Minimum

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX delivers a wide spread of frame rates in Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014. The database’s measured results show that this combination is heavily GPU-bound at lower resolutions, while the CPU begins to matter more as settings and resolution rise. At 1080p, the pairing produces very high frame rates across all presets, with the Ultra preset averaging 156.8 FPS. At 1440p, the same combo stays well above the 60 FPS threshold even at Ultra settings, averaging 104.5 FPS. At 4K, the Ultra preset drops to 53.6 FPS, which sits below the playable threshold, but High, Medium, and Low all clear 60 FPS. This means the system can handle the game at 4K with adjusted settings, but not at the highest quality level.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 1080p with Ultra settings?*

A: Yes. The recorded data shows an average of 156.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: At 3840x2160, the best playable setting is High, with an average of 70.3 FPS. Low and Medium also clear 60 FPS, but Ultra falls short at 53.6 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to other tested processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 2254, and it performs within 0.4% of rivals like the Intel Core i7-10710U and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500.

Q: How does the GPU compare to other tested graphics cards?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX sits at the 64th percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 19410, and its nearest rival by score is the NVIDIA Quadro K5200, which is 1% slower, and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp, which is 1.2% faster.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 132.3 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. Even at Ultra, the average remains 104.5 FPS.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at any resolution?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, the Ultra preset clears 60 FPS with averages of 156.8 FPS and 104.5 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, Ultra is not playable because it averages 53.6 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals in the database provide a useful reference for expected behavior. The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, and its closest match is the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 at 2259, a delta of -0.2%. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, which is 0.4% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, 0.4% lower. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, also 0.4% lower. In practical terms, any of these processors would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Minimum, meaning the frame rate differences between them would be within a few percent. Since the game is a 2014 third-person shooter, the i5-9400’s six cores and six threads are sufficient for most scenarios, and the CPU is unlikely to become a limiting factor until very high frame rates at 1080p.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX has an average benchmark score of 19410. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB (19334, 0.4% slower), the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (19602, 1% faster), the AMD FirePro D300 (19637, 1.2% faster), and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (19177, 1.2% slower). These deltas are small, but the architectural differences are substantial. The RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is far beyond what the older rivals offer. That said, for Minimum, the benchmark scores suggest that a system with a GTX 1060 3 GB or TITAN Xp would produce frame rates within a small margin of the RX 7900 XTX in synthetic tests, though real-world gaming performance will favor the newer card due to driver optimizations and memory capacity.

For a builder looking at similar performance, the data indicates that swapping the i5-9400 for an i7-10710U or Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 would not meaningfully change frame rates. Similarly, replacing the RX 7900 XTX with a TITAN Xp would keep average scores within 1.2%, so the gameplay experience would be comparable in this title. However, the RX 7900 XTX’s 24 GB memory and high bandwidth give it headroom for future titles or higher resolutions, which the older rivals lack.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are consistently high. Low settings produce an average of 257.5 FPS, Medium produces 233.3 FPS, High produces 205.7 FPS, and Ultra produces 156.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is about 100 FPS, which shows that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution. The CPU, with a 47th percentile ranking, is still capable of feeding the GPU at these frame rates, but the scaling from Low to Ultra suggests that the GPU is the primary driver of performance.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop but remain very strong. Low settings yield 210.9 FPS, Medium yields 156.8 FPS, High yields 132.3 FPS, and Ultra yields 104.5 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 54 FPS drop, while the step from High to Ultra is only 28 FPS. This pattern indicates that the GPU is still the bottleneck, but the CPU’s influence grows as resolution increases. The 1440p Ultra average of 104.5 FPS is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, so players can max out the game at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more varied. Low settings average 111.3 FPS, which is still very high for 4K. Medium averages 83.9 FPS, High averages 70.3 FPS, and Ultra averages 53.6 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 27 FPS, from Medium to High is 14 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 17 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one that falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. This suggests that the RX 7900 XTX is capable of driving 4K, but the Ultra preset’s additional effects push the frame rate down to a point where it is not smooth enough for a third-person shooter. High settings, with 70.3 FPS, provide the best balance of visual quality and playability at 4K.

