Undisputed

Undisputed is a demanding sports title, and this configuration—the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti—sits at a specific performance intersection. The measured data reveals a system that is exceptionally capable at lower resolutions but begins to show its structural limits as pixel count climbs. The combo ranks 1326th out of 3718 tested configurations in this game, placing it in the upper third of all possible hardware pairings, a position that reflects a balance of strong CPU throughput and a mid-to-high-tier GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS deltas between 1080p, 1440p, and 4K tell a clear story about where the bottleneck shifts. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces 323 FPS, a figure so high that the CPU is almost certainly the limiting factor. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops this to 234 FPS, a 27.6% reduction, which is a substantial hit but still leaves a massive frame rate. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 148 FPS, another 36.8% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern—where each resolution step costs roughly 30-37% performance at Low settings—indicates that while the RTX 3070 Ti is still the primary driver of these changes, the sheer headroom at 1080p means the CPU is holding back what the GPU could potentially deliver.

The scaling curve steepens dramatically when moving to Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the system posts 124 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 90 FPS, a 27.4% decrease. However, the jump to 4K Ultra is punishing: the average falls to 57 FPS, a 36.7% reduction from 1440p and less than half of the 1080p figure. This non-linear degradation at 4K Ultra signals that the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and memory bandwidth are being saturated, and the rendering load is overwhelming the GA104 chip. The data suggests that 4K Ultra is only borderline playable, while 4K High at 88 FPS is a much more viable target.

The transition from Medium to High settings also reveals the cost of quality. At 1080p, Medium produces 233 FPS, while High produces 193 FPS—a 17.2% penalty for the visual upgrade. At 1440p, the same transition costs 17.3% (168 to 139 FPS). At 4K, the penalty is slightly larger at 17.0% (106 to 88 FPS). This consistency across resolutions indicates that the settings presets are scaling the same visual features uniformly, and the GPU is handling the additional load proportionally. The most significant drop occurs between High and Ultra at 4K, where the frame rate plummets from 88 to 57 FPS, a 35.2% loss, suggesting that Ultra enables effects that are disproportionately expensive at high pixel counts.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, running on a 10 nm process node. Its base clock is 3.50 GHz, boosting up to 5.30 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 24 MB L3 cache. These specifications are relevant because Undisputed, as a sports simulation, relies on consistent physics and AI calculations, which favor high single-thread performance and decent multi-thread headroom.

Benchmark data places this CPU in the 90th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 49394. Its nearest rivals are telling: the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49228 (0.3% lower), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G scores 49196 (0.4% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995 (0.8% lower). The only competitor above it is the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 at 49796 (0.8% higher). This clustering within 1.6% of its peers suggests that the i5-14600KF is not a bottleneck in a meaningful way for this game; any of these CPUs would likely produce similar results.

The CPU's single-thread performance is particularly strong, as evidenced by Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594 and Geekbench single-core score of 2445. In a game like Undisputed, where frame pacing and simulation updates happen on a main thread, this strength is critical. The multi-threaded results (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544, Geekbench multi-core of 17085) provide ample headroom for background tasks and streaming, but the 1080p Low FPS of 323 suggests the CPU is capable of feeding frames far faster than the GPU can render them at higher settings.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor at 1440p or 4K. The FPS drops between resolutions are larger than what a CPU bottleneck would produce; they are consistent with GPU-bound scenarios. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely pegged near its limits, but at 4K Ultra, the CPU is probably waiting on the GPU to finish rendering. This is a classic pairing where the i5-14600KF provides more than enough computational power for a mid-range GPU, ensuring that the GPU is the primary performance arbiter at higher resolutions and quality settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture using an 8 nm process node from Samsung. It features 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1575 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, with memory running at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 8 GB of GDDR6X memory sits on a 256-bit bus, providing 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The card is rated at 290 W TDP, a substantial power draw that requires a 600 W PSU.

The GPU's benchmark performance places it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 29945. Its nearest rivals show a tight grouping: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile scores 29928 (0.1% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 6800 scores 30095 (0.5% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti scores 29783 (0.5% lower). The AMD Radeon RX 6700 is 1.6% higher at 30433. This positioning confirms that the RTX 3070 Ti is a solid upper-mid-range card, but it is not a high-end enthusiast part. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3478 and Passmark G3D score of 23356 are consistent with this tier.

The 8 GB VRAM is the most crucial spec for Undisputed at high resolutions. The measured FPS data shows that 4K Ultra produces 57 FPS, while 4K High produces 88 FPS. The 31 FPS gap between these presets is likely due to texture quality and memory pressure. At 4K, high-resolution textures can exceed 8 GB of VRAM, forcing the card to swap data to system memory, which causes stuttering and frame drops. The min FPS data for 4K Medium shows 90 FPS, but no min FPS was recorded for 4K Ultra, suggesting that the frame pacing might be inconsistent in that scenario.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s is adequate for 1440p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s are high enough to handle the geometry, but the fill rate demands of 4K resolution with Ultra effects are taxing the card's compute resources. The FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS is respectable, but Undisputed's shader complexity at Ultra settings appears to be pushing the card to its limits. The data suggests that the RTX 3070 Ti is best utilized at 1440p, where it can maintain high frame rates across all settings, or at 4K with High settings for a balanced experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Undisputed?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 as the sweet spot. At High settings, it produces 139 FPS, and at Ultra, it still maintains 90 FPS. This resolution offers a balance between visual fidelity and high refresh rate performance. 4K is playable but only at Medium (106 FPS) or High (88 FPS) settings, not Ultra (57 FPS).

