Minecraft

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination of an Intel Core i5-9400 and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 in Minecraft shows exceptional performance across all tested resolutions and presets. The measurements cover three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) and four quality settings (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra), with average frame rates, and where available, minimum and maximum frame rates for the Medium preset.

At 1920x1080, the results are uniformly high. The Low preset delivers an average of 455 FPS, while Medium reaches 418 FPS on average, with a recorded minimum of 356 FPS and a maximum of 481 FPS. The High preset produces an average of 383 FPS, and Ultra still maintains an average of 240 FPS. No minimum or maximum values were recorded for Low, High, or Ultra at this resolution, but the averages alone place every setting far above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very strong. Low averages 385 FPS, Medium averages 305 FPS with a minimum of 259 FPS and a maximum of 351 FPS, High averages 242 FPS, and Ultra averages 151 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is substantial, roughly 234 FPS, but even the most demanding preset stays well clear of any playability concerns.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve shows a larger spread across settings. Low averages 201 FPS, Medium averages 159 FPS with a minimum of 135 FPS and a maximum of 183 FPS, High averages 126 FPS, and Ultra averages 79 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset approaches a more moderate frame rate, though it still comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold.

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, average frame rates decrease across every preset, and as settings increase within a resolution, frame rates also drop. The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data, and those ranges suggest reasonable frame time consistency. For instance, at 3840x2160 Medium, the difference between minimum and maximum is 48 FPS, while at 2560x1440 Medium it is 92 FPS, and at 1920x1080 Medium it is 125 FPS. The larger spread at lower resolutions likely reflects CPU-driven scenes where the i5-9400's six cores can become a limiting factor during complex world generation or entity-heavy moments.

How This Combo Ranks

The database places this specific CPU and GPU combination at rank 1268 out of 3710 tested combos for Minecraft, which puts it in the upper portion of all recorded configurations. This rank reflects the combined performance of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 specifically within this game's workload.

The CPU itself sits at the 47th percentile among all processors in the database, indicating that the i5-9400 is a mid-pack performer in general compute tasks. Its average benchmark score is 2254, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 at a score of 2259 (0.2% faster), the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2264 (0.4% faster), the Intel Core i7-10710U at 2248 (0.3% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 at 2246 (0.4% slower). These deltas are all within a single percentage point, meaning the i5-9400's compute performance is essentially equivalent to several other mid-range processors from both Intel and AMD.

The GPU, by contrast, ranks at the 68th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 23172. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100 at 23249 (0.3% faster), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 at 23250 (0.3% faster), the AMD Radeon RX 6600M at 23273 (0.4% faster), and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X at 23276 (0.4% faster). The extremely small deltas here indicate that the RTX 3080's raw graphics performance is closely matched by several other GPUs in the database, despite the architectural differences between them.

Given that the combo rank is 1268 out of 3710, this configuration outperforms roughly two-thirds of all recorded combinations in Minecraft. The high frame rates measured across all settings and resolutions corroborate this ranking, as even the most demanding preset at 4K produces an average of 79 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is the Ultra setting. The database confirms that every resolution tested supports Ultra with playable frame rates.

At 1920x1080, Ultra runs at an average of 240 FPS, which is four times the playability threshold. This leaves enormous headroom for demanding scenes, modded gameplay, or background tasks.

At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 151 FPS, still more than double the 60 FPS threshold. This resolution is often considered the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors, and the recorded data supports that assessment for this combination.

At 3840x2160, Ultra averages 79 FPS. This is the closest the configuration comes to the threshold, but it still clears it by a margin of 19 FPS. For users with 4K displays, this means the full visual quality settings are achievable without dropping below playable frame rates.

The data also shows that lower presets at each resolution provide even larger buffers. For example, High at 4K averages 126 FPS, Medium averages 159 FPS, and Low averages 201 FPS. Users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity have substantial flexibility, but no preset at any resolution falls below the 60 FPS average.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rivals recorded in the database, several other hardware combinations would produce nearly identical performance in Minecraft.

