Minimum

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i5-9400 sits in the 47th percentile among all CPUs tested in the database. Its average benchmark score of 2254 places it within a very narrow band of comparable processors. The closest rival is the Intel Core i3-10305, which scores 2264, a difference of only 0.4%. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 trails by 0.2% with a score of 2259, while the Intel Core i7-10710U is 0.3% ahead at 2248. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 rounds out the group at 2246, which is 0.4% behind. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame pacing in Minimum, since the performance delta between the best and worst of this cluster is under a single percentage point.

For the graphics side, the Intel Arc B370 occupies the 5th percentile among all GPUs, a very low standing. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 puts it in the company of legacy parts. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, just 0.5% higher, and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, a 0.2% advantage. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M is 0.7% ahead at 1192, while the AMD FirePro M2000 is 1.4% behind at 1168. These delta values are all within a couple of percent, so a user moving from any of these GPUs to the Arc B370 should expect essentially the same frame rates in Minimum. The Arc B370 is an integrated-class part with system shared memory and a 25 W TDP, which explains its position near the bottom of the GPU rankings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B370 in Minimum?

A: The only playable configuration is 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which produces an average of 65 FPS. Low settings at 1920x1080 also exceed the 60 FPS threshold with 85 FPS average, but Medium is the highest preset that remains playable.

Q: Can this system run Minimum at 2560x1440?

A: No. The verdict data shows no playable settings at 2560x1440. Even at Low settings, the average FPS is 55, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium drops to 42 FPS, High to 35 FPS, and Ultra to 27 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in raw benchmark scores?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 is 0.5% faster at 1190, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 is 0.2% faster at 1186, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M is 0.7% faster at 1192. Only the AMD FirePro M2000 is slower, by 1.4% at 1168.

Q: What is the CPU's standing relative to all processors in the database?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 is in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 2254, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, is only 0.4% ahead. The CPU has six cores, six threads, and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 3840x2160 in Minimum?

A: None of the presets reach the 60 FPS threshold. Low averages 30 FPS, Medium averages 23 FPS with a minimum of 19 and maximum of 26, High averages 19 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS. This resolution is not playable with this hardware.

Q: Is there any settings preset at 1920x1080 that fails to hit 60 FPS?

A: Yes, two presets fail. High averages 55 FPS and Ultra averages 42 FPS. Only Low (85 FPS) and Medium (65 FPS) clear the playable threshold. The Medium preset has a recorded minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 75 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data for Minimum covers three resolutions and four settings presets each. At 1920x1080, the system performs best overall. Low settings deliver an average of 85 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure for this combination. Medium settings average 65 FPS with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 75. High settings drop to an average of 55 FPS, and Ultra falls to 42 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 43 FPS, indicating that the graphics preset has a substantial impact on performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decline across the board. Low averages 55 FPS, which is exactly at the edge of the playable threshold but still below it. Medium averages 42 FPS with a minimum of 36 and maximum of 48. High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The scaling from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 costs roughly 30 FPS at Low settings (85 to 55) and 23 FPS at Medium (65 to 42). This is a significant drop, suggesting that the GPU is the limiting factor as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal even at the lowest preset. Low averages 30 FPS, which is half the playable threshold. Medium averages 23 FPS with a minimum of 19 and maximum of 26. High averages 19 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 15 FPS, a much narrower spread than at 1080p, which indicates that the system is heavily constrained at this resolution regardless of the settings chosen. The data shows no min or max values for Low, High, or Ultra at 4K, only the Medium preset has recorded bounds.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: the Arc B370 cannot sustain 60 FPS at any setting above 1920x1080. At 1080p, only the two least demanding presets are viable. The recorded FPS values show that Medium at 1080p has a minimum of 56 FPS, which is close to the threshold, so there is some risk of occasional dips below 60 FPS despite the 65 FPS average.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum, but only at 1920x1080 and only with specific settings. The verdict data lists Low and Medium as playable at 1080p, with Medium being the best playable preset at an average of 65 FPS. High at 1080p falls short at 55 FPS, and Ultra is worse at 42 FPS.

