Overpower

# Overpower with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060

This combination pairs Intel's flagship 24-core Arrow Lake Refresh desktop processor with NVIDIA's Turing-based GeForce RTX 2060, a GPU that launched in 2019 and now sits near the middle of the performance distribution. The combo ranks 2334th out of 2980 tested combinations in Overpower, placing it in the lower third of all tested systems. That ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's 58th percentile standing among all GPUs, while the CPU sits at the 96th percentile among all CPUs — a stark imbalance that shapes every benchmark result in this analysis. The data reveals a system where the processor has far more compute headroom than the graphics card can utilize, particularly at higher resolutions where the RTX 2060 becomes the clear bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

At position 2334 out of 2980 tested combos, this pairing sits roughly in the 22nd percentile of all combinations tested in Overpower. That places it well below the median system, which is expected given the RTX 2060's age and mid-range positioning. The GPU's average benchmark score of 15290 puts it at the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals including the GeForce GTX 580 (deltaPct 0), AMD Radeon 680M (deltaPct 0.1), RTX 3050 OEM (deltaPct 0.6), and Radeon RX 7600 (deltaPct 0.8) — all within 1% of the RTX 2060's average score. This clustering suggests the GPU is competitive with a broad range of mid-tier graphics solutions, but none of these rivals are particularly strong for modern gaming at high settings.

The CPU tells a completely different story. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus achieves an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 96th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Core Ultra 9 285K (deltaPct 0.2), AMD EPYC 4584PX (deltaPct 1.1), AMD EPYC 9135 (deltaPct 1.2), and AMD EPYC 7F72 (deltaPct -1.3). The CPU outperforms the EPYC 4584PX and EPYC 9135 by roughly 1% in average score, while the EPYC 7F72 edges it out by 1.3%. These margins are small, indicating the 290K Plus is firmly in flagship territory for desktop processors.

The disconnect between the CPU's elite standing and the GPU's mid-pack position creates a system that ranks far lower than the processor alone would suggest. In Overpower specifically, the combo's 2334th rank reflects the reality that game performance is gated by the graphics card in most scenarios. The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads provide massive parallel processing capability, but the RTX 2060's 6 GB of VRAM and Turing architecture limit what can be rendered on screen. This is a textbook case of CPU over-provisioning relative to GPU capability, and the benchmark data confirms it across every resolution tested.

FAQ

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

A: The combination ranks 2334th out of 2980 tested combos, placing it in the lower third of all systems tested. This rank is primarily constrained by the GPU's mid-tier performance rather than the CPU's flagship-level capabilities.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking compared to the GPU's?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus sits at the 96th percentile among all CPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs. This 38-percentage-point gap highlights a significant performance imbalance between the two components.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 2060's average benchmark score of 15290 is essentially tied with the GTX 580 (15283, deltaPct 0), Radeon 680M (15270, deltaPct 0.1), RTX 3050 OEM (15199, deltaPct 0.6), and Radeon RX 7600 (15171, deltaPct 0.8). All rivals are within 0.8% of the RTX 2060's score.

Q: What frame rates can this system achieve at 1080p with Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo averages 118 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all tested configurations. This suggests the system can handle competitive or fast-paced gaming at lower graphical presets.

Q: How much does the CPU outperform its nearest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores 84003 on average, which is 0.2% higher than the Core Ultra 9 285K (83807) and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090). The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% higher than the 290K Plus.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and how does it affect 4K performance?

A: The RTX 2060 has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system averages only 43 FPS, indicating that both VRAM capacity and bandwidth are limiting factors at 4K resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 118 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 105 FPS, a reduction of 13 FPS (approximately 11%). At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 89 FPS, which is 29 FPS below the 1080p figure — a 25% drop. These scaling patterns show that even at Low settings, the GPU struggles to maintain performance as pixel count increases.

The Medium settings row tells a similar story with more granular data. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 and maximum of 85 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 66 FPS (min 56, max 76), and at 4K Medium, it falls to 56 FPS (min 47, max 64). The 18 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K Medium represents roughly a 24% reduction, which is proportionally similar to the Low settings scaling. This consistency suggests the GPU is the primary limiter across all settings levels, with the CPU's substantial headroom never becoming a factor.

The High and Ultra settings show even steeper declines. High settings produce 68 FPS at 1080p, 61 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K — a 16 FPS total drop from 1080p to 4K. Ultra settings start at 57 FPS at 1080p, decline to 51 FPS at 1440p, and bottom out at 43 FPS at 4K. The 14 FPS drop from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra represents a 25% performance loss, nearly identical to the Low settings scaling. This uniform scaling across all presets indicates that the RTX 2060's rendering throughput, not memory bandwidth or CPU limitations, is the dominant factor determining frame rates.

The data implies that the CPU's 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock are never the bottleneck in Overpower. Even at 1080p Low, where the system reaches 118 FPS, the CPU is likely still delivering frames faster than the GPU can render them. The consistent 20-25% performance drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings levels is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where pixel count directly translates to rendering load.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 118 FPS, making this the only configuration to exceed 100 FPS. Medium settings average 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 and maximum of 85 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS for most gameplay. High settings average 68 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 57 FPS — just below the 60 FPS threshold that many players target for smooth gameplay. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 61 FPS, demonstrating the significant impact of graphical presets on this GPU.

