Overpower

Overpower, the 2023 action title, presents a fascinating performance profile for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination. The benchmark data reveals a system that is remarkably consistent across resolutions, but the performance ceiling is clearly defined by the GPU rather than the CPU. At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers 74 FPS, a solid playable number, yet the scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K indicates that the RTX 3080 is the primary bottleneck, while the 24-core processor has ample headroom left untapped. This pairing ranks in the 74th percentile of all tested combos in this game, a strong showing that underscores a balanced, if not GPU-limited, configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the performance limits lie. At 1080p High settings, the combo averages 117 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 105 FPS, a 10.3% decrease. The jump to 4K High brings the average down to 89 FPS, which is a further 15.2% reduction from 1440p. This steady, linear decline is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The render resolution is increasing, demanding more from the graphics card, and the frame rate responds proportionally.

The pattern becomes even more pronounced when examining the Low settings, which reduce the load on the GPU and allow the CPU to stretch its legs. At 1080p Low, the system hits 203 FPS. At 1440p Low, it manages 181 FPS, and at 4K Low, it still achieves 154 FPS. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is a 24.1% drop, which is less severe than the 31.6% drop seen at High settings. This suggests that even at lower graphical fidelity, the GPU is still the limiting factor, but the gap narrows as the CPU's potential becomes more relevant.

The data indicates that the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is never the bottleneck. The FPS scaling is almost entirely dictated by the resolution and settings, which affects the GPU's workload. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions, where the GPU has less work to do. Instead, the FPS continues to rise as resolution drops, confirming that the RTX 3080 is the component working at its limit. The 4K Ultra result of 74 FPS, while playable, shows that this GPU is pushed to its maximum, whereas the CPU sits with headroom for more demanding tasks.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: The combination achieves an average of 105 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is a strong result that indicates smooth gameplay for most users on high refresh rate monitors.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS scales almost linearly with resolution, dropping from 117 FPS at 1080p High to 89 FPS at 4K High, which is a classic sign of a graphics card bottleneck.

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

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 780th out of 2980 tested combos in the database. This places it in the top 26.2% of all configurations.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 203 on Low settings to 98 on Ultra settings. This 105 FPS difference (a 51.7% reduction) highlights the significant graphical load that Ultra settings place on the GPU.

Q: What is the single-core performance of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus?

A: The processor scores 736 points in the Cinebench R15 single-core test and 4823 points in the Passmark single-thread test. These scores are indicative of excellent single-threaded performance, though the game's results show it is not the primary constraint.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the RTX 3080 and how does it relate to performance?

A: The RTX 3080 has a memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. This high bandwidth is crucial for feeding the GPU's 8704 shading units, especially at higher resolutions where the demand for texture data increases, helping to maintain the frame rates observed in the 4K benchmarks.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a powerhouse processor with 24 cores and 24 threads, based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz and it can boost up to 5.80 GHz. This CPU is built for heavy multi-threaded workloads, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and its Passmark multi-thread score of 60860. However, in Overpower, the data shows that this processing power is not the bottleneck.

The game's FPS is consistently high, and the scaling pattern points to GPU limitations. At 1080p Low, the system can push 203 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that would test many CPUs. The fact that it achieves this suggests that the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's logic and draw calls. The CPU's percentile rank of 96 among all CPUs further confirms its top-tier status, meaning it outperforms 96% of all processors in the database.

The CPU's role here is to provide a stable foundation for the GPU to perform at its best. With a Passmark single-thread score of 4823 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303, it ensures that no frame is held back by processing delays. The 24 threads provide ample parallelism for background tasks, but in this specific game, the 5.80 GHz boost clock is likely what matters most for maintaining high frame times, ensuring the GPU is never starved of data. The data suggests that the CPU is not just sufficient but has significant headroom, as the FPS is entirely dictated by the GPU's rendering capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scale of all tested hardware combinations in Overpower, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 secures a rank of 780 out of 2980. This places it in the 74th percentile, a strong result that puts it ahead of the majority of systems. This ranking is particularly impressive when considering that the RTX 3080 is an older, end-of-life GPU, yet it still manages to outrank a significant portion of the field.

The CPU's contribution to this ranking is undeniable. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. It sits just 0.2% ahead of its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which has an average score of 83807. This top-tier CPU performance helps boost the combo's overall ranking, even when paired with a GPU that is in the 68th percentile of all graphics cards.

However, the combo's rank of 780 is likely held back by the GPU. The RTX 3080, with an average benchmark score of 23172, is only 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA P106-100 in the database. This mid-pack GPU performance means that while the CPU is a top performer, the overall system is pulled down by the graphics card's comparative performance in the broader landscape. The ranking shows a system that is powerful, but not at the absolute top tier, due to the balance between an elite CPU and a solid, but not top-of-the-line, GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the definitive performance limiter in this configuration for Overpower. Based on the Ampere architecture, this GPU features 8704 shading units, 68 RT cores, and 272 tensor cores. It has 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. These specifications allow it to render the game at high frame rates, but the data shows it is consistently working at its maximum capacity.

The GPU's role is to handle the pixel and texture processing, and the FPS numbers reflect its workload. At 1080p Medium, it delivers 127 FPS, but at 4K Medium, that number falls to 96 FPS. The min FPS at 4K Medium is 82, while at 1080p Medium it is 108, showing that the GPU's performance variability increases with resolution. This is a classic sign of a GPU being pushed to its limits, where frame times become less consistent.

The RTX 3080’s 10 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this game at all tested settings, as there is no indication of a performance cliff that would suggest memory capacity issues. The GPU's boost clock of 1710 MHz and its 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are the key drivers of its rendering speed. The data shows that the GPU is the primary component determining FPS, as the performance scales directly with resolution and settings. The GPU's percentile rank of 68 indicates it is a solid mid-to-high-range performer, but its age is showing when compared to newer top-tier cards, explaining why the overall combo rank is not higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system's performance across various settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the system's performance scales as follows:

• Low: 203 FPS average.
• Medium: 127 FPS average, with a minimum of 108 and a maximum of 146.
• High: 117 FPS average.
• Ultra: 98 FPS average.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop accordingly:

• Low: 181 FPS average.
• Medium: 113 FPS average, with a minimum of 96 and a maximum of 130.
• High: 105 FPS average.
• Ultra: 87 FPS average.

At the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the performance is as follows:

• Low: 154 FPS average.
• Medium: 96 FPS average, with a minimum of 82 and a maximum of 110.
• High: 89 FPS average.
• Ultra: 74 FPS average.

These numbers paint a clear picture. The system is capable of delivering very high frame rates at 1080p, even exceeding 200 FPS on Low settings. At 1440p, it remains highly playable, with all settings above 87 FPS. At 4K, the system is still capable of hitting the 60 FPS mark on Ultra settings, but the margins become tighter. The data shows a consistent performance hierarchy: lower resolution and settings yield higher FPS, with the GPU being the sole determinant of the final frame rate. The lack of a CPU bottleneck is evident, as the FPS scales smoothly with the GPU's workload.