At 2560x1440, no preset is playable. The closest is Low at 55 FPS, which is 5 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. This is a near miss, but the verdict is clear: the system does not reach playable status at this resolution. At 3840x2160, performance is far below the threshold, with the best preset (Low) averaging only 30 FPS.

The practical conclusion is that a user should run Minimum at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This delivers a 65 FPS average with a recorded minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 75 FPS. The Low preset at 85 FPS is smoother but visually less demanding. The system is not suited for 1440p or 4K gaming in this title.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium. The measured average is 65 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 75 FPS. This is the recommended configuration for this resolution. Low settings also qualify at 85 FPS average, but Medium offers a better visual experience while still clearing the threshold.

At 2560x1440, no preset maintains a 60 FPS average. The highest average is 55 FPS at Low settings, which is below the playable threshold. Medium averages 42 FPS, High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The best settings guidance from the verdict data shows no playable configuration at this resolution, so no recommendation can be made.

At 3840x2160, the situation is similar. Low averages 30 FPS, Medium averages 23 FPS, High averages 19 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS. No preset comes close to 60 FPS. The verdict data lists no playable settings at this resolution.

The single usable configuration in the entire measured set is 1920x1080 with Medium settings. The 65 FPS average provides a reasonable margin over the threshold, although the 56 FPS minimum indicates that frame times can vary.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B370 ranks 3425 out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum. This places the system in the bottom portion of the database, roughly in the 8th percentile of all combos tested for this game. The rank reflects the GPU's very low standing in the overall GPU distribution (5th percentile) combined with a mid-pack CPU (47th percentile).

The ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data. A system that can only manage 1080p Medium at 65 FPS in a 2014 third-person shooter is going to sit near the bottom of a list that includes far more capable hardware. The CPU is not the primary bottleneck here; the Arc B370's integrated-class performance with system shared memory and 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 throughput limits the system to low-resolution playability.

For context, the CPU's nearest rivals all score within 0.4% of each other, so swapping the i5-9400 for any of those processors would not change the ranking meaningfully. The GPU's nearest rivals are similarly close, with deltas under 1.5%, so the entire combination is part of a tightly clustered group of low-performance parts. The 3712 total combos in the ranking include systems with discrete GPUs that far exceed the Arc B370's capabilities, which explains the 3425 rank.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the GPU is the dominant constraint in Minimum for this combination. The evidence is in the resolution scaling. At 1920x1080 Low, the system averages 85 FPS. At 2560x1440 Low, it drops to 55 FPS, a reduction of 30 FPS or roughly 35%. At 3840x2160 Low, it falls to 30 FPS, another 25 FPS drop. The GPU workload scales directly with pixel count, and the Arc B370's limited shading units (1280), texture units (40), and pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s cannot keep up as resolution increases.

The CPU's role is less prominent but still measurable. The i5-9400 has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935, placing it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. In a 2014 title like Minimum, the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor at lower resolutions, but the data suggests that even at 1080p, the GPU holds the system back from reaching higher presets. At 1080p High, the average drops to 55 FPS, and at Ultra it drops to 42 FPS, even though the CPU has the same workload across all presets. The GPU's rendering load increases with each preset tier, and the Arc B370 cannot sustain 60 FPS beyond Medium.

The settings scaling within each resolution further confirms the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 43 FPS (85 to 42). At 1440p, the spread is 28 FPS (55 to 27). At 4K, the spread narrows to 15 FPS (30 to 15). As resolution increases, the GPU becomes so saturated that changing settings has less impact, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound system. The CPU's performance is essentially constant across these scenarios because it is not the limiting factor.

The recorded Medium preset data at each resolution shows the GPU constraint quantitatively. At 1080p Medium, the average is 65 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it drops to 42 FPS. At 4K Medium, it drops to 23 FPS. The nearly linear scaling with pixel count (roughly 1.78 times more pixels from 1080p to 1440p, and 2.25 times more from 1440p to 4K) aligns with the FPS declines. This combination is firmly GPU-limited in Minimum, and the CPU has headroom that the GPU cannot exploit.