At 2560x1440, performance decreases across the board. Low settings average 105 FPS, still well above 60 FPS but 13 FPS lower than the 1080p equivalent. Medium settings average 66 FPS (min 56, max 76), which is 8 FPS lower than 1080p Medium. High settings average 61 FPS, and Ultra settings average 51 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS target, and even High settings barely maintain playable frame rates. The Medium settings minimum of 56 FPS suggests occasional dips below 60 FPS during intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal for most settings. Low settings average 89 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium settings drop to 56 FPS (min 47, max 64). High settings average 52 FPS, and Ultra settings average 43 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest recorded in the entire dataset, and even the Medium settings minimum of 47 FPS indicates noticeable stuttering during demanding moments. The gap between 1080p Low (118 FPS) and 4K Ultra (43 FPS) is 75 FPS, representing a 64% reduction in performance.

The measured data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is the only resolution where all settings maintain at least 57 FPS, 1440p is viable for Low through High settings, and 4K is only practical at Low settings. The Medium settings rows provide the most complete picture with min/max data, revealing that the system's frame time consistency degrades as resolution increases. At 1080p Medium, the 63-85 FPS range indicates relatively stable performance, while at 4K Medium, the 47-64 FPS range shows wider variance and more frequent frame drops.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is an Arrow Lake Refresh processor built on TSMC's 3 nm process node, featuring 24 cores and 24 threads. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz boosts up to 5.80 GHz, and it carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU's 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it a flagship desktop part, and its benchmark results confirm this positioning — it achieves 51731 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7303 points in single-core, with a Passmark multi-thread score of 60860.

In Overpower, the CPU's role is largely theoretical because the RTX 2060 cannot generate enough frames to stress the processor. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the system reaches 118 FPS, the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor. The 24 cores provide massive parallel processing headroom, but games like Overpower rarely scale beyond a handful of threads. The CPU's single-core performance, evidenced by its 4823 Passmark single-thread score, is strong enough to handle game logic and physics without becoming a bottleneck.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Core Ultra 9 285K (83807, deltaPct 0.2) and AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090, deltaPct 1.1). The 290K Plus's 84003 average score is only 0.2% higher than the 285K, indicating that the 290K Plus offers marginal improvements over its predecessor. The EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% higher, suggesting that some server-class processors can outperform this desktop flagship in certain workloads. However, for gaming, these differences are negligible — the GPU is the determining factor.

The CPU's 5.80 GHz boost clock is particularly notable for gaming, as single-threaded performance often dictates minimum frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. However, the measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU limitation, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions at the same settings — but instead, we see significant drops from 1080p to 4K, confirming the GPU is the primary constraint.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and frame rate goals. At 1920x1080, Medium settings provide the best balance of visual quality and performance, averaging 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS. This configuration stays comfortably above 60 FPS even during demanding scenes, making it the recommended choice for most players. High settings at 1080p average 68 FPS, which is also viable, but the 6 FPS difference between Medium and High may not justify the visual improvement for some players. Ultra settings at 1080p average 57 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stuttering.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts to Low or Medium settings. Low settings average 105 FPS, providing excellent smoothness, while Medium settings average 66 FPS (min 56, max 76), which is borderline for 60 FPS gameplay. Players who prioritize frame rate consistency should choose Low, while those who want better visuals can opt for Medium and accept occasional dips below 60 FPS. High settings at 1440p average 61 FPS, which is technically playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra settings at 1440p average 51 FPS, making them unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings are recommended, averaging 89 FPS. This provides a playable experience at 4K, but the visual fidelity trade-off is significant. Medium settings at 4K average 56 FPS (min 47, max 64), which will result in frequent frame drops below 60 FPS. High and Ultra settings at 4K average 52 and 43 FPS respectively, making them impractical for anything other than screenshots or slow-paced exploration.

The data suggests that Medium settings at 1080p offer the best overall experience, with 74 FPS average and a 63 FPS minimum ensuring consistent performance. For players with 1440p monitors, Low settings provide the smoothest experience, while Medium is a reasonable compromise for those willing to tolerate occasional dips. The RTX 2060's 6 GB of VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming at these settings, but 4K Ultra settings likely exceed the GPU's memory capacity, contributing to the low 43 FPS average.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing architecture GPU built on TSMC's 12 nm process, featuring 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. It includes 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores, providing hardware support for ray tracing and DLSS, though these features are not reflected in the measured FPS data. The GPU's base clock of 1365 MHz boosts to 1680 MHz, and it has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 160 W TDP and dual-slot design are modest by modern standards, and the GPU's end-of-life production status confirms its age.

The RTX 2060's benchmark scores place it at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 15290. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.8% of this score: the GTX 580 (15283, deltaPct 0), Radeon 680M (15270, deltaPct 0.1), RTX 3050 OEM (15199, deltaPct 0.6), and Radeon RX 7600 (15171, deltaPct 0.8). This tight clustering indicates that the RTX 2060 is performance-equivalent to a range of GPUs from different generations and market segments. The Passmark G3D score of 14111 and DirectX 12 score of 53 provide additional context, though the latter suggests the GPU struggles with the most demanding DirectX 12 workloads.

In Overpower, the RTX 2060's 6 GB of VRAM is likely the most significant limitation. At 4K Ultra settings, the system averages only 43 FPS, which is the lowest result in the dataset. This poor performance can be attributed to both the GPU's raw compute capability (6.451 TFLOPS FP32) and its memory capacity, as 6 GB is insufficient for high-resolution textures in modern games. The 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is also modest by current standards, which may contribute to the frame rate drops at higher resolutions.

The GPU's 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present but likely unused in Overpower, as the game's genre and the measured settings do not indicate ray tracing or DLSS usage. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution and settings, suggesting that the RTX 2060 operates within its intended envelope. However, the significant performance gap between this GPU and the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus means the system's overall capability is far below what the CPU alone could support. The RTX 2060's 58th percentile ranking, combined with the CPU's 96th percentile, creates a system that is balanced for 1080p gaming but struggles at higher resolutions.