Overpower

Overpower, an action title from 2023, exhibits a clear and consistent scaling pattern across the tested resolutions for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary performance driver, with frame rates scaling predictably with resolution. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves a 280 FPS average on Low settings, which drops to 213 FPS at 3840x2160 on the same preset, showing a 24% reduction. However, the most significant observation is the impact of settings at higher resolutions; the gap between Low and Ultra presets widens considerably as resolution increases, confirming that the RTX 5080's capabilities are the limiting factor for achieving maximum visual fidelity.

The measured results show that this pairing is heavily GPU-bound, even at 1080p. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings results in an 11% performance drop, from 163 FPS to 145 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K at the same High preset incurs a further 15% reduction, landing at 123 FPS. This pattern is consistent across all settings, with the total performance cost from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra being a substantial 64% decrease in average frame rate, from 280 FPS down to 102 FPS. This demonstrates that while the processor can feed frames efficiently at lower resolutions, the graphics card's workload becomes the decisive factor for high-resolution gaming, a conclusion reinforced by the fact that the RTX 5080's average benchmark score places it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a predictable and linear scaling pattern that is characteristic of a system where the graphics card is the bottleneck. At the lowest tested settings, the performance drop from 1080p to 4K is 24%, from 280 FPS to 213 FPS. This relatively modest decline suggests that even at 4K with Low settings, the GPU has enough headroom to maintain a high level of performance, but it is still the component that limits the final output. The scaling becomes more aggressive as visual fidelity increases. At Medium settings, the drop from 1080p to 4K is 24% as well, moving from 175 FPS to 133 FPS. However, at High settings, the reduction is 25%, from 163 FPS to 123 FPS, and at Ultra, the decline steepens to 24%, from 135 FPS to 102 FPS.

The most telling data point is the performance delta between the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference is 145 FPS, a 52% reduction in performance. At 1440p, this gap narrows to 130 FPS, a 52% reduction. At 4K, the gap is 111 FPS, also a 52% reduction. While the percentage is consistent, the absolute numbers highlight that the RTX 5080 is being pushed increasingly harder as resolution climbs. The min FPS data at Medium settings also supports this, with the 4K minimum of 113 FPS being significantly lower than the 1080p minimum of 149 FPS, indicating that frame pacing becomes more challenging at higher resolutions. The data clearly shows that for this action game, the RTX 5080 is the limiting component, and users seeking the highest frame rates should target 1440p or lower.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the Ultra preset is only viable for users with high refresh rate displays at 1440p, where it achieves a 120 FPS average. At 4K, the Ultra preset delivers a 102 FPS average, which is playable but does not fully utilize a 144Hz or higher refresh rate monitor. The data suggests that the High preset provides the most balanced experience. At 4K, it delivers a 123 FPS average, which is a 21% improvement over Ultra while maintaining a high level of visual quality. At 1440p, the High preset's 145 FPS average is a strong target for competitive play, and at 1080p, it reaches 163 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience on any display.

The Medium preset is a solid fallback for those who prioritize frame rate above all else. It delivers a 133 FPS average at 4K and a 156 FPS average at 1440p. The gap between Medium and High is relatively small, with High being only 8% faster at 4K and 7% faster at 1440p. This indicates that the visual uplift from Medium to High is efficient in terms of performance cost. The Low preset, while offering the highest frame rates, is not recommended for a game of this genre, as the visual compromise is likely too significant to justify the performance gain. The optimal setting for this combo is the High preset, as it offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance across all tested resolutions, with the Ultra preset reserved for users with the most powerful displays at 1440p.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 138th out of 2980 tested combos for Overpower. This places the system in the top 5% of all configurations tested, a strong result that confirms its high-end positioning. The ranking is a composite measure that considers both the CPU and GPU's performance in this specific game, and the data indicates that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for the title. The CPU's performance, as measured by its average benchmark score, places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. This combination of two top-tier components results in a system that can handle the game's demands at the highest settings and resolutions.

