Undisputed

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a highly capable experience in Undisputed, with the data showing a clear preference for the High preset across all tested resolutions. This combination ranks in the 1184th position out of 2813 tested combos, placing it in the upper half of the database. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a system that is well-balanced for this sports title, though the performance ceiling varies significantly with both resolution and graphical fidelity. This analysis walks through the measured data to interpret how the CPU and GPU each contribute to the final result.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results indicate that the High preset provides the most consistent and visually optimal experience without sacrificing fluidity. At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves an average of 183 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay. Moving to 2560x1440, the average drops to 132 FPS, still well within the range of high-refresh-rate displays. Even at the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the High preset maintains an average of 84 FPS, which is playable and keeps the action fluid.

The Ultra preset, while offering higher visual fidelity, comes at a steep performance cost. At 3840x2160, Ultra yields only 54 FPS on average, which is a significant reduction from High and may introduce noticeable stutter or input lag in a fast-paced sports simulation. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 85 FPS, which is acceptable but still a 47 FPS drop from High. The gap narrows at 1920x1080, where Ultra reaches 118 FPS, but the High preset remains the safer choice for maintaining a high frame rate.

The Medium preset offers a middle ground, with averages of 221 FPS at 1080p, 160 FPS at 1440p, and 101 FPS at 4K. While these numbers are strong, the High preset shows only a modest performance penalty relative to Medium at 1080p (183 vs. 221 FPS) and 1440p (132 vs. 160 FPS), suggesting that High is more efficient in terms of visual quality per frame. At 4K, the difference between Medium and High is 17 FPS, which is more pronounced, but High still holds above the 60 FPS threshold. The Low preset, while delivering the highest frame rates (308 FPS at 1080p, 222 FPS at 1440p, and 141 FPS at 4K), sacrifices too much visual detail for a marginal benefit in this context. The data supports High as the recommended preset for balancing performance and image quality across all tested resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the primary driver of frame rates in this configuration, and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth proves sufficient for Undisputed at the tested settings. The GPU’s memory capacity does not appear to be a bottleneck, as the measured FPS scales consistently with resolution changes, indicating that the 8 GB frame buffer is not being exhausted at 4K with the High or Medium presets. The boost clock of 1725 MHz, paired with 5888 shading units, provides the raw compute power necessary to maintain high averages in this simulation-heavy title.

The GPU’s performance percentile of 61 places it above the median for all tested GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 17208 is competitive. When compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 3070 is 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, though it trails the NVIDIA Tesla K40c by 1.5%. These small deltas suggest that the RTX 3070 sits in a tightly contested performance tier. In Undisputed, the GPU’s role is most evident when transitioning from Low to Ultra settings; the FPS drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 190 FPS (308 to 118), which is a direct consequence of increased pixel shading and memory pressure. The RTX 3070’s 220 W TDP and dual-slot design are consistent with its mid-range positioning, and the data shows it can handle this game’s demands without falling below playable thresholds on the recommended preset.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals where the bottleneck shifts between the CPU and GPU. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 308 FPS, which is exceptionally high and indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with data at an extremely rapid pace. As the resolution increases to 2560x1440, the Low preset drops to 222 FPS, a 28% reduction. At 3840x2160, Low yields 141 FPS, which is a further 36% drop from 1440p. This pattern suggests that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as the pixel count rises, though the CPU still manages to keep the frame rate well above the 60 FPS mark.

For the High preset, the scaling is more linear: 183 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p (a 28% drop), and 84 FPS at 4K (a 36% drop from 1440p). This consistent percentage reduction across resolutions indicates a GPU-bound scenario where the RTX 3070’s rendering capabilities are the primary constraint. The Ultra preset follows a similar trend but with a steeper decline: 118 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p (a 28% drop), and 54 FPS at 4K (a 36% drop). The fact that the percentage drops are nearly identical across presets suggests that the CPU overhead is minimal, and the system’s performance is dictated by the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth. At 4K, the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold, confirming that the RTX 3070 is not powerful enough for maximum settings at this resolution, while High remains viable.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1184 out of 2813 places this configuration in the 58th percentile of all tested combinations in Undisputed. This is a solid result, indicating that the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and RTX 3070 work well together for this specific title. The ranking reflects the overall balance of the pairing; the CPU is a high-end part, but the GPU is mid-range, so the combo does not reach the top echelon of the database. The data shows that this combination outperforms a significant majority of other setups, but it is not among the elite for this game.

