Ready Or Not

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D produces a dataset for Ready Or Not that highlights a significant imbalance between the two components. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at 4K, yet becomes progressively more CPU-limited as resolution drops. This analysis walks through the measured rows to interpret what the numbers indicate about the limiting component, the role of the GPU and CPU, and the optimal settings for this specific combination.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a classic pattern of bottleneck shifting. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 423 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces that to 284 FPS, a drop of 139 FPS (approximately 32.9%). Moving further to 4K High yields 148 FPS, which is another 136 FPS reduction (approximately 47.9%) from the 1440p figure. The percentage drop between 1080p and 1440p is similar to the drop between 1440p and 4K, but the absolute delta remains large, indicating that the GPU is still heavily tasked even at 1440p.

However, the Low settings row tells a more nuanced story. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 459 FPS. At 1440p Low, it achieves 358 FPS, and at 4K Low, it produces 187 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p Low is a 101 FPS drop, but the 1440p to 4K Low drop is 171 FPS. This demonstrates that even with reduced graphical load, the jump to 4K quadruples the pixel count, placing a heavy burden on the RTX 5090 D’s rendering pipeline.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiting factor. The difference between 1080p Low (459 FPS) and 1080p High (423 FPS) is only 36 FPS, a relatively small gap considering the substantial graphical fidelity difference between Low and High presets. This narrow margin indicates the Ryzen 5 5500 cannot feed frames fast enough to fully utilize the RTX 5090 D at this resolution, regardless of the GPU load. In contrast, at 4K, the gap between Low (187 FPS) and High (148 FPS) is 39 FPS, a similar absolute number, but the overall frame rate is much lower, suggesting the GPU is now the dominant constraint. The data indicates that the 4K Ultra preset, which yields 104 FPS, is the point where the GPU is fully saturated, and the CPU headroom is no longer the primary factor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a 32 GB GDDR7 card with a 512-bit memory bus and 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is listed at 2407 MHz. These specifications are critical for interpreting the 4K results. The measured 187 FPS at 4K Low indicates that even at the lowest settings, the sheer volume of pixels at 3840x2160 demands substantial memory bandwidth and shading power. The GPU’s 21760 shading units and 680 texture mapping units are clearly capable of handling the geometry and texture work, as evidenced by the high frame rates.

The role of the 32 GB VRAM is not directly measurable from the FPS data alone, but the presence of this capacity ensures that the GPU is not spilling over into system memory at any of the tested presets, including 4K Ultra. The data shows a consistent, if not linear, progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution. At 4K, the progression is 187 FPS (Low), 163 FPS (Medium), 148 FPS (High), and 104 FPS (Ultra). This represents a 44.4% drop from Low to Ultra, which indicates the Ultra preset introduces effects (likely advanced lighting and shadows) that heavily tax the GPU’s compute units.

The GPU’s benchmark percentile of 92 versus all GPUs places it in the top tier, and its raw compute performance is reflected in the ability to maintain 148 FPS at 4K High. The nearest rival data for the GPU lists the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with a deltaPct of -1.6, meaning the RTX 5090 D scores 1.6% lower in aggregate benchmarks, but this does not translate directly to game performance. In this specific title, the RTX 5090 D’s clock speeds and memory bandwidth are sufficient to drive high refresh rates at 1440p, but the data shows that the CPU becomes a bottleneck before the GPU’s full potential is realized at 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal preset for this combo depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 4K displays, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot. It delivers 163 FPS, which is 15 FPS higher than High (148 FPS) and 59 FPS higher than Ultra (104 FPS). The Medium preset also provides the only min/max data in the 4K range, with a min of 139 FPS and max of 187 FPS. This indicates that Medium maintains a stable frame delivery, avoiding the dips that would likely occur on the heavier High and Ultra presets, which have no min/max data recorded. Choosing Ultra at 4K would sacrifice 59 FPS for the highest fidelity, but the data suggests that Medium provides a smoother experience.

For 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice. It produces 284 FPS, which is 28 FPS lower than Medium (312 FPS) but 85 FPS higher than Ultra (199 FPS). The High preset strikes a balance between visual quality and performance, keeping the frame rate well above the 240 Hz refresh rate that many 1440p monitors target. The Low preset at 1440p yields 358 FPS, but the visual compromise is likely too steep for the marginal FPS gain over Medium.

