Overpower

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a top-tier experience in Overpower, landing at rank 61 out of 2,980 tested combos. This places the pairing in the top 2% of all configurations, a position driven almost entirely by the GPU’s raw horsepower. The CPU, while competent, is not the star here; it provides enough throughput to avoid bottlenecking the graphics card at most settings, but the data shows the RTX 4090 is doing the heavy lifting. The combination is exceptionally fast, but the gap between this combo and the very best is defined by the processor’s mid-pack standing relative to other CPUs.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 61 out of 2,980 tested combinations is a strong showing, but it is not a podium finish. The data indicates that while the RTX 4090 is a top-tier GPU, the Core Ultra 5 245 holds the pairing back from the absolute top tier of results. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 48,995 places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, which is good, but its nearest rivals show how tight the competition is at this level. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G scores 49,196, a mere 0.4% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49,228, a 0.5% advantage. The Intel Core i5-14600K is 0.8% behind at 48,618, and the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H is 0.6% behind at 48,698.

These small percentage differences mean that in a game like Overpower, which appears to be sensitive to CPU performance, the choice of processor can shift the final ranking. The RTX 4090’s own benchmark scores are similarly clustered, with an average score of 60,347. The GPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, scores 60,326, a 0% delta, while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 2.5% higher at 61,896. This clustering suggests that the measured FPS in Overpower is not just a function of raw hardware scores but also how the game engine utilizes the specific architectures.

In practice, the rank of 61 means this combo will crush the vast majority of systems, but it is not the absolute fastest. The data shows that the 4090’s massive compute resources are only partially utilized at lower resolutions, where the CPU becomes the limiting factor. At 4K, the GPU takes over, and the combo’s rank improves relative to what the CPU alone would suggest. The takeaway is that this is a high-end pairing with a clear bottleneck profile: CPU-limited at 1080p, GPU-limited at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. The memory clock is 1,313 MHz, with an effective data rate of 21 Gbps. This massive memory pool and bandwidth are crucial for Overpower, which at Ultra settings and 4K resolution demands large frame buffers and fast data transfer. The GPU’s base clock is 2,235 MHz, boosting to 2,520 MHz, and it contains 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs.

The RTX 4090 also has 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores, though the benchmark data for Overpower does not specify whether ray tracing or DLSS is enabled. The raw compute power is staggering: 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s. This translates directly to the measured FPS. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 109 FPS, which is exceptionally high for a demanding resolution and settings combination. The GPU’s 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its elite status, though its average benchmark score of 60,347 is remarkably close to the Intel Arc Pro A60’s 60,326, showing that synthetic benchmarks do not always predict real-world gaming performance.

The 24 GB of VRAM is particularly relevant. At 4K Ultra, Overpower is unlikely to exceed this capacity, meaning the combo avoids any texture swapping or stutter that might occur on 16 GB cards. The 21 Gbps effective memory speed ensures that the GPU can feed its 16,384 shading units without starving them. The data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 4090 is the primary driver of FPS, and its memory subsystem is a key reason why the combo maintains high frame rates even at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p, the combo is heavily CPU-bound. The average FPS at Low settings is 299, which is near the theoretical limit for a high-refresh monitor, but the jump from 1080p to 1440p is modest, and from 1440p to 4K is even smaller in relative terms. This indicates that the CPU is the bottleneck at lower resolutions, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. At 1080p Low, the CPU is working hard to feed the GPU, and the frame rate is likely limited by the Core Ultra 5 245’s single-thread performance.

As resolution increases, the load shifts to the GPU. At 1440p, the average FPS at Low is 267, a drop of 32 FPS from 1080p, but still very high. At 4K Low, the average is 227, a further drop of 40 FPS. This scaling shows that the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor at 4K, but the CPU still has a role. The most telling data comes from the Medium settings, which include min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 187 FPS, with a min of 159 and a max of 215. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 167 FPS, with a min of 142 and a max of 192. At 4K Medium, the average is 142 FPS, with a min of 120 and a max of 163.

The gap between min and max FPS widens as resolution increases, suggesting that the GPU is encountering more variable workloads. The CPU’s role is evident in the fact that the 1080p to 1440p drop is only 20 FPS at Medium, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 25 FPS. This is a textbook example of a system transitioning from CPU-limited to GPU-limited. The RTX 4090’s power is fully unleashed at 4K, but at 1080p, the Core Ultra 5 245’s 14 cores and 14 threads are not enough to push frame rates to the 300+ territory that the GPU could theoretically achieve.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full set of measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the combo delivers an average of 299 FPS on Low, 187 FPS on Medium, 173 FPS on High, and 144 FPS on Ultra. The Medium settings show a min of 159 FPS and a max of 215 FPS, indicating a 56 FPS range, which is relatively wide and suggests some scene-to-scene variability. At 1440p, the averages are 267 FPS on Low, 167 FPS on Medium, 155 FPS on High, and 128 FPS on Ultra. The Medium settings have a min of 142 FPS and a max of 192 FPS, a 50 FPS range.

