Overpower

Overpower, the 2023 action title, proves to be a demanding showcase for the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pairing. This combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all tested configurations, placing it in the top 3% of all tested combos. The data reveals a system where the GPU is the clear performance driver, with the CPU providing ample headroom to avoid bottlenecks at every resolution and settings level.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates demonstrate a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo produces 142.6 FPS, which climbs to 127.1 FPS at 2560x1440 and drops further to 110.6 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 22% performance decrease from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the RTX 4090 is still the primary limiting factor even at lower resolutions. The scaling is not perfectly linear, however, suggesting that the Core i5-14400F begins to exert some influence at 1080p.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically as resolution decreases. At 4K, the difference between Low (224.1 FPS) and Ultra (110.6 FPS) is 113.5 FPS, while at 1080p that gap expands to 105 FPS (247.6 vs 142.6). This trend shows that CPU overhead becomes more visible at lower resolutions where the GPU can render frames faster than the processor can feed it. The 1080p Low result of 247.6 FPS approaches the practical ceiling for many displays, indicating the CPU is nearing its limit in this specific scenario.

The RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensure that memory capacity is never a constraint, even at 4K Ultra. The pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s provide ample fill-rate headroom for the game's action sequences. The data shows that resolution scaling is smooth and predictable, with no sudden drops that would indicate a memory or bandwidth bottleneck. The 384-bit bus width proves sufficient for all tested settings, as the frame rate decline from Medium to Ultra at 4K is consistent with increased shading complexity rather than memory limitations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 operates as the dominant component in this pairing, with benchmark results that place it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs tested. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with 16,384 shading units and 512 texture mapping units, delivers the raw compute power needed for Overpower's action sequences. The FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS provides substantial headroom for the game's physics and particle effects, which is reflected in the consistently high frame rates across all settings.

The GPU's memory subsystem plays a crucial role in the measured results. With 24 GB of GDDR6X memory running at an effective 21 Gbps, the card offers 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This proves more than adequate for Overpower, as even the most demanding 4K Ultra configuration (110.6 FPS) maintains smooth performance. The 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores indicate the card is well-prepared for any ray-traced effects the game might employ, though the measured data does not specifically isolate those workloads.

The GPU's 91st percentile ranking versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66,473, shows it outperforms rivals like the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66,733, -0.4%) and NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (67,320, -1.3%). This performance advantage translates directly to the frame rates observed in Overpower. The 450 W TDP and triple-slot design allow the card to maintain boost clocks consistently, avoiding thermal throttling that could otherwise reduce performance during extended sessions.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and RTX 4090 combination achieves a rank of 49 out of 1,744 tested combos in Overpower, placing it in the top 2.8% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the synergy between the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads and the GPU's massive compute resources. The CPU's 88th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 32,508, shows it performs comparably to the Intel Core i7-12800H (32,513, 0% delta) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32,446, 0.2% delta). This indicates the processor provides sufficient processing power to keep the RTX 4090 well-fed.

The combo's rank is particularly impressive given that the CPU is not a flagship part. The i5-14400F's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,914 and single-core score of 3,093 demonstrate solid performance, but the GPU's dominance in this pairing is what pushes the combo to the 49th position. The data suggests that the RTX 4090's raw compute power compensates for any CPU limitations, resulting in frame rates that rival systems with more expensive processors. The 0.2% delta versus the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 and -0.2% delta versus the AMD Ryzen 7 250 indicate tight competition among mid-range CPUs at this performance tier.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 247.6 FPS, Medium reaches 185.9 FPS, High achieves 174.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 142.6 FPS. The 105 FPS spread between Low and Ultra demonstrates the GPU's ability to scale with graphical demands, while the relatively small gap between Medium and High (11.7 FPS) suggests diminishing returns at this resolution. The 1080p results show that this combination can easily drive high-refresh-rate monitors, even at maximum quality settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain highly playable. Low settings yield 233.5 FPS, Medium produces 165.6 FPS, High reaches 154.8 FPS, and Ultra maintains 127.1 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is more pronounced at lower settings (14.1 FPS for Low) than at higher settings (15.5 FPS for Ultra), consistent with the GPU becoming more fully utilized. The 1440p results indicate this resolution is the sweet spot for balancing visual fidelity and performance, with even Ultra settings comfortably exceeding 120 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4090's power becomes fully evident. Low settings produce 224.1 FPS, Medium achieves 140.3 FPS, High delivers 131.3 FPS, and Ultra maintains 110.6 FPS. The 4K results show a steeper performance cliff between Low and Medium (83.8 FPS difference) compared to the gap between High and Ultra (20.7 FPS). This suggests that Medium settings at 4K represent a significant jump in rendering complexity, while the transition from High to Ultra involves more modest additional demands. Even at 4K Ultra, the combo delivers smooth gameplay without dropping below 100 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 as the optimal balance, with Ultra settings producing 127.1 FPS and Low settings reaching 233.5 FPS. At this resolution, even the most demanding settings maintain frame rates above 120 FPS, while 1080p Ultra (142.6 FPS) and 4K Ultra (110.6 FPS) offer viable alternatives depending on display refresh rate.

Q: How does the Core i5-14400F compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 32,508 places it within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32,446) and Intel Core i7-13705H (32,586, -0.2% delta). It effectively matches the Intel Core i7-12800H (32,513, 0% delta), showing that the mid-range i5 offers performance parity with more expensive mobile processors.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 overkill for Overpower?

A: The data shows the GPU maintains frame rates above 100 FPS in all tested configurations, including 4K Ultra (110.6 FPS). While this exceeds the requirements of standard 60 Hz displays, the performance headroom becomes valuable for high-refresh-rate monitors or future game updates that may increase graphical demands.

Q: What settings provide the largest performance jump?

A: At 4K, moving from Medium (140.3 FPS) to Low (224.1 FPS) yields an 83.8 FPS increase, representing the largest single-settings jump in the data. At 1080p, the same transition from Medium (185.9 FPS) to Low (247.6 FPS) provides a 61.7 FPS boost.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 49th out of 1,744 tested combos in Overpower, placing it in the top 2.8% of all systems. This high ranking reflects the RTX 4090's 91st percentile GPU performance combined with the i5-14400F's 88th percentile CPU performance.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any settings?

A: The smallest performance gap between resolutions occurs at Low settings, with 1080p (247.6 FPS) only 9.5 FPS ahead of 1440p (233.5 FPS) and 23.5 FPS ahead of 4K (224.1 FPS). This suggests the CPU begins to limit performance at 1080p Low, where the GPU could theoretically render more frames than the processor can handle.