The CPU’s percentile of 96 versus all CPUs is notably higher than the GPU’s percentile of 61, suggesting that the processor is overqualified relative to the graphics card in this pairing. This is reflected in the measured FPS, where the system can push very high frame rates at lower resolutions and settings, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher loads. The combo rank of 1184 is a reasonable outcome given this imbalance, and it indicates that users looking to maximize Undisputed performance might benefit more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU one. However, for the tested configuration, the rank shows that the system is well within the upper half of all combos, delivering a smooth experience at High settings across all resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Its substantial core count and high boost clock are well-suited for Undisputed, which is a sports simulation that can utilize multiple threads for physics, AI, and game logic. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 84003 places it in the 96th percentile, and it is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K in average score, while being 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX and 1.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9135. It trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%. These rivals are primarily server-class parts, which highlights the 290K’s strong multi-threaded performance for a desktop chip.

In Undisputed, the CPU’s role is evident in the high frame rates at 1080p with Low settings, where the system reaches 308 FPS. This is a clear indicator that the processor is not a bottleneck in this scenario, as it can feed the GPU with enough data to achieve such a high output. Even at 4K with Low settings, the 141 FPS average shows that the CPU maintains a strong level of performance, though the GPU is starting to limit the output. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support contribute to the CPU’s ability to handle complex game state updates without stalling. The data suggests that the 290K Plus provides more than enough headroom for this game, and its high percentile ranking ensures that it will not be the constraining factor in most real-world scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset to use for a smooth experience at 3840x2160?

A: The High preset is recommended, as it achieves an average of 84 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset drops to 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its closest rival?

A: The 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K’s score of 83807. It also outperforms the AMD EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% and the AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.2%.

Q: Is the RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM sufficient for this game at 4K?

A: Yes, the data shows that the 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is not a limiting factor, as the High preset at 4K maintains 84 FPS without apparent stuttering or memory-related drops.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 222 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 85 FPS. This represents a 137 FPS reduction when moving to maximum visual quality.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Undisputed?*

A: The combo ranks 1184th out of 2813 tested combos, placing it in the upper half of the database and indicating a solid, above-average performance for this game.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: At 1080p with High settings, the system achieves 183 FPS. The high frame rate suggests the GPU is still the primary driver, but the CPU is capable of supporting even higher outputs, as seen with the 308 FPS at Low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 308 FPS, the Medium preset reaches 221 FPS with a minimum of 188 and a maximum of 255, the High preset averages 183 FPS, and the Ultra preset hits 118 FPS. This wide range shows that the CPU and GPU combination is capable of extremely high frame rates, with even the most demanding Ultra preset remaining well above the 100 FPS mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU’s limitations. The Low preset averages 222 FPS, while the Medium preset achieves 160 FPS with a minimum of 136 and a maximum of 184. The High preset drops to 132 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 85 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows an approximate 28% reduction in FPS for the High and Ultra presets, indicating a consistent GPU-bound behavior.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding resolution, the system still delivers playable results on the recommended preset. The Low preset averages 141 FPS, the Medium preset achieves 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 and a maximum of 116, and the High preset averages 84 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, drops to 54 FPS, which is below the ideal smoothness threshold. The data shows a clear progression: the system can handle 4K gaming on High settings, but Ultra is too demanding for this GPU. Across all resolutions, the Medium preset provides the highest minimum FPS values where recorded (86 at 4K, 136 at 1440p, and 188 at 1080p), making it a robust fallback for users who prioritize consistency over maximum visual quality.