Overpower

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a playable but not overwhelming experience in Overpower, with the GPU clearly acting as the primary constraint across all tested resolutions. The data shows a system that can handle competitive frame rates at 1080p but struggles to maintain high-refresh performance as pixel count climbs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 143 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 127 FPS, a reduction of 16 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 108 FPS. This scaling pattern—a 35 FPS total drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings—indicates the RTX 2070 SUPER is doing the heavy lifting, with the CPU's headroom not being the limiting factor at these settings.

The gap widens dramatically at higher graphical presets. With Ultra settings, the system delivers 69 FPS at 1080p, 61 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is 17 FPS, a 24.6% reduction. This is a tighter percentage drop than what is seen at Low settings, where the 4K figure sits 24.5% below the 1080p number. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests the GPU is the bottleneck regardless of preset, with the 8GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth becoming the decisive factors as resolution increases.

At Medium settings, the measured range tells a more detailed story. At 4K, the combo averages 68 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. This 21 FPS spread between min and max is notable, indicating frame pacing variance under load. At 1440p Medium, the average is 79 FPS with a range of 67 to 91 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, the average is 89 FPS with a 76 to 102 FPS range. The fact that the minimum frame rate at 4K Medium (57 FPS) is only slightly above the 4K Ultra average (52 FPS) suggests that Ultra settings push the GPU to its absolute limits, with little margin before noticeable stutter.

The RTX 2070 SUPER's 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 113.3 GPixel/s pixel rate are modest by modern standards, and the data reflects this. The 256-bit memory bus and 14 Gbps effective memory speed yield 448.0 GB/s, which becomes saturated at 4K with high-quality textures. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings—83 FPS to 63 FPS, a 24.1% drop—is nearly identical to the Ultra preset's percentage decline, reinforcing that the GPU is the singular limiting component. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, with its 24 cores and 24 threads boosting to 5.80 GHz, is nowhere near being the bottleneck in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Overpower, this pairing ranks 1686 out of 2980 total combos. That places it in the 43rd percentile of all tested systems, meaning a majority of configurations deliver higher frame rates. The combo's position reflects the RTX 2070 SUPER's age and tier; it was launched in 2019 with a successor already on the market. The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus score of 65 indicates it outperforms roughly two-thirds of all GPUs in the database, but in a modern action game like Overpower, that translates to mid-pack performance.

The CPU, by contrast, is a top-tier part. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 84003 places it just 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K in the nearestRivals list. This is a marginal lead, essentially a statistical tie. The 290K Plus also edges out the AMD EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% and the AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.2%, while trailing the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%. These deltaPct values are all within a narrow band, confirming that the CPU is not differentiating this combo's gaming performance.

The 1686th rank out of 2980 combos is a direct consequence of the GPU pairing. The CPU's strength is neutralized in Overpower because the frame rates are dictated by the graphics card. A system with a weaker CPU but a stronger GPU would almost certainly rank higher in this specific title. The data shows that for this game, the combo is firmly GPU-limited, and the CPU's 24 cores and 3 nm process node provide no tangible benefit at 4K where the GPU is saturated. The rank of 1686 suggests that buyers seeking higher frame rates in Overpower would need to prioritize GPU upgrades over CPU upgrades, as the 290K Plus is already more than sufficient.

FAQ

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

The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where the combo consistently exceeds 60 FPS on all presets. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 69 FPS, while 1440p Ultra drops to 61 FPS and 4K Ultra falls to 52 FPS. For a stable 60+ FPS experience, 1080p is the safe choice, though 1440p High at 74 FPS is also viable.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Overpower?*

Yes, but with compromises. At 4K Low, the combo averages 108 FPS, which is smooth. At 4K High, it drops to 63 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 52 FPS. The 4K Medium setting is the sweet spot for quality and performance, averaging 68 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003. This is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83807), 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090), and 1.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 9135 (82980). It trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 (85072) by 1.3%.

Q: What is the frame rate range at Medium settings across resolutions?

The measured data shows a consistent pattern. At 1080p Medium, the average is 89 FPS with a range of 76 to 102 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 79 FPS with a range of 67 to 91 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 68 FPS with a range of 57 to 78 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the bottleneck in this game?

