Overpower

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a balanced 1080p and 1440p experience in Overpower, though 4K Ultra settings push the GPU to its limits. The data shows a combination that scales predictably with resolution and settings, offering clear insights into which component governs performance at each tier.

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

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and boosts up to 6.00 GHz, which is the highest boost clock in the Core 14th Gen lineup. The CPU carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 per core, along with an 80 KB L1 cache per core. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 CPU lanes.

In Overpower, an action title, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics data. The benchmark results indicate that at 1080p Low settings, the combination reaches 175.6 FPS, which is the highest measured average across all configurations. This suggests that even at this demanding frame rate, the i9-14900K's 24 cores and 6.00 GHz boost clock are sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The processor's multi-core strength is evident in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872, placing it in the 97th percentile of all CPUs. Its single-core performance, shown by a Geekbench single-core score of 3064, also contributes to maintaining high minimum frame rates in action sequences.

The CPU's integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present but irrelevant for this discrete GPU configuration. The processor's 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier suggest headroom for overclocking, though the measured FPS values reflect stock operation. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i9-14900K sits within 0.9% of the AMD EPYC 7413 and Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, with an average benchmark score of 79824. This parity indicates that the CPU's performance is consistent with other high-end desktop parts, and in Overpower, it does not limit the RTX 3070 until the GPU is fully saturated at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the i9-14900K and RTX 3070 ranks 808th out of 1744 tested combinations in Overpower. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all combos, which is reasonable given the GPU's age relative to newer hardware. The RTX 3070, released in 2020, is now end-of-life, but its 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs shows it remains competitive. The combo's rank suggests that while it is not a top-tier pairing, it outperforms the majority of tested configurations.

The CPU's position in the 97th percentile of all CPUs contrasts with the GPU's 72nd percentile, indicating a slight imbalance. The i9-14900K has more headroom than the RTX 3070 can utilize in most scenarios. This is reflected in the measured FPS: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 175.6 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 63.5 FPS. The delta between these extremes shows the GPU becoming the limiting factor as resolution increases. The combo's rank of 808 out of 1744 is not a statement of weakness but rather a reflection of the GPU's mid-range standing in 2025. With a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3162, the RTX 3070 is positioned between the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (0.9% slower) and the AMD FirePro S7150 (0.6% faster) in average benchmark scores.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that identifies the GPU as the primary constraint at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 175.6 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 157.5 FPS, a decline of 10.3%. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 132.2 FPS, representing a 24.7% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This scale shows that even at Low settings, the GPU's workload increases substantially with pixel count.

For Ultra settings, the scaling is more dramatic. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 82.2 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, this drops to 72.4 FPS (an 11.9% decrease), and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 63.5 FPS (a 22.7% decrease from 1080p). The relatively small percentage drops between resolutions at Ultra settings suggest that the GPU is already near its maximum output at 1080p Ultra, and the CPU is not adding headroom. In contrast, at Low settings, the larger absolute FPS values allow for more visible scaling, but the percentage drops are similar, indicating GPU-bound behavior across all settings.

The 4K High average of 76 FPS versus 4K Low of 132.2 FPS shows a 42.5% performance gap between settings at the same resolution. This gap is consistent with the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, which are adequate for 1080p and 1440p but become strained at 4K with higher-quality textures. The data indicates that the i9-14900K is not the limiting component; the RTX 3070's rendering pipeline is the constraint at 4K.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 175.6 FPS, Medium yields 106.8 FPS, High achieves 99.6 FPS, and Ultra drops to 82.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 68.8 FPS, which is the largest settings-based jump in the entire dataset, indicating that Medium settings introduce significant graphical effects that tax the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 157.5 FPS, a 10.3% reduction from 1080p. Medium produces 98.4 FPS, High reaches 90.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 72.4 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 85.1 FPS, which is slightly smaller than the 93.4 FPS gap at 1080p, showing that the GPU's resource limits begin to compress the settings-based differences.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3070's 8 GB memory capacity becomes a factor. Low settings still manage 132.2 FPS, but Medium drops to 83 FPS, High to 76 FPS, and Ultra to 63.5 FPS. The Ultra result is the lowest in the entire dataset, falling below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra is 18.7 FPS, a 22.7% reduction. The data shows that 4K Ultra is the only configuration that dips below 65 FPS, while all other settings and resolutions maintain at least 72.4 FPS.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. It contains 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, with 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. The GPU has 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores, supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its base clock is 1500 MHz with a boost clock of 1725 MHz, and the memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is the most likely constraint at 4K Ultra. The measured FPS drop from 82.2 at 1080p Ultra to 63.5 at 4K Ultra aligns with the memory bandwidth limitations. The GPU's pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the 90+ FPS results at High settings in those resolutions. However, the 4K High result of 76 FPS indicates that the GPU is operating near its fill-rate limits.

The RTX 3070's FP32 performance of 20.31 TFLOPS positions it well within the mid-range of the GeForce 30-series. Its nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (0.9% slower) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (1% faster), which are both older or lower-tier parts. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 22214 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 123479 show consistent performance across different test methodologies. The 220 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this class, and the 1x 12-pin power connector requires a 550 W PSU. The GPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs is reflected in its ability to handle 1440p High at 90.2 FPS but struggle with 4K Ultra at 63.5 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest measured average FPS for this combo in Overpower?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 175.6, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does the RTX 3070 maintain 60+ FPS at 4K Ultra in Overpower?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra average is 63.5 FPS, which is above 60 FPS but the lowest result in the dataset.

Q: How does the i9-14900K compare to its nearest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79824, which is 0.9% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (79102) and 0.7% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF (79240).

Q: What is the largest FPS drop between settings at any single resolution?

A: At 1920x1080, the drop from Low (175.6 FPS) to Medium (106.8 FPS) is 68.8 FPS, the largest settings-based gap in the data.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in Overpower?

A: The combo ranks 808th out of 1744 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra?

A: The RTX 3070 is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, as evidenced by the 63.5 FPS result compared to the i9-14900K's 97th percentile CPU ranking and the GPU's 72nd percentile ranking.