Ready Or Not

# Ready Or Not with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a formidable Ready Or Not experience, ranking 221st out of 2,947 tested combos, placing it in the top 7.5% of all configurations. This combination consistently produces high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, with the CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads providing ample headroom for the tactical shooter's AI-driven scenarios, while the GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory ensures smooth texture streaming even in chaotic firefights. The data reveals a system that rarely dips below playable thresholds, though the scaling patterns between settings and resolutions tell a nuanced story about where the bottleneck truly lies.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 221 out of 2,947 tested configurations places it in the 92.5th percentile of all CPU-GPU pairings tested for Ready Or Not. This is a strong showing, though not an absolute top-tier result, which suggests that while the hardware is exceptional, other combinations may squeeze out higher frame rates in this specific title. The CPU itself sits at the 96th percentile among all processors, indicating it is near the top of the heap for general compute tasks, but the game's engine apparently doesn't fully leverage every bit of that potential.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus edges out the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K by just 0.2% in average benchmark score, and is 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX and 1.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9135. Interestingly, it trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%. These margins are razor-thin, meaning the 290K Plus is not dramatically faster than its closest competitors in synthetic tests, yet in Ready Or Not the combination still achieves high rank due to the RTX 4080 SUPER's contribution.

For the GPU, the RTX 4080 SUPER sits at the 86th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 54,209. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080, scores 54,247, a delta of just -0.1%, making them effectively identical in raw compute. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% ahead, while the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and Radeon 8060S are 2.7% and 2.8% ahead respectively. This suggests the GPU is well-matched to its peers, and the high combo rank owes much to the synergy between CPU and GPU rather than one component dominating.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080 SUPER brings 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This is substantial for a tactical shooter like Ready Or Not, where large, detailed environments and numerous AI characters require consistent memory throughput. The GPU's 10,240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output pipelines provide the raw geometry and pixel processing power needed at high resolutions, while 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores handle any ray-traced or DLSS-enhanced workloads the game might throw at it.

Clock speeds see a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2550 MHz, with memory running at 1438 MHz (23 Gbps effective). These clocks, combined with the 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, translate into the measured frame rates we see. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages 86 FPS average, which is respectable but shows the GPU is being pushed hard. The pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s indicate the card can fill frames quickly, yet the drop from High to Ultra at 4K (122 to 86 FPS, a 30% reduction) suggests that Ultra settings impose a significant computational burden, likely through increased shadow quality, post-processing effects, or draw distances.

The GPU's 320 W TDP and triple-slot design speak to its power hunger, but the data shows it pays off in frame rates. The 16 GB VRAM is never a limiting factor in these measurements, as even at 4K Ultra the game runs without memory-related stutters. The card's end-of-life production status and launch MSRP of 999 USD are noted, but the performance metrics indicate it remains a capable choice for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K at each setting reveals where the bottleneck shifts. At Low settings, the combo produces 467 FPS at 1080p, 295 FPS at 1440p, and 154 FPS at 4K. This represents a 68% drop from 1080p to 4K, indicating that even at low graphical loads, the GPU is still the primary constraint as resolution increases. The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads at 3.70 GHz base and 5.80 GHz boost clock are clearly not the limiting factor here, as frame rates scale almost entirely with pixel count.

At Medium settings, the pattern holds: 407 FPS at 1080p, 257 FPS at 1440p, and 134 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 67%, nearly identical to Low. This consistency suggests the GPU's rendering pipeline is the bottleneck across these settings, with the CPU providing more than enough headroom. The minimum FPS numbers at Medium (346 at 1080p, 218 at 1440p, 114 at 4K) show that even worst-case frames remain playable, with the 4K minimum of 114 FPS still exceeding typical 60 Hz displays.

High settings show 370 FPS at 1080p, 234 FPS at 1440p, and 122 FPS at 4K, a 67% drop. Ultra settings produce 260 FPS at 1080p, 164 FPS at 1440p, and 86 FPS at 4K, a 67% drop as well. This uniform scaling across all settings is a strong indicator that the system is GPU-limited in this game, with the CPU's performance headroom remaining untapped even at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 4K, High settings (122 FPS average) offer the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as Ultra drops to 86 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter on high-refresh displays. Medium at 4K (134 FPS) is also viable, but the jump from Medium to High only costs 12 FPS (134 to 122) while presumably adding visual improvements. Low at 4K (154 FPS) is unnecessary unless targeting extremely high refresh rates, as the difference between Low and High is just 32 FPS.

