Undisputed

Undisputed is a sports title that scales unusually hard with both resolution and graphics presets, and the combination of an Intel Core i7-12700K with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 produces a wide spread of frame rates that reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior. At 1080p Low, the system pushes 497 FPS on average, but that number collapses to 87 FPS at 4K Ultra, a drop that highlights how dramatically the GPU load increases. The measured data shows that this pairing is capable of extreme performance at lower settings, yet it also demonstrates that even a top-tier GPU like the RTX 5080 has limits when the preset and resolution are maximized simultaneously.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate deltas across resolutions are steep and consistent, pointing to a GPU-bound scenario at higher pixel counts. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 296 to 214, a reduction of 82 FPS or roughly 28%. The scaling continues aggressively when stepping up to 3840x2160 at High, where the average falls to 135 FPS, another 79 FPS loss compared to 1440p. This pattern indicates that the RTX 5080 is the limiting component as resolution increases, with the CPU having ample headroom at these settings.

The Low preset tells a similar story but with even larger absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 497 FPS, which drops to 359 FPS at 1440p and further to 227 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 28%, matching the High preset’s scaling almost exactly. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K at Low is a 132 FPS loss, or roughly 37%, which is steeper than the High preset’s 37% drop from 1440p to 4K (from 214 to 135 FPS). This suggests that at Low settings, the GPU is still the primary constraint, but the relative cost of rendering 4K pixels becomes more pronounced when other shading work is minimized.

At Medium settings, the frame rates sit between Low and High as expected, with 357 FPS at 1080p, 258 FPS at 1440p, and 163 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result also includes measured minimum and maximum values of 139 FPS and 188 FPS, respectively, providing a range that shows the system’s consistency at that resolution. The spread from 1080p Medium to 4K Medium is a 194 FPS reduction, which is the largest absolute drop across any preset, underscoring that resolution scaling is the dominant factor in this game’s performance profile.

The Ultra preset produces the lowest frame rates across the board, with 190 FPS at 1080p, 137 FPS at 1440p, and 87 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 53 FPS drop, and from 1440p to 4K it’s a 50 FPS drop, showing a more linear degradation compared to other presets. At 4K Ultra, the 87 FPS average is the only sub-100 FPS result in the entire dataset, indicating that this is the point where the RTX 5080’s rendering workload becomes too heavy for smooth high-refresh gameplay. The data clearly shows that resolution has a larger impact on performance than the preset choice, as the gap between 1080p Low and 4K Low (270 FPS) is larger than the gap between 4K Low and 4K Ultra (140 FPS).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K brings 12 cores and 20 threads to the pairing, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its benchmark results indicate strong multi-threaded capability, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19784 and a Geekbench multicore score of 15790. However, in Undisputed, the CPU’s role appears secondary to the GPU at most settings, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling patterns. The single-thread performance, measured at a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1850.5 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1043, is sufficient to support high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck at 1080p.

The 3DMark multi-thread scores provide context for how the CPU handles parallel workloads. The 16-thread score of 9276 and the max-thread score of 9979 show that the processor scales well with additional threads, which is relevant for a game that may utilize multiple cores for physics and AI. However, the fact that FPS continues to drop as resolution increases suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this scenario. Even at 1080p Low, where the system hits 497 FPS, the CPU manages to feed the GPU without capping performance, indicating that its 20 threads and 5.00 GHz boost clock are more than adequate for Undisputed’s demands.

The CPU’s L3 cache of 25 MB shared and L2 cache of 1.25 MB per core contribute to low-latency data access, which helps maintain consistent frame pacing in fast-paced sports action. The PassMark multithread score of 34404 and integer math score of 114264 further demonstrate the CPU’s computational strength, but these metrics do not translate into a visible bottleneck in the measured FPS data. The nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark rankings, such as the Intel Core i5-13600T at a 0.1% lower average score, show that the i7-12700K is well-positioned among its peers, but none of these differences manifest in the game’s frame rates.

At 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly strained, the CPU has plenty of headroom left, as the 87 FPS average is likely dictated by the RTX 5080’s rendering limits rather than any CPU constraint. The data suggests that users upgrading from a weaker CPU might see similar frame rates in this game at high resolutions, but at 1080p Low, the 497 FPS result demonstrates that the i7-12700K can keep up with even the fastest GPU settings. The CPU’s TDP of 125 W and production status as active indicate it is a current-generation part, though its launch MSRP of $409 places it as a mid-range enthusiast option.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the high frame rates observed at lower resolutions. With 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus and a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s, the GPU has ample memory throughput for Undisputed’s textures and effects at 4K. The memory clock of 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective) and the boost clock of 2617 MHz provide the raw speed needed to push 497 FPS at 1080p Low, a result that showcases the GPU’s extreme capabilities when not constrained by resolution.

The GPU’s 10752 shading units and 112 ROPs handle the pixel fill rate efficiently, as evidenced by the pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance of 56.28 TFLOPS is substantial, but the frame rate drops at 4K Ultra suggest that even this compute power is taxed by the game’s highest settings. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8637 and PassMark G3D score of 36565 indicate strong synthetic performance, but the real-world data shows that Undisputed’s Ultra preset at 4K is a demanding workload, producing only 87 FPS on average.

