Ready Or Not

# Ready Or Not: Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Benchmark Analysis

The combination of Intel's 16-core Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA's flagship RTX 5090 produces extraordinary frame rates in Ready Or Not, a tactical shooter that clearly favors raw GPU throughput at higher resolutions. Across the measured spectrum from 1080p to 4K, this pairing never dips below 98 FPS at any preset, with the Low preset at 1080p reaching 531 FPS average. The data reveals a system that is massively overqualified for 1080p gaming, where the CPU begins to assert its influence, while at 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes the combo's ranking among 3,714 tested combinations, and provides actionable settings guidance based solely on the observed frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K demonstrates the classic transition from CPU-bound to GPU-bound behavior, though the absolute numbers remain exceptionally high throughout. At 1080p Low, the system produces 531 FPS average; moving to 1440p Low drops that to 335 FPS (a 36.9% reduction), and 4K Low further reduces it to 175 FPS (a 47.8% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline indicates that at lower resolutions, the RTX 5090's immense compute capacity is being partially held back by the CPU, even with the i7-13700K's strong 16-core/24-thread configuration.

The scaling pattern becomes more linear at higher settings. With the High preset, the transition from 1080p (421 FPS) to 1440p (266 FPS) represents a 36.8% drop, while 1440p to 4K (139 FPS) shows a 47.7% reduction. The Ultra preset follows suit: 296 FPS at 1080p, 187 FPS at 1440p (36.8% drop), and 98 FPS at 4K (47.6% drop from 1440p). This consistent ~37% and ~48% scaling across presets suggests that the performance curve is primarily dictated by pixel count rather than settings complexity.

At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 235 FPS (531 vs. 296), indicating that the CPU can feed the GPU enough frames to make settings matter significantly. However, at 4K, the Low-to-Ultra gap narrows to 77 FPS (175 vs. 98), showing that the GPU's workload at 4K Ultra becomes the limiting factor. The data strongly suggests that for this combo, 1080p is CPU-limited territory, while 4K is firmly GPU-limited. The 1440p results sit in a balanced middle ground where both components contribute meaningfully to performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame field places this specific pairing at rank 82 out of 3,714 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.2% of all systems tested for Ready Or Not. This is a remarkable position, though not surprising given the RTX 5090's status as the current flagship GPU paired with a high-end 13th-gen Intel processor. The percentileVsAllCpus for the i7-13700K is 89, while the RTX 5090 sits at percentileVsAllGpus of 92, indicating both components are in the upper decile of their respective categories.

The CPU's nearest rivals show how closely the i7-13700K competes at the top of the stack. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46,971 in average benchmark score, a mere 0.2% ahead of the i7-13700K's 46,881. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 sits 0.3% ahead at 47,022, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 both trail by 0.5% with scores of 46,654 and 46,653 respectively. This clustering within a 0.8% band indicates that at this performance tier, CPU choice makes negligible difference for gaming outcomes.

The GPU's nearest rivals paint a different picture. The RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 79,842 edges out the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB by 0.3% (79,605) and the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB by 0.6% (79,396). The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT trails by 1.1% at 78,940, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X actually leads by 1.4% at 80,959. These professional-grade and mobile GPU comparisons underscore that the RTX 5090's gaming performance is exceptional even when benchmarked against non-gaming hardware.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K gaming, the High preset at 139 FPS average represents the best balance of visual quality and performance, as Ultra drops to 98 FPS — a 29.5% reduction that may not justify the visual gains in a fast-paced tactical shooter. The Medium preset at 4K offers 153 FPS with a minimum of 130 FPS, which provides a more substantial safety margin for competitive play. Given that Ready Or Not involves close-quarters combat where frame consistency matters, Medium at 4K appears optimal for maintaining high refresh rates without compromising responsiveness.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 266 FPS average, which is sufficient for even the highest refresh rate monitors available. The Ultra preset at 187 FPS still provides excellent headroom, and given the 79 FPS difference between High and Ultra, players with high-refresh 1440p displays may prefer Ultra for maximum visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 292 FPS adds minimal practical benefit over High for most displays.