At 1440p, High settings (234 FPS) are the sweet spot for competitive play, as they comfortably exceed 144 Hz refresh rates. Ultra (164 FPS) still exceeds 144 Hz but with a significant 30% performance hit compared to High. Medium (257 FPS) and Low (295 FPS) offer diminishing returns for the visual sacrifice. For 1080p, High (370 FPS) is more than sufficient for any display, with Ultra (260 FPS) being the only setting that dips below 300 FPS. The minimum FPS at 1080p Medium (346 FPS) indicates that even transient frame drops remain far above display refresh rates.

Given these numbers, High settings at any resolution provide the best experience per the measured rows, offering a strong balance between frame rate and visual quality without the steep performance penalty of Ultra.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations in Ready Or Not?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 221st out of 2,947 tested combos, placing it in the top 7.5% of all configurations. This indicates strong performance, though not the absolute best, with room for other combos to exceed it.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck. Across all settings, FPS scales consistently with resolution—dropping approximately 67-68% from 1080p to 4K—while the CPU's 24 cores and high boost clock of 5.80 GHz provide ample headroom that is never fully utilized.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gameplay?

A: High settings at 4K yield 122 FPS average, which is the best balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra drops to 86 FPS, a 30% reduction, while Medium offers 134 FPS but likely with fewer visual features. Low at 154 FPS is only beneficial for extremely high refresh rate displays.

Q: Can this system handle 1440p at Ultra settings?

A: Yes, 1440p Ultra produces 164 FPS average, which exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates. The minimum FPS is not listed for Ultra, but the average indicates smooth gameplay. High settings at 234 FPS provide even more headroom for competitive play.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54,209, which is 0.1% below the RTX 4080 (54,247), 1.1% below the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828), and 2.7-2.8% below the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and Radeon 8060S. This places it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 346. At 1440p Medium, it is 218. At 4K Medium, it is 114. These figures ensure that even worst-case frame drops remain playable on standard displays, though 4K at 114 FPS minimum is close to the edge for 120 Hz panels.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, fabricated on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz boosts up to 5.80 GHz, and it features 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s over dual-channel DDR5, combined with ECC support, ensures stable performance in prolonged gaming sessions.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,303 in single-core, with a PassMark multithread score of 60,860 and single-thread score of 4,823. These numbers place it at the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. However, in Ready Or Not, the CPU's role appears secondary, as the frame rate scaling with resolution indicates GPU limitation. The 24 threads are more than sufficient for the game's AI and physics calculations, and the high boost clock ensures snappy single-threaded performance for game logic.

The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83,807 on average, just 0.2% behind. This near-tie underscores that the 290K Plus offers marginal CPU gains, yet the combo's strong rank in this game likely benefits from the CPU never bottlenecking the GPU. The PassMark data compression score of 698,346 and encryption score of 52,563 show the CPU's strengths in data-intensive tasks, but these are not directly relevant to gaming performance. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier suggest overclocking potential, though the measured FPS indicates no need for additional headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 467 FPS, Medium 407 FPS, High 370 FPS, and Ultra 260 FPS. The Medium preset includes a measured minimum of 346 FPS and maximum of 468 FPS, showing tight frame pacing. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 44% drop (467 to 260 FPS), demonstrating the significant cost of Ultra settings even at lower resolutions.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected decline. Low settings average 295 FPS, Medium 257 FPS, High 234 FPS, and Ultra 164 FPS. The Medium preset has a minimum of 218 FPS and maximum of 295 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 44% (295 to 164 FPS), consistent with the 1080p pattern, indicating the GPU handles resolution scaling uniformly.

At 3840x2160, the system still performs admirably. Low settings average 154 FPS, Medium 134 FPS, High 122 FPS, and Ultra 86 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 114 FPS and maximum of 154 FPS. The Low to Ultra drop at 4K is also 44% (154 to 86 FPS), reinforcing the consistent scaling behavior. The 4K Ultra average of 86 FPS is the only measured result below 100 FPS, suggesting that Ultra settings at 4K push the GPU to its limits, while High at 122 FPS offers a comfortable margin for smooth gameplay.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data, providing insight into frame variability. At 1080p, the min-to-max range is 346-468 FPS (122 FPS spread), at 1440p it is 218-295 FPS (77 FPS spread), and at 4K it is 114-154 FPS (40 FPS spread). This narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes more consistently loaded, reducing frame time spikes. The overall pattern confirms that this combo is well-balanced, with the CPU never holding back the GPU, and the GPU delivering playable frame rates even at the most demanding settings.