Ready Or Not

Ready Or Not, a tactical shooter released in 2021, presents a demanding workload for the combination of an Intel Core i7-12700K and an AMD Radeon RX 580. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is consistently bound by the graphics card, with the CPU providing ample headroom. The data shows a clear hierarchy of performance that shifts predictably with resolution, but the absolute frame rates indicate that this pairing is best suited for 1080p and, with compromises, 1440p gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, confirming that the AMD Radeon RX 580 is the primary limiting component in this configuration. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 94.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 60.0 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 36.4%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 32.7 FPS, which is a 65.3% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario; the Intel Core i7-12700K, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, is not the bottleneck at any resolution.

The trend is identical across all settings presets. For instance, on Low settings, the frame rate drops from 120.7 FPS at 1080p to 77.8 FPS at 1440p, and then to 39.0 FPS at 4K. The consistent proportional decline indicates that the game's rendering load scales almost entirely with pixel count, placing the full burden on the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The RX 580, with its 256-bit memory bus and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, simply cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K, regardless of the image quality preset.

The data strongly suggests that 4K is not a viable target for this hardware combination, even on the lowest settings. The 39.0 FPS average at 4K Low is below the threshold for a smooth tactical shooter experience, where precision and reaction time are critical. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with a near-halving of performance in most presets, underscoring the RX 580's limitations at resolutions beyond its designed target. The i7-12700K's high single-thread and multi-thread scores, such as its 3DMark single-thread score of 1043, are largely irrelevant here, as the GPU is saturated long before the CPU's capabilities are taxed.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and playable frame rates is found at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset. This configuration yields an average of 104.5 FPS, which is a significant improvement over the High preset's 94.4 FPS while still maintaining a substantial visual upgrade over Low. The jump from Medium to High costs 10.1 FPS, a 9.7% performance penalty, which may not be worth the marginal visual gains for competitive play. The Ultra preset, at 66.6 FPS, is the least efficient option at this resolution, representing a 36.2% drop from Medium for the highest quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the options become more constrained. The High preset delivers an average of 60.0 FPS, which is on the cusp of playability for a tactical shooter. However, the Medium preset provides a more comfortable buffer at 64.8 FPS. Given the genre's demand for consistent frame times, the Medium preset at 1440p is the recommended choice, as it offers a 8.0% performance increase over High while likely retaining most of the essential visual clarity for target identification. The Low preset at 77.8 FPS is viable but sacrifices too much environmental detail, which is crucial for spotting enemies in a game like Ready Or Not.

For 3840x2160, no settings preset provides a satisfactory experience. The highest average frame rate is 39.0 FPS on Low, which is below the 40 FPS threshold often considered the minimum for a playable, albeit not ideal, experience. The data indicates that users should avoid 4K resolution entirely with this hardware. The i7-12700K's processing power is wasted at this resolution, as the RX 580's 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply insufficient to drive the pixel count.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is unequivocally the performance ceiling for this system when playing Ready Or Not. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory is sufficient for the game's textures, as evidenced by the relatively small performance gap between Low and Medium settings at 1080p (16.2 FPS). The card's base clock of 1257 MHz and boost clock of 1340 MHz, coupled with its 2304 shading units, define its raw compute capability. The data shows that the GPU's performance is the sole factor determining frame rates across all tested configurations.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13559. Its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 and GTX 950, have nearly identical average scores, with a deltaPct of 0% and 0.1%, respectively. This confirms that the RX 580 is a mid-range graphics card from a previous generation, and its performance in Ready Or Not aligns with its historical standing. The card's PassMark G3D score of 8813 is a strong indicator of its DirectX 11 and 12 performance, which are relevant for this game.

The GPU's memory clock of 2000 MHz, running at 8 Gbps effective, provides a memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is a critical resource at higher resolutions, where the demand for texture data increases. The steep performance drop at 4K, even on Low settings, suggests that the memory subsystem is heavily taxed. While the 8 GB frame buffer prevents texture swapping, the bandwidth is insufficient to feed the GPU's cores fast enough at 3840x2160. The card's 32 ROPs and 144 TMUs also limit its ability to fill pixels and apply textures at high resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates provides a clear picture of the system's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the RX 580 delivers its best results: Low settings average 120.7 FPS, Medium 104.5 FPS, High 94.4 FPS, and Ultra 66.6 FPS. This range shows that the card is well-suited for 1080p gaming, with even the most demanding preset remaining playable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. The average frame rates are 77.8 FPS on Low, 64.8 FPS on Medium, 60.0 FPS on High, and 41.9 FPS on Ultra. The Ultra preset at 1440p is the first configuration to dip below the 60 FPS threshold, highlighting its unsuitability for this resolution. The Low preset remains viable, but the Medium preset offers the best balance of quality and speed.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor. The average frame rates are 39.0 FPS on Low, 35.5 FPS on Medium, 32.7 FPS on High, and 24.6 FPS on Ultra. These figures are all below the minimum playable threshold, confirming that 4K is not an option. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 14.4 FPS, which is smaller than at other resolutions, suggesting that the GPU is so heavily bottlenecked that reducing quality provides diminishing returns.

The data also shows that the CPU's performance headroom is substantial. The i7-12700K's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241 and single-core score of 4128 indicate a processor capable of handling far more complex game logic and physics than Ready Or Not demands. The frame rate differences between settings are entirely attributable to the GPU's workload, as the CPU's 3DMark max-thread score of 9979 easily outpaces the game's requirements.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Ready Or Not at 4K resolution?

A: No. The highest average frame rate at 3840x2160 is 39.0 FPS on Low settings, which is below the playable threshold. The Ultra preset averages only 24.6 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming?

A: The Medium preset offers the best balance, with an average of 104.5 FPS. It provides a 10.1 FPS advantage over High while maintaining good visual quality.

Q: How much faster is the system at 1080p compared to 1440p on High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average frame rate is 94.4 FPS, while at 1440p High it drops to 60.0 FPS. This represents a 36.4% decrease in performance.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700K a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No. The benchmark data shows that the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU's high multi-thread and single-thread scores, such as 29241 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, are not fully utilized.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 77.8 FPS, while Ultra settings average 41.9 FPS. This is a 35.9 FPS difference, indicating that Ultra is too demanding for this resolution.

Q: Given the GPU's age, how does it compare to its closest competitors?

A: The RX 580's average benchmark score is 13559, placing it in the 53rd percentile. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, has an average score of 13564, a deltaPct of 0%, indicating they are statistically identical in performance.