Ready Or Not

Ready Or Not, a tactical shooter emphasizing precise, room-by-room engagement, presents a distinctive workload that scales dramatically with both resolution and graphical presets. In this analysis, the combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is evaluated through measured frame rate data. The benchmark results reveal a configuration that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet capable of extraordinary frame rates that test the limits of high-refresh-rate displays. This pairing ranks 17th out of 1,748 tested combos in this specific title, placing it firmly within the top 1% of all evaluated systems. The data shows that while the CPU provides a robust foundation, the GeForce RTX 5090’s immense processing power is the primary driver of performance, particularly as visual fidelity increases.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K provides clear evidence of where the bottleneck lies in this system. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the configuration produces 535.8 FPS, which is an astronomically high figure. This number suggests that at lower resolutions, the workload is primarily CPU-limited, as the RTX 5090 is capable of rendering frames far faster than the Core i9-14900K can feed it instructions. Moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 343 FPS, a significant reduction of approximately 36%. This substantial decline indicates that even at 1440p, the rendering load is beginning to engage the GPU more heavily, though the CPU still plays a substantial role in limiting maximum output.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced at higher presets. At Ultra settings, the frame rate falls from 297.4 FPS at 1080p to 186.8 FPS at 1440p, and then to 97.9 FPS at 4K. This represents a 67% reduction from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra. The data indicates that at 4K Ultra, the RTX 5090 is now the definitive limiting component, with the GPU’s raw compute power dictating the final frame rate. The transition from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings shows a drop from 294.7 FPS to 155.3 FPS, a 47% decrease, which is consistent with the quadratic increase in pixel count. This pattern confirms that the i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads capable of a 6.00 GHz boost clock, provides ample headroom; the performance ceiling at 4K is entirely a function of the GPU’s ability to process the increased pixel workload.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 1,748 tested combinations for Ready Or Not, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 17. This placement is exceptionally high, indicating that this configuration outperforms the vast majority of systems tested in this title. The percentile ranking for the CPU alone is 97, meaning it outperforms 97% of all tested processors, while the GPU’s percentile is 94. These individual scores suggest a well-balanced pairing, though the combined rank of 17 implies that other combinations with even higher-tier components or more favorable configurations edge out this setup in this particular game.

The nearest rival data for the CPU shows the i9-14900K with an average benchmark score of 79,824, placing it 0.3% behind the AMD EPYC 7413, which scores 80,041. It is also 0.7% ahead of both the Intel Core i9-14900KF and Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF, and 0.9% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K. These are marginal deltas, suggesting that the processor is not the differentiating factor in the overall combo ranking. On the GPU side, the RTX 5090’s average score of 84,306 is 0.1% ahead of the RTX 5090 D, 0.2% ahead of the RTX 5050 Mobile, and 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W6600. The combination’s rank of 17, therefore, is likely driven by the sheer ceiling of the RTX 5090’s performance, with the i9-14900K providing sufficient support to avoid being a bottleneck at most settings.

Settings Recommendations

Analyzing the measured FPS across the four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—at each resolution reveals a clear optimal point for different display types. For 1080p users, the High preset delivers 429.1 FPS, which is a staggering frame rate. The jump to Ultra reduces this to 297.4 FPS, a 31% decrease. Given that most 1080p monitors cap out at 240Hz or 360Hz, the High preset provides more than enough performance to saturate any display, and the additional visual fidelity of Ultra is not worth the substantial frame rate cost. The Medium preset at 468.7 FPS is also viable, but High offers the best balance of visual quality and performance headroom.

At 1440p, the High preset yields 269.9 FPS, which is still sufficient for the fastest 240Hz and 360Hz gaming monitors. The Ultra preset drops to 186.8 FPS, which is still exceptionally smooth but may not fully utilize the highest refresh rate panels. For 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it provides a 44% performance uplift over Ultra while maintaining a high level of graphical detail. The data shows that at 4K, the High preset produces 140.4 FPS, which is an excellent result for this demanding resolution. The Ultra preset, at 97.9 FPS, is playable but represents a 30% reduction in frame rate for what is often a marginal visual improvement in a tactical shooter where visibility and clarity are paramount. Therefore, the High preset at 4K offers the best experience, delivering frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while the Medium preset at 155.3 FPS is a viable alternative for those seeking even higher refresh rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a granular view of performance. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are: Low at 535.8 FPS, Medium at 468.7 FPS, High at 429.1 FPS, and Ultra at 297.4 FPS. This resolution is clearly CPU-bound at the lower presets, as the GPU is capable of exceeding 500 FPS. At 2560x1440, the scores are: Low at 343 FPS, Medium at 294.7 FPS, High at 269.9 FPS, and Ultra at 186.8 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution is a 45% reduction, showing a more pronounced GPU influence. At 3840x2160, the frame rates are: Low at 179.4 FPS, Medium at 155.3 FPS, High at 140.4 FPS, and Ultra at 97.9 FPS. Here, the scaling from Low to Ultra is a 45% drop as well, but the absolute numbers are much lower, confirming the GPU is the primary constraint.

The difference between 1080p and 4K at the same settings is stark. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 535.8 FPS to 179.4 FPS, a 67% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 297.4 FPS to 97.9 FPS, also a 67% reduction. This consistency suggests that the performance scaling is directly proportional to the pixel count increase, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The data indicates that the i9-14900K is never the limiting factor at 4K, as even the lowest preset at this resolution requires significant GPU work. The benchmark results show that the RTX 5090, with its 21,760 shading units and 176 ROPs, is the engine driving these results.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 plays a dominant role in this combination’s performance, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process and houses 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This massive memory bandwidth is crucial for feeding the GPU’s 21,760 shading units at 4K resolution, where texture and geometry data requirements are immense. The GPU’s base clock is 2017 MHz, boosting to 2407 MHz, and its FP32 performance is rated at 104.8 TFLOPS. These specifications translate directly into the high frame rates observed in the measured data.

The RTX 5090’s memory configuration is particularly relevant for Ready Or Not, which features detailed environments and numerous AI characters. The 32 GB VRAM capacity ensures that there is no memory-related stuttering, even at 4K Ultra settings. The GPU’s high pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are evidenced by the solid frame rates at 4K, where the card maintains 140.4 FPS at High settings. The GPU’s performance relative to its nearest rivals is minimal, with a 0.1% delta to the RTX 5090 D, but its absolute performance leaves no doubt that it is the primary reason this combo ranks so highly. The data shows that the RTX 5090 is not just a capable 4K card; it is a card that can push beyond 100 FPS at 4K Ultra in a demanding tactical shooter, positioning it as an enthusiast-grade component that, when paired with a top-tier CPU like the i9-14900K, delivers a benchmark-leading experience.