The RTX 5080’s nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark rankings include the AMD Radeon 8060S at a 0.6% higher average score and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at a 0.7% higher score. These close margins in synthetic benchmarks do not necessarily translate to identical gaming performance, but they provide context for the RTX 5080’s position in the market. The GPU’s percentile of 87 vs all GPUs and average benchmark score of 56083 place it in the upper echelon of available hardware, yet the 4K Ultra result of 87 FPS shows that no current GPU is immune to the demands of maxed-out settings at high resolutions.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for Undisputed, as the game does not appear to be memory-limited at any tested setting. The measured FPS at 4K High (135 FPS) versus 4K Medium (163 FPS) shows a 28 FPS difference, which is likely due to shading and texture quality rather than memory capacity. The GPU’s power consumption of 360 W TDP and suggested PSU of 750 W indicate that this is a high-power part, but the performance gains justify the power draw for users seeking high-refresh gaming. The display outputs of 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b support modern high-refresh monitors, which is essential for taking advantage of the 497 FPS achievable at 1080p Low.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 296 FPS on average, which is more than enough for any high-refresh monitor, while the Medium preset offers 357 FPS at the cost of some visual fidelity. The Low preset’s 497 FPS is excessive for most displays and likely sacrifices too much visual quality for a marginal gain in smoothness. For 1080p users, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it provides a substantial 106 FPS advantage over Ultra (190 FPS) while maintaining good graphics quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the High preset’s 214 FPS average is still well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common among gaming monitors, making it the optimal choice for this resolution. The Medium preset at 258 FPS offers additional headroom for users with 240 Hz displays, but the visual difference between Medium and High may be noticeable in a sports game where player models and arena details are on screen constantly. The Ultra preset at 137 FPS is playable but leaves less margin for frame drops, and the 77 FPS difference between High and Ultra suggests that the extra visual features are costly.

At 3840x2160, the High preset’s 135 FPS average is the sweet spot for 4K gaming, as it provides a smooth experience on standard 60 Hz and 120 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 163 FPS offers more headroom for high-refresh 4K monitors, but the 28 FPS gain comes with reduced visual quality. The Ultra preset’s 87 FPS is above 60 FPS but may feel less responsive on higher refresh rate displays, and the 48 FPS drop from High to Ultra is significant. The Low preset at 227 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it would require sacrificing most graphical features to achieve frame rates that exceed what most 4K monitors can display.

The data shows that the High preset provides the most consistent experience across all three resolutions, with frame rates of 296 FPS at 1080p, 214 FPS at 1440p, and 135 FPS at 4K. This preset balances the GPU’s workload appropriately, avoiding the extreme drops seen at Ultra while maintaining better visual quality than Medium. For users with high-refresh monitors at 1080p or 1440p, the Medium preset is a viable alternative to push frame rates higher, but the High preset offers the best overall experience in terms of visual fidelity and smoothness.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this CPU and GPU combination in Undisputed?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 497 at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which represents the ceiling for this hardware pairing.

Q: Can the RTX 5080 maintain 144 FPS at 4K in Undisputed?

A: Yes, at 4K Medium the average FPS is 163, which exceeds 144 FPS, but at 4K High the average drops to 135 FPS, which is below the 144 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 137 FPS, while the High preset averages 214 FPS, representing a 77 FPS difference in favor of High settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p Low settings?

A: The data suggests the GPU is still the limiting factor, as the frame rate of 497 FPS is extremely high and does not indicate CPU constraint, given the i7-12700K’s single-thread score of 1850.5 in Cinebench R23.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest average FPS is 87, which occurs at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, showing the most demanding configuration tested.

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

A: The average FPS drops from 296 at 1080p to 135 at 4K, a loss of 161 FPS or approximately 54% of the 1080p performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. The Low setting produces an average of 497 FPS, while Medium achieves 357 FPS with a measured range of 304 to 411 FPS. High settings yield 296 FPS on average, and Ultra drops to 190 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, even the Ultra preset maintains a frame rate above 144 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh gaming.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the expected decline from 1080p. Low settings average 359 FPS, Medium averages 258 FPS with a range of 219 to 297 FPS, High averages 214 FPS, and Ultra averages 137 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that High settings are still suitable for 144 Hz displays, while Ultra falls just below that threshold, making it marginal for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the performance gap becomes more pronounced as the GPU works harder. Low settings average 227 FPS, Medium averages 163 FPS with a range of 139 to 188 FPS, High averages 135 FPS, and Ultra averages 87 FPS. The 4K results show that only Low and Medium presets exceed 144 FPS, while High is suitable for 120 Hz monitors, and Ultra is best reserved for 60 Hz displays. The measured minimum and maximum values at Medium settings across all resolutions (304-411 at 1080p, 219-297 at 1440p, 139-188 at 4K) show a consistent narrowing of the frame rate range as resolution increases, indicating more stable performance at lower resolutions.