Minimum

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is a combination that the database has measured extensively in the third-person shooter Minimum, which was released on 2014-06-25. The recorded data shows that this combo delivers playable frame rates at every resolution tested, with the only exception being the most demanding preset at 4K. The verdict is clear: this PC runs Minimum comfortably, but the 4K Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The GPU, with a launch MSRP of 599 USD, is the dominant component in this pairing, while the CPU provides adequate support for the game's logic.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is organized by resolution and preset, with average, minimum, and maximum frame rates recorded for Medium settings across all three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 258 FPS, while Medium averages 234 FPS with a minimum of 199 and a maximum of 270. High settings at 1080p average 199 FPS, and Ultra averages 152 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline of 106 FPS (258 down to 152), but even the most demanding 1080p preset leaves substantial headroom above the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between Low and Medium is 24 FPS, between Medium and High is 35 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 47 FPS, indicating that each preset step adds a meaningful load.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 200 FPS, Medium averages 153 FPS with a minimum of 130 and a maximum of 176, High averages 128 FPS, and Ultra averages 98 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not drastic; the Ultra preset still nearly doubles the 60 FPS target. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 102 FPS (200 down to 98), which is similar to the 106 FPS delta at 1080p. However, the absolute numbers are lower, reflecting the increased pixel count. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum of 130 FPS, which is still more than double the playable threshold, and a maximum of 176 FPS, demonstrating consistent frame pacing.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 108 FPS, Medium averages 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 and a maximum of 95, High averages 69 FPS, and Ultra drops to 53 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only recorded instance where the average falls below 60 FPS, making it the sole non-playable configuration in the dataset. The delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is 55 FPS (108 down to 53), which is narrower than the deltas at lower resolutions. This compression suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rate ceiling is constrained by the GPU's rendering capacity rather than the CPU's ability to feed it.

The minimum and maximum values are only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 199 FPS and maximum of 270 FPS indicate a tight frame time distribution, with the minimum still far above the playable threshold. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 130 FPS and maximum of 176 FPS show similar consistency. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 70 FPS and maximum of 95 FPS reveal that even the lowest dips in this preset remain above 60 FPS, which is a strong indicator of stable performance. These recorded minimums are particularly useful for understanding worst-case scenarios, and none of them dip below the playable threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-9400, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with an average score of 2259 and a delta of -0.2%, the Intel Core i7-10710U with an average score of 2248 and a delta of 0.3%, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 with an average score of 2246 and a delta of 0.4%, and the Intel Core i3-10305 with an average score of 2264 and a delta of -0.4%. These deltas are all within one percentage point, meaning that swapping the i5-9400 for any of these CPUs would yield nearly identical performance in CPU-bound scenarios. The i5-9400 itself sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 6629, and its single-core score is 935, providing a reference point for its compute capability.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 43223 and ranks at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB with a score of 43262 and a delta of -0.1%, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile with a score of 43268 and a delta of -0.1%, the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 with a score of 43301 and a delta of -0.2%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile with a score of 43667 and a delta of -1%. These deltas are also minimal, indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER's raw compute performance is essentially equivalent to these four cards in the database's testing. For a player using this combo, the GPU is far more capable than the CPU, as evidenced by the percentile gap: 83rd for the GPU versus 47th for the CPU. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 29995 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 4627 further underscore its high-end positioning.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is considered the best setting. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 152 FPS, which is the highest preset available and far exceeds the playable threshold. Therefore, the best settings at 1080p are Ultra with an average of 152 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 98 FPS, again clearing 60 FPS comfortably. The best settings at 1440p are also Ultra with an average of 98 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages only 53 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, so Ultra is not playable. The next most demanding preset, High, averages 69 FPS. The best settings at 4K are High with an average of 69 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K averages 82 FPS, but since High is more demanding and still playable, High is the optimal choice for maximum visual quality at 4K. The data also shows that the Low preset at 4K averages 108 FPS, offering a high-refresh-rate option for players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The recorded average FPS is 152 at 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra preset playable with this hardware?

A: No, the average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 53, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable preset at 4K is High, which averages 69 FPS.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 130 and the maximum is 176.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-9400 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7?

A: The i7-1068NG7 has an average benchmark score of 2259, which is a delta of -0.2% compared to the i5-9400's average score of 2254. This indicates nearly identical performance.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in the database?

A: The combo ranks 728th out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the top 19.6% of the database.

Q: Which component is more powerful, the CPU or the GPU?

A: The GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, sits at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400, sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs. The GPU's average benchmark score is 43223, while the CPU's is 2254.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU at different resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high, with Low settings averaging 258 FPS and Ultra averaging 152 FPS. The GPU is capable of far higher output, but the CPU's 6-core, 6-thread configuration with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz may become the limiting factor at these extreme frame rates. The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935 and multi-core score of 6629 suggest it can handle the game's logic, but the sheer FPS numbers at 1080p indicate that the CPU is likely the bottleneck when the GPU is not fully stressed. The CPU's 47th percentile ranking reinforces this notion, as it is a mid-range part compared to the GPU's high-end standing.

As the resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU's workload grows. The Low preset drops from 258 FPS at 1080p to 200 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 58 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops from 152 to 98 FPS, a reduction of 54 FPS. This scaling is relatively uniform, suggesting that both components are being utilized more evenly. At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The Low preset falls to 108 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 53 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 55 FPS, similar to the gap at lower resolutions, but the absolute numbers are much lower, confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s and FP32 compute of 35.48 TFLOPS are the key specifications driving this behavior.

The percentile data reinforces this: the GPU's 83rd percentile ranking versus the CPU's 47th percentile means that the GPU has significantly more headroom. In CPU-light scenes at 1080p, the i5-9400 may hold back the RTX 4070 SUPER, but at 4K, the GPU's raw performance dictates the outcome. Players targeting high refresh rates at 1080p might see CPU-bound behavior, while those at 4K will be firmly GPU-bound. The CPU's memory support for DDR4 with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s is a modest figure compared to the GPU's bandwidth, further highlighting the GPU's dominance in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 728th out of 3712 tested combinations in the database. This places it in the top 19.6% of all combos, a strong showing for a system with a mid-range CPU and a high-end GPU. The rank reflects the overall balance of the pair: the GPU's high percentile (83rd) and the CPU's modest percentile (47th) combine to produce a system that excels in GPU-heavy titles like Minimum, especially at higher resolutions. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the Quadro M6000 24 GB and the RTX 5050 Mobile, all have similar average scores, so the RTX 4070 SUPER's contribution is consistent with those cards. The CPU's nearest rivals, including the i7-10710U and the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, also show negligible performance differences, meaning that the combo's rank is driven primarily by the GPU. The 728th rank out of 3712 is a solid result, indicating that this system outperforms the majority of tested configurations, though it is not at the very top of the database.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Minimum? The recorded data says yes, with one caveat. At 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with the best settings being Ultra at an average of 152 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same is true: all presets are playable, and Ultra averages 98 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low, Medium, and High presets are playable, with High being the best at an average of 69 FPS. The only non-playable configuration is 4K Ultra, which averages 53 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold. The GPU has a launch MSRP of 599 USD, but that is a separate consideration from performance. Overall, the combo delivers a smooth experience across the board, and the only compromise required is to avoid Ultra settings at 4K. For players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, even the 4K Low preset at 108 FPS is an excellent option. The verdict is unambiguous: this system runs Minimum well, with the 4K Ultra preset being the sole exception. The data confirms that the RTX 4070 SUPER provides ample headroom for this 2014 title, while the i5-9400 keeps up sufficiently at lower resolutions.