Ready Or Not

Ready Or Not is a tactical shooter that leans heavily on both CPU and GPU muscle, and the Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is about as extreme a combination as the current market allows. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and presets confirm that this pairing is exceptionally powerful, often pushing well past the refresh rates of even high-end gaming monitors. The data shows a system that is rarely the bottleneck, but the scaling between settings and resolutions still reveals where each component's workload begins and ends.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor built on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It uses a hybrid design with a shared 33 MB L3 cache, and its benchmark results place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70074. This is a top-tier part for gaming, and the numbers in Ready Or Not reflect that. At 1080p, which is typically the most CPU-sensitive resolution, the processor keeps the RTX 4090 fed to the point where the average FPS in Low settings hits 520.2. Even at Ultra settings, the game still averages 290.1 FPS, indicating that the CPU is capable of maintaining very high frame pacing without becoming a limiting factor.

The processor's multi-threaded strength is evident in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534, which suggests it can handle the game's AI and simulation overhead without breaking a sweat. Its single-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287, is equally strong, which is critical for a tactical shooter where each frame's input latency matters. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700K sits within a tight performance band: it is effectively tied with the Core i7-14700KF at a 0% delta, and it is only 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9115. The data shows a slight 0.5% deficit against the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, but in practice, this level of difference is negligible for frame rates in this game. The processor's 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it a flexible choice for builders, and while this specific game doesn't appear to stress it to its limits, its high ceiling ensures that it won't be the source of any performance dips.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a behemoth with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a massive 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. Its 16384 shading units and 128 RT cores are built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, with a boost clock of 2520 MHz. The GPU's raw compute power is staggering, with an FP32 throughput of 82.58 TFLOPS, and it holds the 91st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66473. In Ready Or Not, this translates to absurdly high frame rates across the board. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is still able to push an average of 93.6 FPS, which is a demanding workload that showcases its 24 GB VRAM buffer and high memory bandwidth.

The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is interesting because the comparison field is not typical gaming hardware. It holds a 0.4% lead over the NVIDIA Tesla T4 and a 0.5% lead over the Tesla P40, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 is 0.9% ahead and the Quadro P6000 is 1.3% ahead. These deltas are small, but they are based on synthetic benchmarks that don't capture gaming-specific features like ray tracing or DLSS, which the RTX 4090 excels at. In this game, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. The drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings (from 410.6 FPS to 135.2 FPS) shows that the GPU is scaling its workload significantly, and the 24 GB of VRAM ensures that even at 4K Ultra, memory capacity is not a concern. The 450 W TDP and triple-slot cooler are a physical commitment, but for a game like this, the performance headroom is undeniable.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data tells a clear story about how the balance of power shifts as resolution increases. At 1080p, the system is almost certainly CPU-bound, as evidenced by the gigantic frame rates: 520.2 FPS on Low, 452.8 FPS on Medium, 410.6 FPS on High, and 290.1 FPS on Ultra. These numbers are so high that the GPU is likely sitting idle waiting for the CPU to issue draw calls. When moving to 1440p, the frame rates drop by roughly 20-37% across all settings, with Low at 325.7 FPS, Medium at 285.6 FPS, High at 263 FPS, and Ultra at 182.7 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is starting to take on a more significant role, but the CPU is still managing to keep up with the demand.

The jump to 4K reveals a massive change in the bottleneck. At 4K, the frame rates fall dramatically: Low drops to 173.1 FPS, Medium to 153.1 FPS, High to 135.2 FPS, and Ultra to 93.6 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is steepest at Low settings (from 520.2 to 173.1, a 66.7% reduction) because the CPU is no longer the primary constraint; the GPU is now working at full capacity to fill all those pixels. Conversely, the drop from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is a 67.7% reduction (290.1 to 93.6), showing that even at the highest settings, the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The data suggests that for this pairing, 1440p is the sweet spot where both components are well-utilized, while 4K is entirely GPU-bound. If you are targeting 4K, the RTX 4090 is doing the heavy lifting, and the i7-14700K is simply along for the ride.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as frame rates reach up to 520.2 FPS on Low settings, which is far beyond what any display can show. At 1440p, the CPU still provides ample headroom, with High settings hitting 263 FPS. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, so the CPU is not a concern.

