Undisputed

Undisputed is a boxing title that demands high frame rates to keep the action smooth and responsive. With the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the measured data indicates that this combination is severely overqualified for the game’s maximum visual settings, but it also reveals where the performance bottlenecks lie. The sweet spot for this specific build is the High preset, which delivers exceptional performance at all tested resolutions without the steep frame rate penalty seen when moving to Ultra settings. This pairing is so powerful that it effectively eliminates the GPU as a limiting factor at 1080p and 1440p, making the choice of settings purely about visual fidelity versus raw frame rate headroom.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results clearly show that the High preset is the optimal choice for this configuration. At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves an average of 315 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor. The Ultra preset, while offering higher visual quality, drops the average to 203 FPS at the same resolution. While 203 FPS is still extremely fast, the 55% performance reduction from High to Ultra is a significant cost for the visual upgrade. The data suggests that the jump from High to Ultra is not a linear scaling of graphics load but rather a substantial leap that heavily taxes even the RTX 4090.

At 2560x1440, the High preset maintains an excellent average of 228 FPS. This makes it the ideal resolution for this combination, as it provides a perfect balance between image clarity and performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 147 FPS, which is still very playable, but it introduces a noticeable dip from the high refresh rate territory that the rest of the system is capable of. For players with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors, the High preset at 1440p is the clear winner, as it consistently stays well above the monitor's refresh rate, ensuring a tear-free and stutter-free experience.

At the demanding 4K resolution (3840x2160), the High preset delivers an average of 144 FPS. This is a remarkable result, showing that the RTX 4090 can handle 4K gaming with high settings in Undisputed without breaking a sweat. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only scenario where the frame rate drops below 100 FPS, averaging 93 FPS. While this is still playable, it falls out of the "high refresh rate" range that the other settings provide. The Medium preset offers a middle ground, but the data shows that the jump from Medium to High is relatively small (17% at 4K), while the jump from High to Ultra is much larger (35% at 4K). This indicates that the High preset is the performance-per-visual-quality sweet spot, avoiding the diminishing returns of the Ultra preset.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Undisputed at 4K with high refresh rates?

A: Yes. At the High preset, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 is 144 FPS, which aligns perfectly with a 144Hz monitor's maximum refresh rate. Even the Medium preset pushes 174 FPS, keeping the experience well above 144 FPS.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: The data suggests not. Across all resolutions, the Ultra preset causes a major drop in average FPS. At 1080p, it drops from 315 FPS (High) to 203 FPS (Ultra), and at 1440p, it drops from 228 FPS (High) to 147 FPS (Ultra). The visual fidelity gain is likely not worth sacrificing this level of performance headroom.

Q: What is the limiting component in this system?

A: The data indicates that the CPU is the primary limiter at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are extremely high (up to 530 FPS on Low), but the scaling between resolutions is not linear, suggesting the GPU becomes a larger factor as resolution increases. However, given the RTX 4090's performance, the CPU is still providing enough throughput to keep the GPU well-fed.

Q: How does the performance compare between Low and High settings?

A: The gap is substantial. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 530 FPS, while High achieves 315 FPS. At 1440p, it's 383 FPS versus 228 FPS, and at 4K, it's 242 FPS versus 144 FPS. This shows that the High preset is significantly more demanding than Low, but it still yields frame rates that are far beyond what is needed for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM necessary for this game?

A: The measured data does not indicate any VRAM limitations. The game runs at high frame rates across all settings and resolutions, suggesting that the 24 GB of VRAM and the 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for Undisputed's requirements. The performance is not constrained by memory capacity.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 240Hz monitor?

A: At 1080p, the High preset averages 315 FPS, which is well above 240Hz. At 1440p, the High preset averages 228 FPS, which is just below 240Hz. Therefore, for a 240Hz monitor, playing at 1080p with the High preset is the most reliable way to consistently hit the monitor's maximum refresh rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant force in this configuration. It features a massive 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a staggering 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This immense bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and geometry data are never bottlenecks, even at 4K. The GPU's architecture, Ada Lovelace, with its 16,384 shading units, is capable of immense compute throughput, which is reflected in the high frame rates observed.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2235 MHz and a boost of 2520 MHz, are high for a modern graphics card. These clocks, combined with the sheer number of cores, translate directly into the raw pixel-pushing power needed for high-resolution gaming. The card's 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a theoretical measure, but the benchmark results show that this theoretical power translates into practical performance, as the card is able to maintain high average FPS even at the demanding 4K resolution.

