Overpower

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is an unusual match—a mid-range desktop processor with a flagship graphics card. The measured results in Overpower reveal exactly how this pairing behaves across resolutions and settings, showing a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher loads but still capable of extreme frame rates. This analysis relies strictly on the benchmark data available for this specific combination.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and predictable inverse relationship between resolution and performance, but the rate of the drop-off tells you where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 292 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low reduces the average to 267 FPS, a drop of roughly 8.5%. Pushing to 4K Low yields 227 FPS, which is another 15% decrease from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern—where performance falls as pixel count rises—is the signature of a system that is still capable of feeding the GPU enough data at lower resolutions, but is increasingly limited by raw rendering workload as resolution climbs.

The trend holds across other settings. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 187 at 1080p to 167 at 1440p (a ~10.7% drop), and then to 142 at 4K (a ~15% drop from 1440p). The High preset shows a similar story: 173 FPS at 1080p, 155 at 1440p, and 131 at 4K. The percentage losses from 1080p to 4K are consistent—roughly 24-25% for Medium, High, and Low—which suggests that the scaling is largely uniform across the settings spectrum.

Ultra settings follow the same pattern but with lower absolute numbers: 144 FPS at 1080p, 128 at 1440p, and 109 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is about 24.3%, which matches the other presets. The consistency of these percentage drops is revealing. If the CPU were the primary constraint, we would expect to see a much smaller gap between 1080p and 4K, because the CPU's workload (draw calls, physics, game logic) remains roughly constant while the GPU's pixel-pushing workload scales directly with resolution. Instead, the data shows that the RTX 4090 is doing the heavy lifting at every step, and the frame rate is scaling almost entirely with the GPU's rendering load.

The fact that the system hits 292 FPS at 1080p Low indicates that the Core Ultra 5 225 is not a hard ceiling at lower resolutions. However, the 4K Low result of 227 FPS is still exceptionally high, proving that even with a relatively modest CPU, the RTX 4090 can be pushed to very high frame rates. The limiting component at all resolutions is clearly the GPU, as the CPU has sufficient headroom to keep the graphics card fed. The data suggests that a stronger CPU might eke out a few more frames at 1080p, but the scaling curve indicates that the GPU is the dominant factor in determining final FPS across the board.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy of performance across the four presets. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium costs about 105 FPS on average (292 to 187), while the jump from Medium to High costs another 14 FPS (187 to 173). Moving to Ultra costs an additional 29 FPS (173 to 144). The data shows that Medium offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance at 1080p, delivering 187 FPS with a minimum of 159 FPS and a maximum of 215 FPS. This is a massive frame rate that far exceeds the refresh rate of virtually any monitor, while providing better visuals than the Low preset.

At 1440p, the story is similar. Low runs at 267 FPS, but Medium drops to 167 FPS with a minimum of 142 FPS. High sits at 155 FPS, and Ultra at 128 FPS. All of these are playable, but Medium again stands out as the sweet spot. It provides a minimum frame rate of 142 FPS, which is above the standard 144Hz refresh rate target, while the average of 167 FPS leaves plenty of headroom for smoother pacing. High is also a strong contender at 155 FPS, but it lacks the measured minimum FPS data that Medium provides, making Medium the safer recommendation for consistent frame pacing.

At 4K, the choices become more consequential. Low runs at 227 FPS, which is excellent, but Medium delivers 142 FPS with a minimum of 120 FPS and a maximum of 163 FPS. High runs at 131 FPS, and Ultra at 109 FPS. For a 4K display, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation. The 142 FPS average is well above the 120 FPS minimum, indicating stable performance, and the quality uplift over Low is significant. High and Ultra are playable, but they sit below the 144Hz threshold and approach the 120 FPS minimum that Medium already guarantees. Given that Medium offers a 120 FPS floor, it is the most practical choice for a high-refresh 4K experience.

For users with a 144Hz monitor, Medium at 4K is the only preset that consistently stays above the refresh rate cap, making it the definitive recommendation. At 1080p and 1440p, Medium is also the best choice for minimizing frame time variance while maintaining high averages. The data does not support using Low at any resolution, as the frame rate gains are excessive and not justified by the visual compromise. Ultra is only suitable for those who prioritize absolute visual quality over frame rate, as it still delivers a respectable 109 FPS at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Overpower, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 75th out of 2980 combos. This places it in the top 2.5% of all tested systems. The percentile ranking is a strong indicator of overall capability, but it is important to contextualize it with the nature of the CPU and GPU pairing.

The RTX 4090 is a powerhouse, and its individual percentile rank of 88 (vs. all GPUs) confirms its position as a top-tier component. However, the Core Ultra 5 225 sits at the 85th percentile among CPUs, which is solid but not elite. The combo rank of 75 out of 2980 suggests that the GPU is carrying most of the performance weight. Systems ranked above this combo likely feature higher-end CPUs, such as the flagship Core i9 or Ryzen 9 parts, which can push the RTX 4090 even further in CPU-light scenarios.

