Ready Or Not

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Ready Or Not with the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 shows a predictable but steep scaling curve as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 372 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 235 FPS, a reduction of approximately 37%. At 4K High, the average falls to 123 FPS, which is roughly 67% below the 1080p figure. This pattern indicates that the system transitions from a CPU-bound state at lower resolutions to a progressively more GPU-bound state as pixel count rises.

The Low preset tells a similar story. At 1080p Low, the system hits 469 FPS average, which is a remarkably high figure that suggests the CPU is the primary limiter at this setting. At 1440p Low, the average is 296 FPS, and at 4K Low it drops to 155 FPS. The delta between 1080p and 1440p Low is 173 FPS, while the delta between 1440p and 4K Low is 141 FPS. This non-linear decline indicates that the GPU begins to take over as the bottleneck at higher resolutions, even with minimal settings.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend with min and max FPS data available. At 1080p Medium, the average is 409 FPS with a minimum of 348 FPS and a maximum of 471 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 258 FPS with a minimum of 220 FPS and a maximum of 297 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS. The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases, which is a sign that frame pacing becomes more consistent when the GPU is more heavily utilized.

Ultra settings produce the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 261 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it falls to 165 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average is just 86 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 96 FPS, and the drop from 1440p to 4K is 79 FPS. This suggests that Ultra settings impose a substantial GPU load that begins to saturate the RTX 4080 even at 1440p, with 4K Ultra pushing the hardware to its limits.

The data indicates that the limiting component shifts based on resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the CPU is clearly the bottleneck, as the GPU is capable of far more than 469 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is the limiting factor, as the 86 FPS average is well below what the CPU could theoretically feed. The crossover point appears to lie somewhere between 1440p Medium and 4K Medium, where the load becomes balanced enough that neither component is fully saturated.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Ready Or Not?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 469, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 4K High performance?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 86, while at 4K High it is 123. This represents a 37 FPS difference, meaning Ultra is roughly 30% slower than High at this resolution.

Q: Is there a significant difference between Low and Medium settings at 1440p?

A: Yes. At 1440p Low, the average FPS is 296, while at 1440p Medium it is 258. The difference is 38 FPS, or approximately 13% lower performance for Medium settings.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 115, which occurred at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings. The minimum values are only provided for Medium settings across all resolutions.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 372. At 4K High, the average is 123. This represents a loss of 249 FPS, or approximately 67% of the 1080p performance.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra?

A: The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 86, which is above the typical 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. However, the lack of recorded minimum FPS data for this setting means variance is unknown.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. It features an 80 KB L1 cache per core, a 2 MB L2 cache per core, and a 36 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores are indicative of its capability: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5. In Geekbench, it scores 21697 multicore and 2655 single-core.

In Ready Or Not, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p with Low settings, where the system reaches 469 FPS average. This high frame rate is only achievable if the CPU can process game logic and issue draw calls faster than the GPU renders frames. The i9-14900K's high single-core performance, evidenced by its 4697 Passmark single-thread score, is critical for this game's frame generation at low resolutions.

The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache is substantial and likely helps with the game's level streaming and AI calculations, which are common in tactical shooters. The 24 cores and 32 threads provide ample parallel processing capacity, though Ready Or Not may not fully utilize all threads. The data suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of much higher frame rates than 469 FPS.

The i9-14900K's nearest rival in CPU benchmarks is the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which has an average score of 79371, representing a -0.3% delta. The AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, a -1.2% delta, while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, a 1.7% delta. These rivals are within a narrow band, indicating that the i9-14900K is competitive with the best desktop and workstation processors.

The CPU's 125W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory suggest it can be paired with a variety of memory configurations. The benchmark results indicate that the i9-14900K's single-thread performance is particularly strong, which translates to excellent frame rates in games that are not heavily multithreaded. In Ready Or Not, the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases, but at 1080p it is clearly the component that sets the ceiling for frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target frame rate and resolution. At 1080p, all settings produce frame rates well above 240 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 409 FPS average with a minimum of 348 FPS, providing a smooth experience with a balance of visual quality and performance. High settings at 1080p produce 372 FPS, which is still exceptionally high.

At 1440p, the High preset produces 235 FPS average, which is ideal for 240Hz displays. The Medium preset at 1440p yields 258 FPS, but the minimum FPS of 220 is the lowest recorded at this resolution, indicating potential frame dips. Ultra at 1440p drops to 165 FPS, which is still playable but may be noticeable on high-refresh displays.

At 4K, the High preset produces 123 FPS average, which is suitable for 120Hz displays. The Medium preset at 4K yields 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS, making it the best choice for 4K gaming if frame consistency is prioritized. Ultra at 4K drops to 86 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play.

