Overpower. That places it in the top 6.3% of all pairings, which is an impressive showing given the disparity in tier between the two components. The Ryzen 5 5500 is a mid-range part—its average benchmark score of 20875 places it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs—while the RTX 4090 sits in the 91st percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 66473.

The rank suggests that the combo is performing better than the CPU’s modest standing might imply, thanks entirely to the GPU’s overwhelming capabilities. However, it also raises a question: could this pairing rank higher if the CPU were stronger? The nearest rivals to the Ryzen 5 5500 in CPU benchmarks—the Intel Core i5-12500, AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE, AMD EPYC 7J13, and Intel Core i5-12600T—all have average scores within 0.2% of each other, so the CPU is not uniquely weak. But the data shows that the combo’s rank is driven by the GPU, and any CPU bottleneck would be more pronounced at lower resolutions where the GPU is less taxed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the undisputed centerpiece of this combo. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is essential for feeding the 16384 shading units at high resolutions. The GPU’s base clock of 2235 MHz and boost clock of 2520 MHz are the highest in the GeForce 40-series, and they translate directly into the raw compute power needed for Overpower’s action sequences.

The GPU’s role is most evident in the 4K results. At Ultra settings, the combo still manages 111.2 FPS, which is a playable frame rate for a demanding title. The RTX 4090’s 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate allow it to maintain high frame rates even when every visual feature is enabled. The data shows that the GPU’s 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are also likely contributing to the game’s visual effects, though the specific workload of Overpower is not broken down in the measured FPS.

Interestingly, the GPU’s benchmark scores show a mixed picture: a Passmark G3D score of 38194 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 317684, but lower scores in DirectX 10 (224) and DirectX 12 (150) tests. This suggests that the RTX 4090 is optimized for modern APIs, and Overpower likely benefits from its DirectX 12 Ultimate support. The GPU’s 450 W TDP and triple-slot cooler are the price of this performance, but the measured FPS justify the hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full measured FPS table for this combo in Overpower shows a consistent pattern across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 200.6 FPS, Medium scores 166.3 FPS, High reaches 162.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 146.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 34.3 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 16.4 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset’s additional effects are less costly than the jump from Low to Medium.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers tighten. Low produces 197.8 FPS, Medium hits 160 FPS, High manages 157.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 126.7 FPS. The difference between Medium and High at 1440p is just 2.4 FPS, which is negligible in practice. At this resolution, the GPU is beginning to feel the load, but the RTX 4090 still has ample headroom.

At 3840x2160, the hierarchy remains intact but the margins narrow further. Low yields 186 FPS, Medium scores 143 FPS, High reaches 132.3 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 111.2 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 43 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 21.1 FPS. This suggests that the Medium preset introduces a significant visual upgrade at a notable performance cost, while the Ultra preset is more incremental in its demands.

FAQ

*Q: Is the RTX 4090 bottlenecked by the Ryzen 5 5500 in Overpower?*

A: The data suggests a CPU bottleneck at 1080p, particularly at Low settings where the FPS caps at 200.6. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as shown by the 111.2 FPS at Ultra settings, which is a 44.5% drop from the 1080p Low result.

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Overpower?*

A: At 1440p, the combo delivers 157.6 FPS at High settings and 126.7 FPS at Ultra, offering a strong balance between visual fidelity and frame rate. The 4K results are also playable, but the performance gap between presets widens.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested combinations?

A: This pairing ranks 110th out of 1744 combos in Overpower, placing it in the top 6.3% of all tested systems. This is a strong result driven primarily by the GPU’s high percentile ranking.

*Q: Is the RTX 4090’s 24 GB of VRAM necessary for Overpower?*

A: The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (111.2 FPS) suggests that the GPU’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory is sufficient for the game’s highest settings, but the data does not indicate whether lower VRAM would cause a significant drop.

Q: What is the difference between the Medium and High presets?

A: At 1080p, the difference is 3.6 FPS (166.3 vs 162.7), while at 1440p it is 2.4 FPS (160 vs 157.6). The gap widens at 4K to 10.7 FPS (143 vs 132.3), suggesting that High’s additional effects become more demanding at higher resolutions.

Q: Should I use the Low preset for maximum FPS?

A: The Low preset delivers 200.6 FPS at 1080p and 186 FPS at 4K, which are the highest averages in the data. However, the visual quality trade-off is significant, and the Medium preset at 1440p (160 FPS) may offer a better experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset at 166.3 FPS is a sensible choice, as it provides a meaningful visual upgrade over Low (200.6 FPS) while staying well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on gaming monitors. The High preset at 162.7 FPS is nearly identical in performance, so either works, but Medium offers a slightly higher frame rate.

At 1440p, the High preset at 157.6 FPS is the standout recommendation. The Ultra preset drops to 126.7 FPS, which is still smooth, but the 30.9 FPS difference between High and Ultra is substantial. For players with 144 Hz displays, High is the better fit. The Medium preset at 160 FPS is also viable, but High provides better visuals for only 2.4 FPS less.

At 4K, the Ultra preset at 111.2 FPS is playable and offers the best visual experience the game can provide. If a higher frame rate is preferred, the High preset at 132.3 FPS is a strong alternative, sacrificing some visual fidelity for a 21.1 FPS gain. The Medium preset at 143 FPS is the best choice for players who want a balance between quality and speed, as it sits comfortably above 120 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, built on a 7 nm process with a 65 W TDP. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz are modest by modern standards, but the CPU’s 16 MB of L3 cache helps mitigate the impact on gaming performance. In Overpower, the CPU’s role is most apparent at 1080p, where the FPS at Low settings (200.6) is barely higher than at 1440p (197.8), indicating that the CPU is reaching its limit and cannot push the frame rate higher.

The CPU’s benchmark scores paint a clear picture of its capabilities. In Cinebench R23, it scores 16429 in multi-core and 2319 in single-core, while in 3DMark it scores 5386 in the 16-thread test and 836 in single-thread. These numbers are respectable for a mid-range part, but they are far below what the RTX 4090 can utilize. The Passmark multithread score of 19330 and single-thread score of 3058 further confirm that the CPU is not a performance leader, yet it does not cripple the combo.

The data implies that the Ryzen 5 5500 is a serviceable partner for the RTX 4090, but not an ideal one. At 4K, the CPU’s limitations are largely hidden by the GPU’s workload, allowing the combo to shine. At 1080p, the CPU becomes the bottleneck, capping FPS at around 200 even with the GPU’s immense power. For players targeting high refresh rates at lower resolutions, a stronger CPU would unlock additional performance, but the measured results show that this combo is still highly capable across the board.