The rank of 138 confirms the balance of this pairing. The CPU is not so powerful that it is wasted in this GPU-bound scenario, and the GPU is not so weak that it becomes the sole limiting factor at lower resolutions. The nearest rivals for the CPU include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which is 0.2% slower in average benchmark score, and the AMD EPYC 4584PX, which is 1.1% slower. For the GPU, the nearest rival is the AMD Radeon 8060S, which is 0.6% slower, and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, which is 2.2% faster. These small deltas indicate that this system is at the very top of its class, with only a handful of other combinations able to deliver a better experience in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its raw horsepower. The Low preset yields an average of 280 FPS, establishing a baseline for maximum performance. Medium increases visual quality while still delivering a high 175 FPS average, with a minimum of 149 FPS and a maximum of 202 FPS. High settings provide a 163 FPS average, and Ultra, the most demanding preset, still produces a very playable 135 FPS average. The scaling is smooth, with each step up in settings costing a predictable amount of performance. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU combination has more than enough power to ensure that the display is the only limiting factor.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptional. Low settings deliver a 250 FPS average, while Medium produces a 156 FPS average with a minimum of 133 FPS and a maximum of 180 FPS. High settings are close behind at 145 FPS, and Ultra settings still manage a 120 FPS average. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not severe, with the High preset dropping from 163 FPS to 145 FPS, a 12% decrease. This suggests that 1440p is the sweet spot for this system, offering a significant resolution upgrade while maintaining frame rates that are well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. At 3840x2160, the system starts to show its limits, but it remains highly capable. Low settings deliver a 213 FPS average, while Medium provides a 133 FPS average with a minimum of 113 FPS. High settings drop to 123 FPS, and Ultra settings produce a 102 FPS average. While the 4K Ultra preset is the only configuration that dips below the 120 FPS mark, it is still a very strong result for the highest resolution and settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the central component in this system's performance, as the data clearly shows that the game's frame rate is more sensitive to resolution and settings changes than to any other factor. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This substantial memory bandwidth is crucial for handling the texture and geometry data required at 4K resolution, and it is a key reason why the GPU is able to maintain playable frame rates at the highest settings. The GPU's boost clock of 2617 MHz and its 10752 shading units allow it to process the complex shaders and effects found in a modern action game. Its compute power, rated at 56.28 TFLOPS, is more than sufficient for this title, as evidenced by the high frame rates at every resolution.

The GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8637 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 255450, confirms its position as a high-end part. Its percentile ranking of 87th among all GPUs, while lower than the CPU's ranking, still places it in the top tier. The nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 8060S, is only 0.6% slower in average benchmark score, but the data shows that in Overpower, the RTX 5080's architecture is well-suited to the game's demands. The GPU's role is to be the primary determinant of frame rate, and the measured results show that it performs this role admirably, with the only notable performance dips occurring at the most demanding 4K Ultra preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus provides the computational foundation for this system, but its role in Overpower is secondary to that of the GPU. The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, ensure that there is no processor bottleneck that would prevent the RTX 5080 from reaching its full potential. The CPU's strong single-thread performance, as indicated by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303, is important for game logic and physics, but the data suggests that the game's frame rate is not limited by the CPU at any tested resolution. The transition from 1080p Low to 4K Low results in a 24% FPS drop, which is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's increased workload at higher resolutions.

The CPU's high multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731, ensures that it can handle any background tasks or streaming workloads without impacting game performance. Its average benchmark score of 84003 places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, and it is only 0.2% faster than its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. In this game, the CPU's role is to provide a stable and powerful platform for the GPU to operate. The data shows that it succeeds in this role, as the frame rates scale smoothly with GPU load, and there is no evidence of a CPU-induced performance cap. The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory further contribute to a responsive system, but the measured FPS in Overpower is determined almost exclusively by the RTX 5080.