Minimum

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti places at rank 2,729 out of 3,712 tested combinations in Minimum. This positions the combo in the lower third of all tested systems, which is somewhat surprising given the GPU's strong individual standing. The RTX 3060 Ti sits at the 59th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the i5-9400 rests at the 47th percentile among CPUs. The combination's rank suggests that for this specific third-person shooter, the pairing does not boost to the upper echelons of performance, likely because the game's engine places demands that the older six-core processor cannot fully satisfy.

The recorded data shows that this combo achieves playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but fails to reach the 60 FPS threshold at 4K under any settings. The rank of 2,729 reflects this mixed capability: the system is far from the bottom, yet it also does not crack the top half of tested configurations. When examining the percentile positions, the GPU is notably stronger relative to its peers than the CPU, and this imbalance appears to hold back the combo's overall standing in Minimum.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2,254 is closely matched by several processors. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2,259, a mere 0.2% higher, meaning a system with that chip would behave nearly identically in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core i3-10305 is 0.4% ahead with a score of 2,264, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 trails by 0.4% at 2,246 and the Intel Core i7-10710U sits 0.3% behind at 2,248. For Minimum, swapping in any of these CPUs would yield virtually indistinguishable performance, as the delta percentages are all within a fraction of a percent.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3060 Ti's average benchmark score of 16,129 places it in close company with several AMD cards. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 scores 16,014, which is 0.7% lower, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT both score 16,351 and 16,361 respectively, each about 1.4% higher. The AMD Radeon R9 370X sits 1.7% lower at 15,862. In practical terms for Minimum, any of these GPUs would produce frame rates within a couple of percent of the RTX 3060 Ti, so users with those cards should expect similar playability profiles at each resolution and preset combination.

The data indicates that the most comparable complete systems would be those pairing any of the listed rival CPUs with any of the listed rival GPUs, as each component's performance delta is small enough that the combined effect would remain within a few percent of this combo's measured results.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data for Minimum reveals an interesting dynamic between the CPU and GPU across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 170.1 FPS on Low settings, 128.5 FPS on Medium, 106.4 FPS on High, and 82 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 51.7% drop in frame rate, which indicates that the GPU is being increasingly taxed as settings rise, but the CPU has enough headroom to keep feeding frames.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates fall to 108.4 FPS on Low, 86.5 FPS on Medium, 71.7 FPS on High, and 52.1 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 36.3%, while the drop from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra is 36.5%. This consistent scaling across all settings suggests that resolution is the dominant factor, with the GPU bearing the brunt of the increased pixel count. The CPU's role becomes more apparent when examining the settings scaling at each resolution: at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 88.1 FPS, while at 1440p it is 56.3 FPS. The smaller absolute spread at higher resolution indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, as the relative cost of each setting increase diminishes.

At 3840x2160, the system manages only 57.3 FPS on Low, 45.1 FPS on Medium, 36.1 FPS on High, and 27.7 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 51.6% reduction, nearly identical to the 1080p scaling. However, the absolute frame rates are far below the 60 FPS threshold across all settings. This pattern strongly suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as even the lowest settings cannot push the average past 57.3 FPS. The CPU's six cores and six threads, while adequate for 1080p and 1440p, cannot compensate for the raw pixel throughput demands of 4K rendering.

The data shows that for Minimum, the GPU's role grows in importance as resolution increases, while the CPU's contribution remains relatively constant. At 1080p, the system has enough CPU headroom to allow the GPU to scale across presets, but at 4K, the GPU simply runs out of performance regardless of settings.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution in the database is clear: this combo can run Minimum at 60 FPS or above at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, but not at 3840x2160. At 1080p, all four settings presets are playable, with the best preset being Ultra at an average of 82 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, three of the four presets are playable (Low at 108.4 FPS, Medium at 86.5 FPS, and High at 71.7 FPS), with the best being High at 71.7 FPS. Ultra at 1440p falls short at 52.1 FPS.

At 4K, no settings preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold. The closest is Low at 57.3 FPS, which is 2.7 FPS shy of the target. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall further behind at 45.1, 36.1, and 27.7 FPS respectively. The database lists no playable settings for 3840x2160, confirming that this resolution is not viable for smooth gameplay with this hardware combination.

For users targeting 60 FPS, the safe resolutions are 1080p and 1440p, with the understanding that 1440p requires dropping to High settings or lower, while 1080p allows Ultra settings with a substantial margin.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. On Low settings, the average FPS is 170.1, which is more than double the playable threshold. Medium settings yield 128.5 FPS, High settings produce 106.4 FPS, and Ultra settings still maintain 82 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 88.1 FPS, showing a wide performance envelope across presets.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop noticeably. Low settings average 108.4 FPS, which remains well above the threshold. Medium settings average 86.5 FPS, High settings average 71.7 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 52.1 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 56.3 FPS, narrower than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is closer to its limits at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 57.3 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 45.1 FPS, High settings average 36.1 FPS, and Ultra settings average 27.7 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 29.6 FPS, the smallest of the three resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K.

The recorded data includes only average FPS values, with no minimum or maximum frame rate data available for any resolution or preset combination. The averages alone, however, provide a clear picture of the system's capabilities.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 82 FPS. This provides a 22 FPS margin over the threshold, so users can confidently run the game at maximum settings without concern for drops below playable levels.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that maintains 60 FPS or higher is High, with an average of 71.7 FPS. This leaves an 11.7 FPS margin, which is still comfortable but not as generous as at 1080p. Ultra at 1440p is not recommended, as it falls to 52.1 FPS, which is below the threshold.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves the 60 FPS threshold, so there is no recommended best setting. The closest option is Low at 57.3 FPS, but this is still below the playable threshold. Users who insist on 4K would need to accept frame rates in the 57 FPS range or lower, which the database does not classify as playable.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 82, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest resolution that maintains 60 FPS on High settings?

A: 2560x1440. At this resolution, High settings produce an average of 71.7 FPS. At 3840x2160, High settings drop to 36.1 FPS.

Q: Is 4K playable with this combo?

A: No. The database lists no playable settings at 3840x2160, as even Low settings only reach 57.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 170.1 to 108.4, a reduction of 61.7 FPS. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 82 to 52.1, a reduction of 29.9 FPS.

Q: Which component is more limiting at 4K?

A: The GPU. The frame rates at 3840x2160 are consistently below the threshold across all presets, and the narrow spread between Low and Ultra (29.6 FPS) indicates the GPU cannot keep up with the pixel workload.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Minimum?

A: The combo ranks 2,729 out of 3,712 tested combinations, placing it in the lower third of all configurations. The GPU's 59th percentile standing is higher than the CPU's 47th percentile, but the overall rank reflects the combined performance.