Minecraft

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination delivers a benchmark profile for Minecraft that is exceptionally strong, with the data indicating that this system is capable of running the game at maximum settings across all tested resolutions. The recorded measurements show that the only limitation appears at 4K with the Ultra preset, where the average frame rate dips below the 60 FPS threshold, while every other configuration tested clears that mark with substantial headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance scaling across three resolutions and four graphics presets. At 1920x1080, the system exhibits massive frame rates: the Low preset averages 429 FPS, the High preset averages 270 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 169 FPS. The Medium preset shows an average of 340 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 289 FPS and a maximum of 391 FPS. This resolution is clearly far beyond the playable threshold, with even the most demanding preset producing well over triple the 60 FPS baseline.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains extremely high. The Low preset averages 271 FPS, High averages 170 FPS, and Ultra averages 106 FPS. Medium at this resolution averages 214 FPS, with a minimum of 182 FPS and a maximum of 247 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a predictable reduction in frame rates, but the system still maintains an average above 100 FPS even at the Ultra preset, which is a significant margin over the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the data reveals the first signs of stress on the combination. The Low preset averages 141 FPS, Medium averages 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 129 FPS, and High averages 89 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, drops to an average of 56 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the only configuration in the entire dataset where the system fails to maintain a playable average frame rate. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a consistent decline: 141 to 112 to 89 to 56 FPS, representing a substantial performance cost for the highest quality settings at this resolution.

The min and max FPS values are only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range spans from 289 to 391 FPS, a spread of roughly 100 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range narrows to 182 to 247 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range tightens further to 95 to 129 FPS. This suggests that frame time consistency improves as resolution increases, likely because the GPU becomes more uniformly utilized, whereas at lower resolutions the CPU may introduce more variable frame pacing.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database's nearest rival comparisons place both components in specific performance brackets. For the Intel Core i5-9400, the average benchmark score is 2254, which places it in the 47th percentile among all CPUs. The closest matching processors are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with an average score of 2259 and a delta of -0.2 percent, and the Intel Core i3-10305 with a score of 2264 and a delta of -0.4 percent. On the other side, the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248 (0.3 percent slower) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (0.4 percent slower). This means that for CPU-bound scenarios in Minecraft, swapping the i5-9400 for any of these alternatives would produce nearly identical performance, with differences well under one percent in aggregate benchmarks.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, the average benchmark score is 20282, placing it in the 65th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals are intriguing: the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 20480 (1 percent higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534 (1.2 percent higher), the Intel Arc B570 scores 20556 (1.3 percent higher), and the Intel Arc A750 scores 20582 (1.5 percent higher). These deltas are all within 1.5 percent of the RTX 2070 SUPER, meaning that in GPU-bound scenarios, any of these cards would deliver virtually indistinguishable frame rates in Minecraft. The fact that a mobile RTX 3070 and two Intel Arc desktop cards sit this close in aggregate score suggests that the RTX 2070 SUPER's performance tier is well populated with alternatives that would behave similarly in practice.

When considering the combination as a whole, the system sits at the 2136th rank out of 3710 tested combos in this game. That places it in the upper-middle portion of all recorded configurations. The CPU and GPU are reasonably balanced, with the GPU being stronger relative to its peers (65th percentile) than the CPU (47th percentile). In Minecraft, which can be sensitive to single-thread performance, the i5-9400's single-core benchmark score of 935 in Cinebench R23 and 1389 in Geekbench single-core will be the more significant constraint, but the measured FPS data shows that this constraint only manifests clearly at 4K Ultra.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured data reveals how the division of labor shifts across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are so high that neither component is likely the sole bottleneck. The jump from 270 FPS at High to 429 FPS at Low indicates that both CPU and GPU have headroom, but the rendering workload is light enough that the CPU's single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935) becomes the more relevant factor. The fact that 1080p Low produces 429 FPS average suggests the CPU can feed frames extremely fast, but it also shows that the GPU is not being taxed heavily at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take on more responsibility. The average FPS at Ultra drops to 106, which is a 37 percent reduction from the 1080p Ultra figure of 169 FPS. This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count increases by roughly 78 percent (from 2.07 million pixels at 1080p to 3.69 million at 1440p), yet the frame rate does not drop proportionally, indicating that the RTX 2070 SUPER has ample bandwidth (448.0 GB/s) and pixel throughput (113.3 GPixel/s) to handle this load.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The 4K Ultra average of 56 FPS is the only sub-60 result in the dataset. The progression from 1440p Ultra (106 FPS) to 4K Ultra (56 FPS) represents a 47 percent reduction in frame rate for a 125 percent increase in pixel count (from 3.69 million to 8.29 million pixels). This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are becoming limiting, while the CPU's role diminishes. The fact that 4K High still achieves 89 FPS suggests that the RTX 2070 SUPER can handle 4K in Minecraft, but the Ultra preset's additional effects push it over the edge.

