Overpower

Overpower is a 2023 Action title that demands a delicate balance between CPU and GPU throughput. The data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D shows a configuration that is heavily skewed toward GPU dominance, delivering exceptional frame rates at every resolution but revealing a clear performance ceiling imposed by the processor at lower settings. This combination ranks in the top 1% of all tested configurations, making it a formidable, albeit specialized, pairing for high-refresh-rate gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates where the bottleneck lies in this system. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 303 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 291 FPS, a negligible 4% decrease. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 248 FPS, which is still remarkably high but represents an 18% drop from the 1080p figure. This pattern indicates that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU is struggling to keep up with the GPU's immense frame-generation capacity.

The scaling behavior changes dramatically when settings are raised. At Ultra settings, the average FPS goes from 157 at 1080p, to 140 at 1440p, and finally to 119 at 4K. This is a much steeper drop-off, with the 4K Ultra result being 24% lower than the 1080p Ultra result. The data suggests that as the graphical load increases, the pressure shifts from the CPU to the GPU. The RTX 5090 D, while incredibly powerful, still sees its performance scaled by the increasing pixel count and shader complexity, demonstrating that even a top-tier GPU has limits under maximum load.

The most telling statistic for bottleneck analysis is the difference between Low and Ultra at the same resolution. At 1080p, the gap is 146 FPS (303 vs 157), while at 4K, the gap narrows to 129 FPS (248 vs 119). This shrinking delta at higher resolutions confirms that the CPU is the primary limiting factor in low-detail scenarios. The GPU has so much headroom at 1080p Low that the processor cannot feed it data fast enough. At 4K Ultra, the GPU's workload becomes so demanding that the CPU has more time to provide the necessary frames, allowing the GPU to become the primary constraint. This is a classic sign of a pairing where a very high-end GPU is held back by a mid-range processor in lighter scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the context of all tested combinations for Overpower, this specific CPU-GPU pairing achieves a rank of 12 out of 2980 configurations. This places it in the top 0.4% of all setups, indicating that its absolute performance is exceptional. The data confirms that this is not merely a high-performing pair, but one that sits at the very apex of the benchmark database for this game.

This high ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU. The RTX 5090 D's performance percentile of 92 (versus all GPUs) is a substantial factor. The CPU, while respectable, sits at the 90th percentile against all CPUs, which is high but not elite. The synergy between the two, however, is what pushes this combo to rank 12. The GPU's raw power is so immense that even with a CPU that is only slightly above average in relative terms, the combination overwhelms nearly all other tested pairings. For perspective, the CPU's average benchmark score is 48995, placing it near the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which is a strong multi-core processor, but the GPU's average score of 77712 is what truly separates this build from the pack.

The rank of 12 out of 2980 suggests that only a handful of configurations with even more powerful CPUs (or better-optimized pairings) were able to outperform it. For a builder, this data suggests that while the Core Ultra 5 245 is a competent partner, it is the RTX 5090 D that is doing the heavy lifting to secure such a prestigious ranking. The combo confirms the GPU's dominance in this specific title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This is a 14-thread processor without hyper-threading, which is a notable design choice for a modern desktop chip. The architecture is Arrow Lake, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC, and it supports DDR5 memory. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache is a significant resource for gaming.

In Overpower, the CPU's role becomes clear when examining the FPS data at lower settings. With a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, the single-thread performance is strong, which is crucial for game logic and draw calls. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 confirms this capability. However, the 14-thread count limits the potential for background tasks and heavily multi-threaded game engines. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 is solid, but it is not in the same league as higher-core-count rivals.