Q: How does the i7-14700K compare to its closest rival, the i7-14700KF?

A: The average benchmark scores are nearly identical, with the i7-14700K scoring 70074 and the i7-14700KF scoring 70104, resulting in a 0% deltaPct. In practical gaming terms, you should not expect any measurable difference in frame rates.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Ready Or Not with this hardware?

A: If you have a high-refresh-rate 1440p monitor, that is the ideal target, as the game hits 263 FPS on High settings. If you prefer 4K, you can still enjoy smooth gameplay, but you will need to compromise on settings, with Ultra dropping to 93.6 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM provide any benefit in this game?

A: Yes, the 24 GB of GDDR6X memory ensures that even at 4K Ultra, there is no risk of hitting a VRAM capacity wall. This allows for high-resolution textures and long draw distances without stuttering.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4090 than the Tesla T4 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66473, which is 0.4% higher than the Tesla T4's score of 66733. However, these are synthetic numbers; in gaming, the RTX 4090's dedicated hardware and drivers provide a much larger real-world advantage.

Q: Is the i7-14700K's high single-core performance important for this game?

A: Yes, its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287 is crucial for maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions. Tactical shooters rely on strong single-thread performance for game logic and physics, which helps keep the 1% lows in check.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear hierarchy of performance across presets. At 1080p, the differences are mostly academic, as even Ultra settings yield 290.1 FPS, which is beyond the refresh rate of nearly all monitors. For most players, the best experience is to use the High preset, which delivers 410.6 FPS at 1080p and 263 FPS at 1440p, offering a solid balance of visual fidelity and speed. Moving to Ultra provides a marginal visual improvement but costs a significant amount of performance: at 1440p, it drops to 182.7 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 93.6 FPS. The Medium preset is a viable fallback if you want to push high refresh rates at 4K, as it averages 153.1 FPS, but the drop in visual quality may not be worth it given that High is only 18 FPS slower at that resolution.

If you are playing on a 4K display, the High preset is the recommended compromise, as it keeps the game above 135 FPS while still looking polished. The Low preset is only advisable for competitive play where every frame counts, as it pushes 4K to 173.1 FPS, but the graphical downgrade is severe. Given the RTX 4090's power, there is little reason to use Low settings unless you are chasing extreme frame rates. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for this hardware configuration across all resolutions, providing a strong balance between image quality and performance without leaving too much on the table.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 520.2 FPS average — extremely high, likely CPU-bound.
• Medium: 452.8 FPS average — still far above any display's refresh rate.
• High: 410.6 FPS average — excellent headroom for high-refresh monitors.
• Ultra: 290.1 FPS average — the only setting that starts to stress the GPU at this resolution.

2560x1440:

• Low: 325.7 FPS average — a 37.4% drop from 1080p Low, showing GPU involvement.
• Medium: 285.6 FPS average — a 36.9% drop from 1080p Medium.
• High: 263 FPS average — a 35.9% drop, still ideal for 240Hz monitors.
• Ultra: 182.7 FPS average — a 37.0% drop, still very playable.

3840x2160:

• Low: 173.1 FPS average — a 46.9% drop from 1440p Low, now GPU-bound.
• Medium: 153.1 FPS average — a 46.4% drop from 1440p Medium.
• High: 135.2 FPS average — a 48.6% drop from 1440p High, still smooth.
• Ultra: 93.6 FPS average — a 48.8% drop from 1440p Ultra, the only preset below 100 FPS.

The pattern is consistent: moving from 1440p to 4K costs roughly 47-49% of the frame rate across all settings, which confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K. The CPU's influence is most visible at 1080p, where the frame rate differences between Low and Ultra are massive (230.1 FPS gap), indicating that the CPU is capable of pushing far more frames than the GPU can render once settings are lowered. This breakdown shows a well-balanced system for 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring a tolerance for lower presets if you want high refresh rates.