Undisputed

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 pairing presents a striking contrast between a top-tier, 24-core desktop processor and an end-of-life, entry-level Turing GPU. In Undisputed, a sports title that scales heavily with graphics settings, the data shows this combination produces a wide range of frame rates, from highly playable at 1080p to borderline at 4K Ultra. The benchmark results reveal a system where the CPU's immense headroom is largely untapped, with the RTX 2060 serving as the definitive performance gate across most tested configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance rank of this CPU and GPU combination in Undisputed?

A: The combo is ranked 2220 out of 2813 tested combinations in the database for this game. This places it in the bottom 21% of all tested systems, reflecting the GPU's limitations despite the CPU's high standing.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The CPU holds an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX. It trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%, showing it is statistically tied with its closest competitors.

Q: What is the RTX 2060's standing among all GPUs, and who are its closest rivals?

A: The GPU sits at the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 15290 is essentially identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, AMD Radeon 680M, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, with deltas of 0%, 0.1%, and 0.6% respectively.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 90 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is a playable frame rate for most users, indicating the GPU can handle a high preset at this resolution.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra setting playable with this hardware?

A: No. The benchmark results show an average of 37 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This falls below the standard 60 FPS target and would likely result in a suboptimal experience.

Q: How significant is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 209 FPS on Low settings to 80 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents a 61.7% reduction in performance, highlighting the heavy load that Ultra settings place on the RTX 2060.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz can boost up to 5.80 GHz, and it carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache. The data indicates this is a high-end part, scoring in the 96th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 84003.

In the context of Undisputed, the CPU's role appears to be primarily about providing a stable foundation rather than driving frame rates. Looking at the measured FPS, the pattern across all resolutions and settings is classic GPU-bound behavior. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 209 FPS, but as settings increase to Ultra, the frame rate drops to 80 FPS. This scaling is driven by the GPU's workload. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731 and single-core score of 7303 are exceptionally high, suggesting it is not a limiting factor in any of the tested scenarios.

The 290K Plus's performance relative to its nearest rivals reinforces its position. It is 0.2% ahead of the Core Ultra 9 285K and 1.1% ahead of the EPYC 4584PX, essentially a statistical dead heat. The data suggests that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would theoretically have the most influence, the RTX 2060's frame delivery is the ceiling. The processor's Passmark single-thread score of 4823 is robust, but in this specific game, the frame rates are consistently constrained by the graphics card's capabilities, making the CPU a silent partner in this pairing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing-architecture GPU built on a 12 nm process, featuring 1920 shading units and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. Its memory bandwidth is 336.0 GB/s, and it has a boost clock of 1680 MHz. With a 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs and an average score of 15290, it is positioned as a low-to-mid-range part, with its nearest rivals including the GTX 580 and Radeon 680M.

The GPU's role in Undisputed is decisive. It is the primary determinant of performance, as evidenced by the sharp FPS drops when settings are increased. At 1440p, the average frame rate falls from 151 FPS on Low to 58 FPS on Ultra, a 61.6% decline. This illustrates the GPU's struggle with the higher texture and shading demands of the Ultra preset. The RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM is a potential concern at higher resolutions, as the 4K Ultra result of 37 FPS suggests the card is overwhelmed by the combination of resolution and graphical fidelity.

The data shows that the GPU is the clear bottleneck in this system. At 1080p Low, the 209 FPS result is likely near the practical limit for the card, but the CPU is far from its own limits. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 14111 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242 are modest, confirming its mid-range status. Consequently, the RTX 2060's capabilities define the entire user experience in Undisputed, acting as a hard ceiling that the powerful CPU cannot overcome.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is ranked 2220 out of 2813 tested combinations in Undisputed. This places it in the bottom 21% of all systems, which is a low position for a CPU that is in the 96th percentile. The discrepancy between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low rank underscores the GPU's role as the limiting factor.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Core Ultra 9 285K and EPYC 4584PX, are within 1.2% of its average score. However, when paired with the RTX 2060, the overall combo rank is dragged down by the GPU's 58th percentile standing. The data implies that the choice of GPU is far more impactful for this game's performance than the choice of CPU, as long as the processor is reasonably modern.

This ranking suggests that while the CPU is a top-tier performer in general workloads, its power is largely irrelevant in Undisputed when paired with a GPU of this class. The system's performance is dominated by the RTX 2060, and the combo rank of 2220 reflects the GPU's mid-range capabilities rather than the CPU's high-end status. For users with this pairing, the data shows that the system's frame rates in Undisputed are representative of the GPU's tier, not the CPU's.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at how this system handles Undisputed across four resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 209 FPS on Low, 150 FPS on Medium, 124 FPS on High, and 80 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting shows a minimum of 128 FPS and a maximum of 173 FPS, indicating some frame time variance but overall excellent playability.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 151 FPS on Low, 109 FPS on Medium, 90 FPS on High, and 58 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution has a min of 92 FPS and a max of 125 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K is significant. At 3840x2160, the averages fall to 95 FPS on Low, 69 FPS on Medium, 57 FPS on High, and 37 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Medium preset shows a min of 58 FPS and a max of 79 FPS.

The data shows a consistent and expected trend: frame rates decrease as both resolution and settings increase. The most dramatic drop occurs moving from 1440p High (90 FPS) to 4K High (57 FPS), a 36.7% reduction. This indicates that the RTX 2060's memory bandwidth and processing power are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 37 FPS is the only configuration that falls below the 40 FPS threshold, making it the only unplayable option in the dataset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this system depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 124 FPS offers an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, well above the 60 FPS standard. The Ultra preset at 80 FPS is also viable for users who prioritize visual fidelity over maximum frame rates, as it remains above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 90 FPS is the recommended choice, providing a smooth experience with good detail. The Ultra preset at 58 FPS is borderline, dipping slightly below the 60 FPS target. For users with a 1440p monitor, Medium at 109 FPS is a safe alternative if frame rates are prioritized.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that High settings at 57 FPS are just below the ideal 60 FPS mark, making Medium at 69 FPS the better choice for a consistent experience. The Low preset at 95 FPS is the only 4K option that offers significant headroom above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 37 FPS is not recommended for playable frame rates. The data indicates that the best overall experience is at 1080p High, where the system delivers high frame rates without sacrificing too much visual quality, while 1440p High is the best balance for higher-resolution displays.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K illustrates the system's performance limits and identifies the limiting component. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 124 FPS at 1080p to 90 FPS at 1440p, a 27.4% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the frame rate falls to 57 FPS, a 36.7% decrease. The total drop from 1080p High to 4K High is 54.0%.

This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound system. The RTX 2060 must process an increasing number of pixels as resolution rises, and its 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth become strained. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p (209 FPS) to 4K (95 FPS) is 54.5%, showing that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's performance, as measured by its high benchmark scores, does not change with resolution, so the FPS declines are entirely attributable to GPU workload.

The data confirms that the RTX 2060 is the definitive bottleneck in this pairing. The CPU's robust single-thread and multi-thread scores are irrelevant to the FPS scaling, as the system's performance is constrained by the GPU at every resolution and settings combination. The 4K Ultra result of 37 FPS is a clear indicator that this GPU is not suited for high-fidelity 4K gaming in Undisputed, while 1080p and 1440p remain viable.