The data shows that the combo rank is not a reflection of the CPU's weakness, but rather evidence of the sheer might of the RTX 4090. A 75th rank out of 2980 means that this system outperforms the vast majority of tested builds, even with a mid-range CPU. The nearest rivals for the CPU alone (AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D) have average scores within 0.5% of the Core Ultra 5 225, showing that the CPU is competitive in its own segment. Yet, the combo's high rank is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's ability to render Overpower at high frame rates.

It is also notably the GPU's nearest rivals in the database (Intel Arc Pro A60, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48) are not gaming-focused parts and have similar average scores. This is an artifact of the benchmark averaging method, not a reflection of real gaming performance. In practice, the RTX 4090 dominates in gaming workloads, which is why this combo achieves such a high rank in a gaming-specific test. The rank of 75 signifies that this is a top-tier gaming system, but the data suggests that a more balanced CPU could have pushed it even higher.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Overpower at 4K with high refresh rates?*

A: Yes. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 142 with a minimum of 120. High runs at 131 FPS, and Ultra at 109 FPS. For a 144Hz display, Medium is the recommended preset to stay above the refresh rate.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: The data suggests it is not a significant limitation. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 292 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. The FPS drops are consistent with GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium is the best choice, offering 167 FPS average with a 142 FPS minimum. High is also viable at 155 FPS, but Medium provides a measured floor that guarantees smooth performance.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 75th out of 2980 tested combos, placing it in the top 2.5% of all systems tested for Overpower. This is a very strong result, driven primarily by the RTX 4090.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a playable experience at 4K?

A: Yes, with an average of 109 FPS. It is playable but sits below the 120 FPS minimum that Medium offers. It is best suited for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate.

Q: What are the measured frame time values for Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 159 FPS and the maximum is 215 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 142 FPS and the maximum is 192 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 120 FPS and the maximum is 163 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why the frame rates are so high. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. This massive memory pool and bandwidth are critical for 4K gaming, as they allow the GPU to handle large textures and high-resolution buffers without stuttering. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the combo maintains 109 FPS, which is a direct result of the GPU's ability to process the necessary data quickly.

The GPU's clock speeds are also notable: a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. These high clocks, combined with 16384 shading units, deliver an FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS. This raw compute power is what allows the RTX 4090 to push frame rates well above 100 FPS at 4K in Overpower. The pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s further underscore its ability to fill the screen with detailed imagery at high resolutions.

The data indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of the results. When comparing the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K, the percentage drops are consistent across settings, which is a hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario. The RTX 4090's 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores also play a role, likely accelerating any ray-traced effects or DLSS features in the game, though the measured FPS rows do not specify which features were enabled. The GPU's percentile rank of 88 vs. all GPUs confirms its elite status, and its average benchmark score of 60347 far exceeds what a mid-range card would produce.

The 24 GB VRAM capacity is particularly relevant for Overpower. With 4K texture packs and high-quality assets, a GPU with less memory might experience frame drops or texture pop-in. The fact that the 4K Ultra preset still averages 109 FPS suggests that the VRAM is not a limiting factor. The GPU's TDP of 450 W and triple-slot cooler also indicate that it is designed for sustained high-performance workloads, which is consistent with the observed stability in the Medium preset's minimum FPS values.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 plays a supporting role, but its specifications are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4090 in this game. It has 10 cores and 10 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The lack of hyperthreading (10 threads for 10 cores) is notable, but the high boost clock helps maintain single-threaded performance, which is often critical for game logic and draw calls. The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 is strong, and its Passmark single-thread score of 4412 confirms its capability in lightly-threaded workloads.

The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache is adequate for gaming, and its 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth (dual-channel DDR5) ensures that the GPU is fed with data without excessive latency. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 292 FPS, which confirms the CPU's ability to process game commands quickly. If the CPU were weak, we would expect to see a frame rate ceiling at lower resolutions, but the FPS continues to scale down as resolution increases, indicating that the CPU is keeping up.

The CPU's average benchmark score is 36938, placing it at the 85th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0% delta), AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (-0.2% delta), and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (-0.4% delta). This shows that the Core Ultra 5 225 is competitive with other mid-range parts, but it is not a top-tier gaming CPU. However, the game's performance is not CPU-bound, as evidenced by the fact that the FPS scales with GPU load.

The CPU's TDP of 65 W is low, which means it produces less heat and requires less power, allowing more headroom for the GPU's 450 W TDP within a typical system power budget. The architecture (Arrow Lake on a 3 nm TSMC process) is efficient, and the data suggests that this efficiency translates into consistent frame delivery. The measured FPS for Medium settings shows a minimum of 159 FPS at 1080p, which is only slightly below the average, indicating that the CPU is not causing frame time spikes. In summary, the Core Ultra 5 225 provides enough computational throughput to let the RTX 4090 operate at its full potential, even if it does not enhance the GPU's performance.