Ready Or Not

Ready Or Not is a tactical shooter that leans heavily on both CPU and GPU, and this specific pairing of an Intel Core i5-12400 with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D produces a fascinating dataset. The measured frames per second across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower resolutions, but begins to show the CPU’s influence as the workload shifts. The RTX 5090 D, with its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 21,760 shading units, is an absolute powerhouse, while the Core i5-12400, a 6-core, 12-thread Alder Lake part, provides a solid but not top-tier foundation. The data shows a combo that can push well beyond 500 FPS at 1080p Low, but the scaling to 4K Ultra tells a story of diminishing returns and a clear bottleneck shift.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation from the measured FPS data is how dramatically performance drops as resolution increases, especially at higher settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 519 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 358 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls further to 187 FPS. This represents a 64% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is a massive hit. The pattern is consistent across all settings, but the absolute drop is largest at Low, where the GPU is less stressed and the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor.

At High settings, the scaling is similar: 449 FPS at 1080p, 284 FPS at 1440p, and 148 FPS at 4K. That’s a 67% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Medium, the figures are 494 FPS, 312 FPS, and 163 FPS respectively, a 67% drop as well. The Ultra preset shows the steepest relative decline: 316 FPS at 1080p, 199 FPS at 1440p, and just 104 FPS at 4K, which is a 67% reduction. The consistency of this ~64-67% reduction across all settings suggests that the scaling is primarily driven by the GPU’s pixel throughput limits, not by the CPU. The RTX 5090 D’s pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s is enormous, but rendering at 4K requires four times the pixels of 1080p, and the data reflects that raw workload increase.

However, the fact that 4K Ultra (104 FPS) is less than a third of 1080p Low (519 FPS) indicates that the combination of high resolution and Ultra settings is pushing the GPU to its absolute limits. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 83 FPS, while at 1080p it’s 203 FPS. This narrowing gap at higher resolutions shows that the GPU is becoming the sole bottleneck, with CPU headroom largely irrelevant. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely holding the system back from reaching even higher frame rates, but at 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the limiting component, as the CPU has plenty of room to feed it frames. The data strongly suggests that for this game, the RTX 5090 D is the star of the show at 4K, while the i5-12400 is sufficient but not exceptional at lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores show a solid mid-range performer: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15,989 and a single-core score of 2,257. The 3DMark 16-thread score is 5,873, while the single-thread score is 910. These numbers place the CPU in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms most processors but is not near the top. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7643, which scores 0.1% lower on average, and the Intel Core i3-14100F, which scores 0.9% higher. This shows the i5-12400 is a competent, mainstream chip, but it is not a high-end flagship.

In Ready Or Not, the CPU’s role becomes apparent when looking at the frame rate differences between settings at the same resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 203 FPS (519 vs 316), which is a massive gap. This indicates that at Low settings, the GPU is not the bottleneck, and the CPU is working to its maximum capacity to generate frames. The fact that the i5-12400 can push 519 FPS at 1080p Low shows that its 6 cores and 12 threads are more than adequate for this game’s CPU demands at lower graphics loads. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz helps maintain high single-thread performance, which is often crucial in tactical shooters where game logic and AI calculations are frequent.

However, the CPU’s limitations become clearer when comparing against what a higher-end CPU might achieve. The data does not include a direct comparison with a better CPU, but the 72nd percentile ranking suggests that there is headroom for improvement. At 1440p Medium, the average FPS is 312, and the minimum FPS is 265. This minimum frame rate is relatively close to the average, indicating that the CPU is providing reasonably consistent frame pacing. But at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 104, and the CPU’s performance is largely irrelevant, as the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The CPU’s cache configuration—18 MB of shared L3 cache—is adequate for gaming, but it’s not the massive L3 pools found on some competing parts. The data suggests that the i5-12400 is a capable partner for the RTX 5090 D in this game, but it is not the ideal match for maximizing every last frame at 1080p, where a faster CPU could push even higher numbers.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 D in Ready Or Not?

A: At 4K resolution, the data shows the GPU is the primary bottleneck, with the CPU having plenty of headroom. At 1080p Low, the CPU is more likely to be a limiting factor, as the average FPS of 519 is very high but could potentially be higher with a faster processor. The CPU’s 72nd percentile ranking and its benchmark scores suggest it is a solid mid-range chip, but it is not the absolute best for pushing frame rates at lower resolutions.

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1440p offers an excellent balance. At High settings, the average FPS is 284, which is well above 144Hz refresh rates. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 199 FPS, still very high. 4K is playable, but the Ultra preset drops to 104 FPS average, which may be below the refresh rate of some high-end monitors. 1080p yields extremely high frame rates, but the CPU becomes more of a factor.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest rivals in terms of overall benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, scores 76,904, which is 1.1% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940, which is 1.6% higher. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396, 2.1% higher, and the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605, 2.4% higher. This indicates the RTX 5090 D performs in a similar range to these cards in synthetic benchmarks, though the game-specific results are what matter.