The settings scaling within each resolution further clarifies the roles. At 1080p, the gap between Low (429 FPS) and Ultra (169 FPS) is a 60 percent drop, showing that graphics settings have a massive impact on the GPU workload. At 4K, the Low to Ultra drop goes from 141 to 56 FPS, a 60 percent reduction as well, but the absolute values are much lower. This consistency in relative scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter at all resolutions, while the CPU's contribution is more about maintaining high frame ceilings at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2136 out of 3710 tested combinations places this system in the 42.4th percentile of all tested CPU-GPU pairs for Minecraft. This is a notable discrepancy from the individual component percentiles: the CPU sits at the 47th percentile while the GPU sits at the 65th percentile. The combination underperforms what either component's individual percentile would suggest, indicating that the pairing is not perfectly optimized for this game. The i5-9400's six cores and six threads with a 4.10 GHz boost clock may limit the GPU in certain scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where frame rates are extremely high.

The rank also reflects that many other tested combinations achieve better results in Minecraft. The database includes 3710 combos, and this one sits slightly above the midpoint, meaning a majority of tested systems (1574 combos) rank higher. However, the measured FPS data shows that this rank does not translate to a poor experience. In fact, the system clears 60 FPS in 11 out of 12 tested configurations, with only 4K Ultra failing. The rank likely reflects that other combos with faster CPUs or more powerful GPUs achieve even higher frame rates, particularly at 1080p where the i5-9400's single-thread score of 935 in Cinebench R23 becomes a limiting factor.

The average benchmark score for the CPU is 2254, which is modest by modern standards, but the GPU's average score of 20282 is substantial. In Minecraft, which is known to be more CPU-sensitive than many games, the CPU's lower relative standing is the more important factor for achieving the highest possible frame rates. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 429 FPS, which suggests the CPU can still push very high frame rates, but the 47th percentile CPU ranking means that many other processors would push even higher.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Minecraft? The data answers with a resounding yes for nearly every configuration tested. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with the Ultra preset averaging 169 FPS, which is nearly three times the playable threshold of 60 FPS. The best settings at this resolution are Ultra, and the average FPS at those settings is 169. At 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable, with Ultra averaging 106 FPS. The best settings at 1440p are Ultra, and the system maintains an average of 106 FPS, which is comfortably above the threshold.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes slightly. The playable settings include High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best playable setting at an average of 89 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is not playable, averaging only 56 FPS, which is 4 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. The verdictByResolution data confirms this: at 4K, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High recommended as the best setting at 89 FPS average. For users targeting 4K, dropping from Ultra to High yields a substantial improvement from 56 to 89 FPS, a 59 percent increase, and brings the experience well above the playable threshold.

The system's overall performance profile is one of high capability with a single caveat. Users playing at 1080p or 1440p can enable every setting without concern, as even the most demanding presets deliver frame rates far above 60 FPS. At 4K, the Ultra preset is the only configuration that fails to meet the threshold, and the drop to High provides a playable and visually rich alternative. The data indicates that this combination is well-suited for Minecraft across the vast majority of scenarios.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Minecraft at 60 FPS on Ultra settings?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440. The 1080p Ultra preset averages 169 FPS, and the 1440p Ultra preset averages 106 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 56 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 4K?

A: The High preset is the best playable option at 3840x2160, with an average of 89 FPS. The Low and Medium presets are also playable at this resolution, averaging 141 FPS and 112 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-9400 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. The closest rivals are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 at 2259 (0.2 percent slower) and the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2264 (0.4 percent slower). The Intel Core i7-10710U and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 score 2248 and 2246, which are 0.3 and 0.4 percent behind respectively.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to similar GPUs?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M is 1 percent faster at 20480, while the RTX 3070 Mobile, Intel Arc B570, and Intel Arc A750 are 1.2 to 1.5 percent faster, with scores ranging from 20534 to 20582.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The 2560x1440 Medium preset averages 214 FPS, with a minimum of 182 FPS and a maximum of 247 FPS. This places the system well above the playable threshold with significant consistency.

Q: Is the Ultra preset at 1080p playable?

A: Yes, the 1920x1080 Ultra preset averages 169 FPS, which is nearly three times the 60 FPS playable threshold. This makes it the recommended setting for 1080p, as it provides the highest quality visuals while maintaining a very high frame rate.