The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium provides 409 FPS, which is only 60 FPS less than Low but with noticeably better visuals. At 1440p, Medium provides 258 FPS, which is 38 FPS less than Low but with improved detail. At 4K, Medium provides 135 FPS, which is 20 FPS less than Low but with significantly better image quality.

For players who prioritize maximum visual fidelity, the High preset is recommended at 4K, as it provides 123 FPS average, which is a better experience than Ultra's 86 FPS. The Ultra preset appears to be intended for screenshot purposes or for players with very high refresh-rate monitors at 1080p, where 261 FPS is still achievable.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 246 out of 3714 tested combos in Ready Or Not. This places it in the top 7% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a high-performing combo for this game. The rank of 246 out of 3714 means that there are 245 combos that achieve higher frame rates, likely consisting of more powerful GPUs or CPUs.

The combo's ranking is notable because the RTX 4080 is an end-of-life product, and the i9-14900K is from the Core 14th Gen series. Despite this, the combination still performs competitively. The RTX 4080's nearest rivals in GPU benchmarks include the RTX 4080 SUPER with a 0.1% delta, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB with a -2.6% delta. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 4080 is well-matched against its peers.

The combo's rank of 246 suggests that it is not the absolute top performer but is very close. The data indicates that the system can achieve 4K Ultra at 86 FPS, which is a strong result for a game like Ready Or Not that features complex environments and AI. The rank within the top 10% of tested combos reflects the balance between the i9-14900K's high CPU performance and the RTX 4080's substantial GPU capabilities.

The percentile ranking of the CPU at 95 and the GPU at 86 further contextualizes this result. The CPU is in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The combination of a top-tier CPU and a high-end GPU results in a combo that ranks 246 out of 3714, confirming that both components contribute to the overall performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces the following average FPS figures: Low at 469, Medium at 409, High at 372, and Ultra at 261. The Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 348 and a maximum of 471. This is the only setting at 1080p with recorded min/max values. The spread between the lowest and highest average FPS at 1080p is 208 FPS, from Low to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are: Low at 296, Medium at 258, High at 235, and Ultra at 165. The Medium preset at 1440p has a minimum FPS of 220 and a maximum of 297. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 131 FPS, indicating that Ultra settings impose a significant performance penalty at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS figures are: Low at 155, Medium at 135, High at 123, and Ultra at 86. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum FPS of 115 and a maximum of 155. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 69 FPS, which is the narrowest range across all resolutions, reflecting the GPU-bound nature of 4K rendering.

The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the min is 348 and max is 471, giving a range of 123 FPS. At 1440p, the min is 220 and max is 297, giving a range of 77 FPS. At 4K, the min is 115 and max is 155, giving a range of 40 FPS. This decreasing range as resolution increases suggests that frame time variance is reduced when the GPU is more heavily loaded.

The data shows that the system is capable of exceeding 400 FPS at 1080p Low and Medium settings, which is exceptional for a tactical shooter. At 4K, the system maintains playable frame rates even at Ultra settings, with 86 FPS average. The measured FPS figures provide a clear picture of the system's capabilities across a wide range of configurations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with an AD103 chip and a 5 nm process from TSMC. It has 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, along with 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores. The GPU's memory configuration is 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz, and the memory runs at 1400 MHz, which translates to 22.4 Gbps effective.

In Ready Or Not, the GPU's role becomes increasingly important as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p Low, the GPU is not the limiting factor, as the system produces 469 FPS. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, with the average FPS dropping to 86. The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is ample for this game, as the maximum settings at 4K do not appear to exceed this capacity, based on the lack of VRAM-related performance drops in the data.

The RTX 4080's benchmark scores include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 and a Passmark G3D score of 34457. The GPU's compute capabilities are evidenced by a Passmark GPU Compute score of 20671. These scores place the RTX 4080 in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, indicating strong overall performance.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 SUPER with a 0.1% delta and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X with a -1.1% delta. The small deltas suggest that the RTX 4080 is very closely matched with its direct successor, the RTX 4080 SUPER, which is expected given the minor refresh. The GPU's release date of September 2022 and its end-of-life status indicate that it is a previous-generation product, but the measured FPS data shows it remains highly capable.

The GPU's 320W TDP and suggested 700W PSU indicate that it requires substantial power delivery. The triple-slot design and 16-pin power connector also point to a high-end cooling solution. The GPU's display outputs include one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a, which support high refresh rates at 4K. The measured FPS at 4K High of 123 shows that the RTX 4080 can drive 4K displays at refresh rates above 120 Hz in this title, making it a strong choice for high-end gaming setups.