The data shows that the RTX 4090's role is to maintain high, consistent frame rates. At 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is likely not the limiting factor, as the frame rates are incredibly high. However, at 4K, the GPU begins to show its workload. The performance drop from 1440p to 4K on the High preset (228 FPS to 144 FPS) is a 37% reduction, which is a direct result of the increased pixel count that the GPU must process. This indicates that while the CPU is important, the RTX 4090 is the component that determines the absolute ceiling for frame rates as resolution increases. The card's performance is so high that it pushes the bottleneck towards the CPU at lower resolutions, but it remains the key to playable 4K performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Undisputed, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds a rank of 123 out of 2813 tested combos. This places it in the top 4.4% of all tested configurations, marking it as a top-tier setup for this game. The high rank is expected, given the individual components' performance profiles. The CPU has a percentile ranking of 96 among all CPUs, and the GPU has a percentile ranking of 88 among all GPUs, indicating that both are elite performers in their respective categories.

The combination's rank confirms its ability to handle the game's engine at maximum settings. While the CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, show a negligible average score difference of 0.2%, the overall system performance is bolstered by the RTX 4090's strength. The GPU's nearest rivals, like the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, show a tiny 0.3% difference in average score, but these are workstation-class cards and their real-world gaming performance is not comparable to the RTX 4090's. This rank of 123 suggests that while there are a few more powerful or better-optimized combos, this system is firmly in the enthusiast tier, capable of delivering a top-tier experience in Undisputed.

The data shows that this combo is not just fast, but it is also well-balanced. It avoids the pitfalls of a severe CPU bottleneck or a GPU that is too weak for the CPU. The high rank is a result of this synergy, allowing the system to perform exceptionally well across all tested settings and resolutions. For a player looking for a no-compromise build, this rank confirms that they are getting one of the best-performing configurations available in the database.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 315 at 1080p to 228 at 1440p and further to 144 at 4K. This represents a 28% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 37% drop from 1440p to 4K. This scaling is expected, as the GPU has to render more pixels at each step up in resolution.

The scaling pattern provides insight into the limiting component. The fact that the frame rate drops significantly at 4K suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck at that resolution. In contrast, the relatively smaller drop from 1080p to 1440p (28%) compared to the drop from 1440p to 4K (37%) indicates that the CPU is still able to keep up with the GPU's demands at 1440p, but the GPU's raw fill rate is challenged at 4K.

For the Low preset, the scaling is even more dramatic. At 1080p, the average FPS is 530, but this drops to 383 at 1440p (a 28% drop) and then to 242 at 4K (a 37% drop from 1440p). The very high frame rates at 1080p indicate that the game is not heavily CPU-bound at this resolution, allowing the GPU to stretch its legs. However, the 4K figure of 242 FPS still shows that the GPU is the limiting factor, as it cannot maintain the same massive frame rates seen at lower resolutions. The data strongly suggests that for this combo, the CPU has enough headroom to support high frame rates at all resolutions, but the GPU's performance ceiling is what ultimately determines the maximum FPS at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance is exceptional across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 530 FPS, making it the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 381 FPS, with a minimum of 324 FPS and a maximum of 438 FPS. The High preset delivers a very strong 315 FPS average. The Ultra preset, while still fast, drops to an average of 203 FPS. This shows that even the most demanding setting at 1080p is far beyond the refresh rate of standard monitors.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains incredibly high. The Low preset averages 383 FPS, which is a 28% drop from the 1080p result but still incredibly fast. The Medium preset maintains a 275 FPS average, with a minimum of 234 FPS and a maximum of 317 FPS. The High preset delivers a solid 228 FPS average, ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming. The Ultra preset drops to a 147 FPS average, which is still very playable. The data shows that 1440p is the sweet spot for the High preset, as it provides a balance of visual clarity and performance that matches 144Hz and 165Hz monitors.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4090 continues to impress. The Low preset averages 242 FPS, which is a remarkable result for 4K. The Medium preset averages 174 FPS, with a minimum of 148 FPS and a maximum of 200 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate 4K displays. The High preset hits an average of 144 FPS, which is exactly the target for a 144Hz 4K monitor. The Ultra preset is the most demanding scenario, averaging 93 FPS. While this is the lowest score in the dataset, it still demonstrates that the hardware is capable of 4K gaming at maximum settings, albeit not at high refresh rates.