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to its closest rivals in this game?

A: Benchmark scores show the RTX 3070 Ti (29945) is 0.1% faster than the RTX 5070 Mobile (29928) and 0.5% faster than the RTX 2080 Ti (29783), but it is 0.5% slower than the RX 6800 (30095) and 1.6% slower than the RX 6700 (30433). These differences are negligible in real-world terms, indicating that any of these cards would perform similarly.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600KF a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the system hits 323 FPS, which is extraordinarily high. The CPU's single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 score of 4594) is sufficient to drive frame rates well beyond what most monitors can display. However, the fact that FPS drops by 27.6% when moving to 1440p Low (234 FPS) suggests that the CPU is partially limiting at 1080p, but this is irrelevant in practice as the frame rates are already excessive.

Q: What is the performance cost of Ultra settings at 4K?

A: The difference between 4K High (88 FPS) and 4K Ultra (57 FPS) is a 35.2% reduction in average frame rate. This is the largest single-settings penalty observed in the data. The 8 GB VRAM is likely insufficient for Ultra textures at 4K, causing the GPU to struggle with memory allocation.

Q: How does this combo rank against other hardware in Undisputed?

A: The configuration ranks 1326th out of 3718 tested combinations, placing it in the top 35.7% of all systems. This indicates that the i5-14600KF + RTX 3070 Ti pairing is above average for this game, but there is substantial headroom for better performance with higher-tier GPUs.

Q: Does the CPU's multi-threaded performance matter for this game?

A: The i5-14600KF has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a Passmark multithread score of 38697. While these figures are robust, the game's performance scaling from 1080p to 4K indicates that GPU load dominates. The CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom for the game's simulation logic and any background processes, but they are not the primary driver of FPS differences at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 323 FPS, while Medium hits 233 FPS with a min FPS of 198 and max of 268. High settings average 193 FPS, and Ultra drops to 124 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 199 FPS, a 61.6% reduction, but even the lowest figure is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. This resolution is clearly CPU-bound at Low, as the GPU is not being taxed heavily.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to show the GPU's workload. Low settings average 234 FPS, a 27.6% drop from 1080p. Medium settings produce 168 FPS (min 143, max 193), which is a 27.9% drop from 1080p Medium. High settings average 139 FPS, a 27.9% reduction from 1080p High. Ultra settings produce 90 FPS, a 27.4% drop from 1080p Ultra. The consistency of these reductions (27.4-27.9%) suggests that the GPU is scaling linearly with pixel count, and the RTX 3070 Ti is handling the load predictably.

At 3840x2160, the performance characteristics change more dramatically. Low settings average 148 FPS, a 36.8% drop from 1440p Low, which is a larger proportional reduction than the 1080p to 1440p transition. Medium settings average 106 FPS (min 90, max 122), a 36.9% drop from 1440p Medium. High settings average 88 FPS, a 36.7% drop from 1440p High. Ultra settings drop to 57 FPS, a 36.7% reduction from 1440p Ultra. The larger percentage drops at 4K (36.7-36.9% vs 27.4-27.9% at 1440p) indicate that the GPU is hitting a memory bandwidth or VRAM capacity wall at this resolution.

The min FPS data provides additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 198, while at 1440p Medium, it is 143, and at 4K Medium, it is 90. These minimums are consistently about 15% lower than the averages, suggesting stable frame pacing without severe stutters. The absence of min FPS data for Low and Ultra settings at all resolutions means we cannot assess those presets for frame time consistency, but the averages suggest that Low is always playable and Ultra is only problematic at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 1080p, the data shows that Ultra settings at 124 FPS are entirely viable for a high-refresh-rate monitor. The 193 FPS at High is overkill for most displays, so using Ultra is recommended if visual fidelity is a priority. However, the difference between High and Ultra is 69 FPS, which is a 35.7% penalty, so if a player prefers maximum frame rates, High is the better choice.

At 1440p, the recommendation is more nuanced. Ultra settings produce 90 FPS, which is smooth for most gaming, but High settings at 139 FPS offer a 54.4% improvement in frame rate with a modest visual downgrade. For competitive play or high-refresh monitors, High is the superior choice. Medium at 168 FPS is also viable for those who want to prioritize frame rate above all else. The data indicates that Ultra at 1440p is playable but not ideal for 144 Hz displays.

For 4K, the choices are limited by the GPU's capabilities. Ultra at 57 FPS is borderline and may feel inconsistent. High at 88 FPS is the best balance, providing smooth gameplay while maintaining high visual quality. Medium at 106 FPS is the strongest option for players who want to maintain a high frame rate at 4K, but the visual compromise from High to Medium is noticeable. Low at 148 FPS is excessive for 4K, but it indicates that the GPU is capable of high frame rates if settings are reduced significantly.

The optimal configuration for this hardware is 1440p with High settings. This yields 139 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and close to 144 Hz. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient at this resolution and preset, as evidenced by the stable frame times. For 4K, High settings at 88 FPS is the recommended choice, as it avoids the VRAM constraints that likely cause the Ultra preset's 57 FPS result. The data does not support 4K Ultra as a viable option for this system, as the performance drop is too severe.

The settings ladder shows diminishing returns at the highest preset. Moving from High to Ultra at 1440p costs 49 FPS (35.3% reduction), while moving from Medium to High costs only 29 FPS (17.3% reduction). This suggests that Ultra offers marginal visual improvements over High but at a significant performance cost. Players should consider whether the visual differences justify the frame rate loss, especially on displays with higher refresh rates.