At 1080p, the data suggests that the CPU is the bottleneck, so the choice of preset is less impactful on FPS. The difference between Low (459 FPS) and High (423 FPS) is only 36 FPS, while Medium (437 FPS) sits between them. Given that the CPU is limiting, the Ultra preset (316 FPS) is the only one that shows a significant drop, suggesting it adds computational load that the CPU cannot process quickly. For 1080p, the High preset is recommended as it provides the best visual quality without a substantial FPS penalty, yielding 423 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p has a recorded min FPS of 372, indicating some frame pacing variance, while High does not have this data, implying more consistent delivery.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 69th out of 2947 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.3% of all systems tested for Ready Or Not. This is a strong ranking, but it is not indicative of a perfectly balanced system. The high rank is primarily driven by the RTX 5090 D’s immense performance, which carries the combo through the 4K and 1440p tests. However, the Ryzen 5 5500’s limitations at 1080p prevent this combo from ranking higher, as many other combos with faster CPUs and slower GPUs would likely achieve closer frame rates at lower resolutions.

The CPU’s nearest rival data shows the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 with a deltaPct of -0.1, indicating they are nearly identical in average benchmark score. The Intel Core i5-12500 is -0.4, and the Intel Core i7-10700F is +0.5. This places the Ryzen 5 5500 in a competitive mid-range tier, but its single-thread and multi-thread scores (Cinebench R23 single-core 2319, multi-core 16429) are modest compared to higher-end CPUs. The data indicates that in CPU-bound scenarios, such as 1080p in this game, the combo’s frame rate is capped by the CPU’s ability to process game logic and draw calls. The 69th rank reflects the GPU’s dominance, but the system would likely rank much higher if paired with a stronger CPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. Its 16 MB of L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth are the key specifications for gaming performance. In Ready Or Not, a tactical shooter that likely depends on single-thread performance for game logic and physics, the CPU’s boost clock of 4.20 GHz is the primary driver. The measured FPS at 1080p, where the GPU is not the bottleneck, shows the CPU’s ceiling.

The data reveals that the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p. The difference between Low (459 FPS) and High (423 FPS) is 36 FPS, which is a smaller gap than the 148 FPS difference between 1440p and 4K at High. This suggests that the CPU can only push roughly 420-460 FPS in this game, regardless of the graphical load at 1080p. The 1080p Ultra preset (316 FPS) is likely causing the CPU to stall on additional draw calls or AI calculations, resulting in a significant drop.

The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429 indicates decent multi-threaded performance for a 6-core chip, but the single-core score of 2319 is more relevant to gaming. The data suggests that the Ryzen 5 5500’s single-core performance is sufficient for high frame rates, but it is not strong enough to fully utilize the RTX 5090 D at 1080p. The 3dmark single-thread score of 836 and the passmark single-thread score of 3058 reinforce this finding. For 4K gaming, the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the GPU is fully engaged, but for esports or high-refresh 1080p play, the CPU will hold the system back.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS ranges from 459 (Low) to 316 (Ultra). The High preset produces 423 FPS, and Medium produces 437 FPS with a min of 372 and max of 503. The data shows that the CPU is the limiting factor here, as the FPS does not scale dramatically with GPU load.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 358 (Low) to 199 (Ultra). The High preset produces 284 FPS, and Medium produces 312 FPS with a min of 265 and max of 359. The scaling shows the GPU beginning to take over as the primary constraint, with the Ultra preset dropping significantly below the 240 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 187 (Low) to 104 (Ultra). The High preset produces 148 FPS, and Medium produces 163 FPS with a min of 139 and max of 187. This is the resolution where the GPU is fully saturated, and the data shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate. The Ultra preset’s 104 FPS is the only measurement below 144 FPS, indicating that it is too demanding for a smooth 4K experience.

FAQ

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

A: The data indicates that 1440p High provides 284 FPS, which is above most high-refresh displays. 4K High yields 148 FPS, which is playable on 144 Hz monitors, but 1440p offers a more comfortable margin above 240 Hz.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data shows that the difference between 1080p Low (459 FPS) and 1080p High (423 FPS) is only 36 FPS, indicating the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU load has minimal impact on the frame rate.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a better experience than High at 1440p?

A: No, the Ultra preset at 1440p produces 199 FPS, which is 85 FPS lower than High (284 FPS). The visual gain from Ultra is not worth the significant frame rate drop.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 69th out of 2947 tested combos, placing it in the top 2.3% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the data?

A: The lowest min FPS recorded is 139 FPS at 4K Medium settings. No min FPS data is provided for other settings.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra preset playable?

A: The 4K Ultra preset produces an average of 104 FPS, which is above 60 FPS, but it is the lowest measured average and may result in less consistent frame pacing compared to Medium (163 FPS).