For the CPU, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores within 0.2% of the i5-9400, making it a direct substitute in terms of compute performance. The Intel Core i3-10305 is 0.4% faster, while the Intel Core i7-10710U and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 are 0.3% and 0.4% slower, respectively. All four alternatives sit within a single point of the i5-9400's average score, so any of them paired with the RTX 3080 would likely produce frame rates within a few percentage points of the measurements recorded here.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA P106-100, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, AMD Radeon RX 6600M, and AMD Radeon R9 M290X all score within 0.4% of the RTX 3080's average benchmark. The deltas are so small that they fall within measurement noise, meaning any of these graphics cards would deliver essentially identical frame rates in Minecraft when paired with the same CPU.

It is importantly the GPU rivals span very different market segments and architectures, but the database records their overall performance as nearly identical to the RTX 3080. This suggests that Minecraft's rendering workload is not particularly sensitive to the specific strengths or weaknesses of these GPUs, and that the game's performance is more dependent on raw throughput than on specialized features.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component carries more weight in Minecraft for this configuration.

Looking at the frame rate deltas between 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, the average FPS drops by roughly 15-19% across all presets. For instance, Low goes from 455 to 385 FPS, Medium from 418 to 305 FPS, High from 383 to 242 FPS, and Ultra from 240 to 151 FPS. The percentage drop is not uniform: Low and Medium lose about 15-27%, while High and Ultra lose about 37%. This suggests that at higher settings, the GPU becomes more heavily involved, and the resolution increase imposes a larger relative cost.

Between 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, the drops are more dramatic. Low falls from 385 to 201 FPS, a 48% reduction. Medium falls from 305 to 159 FPS, a 48% reduction. High falls from 242 to 126 FPS, a 48% reduction. Ultra falls from 151 to 79 FPS, a 48% reduction. The consistency of this 48% drop across all settings indicates that at 4K, the GPU's rendering throughput is the dominant constraint, and the CPU has sufficient headroom to feed it.

At 1920x1080, the spread between Low and Ultra is 215 FPS (455 vs 240), which is a 47% reduction from the lowest to the highest setting. At 2560x1440, the spread is 234 FPS (385 vs 151), a 61% reduction. At 3840x2160, the spread is 122 FPS (201 vs 79), a 61% reduction. The larger relative spread at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is the primary performance driver when settings are increased.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and lower settings. At 1920x1080 Low, the average of 455 FPS is high enough that the i5-9400's six cores and six threads are likely near their limit in scenes with many entities or complex block updates. The fact that Medium at 1080p only drops to 418 FPS, while High drops to 383 FPS, suggests that the CPU can still keep up with the GPU's output at these settings.

Overall, the data indicates that this game is heavily GPU-bound at 4K and at higher presets, while the CPU provides adequate support at lower resolutions. The RTX 3080's performance scales predictably with resolution, and the i5-9400 does not appear to bottleneck the system in any of the tested configurations, as even the lowest average frame rate (79 FPS at 4K Ultra) remains far above the playability threshold.

The Verdict

This PC configuration can run Minecraft with complete confidence. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: every resolution tested, from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, supports every preset from Low to Ultra with average frame rates above 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the best setting is Ultra, running at an average of 240 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 151 FPS. At 3840x2160, Ultra averages 79 FPS. The lowest recorded average across all combinations of resolution and settings is 79 FPS, which still exceeds the playability threshold by a margin of 19 FPS.

For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, the lower resolutions and presets provide ample headroom. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset delivers 240 FPS, which is sufficient for 144Hz or 240Hz displays. At 1440p, Ultra delivers 151 FPS, suitable for 144Hz displays. At 4K, Ultra delivers 79 FPS, which is ideal for 60Hz displays and leaves room for occasional frame drops without crossing below the threshold.

The only recorded minimum frame rates come from the Medium preset: 356 FPS at 1080p, 259 FPS at 1440p, and 135 FPS at 4K. These minimums confirm that even the most demanding moments in the game do not cause stutters or drops below playable levels.

The combination rank of 1268 out of 3710 places this configuration in the upper third of all tested systems for Minecraft, and the measured frame rates align with that ranking. The i5-9400's mid-range compute performance is sufficient for this game's CPU demands, while the RTX 3080's strong graphics throughput ensures smooth rendering across all tested settings.

In summary, the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is a highly capable system for Minecraft. It delivers playable frame rates at every resolution and preset combination tested, with the most demanding scenario (4K Ultra) still producing an average of 79 FPS. Users can confidently select any setting based on their display capabilities and personal preferences, knowing that the system will not fall below the 60 FPS threshold in standard gameplay.