Ready Or Not

Ready Or Not, a tactical shooter from 2021, presents an interesting stress profile for the Intel Core i7-14700K and Intel Arc B580 combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions reveal a system where the graphics card is the primary limiter at higher settings, while the processor's substantial core count ensures headroom at lower settings. The data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K, with the Arc B580's capabilities defining the performance envelope.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is significant, indicating that the Intel Arc B580 is the limiting component in this configuration. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 169 FPS at 1920x1080 to 105.4 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 38%. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 57.1 FPS, which is a 66% decrease from the 1080p figure. This steep decline is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering workload increases exponentially with pixel count.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all quality presets. At Low settings, the frame rate goes from 212.4 FPS at 1080p down to 135.7 FPS at 1440p and finally to 74.2 FPS at 4K. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K frame rate is less than half of the 1080p rate reinforces that the GPU is the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a smaller difference between resolutions, as the processor’s workload would remain relatively constant.

The transition from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing. At Medium settings, the frame rate drops from 119.9 FPS to 62.3 FPS, which is a 48% performance loss. This suggests that the Arc B580's memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s and its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory are being saturated at the higher resolution. The data indicates that for a smooth 4K experience, users would need to compromise heavily on graphical fidelity, as even Medium settings only achieve a 62.3 FPS average.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined performance of this CPU and GPU places it at rank 1373 out of 1748 tested combos for Ready Or Not. This ranking, which puts the combo in the bottom 21% of all tested pairings, might seem low for a modern 20-core processor and a dedicated graphics card. However, this position is heavily influenced by the GPU, which sits at the 66th percentile when compared to all other graphics cards in the database.

The Intel Arc B580’s average benchmark score of 23021 places it in a tight competitive cluster. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 760M, has an almost identical average score of 22999, a difference of just 0.1%. The NVIDIA P106-100 is also close with a score of 22950, showing the B580 to be 0.3% faster. More notably, the data shows the Arc B580 is a slight 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which has an average score of 23181. This positioning suggests that the B580 is a solid mid-range performer, but it is not a high-end part, which explains the combo's overall rank.

The CPU, on the other hand, is a top-tier performer. The Intel Core i7-14700K sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70074. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-14700KF with a score of 70104 and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X with a score of 70420. The data shows this processor is essentially at parity with these high-end parts, with a delta of 0% and -0.5% respectively. This pairing of a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU creates an imbalance, which is reflected in the combo's overall rank.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. In Ready Or Not, this level of processing power is more than sufficient to feed the Arc B580. The game is not heavily CPU-threaded, meaning that the 28 threads are not fully utilized. The high boost clock of 5.60 GHz is more relevant for gaming, as it ensures rapid single-threaded performance for game logic and physics.

The data from the measured FPS suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution or setting. Even at 1080p with Low settings, where the GPU load is lowest, the system achieves an average of 212.4 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is capable of handling the game's simulation and draw calls without becoming a limiting factor. The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache likely helps in maintaining high minimum frame rates, though this metric was not measured.

The processor’s passmark multithread score of 52392 and its cinebench_r23_multicore score of 44534 confirm its ability to handle any background tasks or streaming workloads while gaming. The 96th percentile ranking for all CPUs shows that the i7-14700K is not the reason for this combo's lower overall rank. The data points to the GPU as the clear performance ceiling for this system in Ready Or Not.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive look at the system's performance. At 1920x1080, the Arc B580 delivers playable to very high frame rates across all settings. The average FPS ranges from 118.8 at Ultra settings to 212.4 at Low settings. The High and Medium presets achieve 169 FPS and 188.2 FPS respectively, showing that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the expected decline. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 77 FPS, which is still smooth for a tactical shooter. High and Medium settings achieve 105.4 FPS and 119.9 FPS, respectively, while Low settings produce 135.7 FPS. This resolution appears to be the sweet spot for this combination, offering a good balance between visual fidelity and frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle with the higher-end presets. The Ultra preset averages only 43 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience in a fast-paced game. High settings achieve 57.1 FPS, and Medium settings produce 62.3 FPS. Only the Low preset manages to break the 70 FPS barrier with an average of 74.2 FPS. The data clearly shows that 4K gaming is possible but requires significant compromises in visual quality.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is a 5 nm graphics card from TSMC with a die size of 272 mm². It features 2560 shading units and 20 ray tracing cores. Its base and boost clocks are both set at 2670 MHz. The card has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a key factor in its performance at higher resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores show it is a competent DirectX 12 performer. Its 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score is 3068, and its passmark_directx_12 score is 76. The passmark_g3d score of 15748 places it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. The data indicates that the B580 is a solid choice for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but its 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance limits its 4K capabilities.

In Ready Or Not, the GPU's role is to handle the rendering of detailed environments and character models. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is a direct result of the increased pixel count, which puts more strain on the GPU's shading units and memory subsystem. The card’s 12 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for this game, even at 4K, but the raw compute power is the limiting factor. The data shows that the Arc B580 is the defining component in this combo's performance profile for this title.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows it is possible but with limitations. At 4K with High settings, the average frame rate is 57.1 FPS. To achieve a higher frame rate, the settings must be lowered, as the Low preset yields 74.2 FPS, while the Ultra preset only produces 43 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 2560x1440 is the optimal resolution. At this resolution, the High preset achieves an average of 105.4 FPS, and even the Ultra preset maintains a respectable 77 FPS, offering a good balance between visuals and performance.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060?

A: The average benchmark scores show the Arc B580 is 0.7% behind the RTX 4060. The B580 has an average score of 23021, while the RTX 4060 has a score of 23181, indicating near-parity in overall performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The frame rates scale significantly with resolution, which is a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU, with its high core count and boost clock, is not a limiting factor in this game.

Q: What is the combo's performance ranking relative to all other tested combinations?

A: The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and Intel Arc B580 ranks 1373 out of 1748 tested combos for Ready Or Not.

Q: What kind of frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 118.8 FPS, which is well above the threshold for a smooth gaming experience.