Minecraft

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Minecraft with the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER shows a system that scales predictably across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high. The Low preset delivers an average of 389 FPS, Medium averages 308 FPS with a minimum of 262 FPS and a maximum of 355 FPS, High averages 245 FPS, and Ultra averages 153 FPS. Every preset at 1080p clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin, and even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains an average more than double the playability threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains robust. The Low preset averages 246 FPS, Medium averages 195 FPS with a minimum of 165 FPS and a maximum of 224 FPS, High averages 154 FPS, and Ultra averages 97 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a predictable drop, but the system still holds comfortably above 60 FPS at every setting. The Ultra preset at this resolution is the first point where the average dips below 100 FPS, yet it remains 37 FPS above the playability threshold.

At 3840x2160, the impact of resolution becomes more pronounced. The Low preset averages 128 FPS, Medium averages 102 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS, and High averages 81 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, falls to an average of 50 FPS, which sits below the 60 FPS playability threshold. This is the only configuration in the dataset where the combo fails to maintain a playable frame rate. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is substantial, a drop of 31 FPS on average, indicating that the Ultra preset at this resolution imposes a load that the combination cannot sustain smoothly.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Minecraft at 4K with the Ultra preset?

A: No. The recorded data shows an average of 50 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The playable settings at this resolution are High, Low, and Medium.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains at least 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 97 FPS, so all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution. The best settings per the database are Ultra with an average of 97 FPS.

Q: How does the frame rate scale from 1080p to 1440p at the High preset?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average is 245 FPS. At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average is 154 FPS. This represents a 91 FPS reduction, or approximately 37 percent lower performance at the higher resolution.

Q: Which resolution shows the largest drop between Medium and Ultra presets?

A: At 3840x2160, Medium averages 102 FPS while Ultra averages 50 FPS, a difference of 52 FPS. At 2560x1440, the gap is 98 FPS (195 to 97), and at 1920x1080, the gap is 155 FPS (308 to 153). The absolute drop is largest at 1080p, but the proportional drop is most severe at 4K, where Ultra falls below playability.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum recorded frame rates for the Medium preset?

A: At 1920x1080, the minimum is 262 FPS and the maximum is 355 FPS. At 2560x1440, the minimum is 165 FPS and the maximum is 224 FPS. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 86 FPS and the maximum is 117 FPS.

Q: Is the system more likely to be limited by the CPU or GPU in this game?

A: The data shows that the frame rates scale heavily with resolution, which indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. At 1080p, the average frame rates are high enough that the CPU is likely the primary constraint, but the sharp declines at 4K, particularly the 31 FPS drop between High and Ultra, point to GPU load being the dominant factor at higher resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER in Minecraft changes with resolution. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are extremely high across all presets, ranging from 153 FPS on Ultra to 389 FPS on Low. Such numbers suggest the CPU is the primary driver of performance at this resolution, since the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly. The scaling between presets is also largest here: the difference between Low and Ultra is 236 FPS, which indicates that the game's CPU-bound simulation and world generation tasks are being handled efficiently by the six-core processor.

At 2560x1440, the picture shifts. The average frame rates drop across every preset, but the system still maintains very high performance. The Low preset averages 246 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 97 FPS. The scaling between Low and Ultra is 149 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p. This narrowing suggests the GPU is beginning to take on more responsibility, as the increased pixel count requires more rendering throughput from the RTX 2060 SUPER.

At 3840x2160, the GPU role becomes dominant. The average frame rates compress further: Low averages 128 FPS, Medium averages 102 FPS, High averages 81 FPS, and Ultra averages 50 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is now only 78 FPS. More tellingly, the drop from High to Ultra at 4K is 31 FPS, while the same drop at 1080p is 92 FPS. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is saturated, and the CPU is no longer the bottleneck. The RTX 2060 SUPER, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus, is working near its limits at this resolution, particularly on the Ultra preset where the average falls below the playable threshold.

The recorded data also shows that the Medium preset includes minimum and maximum frame rates, which are absent for other presets. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 86 FPS and the maximum is 117 FPS, a spread of 31 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the spread is 59 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, the spread is 93 FPS. This widening range at lower resolutions reinforces the CPU-bound nature of the game at 1080p, where frame times fluctuate more due to world generation and entity updates, whereas at 4K the GPU's consistent rendering load produces tighter frame pacing.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-9400, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with a delta of -0.2 percent, the Intel Core i3-10305 with a delta of -0.4 percent, the Intel Core i7-10710U with a delta of 0.3 percent, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 with a delta of 0.4 percent. These processors would deliver essentially identical CPU performance in Minecraft, meaning the frame rates at 1080p would be nearly indistinguishable. At higher resolutions, where the GPU becomes the limiting factor, the choice among these CPUs would have even less impact on the recorded averages.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile with a delta of -0.4 percent, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 with a delta of -0.5 percent, the AMD Radeon RX 460 with a delta of -1.5 percent, and the Intel Arc A770M with a delta of -1.6 percent. These GPUs would produce similar frame rates in Minecraft, with the RTX 3060 Mobile and Radeon Pro 5700 being the closest matches. The Radeon RX 460 and Arc A770M are slightly further off, but the differences remain small enough that the playability verdict would not change at any resolution.

In practical terms, a system with the i5-9400 paired with any of these rival GPUs would show the same pattern: very high frame rates at 1080p, strong performance at 1440p, and a drop below 60 FPS only at 4K with Ultra settings. Similarly, pairing the RTX 2060 SUPER with any of the rival CPUs would yield nearly identical results, since the GPU is the binding constraint at 1440p and above.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 153 FPS. All four presets are playable at this resolution, but Ultra provides the highest visual quality while still maintaining more than double the playability threshold.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is also Ultra, with an average of 97 FPS. The system clears the 60 FPS threshold with 37 FPS to spare, making the Ultra preset a safe choice for high refresh rate monitors at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 81 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 50 FPS and is therefore not recommended for 4K gaming. High remains the best balance, offering 21 FPS of headroom above the playability threshold.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Minecraft. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with the Ultra preset averaging 153 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable, with Ultra averaging 97 FPS. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best at 81 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that fails to clear the 60 FPS threshold, averaging 50 FPS.

For users targeting 1080p or 1440p gaming, this system provides exceptional performance with headroom for high refresh rate displays. For 4K gaming, the system is capable but requires a reduction to High settings to maintain smooth frame rates. The data indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, while the i5-9400 does not appear to bottleneck the GPU at any tested resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2556 out of 3710 tested combos for Minecraft. This places the system in the 31st percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 69 percent of tested combos perform better in this game. The rank reflects the age of the components: the CPU was released in 2018 and the GPU in 2019, and both are now end-of-life products. The CPU sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 62nd percentile among all GPUs, so the GPU is the stronger component relative to its peers.

The relatively low combo rank does not diminish the practical performance. The recorded frame rates show that this system delivers a highly playable experience at every resolution except 4K Ultra, and even that single failing configuration is only 10 FPS below the playability threshold. The rank of 2556 reflects the broader landscape of newer, more powerful hardware, but within the context of the game's requirements, this combo performs far above the minimum needed for smooth gameplay.