The data strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The RTX 2070 SUPER's percentileVsAllGpus is 65, and the frame rate drops consistently as resolution increases. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus is 96, and its 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom. In Overpower, the GPU is the limiting component at all tested settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

This combo ranks 1686 out of 2980 total combos tested for Overpower. This places it in the lower half of the field, consistent with the GPU's mid-tier status. The CPU's high percentile does not boost the rank because the game is GPU-bound.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, the Medium preset is the recommended choice across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers an 89 FPS average with a minimum of 76 FPS, providing a smooth and responsive experience with no risk of dropping below 60 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the 79 FPS average and 67 FPS minimum keep the action fluid, though the minimum frame rate is closer to the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K Medium, the 68 FPS average with a 57 FPS minimum is playable, but the minimum dips below 60 FPS, which could cause noticeable hitches in intense scenes.

For players prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, the High preset is viable at 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p High, the 83 FPS average is only 6 FPS lower than Medium, a minor cost for improved graphics. At 1440p High, the 74 FPS average remains above 60 FPS, making it a good option for gamers with 1440p monitors. At 4K, High settings yield a 63 FPS average, which is borderline; the minimum frame rate is not measured, but the average suggests occasional drops below 60 FPS.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this combo. At 1080p Ultra, the 69 FPS average is acceptable, but at 1440p it drops to 61 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 52 FPS. The visual gains from Ultra over High are typically marginal in action games, yet the performance cost is steep—10 FPS at 1080p, 13 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K. The Low preset, while delivering high frame rates (143 FPS at 1080p), sacrifices too much visual quality and is only advisable for competitive play where frame rate is paramount.

The data suggests a tiered approach: use Medium for guaranteed smoothness at all resolutions, High for a quality/performance balance at 1080p and 1440p, and avoid Ultra unless the user accepts sub-60 FPS averages. The measured minimum frame rates at Medium—57 FPS at 4K, 67 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 1080p—provide the only min/max data available, indicating that Medium offers the most predictable performance envelope.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 143 FPS, the highest figure in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 89 FPS average with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 102 FPS, a 26 FPS spread. High settings drop the average to 83 FPS, while Ultra settings reduce it further to 69 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra is a 74 FPS decline, illustrating the GPU's sensitivity to graphical preset intensity.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 127 FPS, which is 16 FPS lower than at 1080p. Medium settings average 79 FPS with a range of 67 to 91 FPS, a 24 FPS spread that is slightly tighter than at 1080p. High settings average 74 FPS, and Ultra settings average 61 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 66 FPS, a smaller absolute drop than at 1080p due to the GPU being more saturated at higher resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed to its limits. Low settings average 108 FPS, still a playable number, but Medium settings drop to 68 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. High settings average 63 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 52 FPS. The range at 4K Medium (57-78 FPS) is the widest in the dataset, indicating significant frame time variance at this resolution. The jump from 1080p to 4K at Low settings (143 to 108 FPS) is a 35 FPS loss, while at Ultra settings the loss is 17 FPS (69 to 52 FPS), showing that the GPU has less headroom to lose at higher presets.

The data reveals that the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is a limiting factor at 4K. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for high-resolution textures at High and Ultra settings, causing the average FPS to cluster in the 52-63 range. At 4K Low, the frame rate recovers to 108 FPS, suggesting that texture memory pressure is the primary issue rather than raw compute. The 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs provide adequate pixel throughput for 4K at lower settings, but the memory bandwidth becomes a wall at higher presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end desktop processor with 24 cores and 24 threads, based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The CPU is manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC, with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. This is a flagship part, and its synthetic benchmark scores reflect that: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303.

In the context of Overpower, the CPU's role is minimal. The game is clearly GPU-bound, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling with resolution and settings. The CPU's 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock provide far more processing power than the game requires, especially at 4K where the GPU is the bottleneck. The PassMark multithread score of 60860 and single-thread score of 4823 indicate a powerful processor, but these capabilities are not leveraged by Overpower's engine at the tested settings.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database are all server-class parts (AMD EPYC series) or the slightly older Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. The deltaPct values are all within 1.3%, meaning the 290K Plus's performance is statistically equivalent to these alternatives in synthetic benchmarks. This parity suggests that in a GPU-bound game like Overpower, swapping to any of these rival CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates, as the GPU would remain the limiting factor.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 at dual-channel with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for the RTX 2070 SUPER's needs. The GPU's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is the memory bottleneck, not the system's. The CPU also supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes, but the GPU is a PCIe 3.0 x16 part, so its bandwidth is capped at the older standard. This does not appear to impact performance, as the frame rates are consistently GPU-bound.

The data shows that the CPU's high benchmark scores do not translate to gaming advantage in this title. The combo's rank of 1686 out of 2980 is driven by the GPU. The 290K Plus's 96th percentile standing among all CPUs is irrelevant when the GPU is only in the 65th percentile. For Overpower, the CPU is a non-factor, and the RTX 2070 SUPER's age and memory configuration dictate the experience.