Minimum

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks at position 2448 out of 3712 tested combinations in the database for Minimum. This places the combo in the 66th percentile of all recorded pairings, meaning roughly two-thirds of tested systems deliver higher frame rates in this title, while one-third fall behind. The ranking reflects the balance between a mid-range 2018 processor and a 2022 graphics card, where the GPU carries most of the performance weight but the CPU occasionally limits upper-end output.

The percentile placement is consistent with the hardware's individual standings. The CPU sits at the 47th percentile among all processors in the database, while the GPU reaches the 65th percentile among all graphics cards. The combo's overall position aligns more closely with the GPU's stronger relative standing, suggesting that in Minimum, the graphics card is the primary driver of the final ranking. The gap between the two components' percentiles (47 vs 65) indicates a slight CPU bottleneck in certain scenarios, though not severe enough to drag the combo below the 60th percentile overall.

CPU and GPU Roles

Benchmark results across resolutions reveal a clear division of labor. At 1920x1080, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU effectively across all settings. The frame rate scales from 86.6 FPS at Ultra to 176.3 FPS at Low, a 2.04x increase when dropping from the most demanding to the least demanding preset. This wide spread indicates that at 1080p, the GPU is the limiting factor, as reducing graphical load produces substantial frame rate gains.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling pattern changes. Frames drop from 113.7 FPS at Low to 58.1 FPS at Ultra, a 1.96x range. The relative consistency of this scaling versus the 1080p results suggests that at 1440p, both components contribute more evenly. The CPU's 6 cores and 6 threads, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost of 4.10 GHz, begin to show their limits in the higher-resolution, higher-preset scenarios, though the GPU still dominates the workload.

At 3840x2160, the picture shifts decisively toward the GPU. The spread narrows to 58.9 FPS at Low versus 31.1 FPS at Ultra, a 1.89x range. The absolute numbers drop below the 60 FPS threshold for every preset, indicating that the combination cannot sustain playable frame rates at 4K regardless of settings. The CPU's role becomes less relevant at this resolution, as the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the binding constraint. The RX 6650 XT's 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 280.3 GB/s memory bandwidth are simply insufficient for 4K rendering in this title.

The data shows that at 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is the primary performance driver, with the CPU providing adequate support. At 4K, the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck, and no preset adjustment can compensate for the raw compute deficit.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 86.6 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS playable threshold by a comfortable margin. This is the most demanding setting that remains playable, and the database records it as the best configuration for this resolution. The headroom of 26.6 FPS above the threshold suggests that the system can handle occasional frame drops without falling below playable levels.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is High, producing an average of 73 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution drops to 58.1 FPS, narrowly missing the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset provides 13 FPS of headroom, which is adequate for maintaining smooth gameplay in most scenes. Medium runs at 89.1 FPS and Low at 113.7 FPS, both also playable, but High offers the best visual quality while staying above the threshold.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS. The closest is Low at 58.9 FPS, which falls just short of the playable threshold. Medium records 46.6 FPS, High 37.2 FPS, and Ultra 31.1 FPS. The verdict for this resolution is that the combo cannot run the game at playable frame rates, regardless of settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (0.2% slower), Intel Core i7-10710U (0.3% faster), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (0.4% faster), and Intel Core i3-10305 (0.4% slower). These processors would behave nearly identically to the i5-9400 in Minimum, with frame rate differences well under 1%. The i7-1068NG7 and i3-10305 sit marginally below the i5-9400, while the i7-10710U and Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 sit marginally above. In practice, swapping to any of these CPUs would produce indistinguishable results in this game.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a similar pattern. The NVIDIA Tesla K40m scores 0.6% lower, the AMD FirePro D300 scores 0.7% higher, the AMD FirePro W7000 scores 0.7% lower, and the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 scores 0.8% higher. These are professional-grade cards whose gaming performance in Minimum would track within 1% of the RX 6650 XT. The Quadro K5200 and FirePro D300 would provide slightly better frame rates, while the Tesla K40m and FirePro W7000 would be marginally slower. The differences are so small that they would not be perceptible in normal gameplay.

For users considering alternatives, the data suggests that any of these CPUs paired with any of these GPUs would produce essentially the same experience as the i5-9400 and RX 6650 XT combination. The rank position of 2448 out of 3712 would not shift meaningfully with these swaps.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Minimum at 1080p with all settings maxed?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset, the combo delivers an average of 86.6 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold by 26.6 FPS.

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 1440p?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 produces 73 FPS on average, making it the most demanding setting that remains above 60 FPS. Ultra at this resolution drops to 58.1 FPS, just below the threshold.

Q: Is 4K playable on this hardware?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best recorded result is 58.9 FPS on Low settings, which falls short of the 60 FPS threshold. All other presets at 4K produce lower frame rates, from 46.6 FPS at Medium down to 31.1 FPS at Ultra.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest alternatives?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 sits within 0.4% of its nearest rivals. The Intel Core i7-10710U and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 are 0.3% and 0.4% faster respectively, while the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 and Intel Core i3-10305 are 0.2% and 0.4% slower.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest alternatives?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT's nearest rivals are all within 0.8% of its average benchmark score. The AMD FirePro D300 and NVIDIA Quadro K5200 are 0.7% and 0.8% faster, while the NVIDIA Tesla K40m and AMD FirePro W7000 are 0.6% and 0.7% slower.

Q: What percentile does this combo rank in overall?

A: The combo ranks 2448th out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it at approximately the 66th percentile. The CPU alone sits at the 47th percentile, and the GPU at the 65th percentile.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT can run Minimum at playable frame rates on two of the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, with the Ultra preset achieving 86.6 FPS on average. At 2560x1440, the High, Medium, and Low presets all stay above 60 FPS, with High being the best visual option at 73 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls short at 58.1 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot maintain playable frame rates on any preset. The closest result is Low at 58.9 FPS, which misses the threshold by 1.1 FPS. This is a narrow miss, but the verdict remains that 4K is not playable on this combination.

For users targeting 1080p or 1440p, this combo delivers a solid experience with room to spare. The 1080p Ultra result of 86.6 FPS provides good headroom for demanding scenes, while the 1440p High result of 73 FPS offers a good balance of visual quality and performance. The system is not suitable for 4K gaming in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080

• Low: 176.3 FPS average
• Medium: 133.9 FPS average
• High: 114.3 FPS average
• Ultra: 86.6 FPS average

At 1080p, the system demonstrates strong performance across the board. The Low preset nearly doubles the frame rate of Ultra, showing the GPU's sensitivity to graphical load. All presets exceed the 60 FPS threshold by at least 26.6 FPS, and the Ultra preset still maintains a 44% margin above the playable threshold.

2560x1440

• Low: 113.7 FPS average
• Medium: 89.1 FPS average
• High: 73 FPS average
• Ultra: 58.1 FPS average

The 1440p results show a clear step-down from 1080p. The Low preset still delivers over 110 FPS, but the Ultra preset falls below the playable threshold. The gap between High (73 FPS) and Ultra (58.1 FPS) is 14.9 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional graphical demands push the system past its comfortable limit.

3840x2160

• Low: 58.9 FPS average
• Medium: 46.6 FPS average
• High: 37.2 FPS average
• Ultra: 31.1 FPS average

At 4K, the system struggles across all presets. The Low preset comes closest to playability at 58.9 FPS, just 1.1 FPS below the threshold. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decline, with each preset tier costing roughly 8 to 9 FPS. The Ultra preset at 31.1 FPS represents less than half the performance needed for smooth gameplay, making 4K an unviable option for this combination in Minimum.