Ready Or Not

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a highly variable experience in Ready Or Not, with performance heavily dependent on resolution and quality settings. At 1080p, the combination delivers exceptional frame rates, while 4K Ultra presents a significant challenge. The data reveals a clear shift in system bottleneck from the CPU at lower resolutions to the GPU at higher ones, with the RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM and compute capabilities ultimately capping the experience at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a steep performance curve as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 205 FPS, which is a massive 83.6% higher than the 111.9 FPS recorded at 1080p Ultra. This substantial gap indicates that even at 1080p, the graphics settings have a pronounced effect on output, suggesting the system is not entirely CPU-bound at this resolution, but rather responsive to GPU workload changes.

Moving to 1440p, the average FPS at High settings is 100.3, which is a 38% reduction compared to the 161.8 FPS at 1080p High. This drop is significant and points to the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor. The scaling from 1440p to 4K further confirms this. At 4K High, the average FPS falls to 55.9, a 44.3% decrease from the 1440p High result. This consistent and large percentage drop with each resolution step is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario.

The most telling data point is the 4K Ultra result, which averages just 39.8 FPS. This is barely playable for a tactical shooter, and it represents a 64.4% drop from the 1080p Ultra score of 111.9 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is severe. In contrast, the scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low is less punishing, with a drop from 205 FPS to 67.8 FPS (a 66.9% reduction). This pattern suggests that while the GPU is the main bottleneck at 4K, the CPU still has a role to play at lower settings where the GPU can produce frames quickly.

The data shows the RTX 2060 cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K, especially with higher quality presets. The difference between 4K Low (67.8 FPS) and 4K High (55.9 FPS) is a 17.5% performance penalty for increased visual fidelity. The jump to 4K Ultra (39.8 FPS) is another significant 28.8% drop from High, illustrating the heavy cost of the Ultra preset's additional effects and geometry. The limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its benchmark performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and a single-core score of 3093. This processing power is more than sufficient to drive the high frame rates seen at 1080p.

The CPU's role in Ready Or Not is most apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 205 FPS, a figure that is likely near the CPU's maximum frame output capability for this game. The fact that the FPS drops to 179.1 at 1080p Medium and 161.8 at 1080p High shows that as the GPU's workload increases, the frame rate decreases, meaning the CPU is no longer the sole limiting factor. However, the high scores at 1080p indicate the i5-14400F is not a bottleneck at this resolution.

In the overall CPU benchmark rankings, the i5-14400F sits in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12800H, has an average score of 32513, which is a 0% deltaPct. This indicates the i5-14400F's processing power is on par with that mobile processor. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 is also nearly identical, with a deltaPct of 0.2%. This data suggests the CPU has ample headroom for gaming, and its performance is unlikely to be the primary constraint in most scenarios.

The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory likely contribute to its solid performance. However, the most critical observation is that the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a significant drop, which is not consistent with a CPU-limited system. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions. Since the FPS drops by 38% from 1080p High to 1440p High, the data clearly shows the CPU is not the limiting component in this configuration.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is based on the Turing architecture and features 1920 shading units, 30 RT cores, and 240 tensor cores. It has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. Its memory subsystem consists of 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is a key factor in its 4K performance.

The GPU's role is defined by its average benchmark score and its position relative to other cards. It sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, having a deltaPct of 0.5%. This places the RTX 2060 in the mid-range tier. In Ready Or Not, this translates to the performance seen at 1440p and 4K.

The 6 GB VRAM is likely a significant limitation at 4K Ultra. The high-resolution textures and effects in the Ultra preset can easily exceed this capacity, leading to the low 39.8 FPS average. The data supports this, as the scaling from 4K High to 4K Ultra is a massive 28.8% drop, which is more severe than the drop from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra (44.8% drop). This suggests that the Ultra preset at 4K is particularly demanding, likely due to memory pressure and the increased compute load on the GPU's 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The GPU's performance is also reflected in its DirectX 12 benchmark score of 53 in Passmark, which is its lowest API-specific score. This indicates the card is not particularly strong in modern API workloads, which Ready Or Not likely utilizes. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242 further confirms its mid-range positioning. The RTX 2060 can handle 1440p High at 100.3 FPS, which is a good result, but the 4K data shows it is out of its depth at that resolution, especially with the Ultra preset.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The combination achieves an average of 161.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, indicating excellent performance for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How much of a performance drop occurs when moving from 1440p High to 4K High?

A: The average FPS falls from 100.3 at 2560x1440 to 55.9 at 3840x2160, which is a 44.3% reduction. This significant drop indicates the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at 4K.

Q: Is the 6 GB VRAM on the RTX 2060 sufficient for 4K Ultra in this game?

A: The data suggests it is not. The 4K Ultra average is just 39.8 FPS, which is a 28.8% drop from the 4K High result of 55.9 FPS. This steep decline indicates the Ultra preset likely exceeds the GPU's memory and compute capabilities.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F's average benchmark score is 32508, while its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12800H, scores 32513, resulting in a 0% deltaPct. This means the two processors have nearly identical overall performance in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a high frame rate?

A: At 1440p with High settings, the combo achieves 100.3 FPS. For higher frame rates, 1080p High offers 161.8 FPS. The 4K resolution is only viable at Low settings, where the average is 67.8 FPS.

Q: What does the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 14111 indicate about its performance tier?

A: With a score of 14111, the RTX 2060 sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. This places it in the mid-range tier, which is consistent with its performance in Ready Or Not where it excels at 1080p and 1440p but struggles at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is ranked 1437 out of 1748 tested combos in Ready Or Not. This places it in the lower half of all tested configurations, indicating that while it is a functional pairing, it is not a top-tier performer for this specific title.

This ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. The CPU is a strong performer, sitting in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU's 58th percentile ranking pulls the overall combo down. The data shows the system is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. However, the GPU's 6 GB VRAM and compute power are insufficient for 4K Ultra, which is where the combo's ranking suffers.

The fact that the combo is ranked 1437 out of 1748 suggests that many other pairings offer better performance in this game. This is not surprising given the RTX 2060 is an older, mid-range card. The overall ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's inability to maintain high frame rates at 4K, as evidenced by the 39.8 FPS average at 4K Ultra. In contrast, the CPU's strong single-core performance, as shown by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093, ensures the system is not CPU-limited at lower resolutions, allowing the GPU to perform to its full potential. The combo's rank is a clear indicator that for Ready Or Not, this configuration is a 1080p and 1440p solution, not a 4K one.