The lack of min and max FPS values in the data means that the analysis relies solely on averages. Still, the average frame rates are consistently above 60 FPS for all settings except 4K Ultra, indicating stable performance across most configurations.

The Verdict

Based on the recorded data, this PC can run Minimum at playable frame rates for most resolutions and presets. The verdict by resolution is clear. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 156.8 FPS. This makes the system fully capable of maxing out the game at 1080p. At 2560x1440, all four presets also clear 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 104.5 FPS. Players can run the game at the highest quality with a significant margin above the playable threshold. At 3840x2160, the situation is more nuanced. Low, Medium, and High presets all clear 60 FPS, with High being the best playable setting at 70.3 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 53.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and therefore not recommended for smooth gameplay.

For a third-person shooter, frame rate stability matters more than absolute maximums. The data shows that the system can maintain above 60 FPS in nearly every configuration, with the only exception being 4K Ultra. If the goal is to play at 4K, High settings deliver a solid experience. If the goal is to maximize visual fidelity, 1440p Ultra offers the best combination of quality and performance. The system is not capable of 4K Ultra at a playable frame rate, but that is a minor limitation given the game’s age and the available alternatives.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear shift in component importance depending on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the GPU is the dominant factor. The RX 7900 XTX, with 6144 shading units and 960.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, produces frame rates from 156.8 FPS at Ultra to 257.5 FPS at Low. The CPU, which ranks at the 47th percentile, does not bottleneck these results. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 39% reduction in frame rate, which is typical of GPU-bound workloads where higher settings increase pixel and shading work.

At 2560x1440, the GPU remains the primary driver, but the CPU’s role becomes more visible. The frame rates range from 104.5 FPS at Ultra to 210.9 FPS at Low. The percentage drop from Low to Ultra is about 50%, which is larger than at 1080p. This indicates that the CPU is starting to limit the maximum frame rate at lower settings, as the GPU is capable of producing higher numbers but the CPU cannot feed it fast enough. At Ultra settings, the CPU matters less because the GPU work dominates.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the absolute bottleneck. The frame rates range from 53.6 FPS at Ultra to 111.3 FPS at Low. The drop from Low to Ultra is about 52%, which is similar to 1440p. However, the absolute numbers are lower, meaning the GPU is fully saturated. The CPU’s role is minimal at 4K because the GPU’s fill rate and shading load determine the outcome. The RX 7900 XTX’s 479.6 GPixel/s pixel rate and 959.2 GTexel/s texture rate are the relevant metrics here, and they are sufficient for High settings at 70.3 FPS but not for Ultra at 53.6 FPS.

In summary, the CPU matters most at 1080p Low and Medium settings, where its six cores and six threads can become a limiting factor for very high frame rates. The GPU matters most at 4K and at higher presets, where its raw compute and memory bandwidth define performance. For this game, the GPU is the more important component at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU is secondary at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ranks 683 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This puts the pairing in the top 18% of all configurations in the database. The rank reflects the GPU’s strong performance, as the RX 7900 XTX sits at the 64th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU sits at the 47th percentile. The combination benefits from the GPU’s high memory bandwidth and shading power, which are well-suited for a 2014 title that does not heavily tax modern CPUs.

Compared to other combos, this pairing is likely to outperform systems with older or slower GPUs, even if they have faster CPUs. The GPU’s 24 GB memory and 6144 shading units provide a significant advantage in this game, which does not require high CPU throughput. The rank of 683 indicates that there are 682 combos that perform better, but those likely feature more recent high-end CPUs or even faster GPUs. For the price point and hardware generation, this combo delivers solid results, and the data confirms that it can handle Minimum at 1080p and 1440p with ease, while 4K requires a settings compromise.

The rank also highlights the imbalance between the CPU and GPU. The i5-9400 is a mid-range processor from 2018, while the RX 7900 XTX is a high-end GPU from 2022. In a game like Minimum, the GPU carries the workload, so the combo ranks relatively high. In a CPU-intensive game, the same pairing would rank lower due to the processor’s limitations. For this specific title, the combo is well-balanced for high-resolution gaming, and the recorded data supports that conclusion.