The benchmark results indicate that this CPU can drive frame rates well past 300 FPS at 1080p Low, which shows that its single-core speed is more than adequate for high-refresh-rate gaming. However, the fact that the 1080p Low score (303 FPS) is not significantly higher than the 1440p Low score (291 FPS) points to a CPU limitation. If the GPU were the sole bottleneck, the 1080p result would be much higher. The data suggests that the CPU's maximum frame output is capped around the 300 FPS mark in this game, regardless of resolution, when settings are low. The processor's PassMark single-thread score of 4394 and multi-thread score of 38706 further illustrate a component that is balanced but not extreme in either category, making it the weaker link in this otherwise top-tier pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the combo's performance across a matrix of settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS scales from 303 at Low to 204 at Medium, 189 at High, and 157 at Ultra. The minimum FPS recorded at this resolution was 174 (at Medium), indicating that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate remains well above 144 Hz. This resolution is where the CPU bottleneck is most apparent, as the GPU is never fully utilized.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 291 (Low), 182 (Medium), 169 (High), and 140 (Ultra). The 1440p Medium setting shows a minimum of 155 FPS and a maximum of 209 FPS, suggesting a stable experience for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors. The drop from Low to Medium is 109 FPS, which is a massive reduction and highlights the significant increase in GPU load. The 4K results at 3840x2160 are still impressive: 248 FPS (Low), 155 FPS (Medium), 144 FPS (High), and 119 FPS (Ultra). The 4K Medium setting shows a min of 132 and max of 178, which is a wider variance, but the average of 155 FPS is still very playable.

The data shows a clear pattern: the step from Low to Medium is the most punishing for performance, typically causing a 30-40% drop in FPS. The steps from Medium to High and High to Ultra are more gradual. For a builder, this implies that if you are targeting 4K, the High preset is a sweet spot, offering 144 FPS on average. If you have a 240Hz 1440p monitor, the Low preset can push you to 291 FPS, but the Medium preset will keep you near 182 FPS, which is still excellent.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a monolithic powerhouse. It is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process and features a massive 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides a staggering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is a key reason why the card scales so well to 4K, as it can handle the massive texture data required at high resolutions without becoming a bottleneck.

The GPU's clock speeds are a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz. The FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS is immense, allowing for raw compute power that is rarely fully utilized in gaming. The card's performance percentile of 92 versus all GPUs, combined with its average benchmark score of 77712, puts it in the upper echelon of graphics cards. However, the nearestRivals data is interesting, showing it is only 1.1% ahead of an AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT in average score, a laptop part, which suggests that the "D" variant may have specific driver or software limitations in synthetic tests, even if its gaming FPS is clearly top-tier.

In Overpower, the GPU's role is to be the ultimate resolution scaler. The data shows that it is capable of maintaining over 240 FPS at 4K Low, which is an extraordinary feat. The 32 GB VRAM is future-proof and ensures that no texture or shader pack will cause memory swapping. The card's ability to push 119 FPS at 4K Ultra affirms its raw power. The bottleneck is never the VRAM or the memory bandwidth; it is purely the computational load of the pixel shaders. The GPU is the star of this show, and the measured FPS data confirms that it is the component responsible for the combo's top-tier ranking.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming at maximum settings?

A: Yes. The data shows an average of 119 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play and suitable for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for the GPU?

A: Yes, but only in low-detail scenarios. At 1080p Low, the FPS is 303, which is barely higher than the 291 FPS at 1440p Low. This indicates the CPU is limiting the max frame rate, while at higher settings, the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

Q: How does this combo rank against other systems?

A: It ranks 12th out of 2980 tested combinations for Overpower, placing it in the top 0.4% of all configurations in the database.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz 4K monitor?

A: The High preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 144 FPS, which is a perfect match for a 144Hz display. The Ultra preset drops to 119 FPS, which may still be acceptable if you prefer visual fidelity over a locked refresh rate.

Q: Does the CPU's 14-thread count limit performance?

A: The data suggests it does in some cases. While the single-core boost clock of 5.10 GHz is strong, the 14-thread count means the CPU can become a limiting factor in CPU-bound scenarios (low settings, low res). The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 is solid, but it is the single-thread score of 4648 that keeps gaming performance respectable.

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

A: The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth from the 32 GB GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus ensures that there is no memory-related bottleneck at 4K. The data shows only a 24% drop from 1080p Ultra (157 FPS) to 4K Ultra (119 FPS), indicating the memory system is more than sufficient for the increased pixel workload.