Ready Or Not

Ready Or Not is a demanding tactical shooter, and the data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER shows a combination that is decisively GPU-bound at higher resolutions but capable of very high frame rates. The combo ranks in the 92nd percentile (315 out of 3714 tested combos) in this game, indicating that this pairing delivers top-tier performance for the vast majority of systems. The measured results demonstrate that the primary bottleneck shifts from the graphics card at 4K to the processor at 1080p, where the system still produces exceptionally high frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It has 24 MB of shared L3 cache and is built on a 3 nm process node. In the context of Ready Or Not, a tactical shooter that often involves complex AI and environmental interactions, this processor provides a robust foundation.

Benchmark results show the CPU's single-threaded strength is significant, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4516. This is crucial because many game engines, including those for tactical shooters, rely heavily on a few primary threads for gameplay logic and physics. The high boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures that these tasks are handled with minimal latency. The CPU's overall performance is comparable to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, with a negligible 0.1% difference in average benchmark score, and it sits essentially tied with the Intel Core i9-13900HX.

However, the data suggests that in this specific game and at these settings, the CPU is not the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. Looking at the measured FPS, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, and the drop from 1440p to 4K is even more pronounced. This pattern indicates that the GPU is taking on more of the workload as resolution scales. At 1080p, the CPU is pushed harder to feed the GPU, but it manages to deliver an average of 370 FPS on High settings, demonstrating that it is more than capable of avoiding a severe bottleneck even in a CPU-sensitive genre.

The 14 cores and 14 threads provide ample multi-threaded headroom for background tasks and any game processes that can utilize them, such as audio processing or AI pathfinding. The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 37816 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 confirm its strong multi-threaded capabilities, which ensures consistent frame pacing in demanding firefights. In summary, the Core Ultra 5 235 is a high-end processor that provides more than enough performance to support the RTX 4080 SUPER, only showing its limits in extreme high-refresh-rate scenarios at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU-GPU combination in Ready Or Not?

A: The combo ranks 315th out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the top 8% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is essentially identical to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (0.1% higher) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (0.1% lower). It also edges out the AMD EPYC 4364P by 0.2% and the AMD EPYC 7303 by 0.2%.

Q: What is the best-case scenario for frame rates at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 on Low settings, the system achieves an average of 295 FPS. On Medium settings, the average is 257 FPS with a minimum of 218 FPS and a maximum of 295 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU or the CPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K. The average frame rate drops significantly from 370 FPS at 1080p High to 234 FPS at 1440p High, and further to 122 FPS at 4K High, showing the increasing burden on the graphics card.

Q: How much of a performance hit do you take from Low to Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rate drops from 154 FPS on Low settings to 86 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents a substantial 44% decrease in performance when enabling the highest visual fidelity.

Q: Does the system maintain a playable frame rate at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 86 FPS at 3840x2160 on Ultra settings, which is well within the playable range for a smooth experience, though not sufficient for very high refresh rate monitors.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic resolution scaling pattern that clearly identifies the GPU as the dominant bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces an average of 370 FPS. This is an exceptionally high frame rate that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to saturate its capabilities in less demanding scenes. When resolution increases to 1440p, the average FPS drops to 234, a significant 37% decrease. This is a strong indicator that the GPU is now working harder to render more pixels.

The scaling continues at 4K, where the average FPS on High settings falls to 122. This marks another 48% decrease from the 1440p result. The severity of this drop confirms that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary component limiting performance at 3840x2160. The CPU, while still important, has enough headroom at these resolutions to allow the GPU to be the sole constraint.

The data also shows that settings have a bigger impact at 4K than at 1080p. At 1080p, the difference between Low (467 FPS) and Ultra (260 FPS) is a 44% drop. At 4K, the difference between Low (154 FPS) and Ultra (86 FPS) is a 44% drop as well. While the percentage is similar, the absolute frame rate impact is more noticeable at 4K, where a 68 FPS swing is more significant to the overall experience than a 207 FPS swing at 1080p. This shows that while the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, the CPU still has enough performance to allow for a wide range of settings without causing a CPU-side bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is positioned very high in the performance hierarchy for Ready Or Not. With a rank of 315 out of 3714 tested combos, this system outperforms approximately 92% of all other configurations in the database for this specific game. This places it firmly in the enthusiast tier of hardware, indicating that users with this setup can expect top-tier performance.

This high ranking is a direct result of the balanced partnership between the two components. The RTX 4080 SUPER is a high-end GPU that provides excellent raw rendering power, while the Core Ultra 5 235 is a modern processor with strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. The data suggests that neither component is severely holding back the other in this title. The CPU's performance is on par with other high-end chips like the Intel Core i9-13900HX, and the GPU's average benchmark score is within 1% of the standard RTX 4080 and only 2.8% behind the AMD Radeon 8060S.

This ranking means that for a user with a high-refresh-rate 1440p monitor or a 4K display, this system is an excellent match. At 1440p, it can push frame rates well beyond 200 FPS on High settings, making it ideal for competitive play. At 4K, it maintains an average above 120 FPS on High settings, which is more than sufficient for a smooth and immersive experience in a tactical shooter.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the star of the show for rendering this game at high resolutions. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. The GPU has a boost clock of 2550 MHz and is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture. This substantial memory capacity is more than sufficient for Ready Or Not's textures and assets at 4K resolution, ensuring that the GPU is not starved for data.

The GPU's performance is a key reason for the high combo ranking. Its Passmark G3D score of 34245 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600 demonstrate its raw compute power. The data shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary performance driver at 4K, where its rendering capabilities are pushed to the limit. The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 86, which is a 44% drop from 4K Low. This significant scaling with settings shows that the GPU is handling the majority of the graphical workload.

The GPU is also a strong performer relative to its peers. Its average benchmark score of 54209 is only 0.1% lower than the standard RTX 4080, and it is nearly tied with the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, which is only 1.1% higher. This confirms that the RTX 4080 SUPER is a top-tier card that sits at the high end of the performance spectrum, and is only surpassed by a few other more powerful GPUs. Its 80 RT cores and 320 Tensor cores also provide the necessary hardware for advanced visual features, should the game utilize them.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across different resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptionally high frame rates. On Low settings, the average FPS is 467. This drops to 407 FPS on Medium, 370 FPS on High, and 260 FPS on Ultra. The Medium settings result shows a minimum FPS of 346 and a maximum of 468. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, as the frame rates are high enough to potentially exceed the refresh rate of most monitors.

At 2560x1440, performance remains very strong. The average FPS on Low is 295, on Medium it is 257, and on High it is 234. On Ultra, the average drops to 164 FPS. The Medium settings result shows a minimum FPS of 218 and a maximum of 295. This resolution offers a great balance between visual fidelity and performance, with even the most demanding settings producing frame rates that are well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The average FPS is 154 on Low, 134 on Medium, and 122 on High. On Ultra, the average falls to 86 FPS. The Medium settings result shows a minimum FPS of 114 and a maximum of 154. While the 4K Ultra result is the lowest in the dataset, it is still a playable frame rate for a tactical shooter. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 44% drop, mirroring the relative performance hit seen at 1080p, but the absolute numbers are much lower, demonstrating the GPU's workload at this resolution.