Overpower

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Overpower, positioning it as a top-tier performer. With a combo rank of 48 out of 2980 tested configurations, this pairing sits in the top 2% of all systems, a placement driven almost entirely by the GPU's raw power. The benchmark data reveals that the RTX 5090 is the dominant component, with the CPU providing sufficient support to avoid becoming a bottleneck at most settings, though the gap narrows at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 292 FPS, which drops to 273 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 232 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 20.5% performance reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 20.5% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The consistency of these drops—both being roughly one-fifth of the previous level—suggests that the RTX 5090's rendering pipeline is the limiting factor rather than the CPU, as the scaling pattern is smooth and predictable.

Examining High settings tells a similar story. The 1080p High result of 178 FPS falls to 158 FPS at 1440p (an 11.2% drop) and then to 135 FPS at 4K (a 14.6% drop from 1440p). The percentage decreases are smaller than those seen at Low settings, indicating that as the graphical workload increases, the GPU becomes even more dominant in determining performance. The gap between Low and High at each resolution is substantial: 64% at 1080p, 73% at 1440p, and 72% at 4K, showing that the visual preset has a significant impact on frame rates regardless of resolution.

The Medium settings rows provide the only min and max FPS data in the pack. At 1080p Medium, the average is 191 FPS with a minimum of 163 and maximum of 220, giving a spread of 57 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 171 FPS with a range of 145 to 196 (51 FPS spread), while at 4K Medium, the average is 145 FPS with a range of 123 to 167 (44 FPS spread). The shrinking spread at higher resolutions indicates more consistent frame pacing, as the GPU's workload becomes more uniform and less dependent on scene complexity variations.

FAQ

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 48th out of 2980 tested combos, placing it in the top 1.6% of all systems evaluated.

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this setup?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 292, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The lowest average is 112 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, placing it within 0.5% of several rivals. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scores 36945 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018 (-0.2%), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093 (-0.4%), and the Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112 (-0.5%).

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 5090 sits at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79605, a 0.3% difference.

Q: Does the resolution affect the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings?

A: Yes. At 1080p, the gap between Low (292 FPS) and Ultra (147 FPS) is 145 FPS. At 1440p, the gap narrows to 142 FPS (273 vs 131), and at 4K it shrinks to 120 FPS (232 vs 112). The relative gap shrinks from 98.6% at 1080p to 107.1% at 4K, showing that Ultra settings become relatively more demanding at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the entire dataset?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 123, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. This is the only 4K row with a min FPS value; other rows at 4K do not have reported minimums.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 48 out of 2980 places this system in the 98.4th percentile of all tested configurations in Overpower. This is an elite position, reflecting the RTX 5090's position at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs combined with a CPU at the 85th percentile among all CPUs. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of this ranking, as its performance ceiling is far above what most games can fully utilize.

The CPU's nearest rivals in overall benchmark performance—the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, Ryzen 5 5500X3D, Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, and Intel Core i9-12900T—all score within 0.5% of the Ultra 5 225. This clustering suggests that the CPU's contribution to the combo rank is not from raw processing power but from its ability to feed the GPU without creating a bottleneck. The 10-core, 10-thread configuration with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz provides adequate single-thread performance, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655.

