Ready Or Not

Ready Or Not, a tactical shooter from 2021, exhibits a clear performance hierarchy when paired with the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that is heavily influenced by both the graphics card and the processing power available. The data shows a predictable pattern where higher resolutions and more demanding settings reduce output, but the margins between these steps provide insight into where the bottleneck lies for this specific combination.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates how the RTX 4070's workload scales with pixel count. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 211 FPS at 1080p to 133 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 70 FPS at 4K. This represents a 37% decrease when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, indicating that the GPU is becoming increasingly saturated as resolution rises.

At the Ultra preset, the pattern intensifies. The system produces 148 FPS at 1080p, which falls to 94 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 49 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than half of the 1080p Ultra figure, showing a 67% reduction in performance. This steep decline suggests that the 4K Ultra setting pushes the RTX 4070 near its limits, with the game's demanding visual effects at that level creating a significant strain on the graphics processor.

The Low preset tells a different story. At 1080p, the system achieves 266 FPS, which is the highest measured result across all configurations. At 1440p, it drops to 168 FPS, and at 4K, it maintains 88 FPS. The percentage drops are 37% from 1080p to 1440p and 48% from 1440p to 4K, which are similar ratios to the High preset. However, the absolute frame rates are much higher, indicating that the CPU has more headroom to feed the GPU at lower settings.

Medium settings follow a middle path. The measured average is 232 FPS at 1080p, 146 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 4K. The frame time data for Medium shows a minimum of 197 FPS and a maximum of 267 FPS at 1080p, while at 1440p the minimum is 124 FPS and the maximum is 168 FPS. At 4K, the minimum is 65 FPS and the maximum is 88 FPS. These ranges indicate that the game is less stable at higher resolutions, with the gap between minimum and maximum widening as the GPU becomes more constrained.

The data reveals that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the high frame rates across all settings suggest the CPU, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is capable of keeping up with the GPU. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 118 FPS, which is substantial. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra narrows to 39 FPS, showing that the GPU is now the primary constraint. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Choosing the optimal preset depends on the target display and desired visual fidelity. For a 1080p display, the Ultra preset provides an average of 148 FPS, which is well above the typical 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The data shows that even the most demanding setting at this resolution is highly playable, making Ultra the recommended choice for users with standard monitors. The High preset at 211 FPS offers even more headroom for high-refresh-rate panels, but the visual difference between High and Ultra may not justify the frame rate sacrifice for all users.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 133 FPS, which is excellent for a 144Hz monitor. The Ultra preset at 94 FPS is still very playable and provides a richer visual experience. Given that the minimum frame rate for Medium at 1440p is 124 FPS, the High preset likely offers a similar or better stability profile. The recommendation is to use High for competitive play and Ultra for a more immersive experience, as both are well within acceptable performance bounds.

The 4K resolution presents a challenge. The Ultra preset averages only 49 FPS, which may result in noticeable stuttering in a tactical shooter where precision is key. The High preset at 70 FPS is a better option, providing a smoother experience while still maintaining good visual quality. Medium at 76 FPS is marginally faster, but the drop in visual fidelity may be noticeable. For serious play at 4K, the High preset is the most balanced choice, as it stays above the 60 FPS mark without sacrificing too much graphical detail.

The Low preset is not recommended for any resolution, as the frame rate gains are not worth the significant reduction in visual quality. At 1080p, Low achieves 266 FPS, but the game will look barren. The data shows that the system is powerful enough to handle higher settings at this resolution, so there is no reason to compromise. At 4K, Low at 88 FPS is better than Ultra, but the High preset at 70 FPS is a more reasonable middle ground.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Ready Or Not?

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 provides the best balance between visual quality and performance. The High preset at this resolution averages 133 FPS, which is smooth and leaves room for high refresh rates, while the Ultra preset at 94 FPS is also viable. 1080p offers higher frame rates but may not fully utilize the GPU, and 4K shows a significant performance drop, especially at Ultra settings.

Q: How does the Ultra preset affect performance compared to High?

A: The Ultra preset consistently reduces frame rates across all resolutions. At 1080p, the drop is 63 FPS from High to Ultra (211 to 148). At 1440p, the drop is 39 FPS (133 to 94). At 4K, the drop is 21 FPS (70 to 49). The impact is proportionally larger at lower resolutions, suggesting that the Ultra settings add a significant load on the GPU.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in Ready Or Not?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K, the High preset achieves 70 FPS, which is playable. The Medium preset achieves 76 FPS, and the Low preset achieves 88 FPS. However, the Ultra preset only manages 49 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for a fast-paced tactical shooter. The system can handle 4K, but users may need to adjust settings to maintain smooth gameplay.