For 1080p, the data shows that even Ultra at 296 FPS exceeds the refresh rate of virtually all gaming monitors. The Low preset's 531 FPS is only meaningful for theoretical maximum frame rate testing or esports scenarios where every millisecond counts. The Medium preset at 463 FPS with a minimum of 394 FPS provides consistent performance that far exceeds display capabilities. Users should select settings based on visual preference at 1080p, as all presets deliver frame rates that eliminate any competitive disadvantage.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5090 and i7-13700K produce an average of 139 FPS on High settings. The Low preset yields 175 FPS, Medium delivers 153 FPS with a minimum of 130 and maximum of 176, and Ultra drops to 98 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one at 4K with recorded minimum and maximum values, showing a 46 FPS range between its floor and ceiling.

At 2560x1440, performance scales impressively: High averages 266 FPS, Low reaches 335 FPS, Medium hits 292 FPS with a minimum of 248 and maximum of 336, and Ultra maintains 187 FPS. The Medium preset's 88 FPS range between minimum and maximum indicates some scene complexity variation, but the absolute minimum of 248 FPS ensures smooth gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the numbers become extraordinary: High averages 421 FPS, Low peaks at 531 FPS, Medium delivers 463 FPS with a minimum of 394 and maximum of 533, and Ultra still manages 296 FPS. The Medium preset shows a 139 FPS swing between minimum and maximum, which is the largest absolute range across all resolutions, though the percentage variation is consistent with other settings tiers.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 5090 bottlenecked by the Intel Core i7-13700K in Ready Or Not?

A: The data suggests partial CPU limitation only at 1080p. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 531 FPS, but the scaling from 1080p to 1440p (36.9% drop) and 1440p to 4K (47.8% drop) indicates GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions. The CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads with a 5.40 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom for the game's tactical shooter workload.

Q: What is the best 4K preset for competitive play?

A: The Medium preset at 4K offers 153 FPS average with a 130 FPS minimum, providing the most consistent performance above 144Hz. High (139 FPS) is viable but offers less safety margin, while Ultra (98 FPS) may dip below competitive thresholds.

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

A: This pairing ranks 82nd out of 3,714 tested combinations for Ready Or Not, placing it in the top 2.2% of all systems. The CPU's 89th percentile and GPU's 92nd percentile rankings confirm both components are elite performers.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide playable frame rates at any resolution?

A: Yes. Ultra averages 296 FPS at 1080p, 187 FPS at 1440p, and 98 FPS at 4K. All three resolutions deliver playable performance, though 4K Ultra's 98 FPS average leaves less headroom for demanding scenes compared to lower presets.

Q: How significant is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, the difference is 235 FPS (531 vs. 296, a 44.3% reduction). At 1440p, it's 148 FPS (335 vs. 187, a 44.2% reduction). At 4K, it's 77 FPS (175 vs. 98, a 44.0% reduction). The percentage gap remains remarkably consistent across resolutions.

Q: What CPU benchmark scores support the i7-13700K's gaming performance?

A: The CPU scores 30,745 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,116 in single-core. It also achieves 12,412 in 3DMark max threads and 45,887 in Passmark multithread, with an average benchmark score of 46,881 that places it within 0.5% of its nearest rivals.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings 16 cores and 24 threads to this combination, built on Intel's 10 nm Raptor Lake architecture with a 3.40 GHz base clock and 5.40 GHz boost clock. The processor's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache, providing 125W TDP with the ability to boost higher within its power envelope. This configuration delivers benchmark scores that place it at the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46,881.

In Ready Or Not specifically, the CPU's role becomes apparent at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 400 FPS. At 1080p, the difference between Low (531 FPS) and Ultra (296 FPS) settings is 235 FPS, suggesting that even at 1080p, the GPU still has enough headroom to process additional visual effects without being entirely CPU-bound. However, the consistent ~44% performance penalty from Low to Ultra across all resolutions indicates that the settings' computational cost scales uniformly regardless of resolution.

The i7-13700K's nearest rivals all score within 0.5% of its average benchmark score, with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 at 46,971 (0.2% higher) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 at 47,022 (0.3% higher). This tight clustering suggests that for Ready Or Not, the CPU choice within this performance tier has minimal impact on the measured frame rates, which are overwhelmingly dictated by the RTX 5090's capabilities. The CPU's strong multi-threaded performance (16,292 in Cinebench R20 multi-core, 30,745 in R23 multi-core) ensures that even heavily populated tactical scenarios with AI-driven enemies won't create CPU bottlenecks, though the data confirms the GPU remains the primary performance driver at 4K.