The RTX 5090's nearest rivals in GPU benchmarks are all professional or mobile parts: the Tesla P100 (0.3% delta), another Tesla P100 variant (0.6%), the RX 6850M XT (1.1%), and the Radeon Pro Vega 64X (-1.4%). This comparison reveals that the RTX 5090 outperforms these alternatives by a narrow margin, but its true advantage lies in the game-specific measurements. The combo's rank of 48 out of 2980 demonstrates that when paired with a capable mid-range CPU, the GPU can deliver top-tier results without the processor holding it back.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear progression from Low to Ultra settings. Low delivers 292 FPS, Medium 191 FPS, High 178 FPS, and Ultra 147 FPS. The Medium row includes a minimum of 163 and maximum of 220, providing the only full range data at this resolution. The step from Low to Medium is a 34.6% reduction, while Medium to High is only a 6.8% reduction, and High to Ultra is a 17.4% reduction. This non-linear scaling suggests that the Low preset is significantly less demanding, while the jumps between Medium, High, and Ultra have varying costs.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low produces 273 FPS, Medium 171 FPS, High 158 FPS, and Ultra 131 FPS. The Medium range shows a minimum of 145 and maximum of 196. The Low to Medium drop is 37.4%, Medium to High is 7.6%, and High to Ultra is 17.1%. Interestingly, the percentage differences are remarkably similar to those at 1080p, indicating that the relative cost of each preset is consistent across these two resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the values are 232 FPS at Low, 145 FPS at Medium, 135 FPS at High, and 112 FPS at Ultra. The Medium range is 123 to 167. The Low to Medium drop is 37.5%, Medium to High is 6.9%, and High to Ultra is 17.0%. The consistency of these percentages across all three resolutions—approximately 37%, 7%, and 17% for each successive step—shows that Overpower's settings scale predictably, with the GPU handling the workload increase uniformly regardless of resolution.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090 is the clear performance driver in this configuration. With 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, the GPU provides 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth, which is essential for high-resolution gaming. The 4K Medium row shows a minimum FPS of 123, indicating that even under load, the GPU maintains substantial headroom. The boost clock of 2407 MHz, combined with 21760 shading units, yields a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS places it in a class of its own, and the benchmark data confirms this. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 18355 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 376728 are both strong indicators of gaming capability. In Overpower, the GPU's dominance is evident in the scaling pattern: as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the average FPS at High settings only drops from 178 to 135, a 24.2% reduction. This relatively small decrease, compared to what a lesser GPU would experience, shows that the RTX 5090 has enough compute and memory bandwidth to handle 4K without a dramatic performance penalty.

The memory configuration deserves attention. With 32 GB of VRAM, the GPU has more than enough capacity for any current game, and the 28 Gbps effective memory speed ensures that data transfer is not a limiting factor. The GDDR7 type is the latest generation, and the 512-bit bus width is the widest available. These specifications, combined with the measured FPS data, indicate that the GPU is never the bottleneck at any tested setting, even at 4K Ultra where it still manages 112 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver playable frame rates, with even Ultra achieving 147 FPS. However, the jump from High to Ultra costs 31 FPS (17.4% reduction), which may not justify the visual improvement for competitive play. The Low preset at 292 FPS offers maximum responsiveness, but Medium at 191 FPS provides a better balance, as the minimum FPS of 163 ensures no significant stuttering.

At 2560x1440, High settings at 158 FPS are the recommended choice for most users, as they maintain high frame rates without the 27 FPS penalty of Ultra. The Medium preset at 171 FPS is a viable alternative, with a minimum of 145 FPS ensuring smooth gameplay. Low at 273 FPS is excessive for most scenarios, and the visual quality reduction likely outweighs the marginal benefit over High.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. Ultra at 112 FPS is still playable, but High at 135 FPS provides a better safety margin. Medium at 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 is arguably the best choice for 4K, as it balances visual fidelity with frame rate stability. Low at 232 FPS is unnecessary, as the GPU is already delivering high performance at Medium. Overall, the data suggests that High settings at 1080p and 1440p, and Medium settings at 4K, offer the best combination of visual quality and performance across the tested configurations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 provides a solid foundation for the RTX 5090 without becoming a limiting factor. With 10 cores and 10 threads, the CPU lacks hyperthreading, but its boost clock of 4.90 GHz and 20 MB of shared L3 cache compensate for this. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong overall performance.

In Overpower, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with enough data to maintain high frame rates. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 292 FPS, which is close to the CPU's practical limit for frame generation. The fact that the 4K Low result of 232 FPS is only 20.5% lower than the 1080p Low result, while the 1080p High result is 178 FPS, suggests that the CPU is more stressed at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls.

The benchmark scores show that the CPU sits in a tight cluster with its rivals, all within 0.5% of each other. This indicates that the Core Ultra 5 225 is not a performance outlier but rather a reliable mid-range processor. The PassMark multi-thread score of 30459 and single-thread score of 4412 confirm its capability. The real question is whether the CPU can sustain the high frame rates the GPU is capable of producing. The data suggests it can, as evidenced by the 292 FPS result at 1080p Low, which is close to the theoretical maximum for most games. The lack of a significant bottleneck at 4K, where the GPU is fully utilized, further confirms that the CPU is not holding back this combination.