At 4K, the averages are 227 FPS on Low, 142 FPS on Medium, 131 FPS on High, and 109 FPS on Ultra. The Medium settings have a min of 120 FPS and a max of 163 FPS, a 43 FPS range. The data shows that the combo is playable at 4K Ultra with an average of 109 FPS, which is a remarkable achievement for a 2023 game. The progression from 1080p Ultra (144 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (128 FPS) to 4K Ultra (109 FPS) shows a steady decline, but the frame rates remain high throughout.

The Low settings are particularly interesting because they show the CPU’s ceiling. At 1080p Low, the 299 FPS average is likely close to the maximum that the CPU can deliver, as the GPU is far from being taxed. At 4K Low, the 227 FPS average is still very high, but the drop from 1080p is 72 FPS, which is more than the 32 FPS drop seen at Medium settings. This suggests that at Low settings, the GPU is still not fully utilized at 4K, and the CPU remains a factor. The Ultra settings show a different story, with the 4K average of 109 FPS being only 35 FPS lower than the 1080p average of 144 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiter at Ultra.

FAQ

*Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in Overpower?*

A: Yes, at lower resolutions and settings. The data shows a 299 FPS average at 1080p Low versus a 227 FPS average at 4K Low, which is a 72 FPS drop. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 48,995, which is only 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, indicate it cannot fully feed the GPU at 1080p.

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Overpower with this combo?*

A: The data indicates 4K Ultra is viable, with an average FPS of 109. However, for the highest frame rates, 1080p Low delivers 299 FPS. The sweet spot for balanced visuals and performance is 1440p High, which averages 155 FPS, or 4K Medium at 142 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4090’s memory configuration affect performance?

A: The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for 4K Ultra settings, as the average FPS of 109 suggests no memory-related stuttering. The 21 Gbps effective memory speed ensures the 16,384 shading units are well-fed.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 61st out of 2,980 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2% of all systems. This is driven by the RTX 4090’s 88th percentile ranking among GPUs, while the CPU’s 90th percentile ranking is a secondary factor.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48,995. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G is 0.4% faster at 49,196, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 is 0.5% faster at 49,228, while the Intel Core i5-14600K is 0.8% slower at 48,618, and the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H is 0.6% slower at 48,698.

Q: Does the combo perform better at higher resolutions?

A: Relative to its own capabilities, yes. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 144 FPS, while at 4K Ultra, it is 109 FPS, a 24.3% drop. This smaller percentage drop compared to the Low settings (24.3% vs. 24.1%) shows that the GPU becomes more dominant at 4K, reducing the CPU bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is dual-channel DDR5, with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. This is a modern, efficient processor, but its 14 threads are the key limitation in Overpower.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are respectable but not class-leading. In Cinebench R23, it scores 32,924 in multi-core and 4,648 in single-core. In PassMark, it scores 38,706 in multithread and 4,394 in single-thread. These scores place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, but its nearest rivals show how close the competition is. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900’s 0.5% higher average score of 49,228 suggests that the Core Ultra 5 245 is not a top-tier gaming CPU, and this is reflected in the Overpower results.

In Overpower, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p and Low settings. The 299 FPS average at 1080p Low is a clear sign that the CPU is the limiting factor, as the RTX 4090 could deliver much higher frame rates if the CPU could keep up. The 14 threads are likely insufficient for the game’s physics and AI calculations at high frame rates. The single-thread performance, while good, is not exceptional, as shown by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,648. The boost clock of 5.10 GHz helps, but the CPU cannot sustain the frame rates that the GPU’s 82.58 TFLOPS of compute would allow.

At 4K Ultra, the CPU’s role diminishes, but it still matters. The 109 FPS average is high, but the data shows that the combo does not reach the absolute top ranks, which are likely occupied by CPUs with higher single-thread scores, such as the Intel Core i5-14600K, which is 0.8% behind in average score but may have better gaming performance. The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s is also a factor, as Overpower may be sensitive to memory latency and throughput. Overall, the Core Ultra 5 245 is a capable mid-range CPU that pairs well with the RTX 4090 at high resolutions, but it holds the combo back from being the absolute fastest at lower resolutions.