Overpower

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a decidedly GPU-bound experience in Overpower, but the data reveals that the CPU still matters at lower resolutions. This is a combination where the 24-core processor has enough headroom to push the 10 GB graphics card to its limits, and the measured FPS numbers show exactly where the bottleneck shifts.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, but it is not linear. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 203.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 154.1 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of roughly 24%. That is a significant hit, but it is far less punishing than the drop seen at Ultra settings, where the average goes from 96 FPS at 1080p down to 72.8 FPS at 4K, a decline of about 24% as well. Interestingly, the percentage loss is consistent across settings, which suggests the scaling is driven primarily by pixel count rather than by any single setting.

The more telling pattern emerges when comparing resolution steps. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings costs about 13% performance (118.4 to 103.4 FPS), while moving from 1440p to 4K at the same settings costs another 14% (103.4 to 89.3 FPS). This indicates a smooth, predictable degradation as resolution increases. The fact that the RTX 3080 still manages 89.3 FPS at 4K High suggests the GPU is the limiting factor, but the CPU is not entirely idle — the 203.2 FPS at 1080p Low shows the i9-14900K can feed the GPU far beyond what the RTX 3080 can render at higher resolutions.

The key takeaway is that at 1080p, the system is CPU-limited in the sense that the processor could likely push even higher frame rates with a stronger GPU, but the 3080 becomes the bottleneck as soon as you raise the resolution or settings. The 4K Ultra result of 72.8 FPS is still playable, but it is clear that the GPU is working hard at that point, with the CPU having plenty of headroom left.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.20 GHz with a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, and it carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 49872 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7040 in single-core, placing it in the 97th percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 79824, which puts it just 0.3% behind the AMD EPYC 7413 and 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14900KF.

For Overpower, an action game, these numbers mean the CPU is never the primary constraint. The measured FPS at 1080p Low — 203.2 FPS — is the highest in the entire dataset, and it shows that the i9-14900K's single-thread performance is more than adequate for this title. The 6.00 GHz boost clock is particularly relevant here, as action games often rely on high single-core speeds for game logic and physics. The 24 cores provide massive multi-threading headroom, but the benchmark results suggest that Overpower does not heavily utilize all of them, given that the FPS scaling from Low to Ultra at any resolution is more dependent on GPU load.

The CPU's 97th percentile ranking versus all CPUs reinforces the idea that this is not a weak link. Even at 1080p High, where the CPU might be expected to do more work, the system delivers 118.4 FPS, which is well above the 4K Ultra result. This indicates that the processor is capable of driving frame rates well beyond what the RTX 3080 can produce at higher settings, making the GPU the clear limiting factor in most scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is based on the Ampere architecture, built on Samsung's 8 nm process, with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. It features 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1440 MHz with a boost of 1710 MHz, and the card is rated for 320 W TDP. It has 8704 shading units, 272 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores. Its FP32 performance is rated at 29.77 TFLOPS.

In synthetic tests, the RTX 3080 scores 25086 in Passmark G3D and 4407 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its average benchmark score is 35787, putting it in the 80th percentile of all GPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, it is 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Duo and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M, while the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE is 0.9% faster and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile is 1% slower.

The GPU's role in Overpower is decisive. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 72.8, which is the lowest measured result in the dataset. This is a clear sign that the 3080's 10 GB VRAM and raw compute are being pushed hard at that resolution and setting. The jump from Medium to Ultra at 4K costs about 22% performance (94.1 to 72.8 FPS), which is a substantial penalty for the visual upgrade. At 1440p, the same settings step costs about 24% (112.3 to 84.9 FPS), and at 1080p it costs about 23% (124.9 to 96 FPS). This consistent ~23% penalty suggests the GPU is the primary driver of performance changes across settings, rather than the CPU.

The 10 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at all settings, but the 4K results hint that it might be a limiting factor at Ultra, where the 72.8 FPS average is low enough to suggest memory bandwidth or capacity constraints. The 760.3 GB/s bandwidth is substantial, but 4K Ultra textures can be demanding, and the data shows the card is working at its limits there.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this combination of the i9-14900K and RTX 3080 ranks 531st out of 1744 tested combos in Overpower. That places it in roughly the 70th percentile of all combinations tested, which is respectable but not top-tier. The rank reflects the fact that while the CPU is exceptionally strong (97th percentile), the GPU is only in the 80th percentile, and the overall combo score is dragged down by the GPU's mid-pack positioning.

This ranking suggests that there are many combinations that outperform this setup in Overpower, likely those pairing the i9-14900K with faster GPUs or pairing mid-range CPUs with top-tier graphics cards. The 531st rank out of 1744 combos means the system is in the top third of all tested configurations, which is a solid result for a build that pairs a flagship CPU with a previous-generation high-end GPU. The data does not show how many FPS the top combos achieve, but the rank implies that the RTX 3080 is the limiting factor, as the CPU is clearly capable of more.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience depends on your target resolution. At 1080p, the Low setting delivers 203.2 FPS, which is excessive for most displays, while High at 118.4 FPS is still very smooth. The Ultra setting at 96 FPS is also playable, but the jump from High to Ultra costs about 19% performance, which might not be worth it unless you have a 144 Hz monitor and prefer maximum visual fidelity.

At 1440p, High settings at 103.4 FPS is the sweet spot, offering a good balance between visual quality and frame rate. Ultra at 84.9 FPS is still above 60 FPS, but the 18% drop from High to Ultra is more noticeable. Medium at 112.3 FPS is also viable if you prefer higher frame rates, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often worth the 8% performance cost.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. High settings at 89.3 FPS is the recommended choice, as it stays above 60 FPS and is only 5% slower than Medium at 94.1 FPS. Ultra at 72.8 FPS is playable but marginal, especially if you have a high refresh rate display. Low at 154.1 FPS is only useful for competitive play, as the visual quality trade-off is severe.

Across all resolutions, High settings provide the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, delivering 89.3 FPS at 4K, 103.4 FPS at 1440p, and 118.4 FPS at 1080p. The data clearly shows that the RTX 3080 is the bottleneck, so lowering settings below High yields diminishing returns unless you are targeting very high frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured data for Overpower with this combo is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 203.2 FPS
• Medium: 124.9 FPS
• High: 118.4 FPS
• Ultra: 96 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 179.2 FPS
• Medium: 112.3 FPS
• High: 103.4 FPS
• Ultra: 84.9 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 154.1 FPS
• Medium: 94.1 FPS
• High: 89.3 FPS
• Ultra: 72.8 FPS

The data shows a clear pattern: the Low setting is disproportionately fast compared to the other settings, with a 39% gap between Low and Medium at 1080p (203.2 to 124.9 FPS). This suggests that Low setting disables or significantly reduces GPU-intensive effects, allowing the CPU to push frame rates much higher. The gap narrows as resolution increases, with the difference between Low and Medium at 4K being about 39% as well (154.1 to 94.1 FPS), indicating that the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The transition from High to Ultra is more consistent, costing around 19-23% performance across all resolutions. This is likely due to specific visual effects that are enabled at Ultra, such as higher-quality shadows or reflections, which tax the GPU heavily. The 4K Ultra result of 72.8 FPS is the lowest in the dataset, and it represents the worst-case scenario for this combo, but it is still above 60 FPS, making it playable on most displays.

Overall, the i9-14900K + RTX 3080 combo delivers a strong Overpower experience, with the CPU providing ample headroom and the GPU determining the final frame rate at higher resolutions. The 531st rank out of 1744 combos is a solid showing, and the measured FPS numbers confirm that this setup is well-balanced for 1440p High and 4K High gaming.