Q: Does the game scale well with the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads?

A: The benchmark scores show the i5-12400 has strong multithreaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15,989 and a 3DMark max-threads score of 5,890. The data from Ready Or Not shows that the CPU can deliver very high frame rates, especially at lower resolutions, which suggests the game is not heavily dependent on more than 6 cores. The single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 score of 2,257, is also solid, which is important for game logic.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Medium and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 4K, Medium settings yield an average FPS of 163, while Ultra settings yield 104 FPS. This is a difference of 59 FPS, or a 36% reduction in performance when moving from Medium to Ultra. The minimum FPS on Medium is 139, which provides a smoother experience than the Ultra preset’s average of 104 FPS.

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

A: The combo ranks 43rd out of 3,714 tested combos in Ready Or Not. This places it in the top 1.2% of all tested systems, which is an excellent result. The high rank is largely due to the RTX 5090 D’s massive performance, while the i5-12400 provides enough CPU power to not drag down the overall results significantly.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers extremely high frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 519. Moving to Medium, the average is 494 FPS, with a minimum of 420 FPS and a maximum of 568 FPS. High settings produce an average of 449 FPS. Ultra settings drop the average to 316 FPS. This shows that at 1080p, even the most demanding preset is playable on high refresh rate monitors, though the difference between Low and Ultra is significant.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains very strong. Low settings average 358 FPS. Medium settings average 312 FPS, with a minimum of 265 FPS and a maximum of 359 FPS. High settings average 284 FPS. Ultra settings average 199 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is substantial, but all settings remain above 190 FPS, making 1440p an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings average 187 FPS. Medium settings average 163 FPS, with a minimum of 139 FPS and a maximum of 187 FPS. High settings average 148 FPS. Ultra settings drop to an average of 104 FPS. While 4K is playable, the Ultra preset’s 104 FPS average may be a concern for those with 120Hz or 144Hz 4K displays, as it will not fully saturate them. The Medium preset at 4K, with its 163 FPS average and 139 FPS minimum, provides a smoother experience than Ultra. The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p for maximum frame rates, 1440p for a balance of speed and fidelity, and 4K for visual quality at the cost of raw frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of all tested combinations for Ready Or Not, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a rank of 43 out of 3,714 combos. This places it in the top 1.2% of all systems tested, which is an outstanding result. The high rank is almost entirely attributable to the RTX 5090 D’s immense power. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 77,712 puts it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, and its performance in this game is exceptional, as evidenced by the high frame rates at all resolutions.

The CPU’s contribution to this rank is more modest. The i5-12400’s 72nd percentile ranking among all CPUs means it is a good but not elite processor. In a game like Ready Or Not, which appears to be more GPU-bound at higher resolutions, the CPU’s limitations are less impactful. However, at 1080p Low, where the CPU is more of a factor, the combo still manages 519 FPS, which confirms the CPU’s adequate performance. The rank of 43 suggests that there are 42 other combos that perform better, likely featuring higher-end CPUs paired with the same or similar GPUs. The data implies that while this combo is extremely fast, a more powerful CPU could push it higher, particularly at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset at 316 FPS average is more than sufficient for any current monitor, and the extra visual fidelity is worth the frame rate cost compared to Low. If a player has a 360Hz or higher refresh rate monitor, the Low preset at 519 FPS would be the choice, but for most users, Ultra at 1080p is the best experience, as it provides a high frame rate and the best image quality.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 199 FPS, which is excellent for 144Hz and 165Hz monitors. This is the recommended setting, as it provides a high frame rate and the full visual experience. The High preset at 284 FPS is only necessary for those with 240Hz monitors who want to maximize frame rates, but the visual difference between High and Ultra is often minimal. Medium at 312 FPS is also viable, but the extra frames are less noticeable than the graphical improvements from Ultra.

At 4K, the situation is more nuanced. The Ultra preset’s average of 104 FPS is playable, but it may not be smooth enough for competitive play or for those sensitive to frame rate drops. The High preset at 148 FPS is a better choice for 144Hz 4K monitors, providing a good balance of quality and speed. The Medium preset at 163 FPS average, with a minimum of 139 FPS, is the best option for maintaining a high, consistent frame rate at 4K. The difference between Medium and High is often subtle in tactical shooters, but the 15 FPS average increase is tangible. For the smoothest 4K experience, Medium is the recommended setting, as it offers the best combination of frame rate and visual fidelity based on the measured data. The Low preset at 187 FPS is also an option for those who prioritize frame rate above all else, but the visual compromise is significant.