Overpower

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 presents a striking imbalance in Overpower, a 2023 Action title. The data shows a configuration where a high-end CPU is consistently hamstrung by a mid-range GPU, resulting in frame rates that scale predictably with resolution and settings. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data, the roles of the core components, and what the numbers mean for gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 154.7 FPS, but this drops to 135.1 FPS at 2560x1440 and 115.3 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 25.5% performance drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that even at lower graphical loads, the GPU is the primary limiting factor rather than the CPU.

The scaling becomes more pronounced at higher settings. With High settings, the frame rate falls from 88 FPS at 1080p to 81.6 FPS at 1440p, then to 64.8 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result is 26.4% below the 1080p High result, showing that the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are being saturated as pixel count increases. At Ultra settings, the trend continues: 75.7 FPS at 1080p, 63.3 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K at Ultra narrows to just 8.4%, suggesting the GPU is hitting a hard performance ceiling.

The most telling comparison is between Low and Ultra at the same resolution. At 1080p, the difference is 79 FPS (154.7 vs 75.7), while at 4K, the difference shrinks to 57.3 FPS (115.3 vs 58). This compression of the settings range at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU's compute and memory resources are exhausted before the CPU can demonstrate its full potential. The i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, is clearly not the bottleneck in any scenario, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate drops when resolution increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring the AD107 chip. Its specifications include 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, along with 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with memory running at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective) across an 8 GB GDDR6 interface with a 128-bit bus width. This configuration yields a memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s.

The benchmark results for this GPU place it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23181. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which scores 23321 (0.6% higher), and the Intel Arc B580 at 23021 (0.7% lower). The RTX 4060's passmark_g3d score of 19545 and 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 2302 provide context for its raw compute capability, but in Overpower, the limiting factor appears to be the 8 GB VRAM capacity.

At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 58 FPS, which is barely playable for an action title. The 8 GB frame buffer is likely insufficient for the texture and geometry demands at this resolution, causing the GPU to fall back on slower memory operations. The 128-bit bus width further constrains performance, as evidenced by the steep drop from 4K Low (115.3 FPS) to 4K High (64.8 FPS) — a 43.8% reduction that cannot be attributed to CPU limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo holds a rank of 999 out of 1744 tested combinations in Overpower, placing it in the 57th percentile of all CPU-GPU pairings. This middling rank reflects the mismatch between the i9-14900K's raw processing power and the RTX 4060's mid-range GPU capabilities. The CPU alone sits in the 97th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79824, while the GPU's percentile of 66 indicates a significant gap in tier.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7413 (0.3% lower score), the Intel Core i9-14900KF (0.7% higher), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF (0.7% higher). These comparisons show that the i9-14900K is competitive at the very top of the CPU hierarchy, yet the combo rank of 999 suggests that many pairings with more balanced GPUs achieve better in-game results. The data implies that the RTX 4060 is the limiting component, dragging the overall combo performance down despite the CPU's strength.

For context, the CPU's passmark_multithread score of 58674 and cinebench_r23_multicore score of 49872 indicate exceptional multi-threaded capability, but Overpower's frame rates do not reflect this power. The gap between the CPU's potential and the measured FPS is a direct result of the GPU's inability to keep pace.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p provides the highest frame rates across all settings, with 154.7 FPS at Low and 75.7 FPS at Ultra. At 1440p, frame rates drop to 135.1 FPS (Low) and 63.3 FPS (Ultra), while 4K drops further to 115.3 FPS (Low) and 58 FPS (Ultra).

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, placing it slightly below the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23321, 0.6% higher) and just above the Intel Arc B580 (23021, 0.7% lower). It also trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (23338) by 0.7%.

Q: Is the i9-14900K a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No, the data shows the CPU is not the limiting factor. The i9-14900K scores in the 97th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 79824, and the frame rate scaling with resolution indicates GPU-bound performance.

Q: What are the CPU's key specifications?

A: The i9-14900K has 24 cores and 32 threads with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. It features 36 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory.

Q: How does the GPU's memory configuration affect 4K performance?

A: The RTX 4060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 4K, the Ultra setting achieves only 58 FPS, suggesting the memory capacity and bandwidth are insufficient for high-resolution textures.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking?

A: The combo ranks 999 out of 1744 tested combinations, placing it in the middle of the pack. This is lower than expected given the CPU's top-tier status, due to the GPU's mid-range performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Ultra preset achieves 75.7 FPS, which is smooth for an action game. The High preset at 1080p yields 88 FPS, providing a 16.2% improvement over Ultra with likely minor visual differences. For players prioritizing frame rate, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 154.7 FPS, more than double the Ultra result.

At 1440p, the Medium preset produces 83.9 FPS, which is the best balance between visual quality and performance. The High preset at 1440p drops to 81.6 FPS, a marginal 2.7% decrease, while Ultra falls to 63.3 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p hits 135.1 FPS, but this sacrifices most graphical features. For 4K gaming, the data suggests that only the Low preset (115.3 FPS) provides a consistently playable experience, as Medium drops to 73.7 FPS and High to 64.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K produces 58 FPS, which may be too inconsistent for fast-paced action.

The recommendation is to use High settings at 1080p or Medium settings at 1440p for the best experience. These settings provide frame rates above 80 FPS while maintaining visual fidelity. At 4K, only Low settings are advisable for competitive play, though users prioritizing visuals over frame rate may accept the 73.7 FPS from Medium settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 14th-generation processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process with a die size of 257 mm². It features 24 cores and 32 threads, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. The CPU has a TDP of 125 W and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache.

The CPU's benchmark results are exceptional, with a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 49872 and a passmark_multithread score of 58674. Its single-thread performance is equally strong, with a cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 7040 and a passmark_single_thread score of 4697. These numbers place the i9-14900K in the 97th percentile of all CPUs, just 0.3% below the AMD EPYC 7413 and 0.7% below the Intel Core i9-14900KF.

However, in Overpower, the CPU's capabilities are largely untapped. The measured FPS data shows that frame rates are determined by the GPU, not the CPU, as evidenced by the consistent scaling with resolution. The CPU's high core count and clock speeds would be beneficial in CPU-intensive scenarios, but Overpower's action gameplay appears to rely more heavily on GPU rendering. The i9-14900K's integrated UHD Graphics 770 is not utilized in this configuration, as the discrete RTX 4060 handles all rendering duties.

The CPU's memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 suggests flexibility, but the performance difference is unlikely to affect Overpower's frame rates given the GPU bottleneck. The 24 cores and 32 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and future game updates that might utilize more CPU resources. Ultimately, the i9-14900K is a top-tier processor that is well ahead of the RTX 4060 in capability, and this imbalance is reflected in the combo's rank of 999 out of 1744.