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

A: The measured data for Medium settings shows a minimum and maximum for each resolution. At 1920x1080, the range is 197 to 267 FPS. At 2560x1440, the range is 124 to 168 FPS. At 3840x2160, the range is 65 to 88 FPS. The wider range at lower resolutions indicates more fluctuation, while the 4K range is tighter but at a lower overall level.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in this game?

A: The data suggests that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are high across all settings, indicating that the CPU (with 16 cores and a 5.40 GHz boost clock) can keep up. At 4K, the performance difference between Low and Ultra is smaller, showing that the RTX 4070's rendering capabilities are the main constraint.

Q: How does the combo rank against other tested systems?

A: This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 1580 out of 2947 tested combos for Ready Or Not. This places it in the middle of the pack, indicating that while it is not a top-tier configuration, it is also not a low-end one. The performance data shows it is capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles at 4K Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 266 FPS. The Medium preset averages 232 FPS, with a minimum of 197 FPS and a maximum of 267 FPS. The High preset averages 211 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 148 FPS. All settings at this resolution are well above 144 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but drops noticeably. The Low preset averages 168 FPS. The Medium preset averages 146 FPS, with a minimum of 124 FPS and a maximum of 168 FPS. The High preset averages 133 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 94 FPS. This resolution offers a good balance, with High and Medium both providing smooth experiences.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are considerably lower. The Low preset averages 88 FPS. The Medium preset averages 76 FPS, with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS. The High preset averages 70 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 49 FPS. The 4K resolution is playable at Medium and High settings, but the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS target.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step up in resolution reduces the average FPS by a significant margin. The difference between 1080p and 1440p is substantial, and the difference between 1440p and 4K is even more pronounced. This highlights the GPU's workload scaling with pixel count.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 1580 out of 2947 tested combos for Ready Or Not. This places it in the 54th percentile, meaning it performs better than a little over half of all tested configurations. This is a solid mid-range result, reflecting a balanced system that can handle the game well at most settings.

The CPU itself has a percentile rank of 95 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 76212. This puts it in the top 5% of processors, showing that the Ryzen 9 8945HX is a high-end mobile chip. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, has an average score of 76155, a 0.1% difference, making them essentially equal in raw processing power.

The GPU has a percentile rank of 81 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37648. This places it in the top 20% of graphics cards. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P4, has an average score of 37628, a 0.1% difference. The RTX 4070 is a capable mobile GPU, but it is not at the very top of the performance hierarchy.

The combo's rank in this game is lower than the individual component ranks would suggest. This is likely due to the game's specific demands, which may not scale perfectly with the CPU's strengths. The data shows that the system performs well at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra result drags down its overall standing.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 64 MB L3 cache. This is a powerful mobile CPU, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and single-core score of 6030. These scores indicate strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance.

In Ready Or Not, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the system achieves 266 FPS on Low settings, which suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck. The high single-core performance, as shown by the Cinebench R23 single-core score, helps maintain high frame rates in a game that likely relies on a few primary threads for game logic.

The CPU's multi-threading capabilities, with 32 threads, may also help with background tasks and AI processing in the game. The PassMark multi-thread score of 51405 and the data compression score of 677755 show that the CPU can handle complex workloads. However, the game's performance at 4K shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor, meaning the CPU has enough power to feed the graphics card at all settings.

The nearest CPU rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D with a 0.6% higher average score, show that the 8945HX is competitive with desktop-class processors. The 0.1% difference with the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX suggests that this mobile chip is at the top of its class, providing ample processing headroom for Ready Or Not.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is a mobile GPU based on the Ada Lovelace architecture. It has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, with a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The core clock is 1920 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost, with 5888 shading units. This configuration gives it a PassMark G3D score of 26927, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's role in Ready Or Not is critical, especially at higher resolutions. At 4K, the Ultra preset averages just 49 FPS, showing that the GPU is the primary constraint. The 12 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures, but the raw compute power of the GPU is what limits performance at 4K Ultra. The 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a key metric, but it is not enough to maintain high frame rates at the most demanding settings.

At 1440p, the GPU performs well, with the High preset averaging 133 FPS. This shows that the RTX 4070 is well-suited for this resolution, providing a smooth experience. The 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth helps with texture loading and data transfer, which is important in a game with detailed environments.

The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, has a 1.3% higher average score, making it a slightly more powerful option. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 is 0.4% lower, showing that the RTX 4070 is in a competitive tier. The data indicates that the GPU is a strong performer for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K with the Ultra preset.