Minimum

The data recorded for the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti in Minimum shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU becomes a factor only at lower resolution, high-refresh scenarios. The combination delivers playable frame rates across all tested configurations, with the only exception being Ultra settings at 4K.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 73 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below the playable threshold at 56 FPS, while Medium (87 FPS) and Low (113 FPS) also clear the 60 FPS line but offer lower visual fidelity. High is the optimal balance for 4K, as it is the highest quality setting that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the system can handle the maximum preset. Ultra runs at an average of 103 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. Since all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution, choosing Ultra is the recommended setting for the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness.

At 1920x1080, the same pattern holds: Ultra is the best setting, delivering an average of 160 FPS. This is nearly three times the playable threshold, indicating that the system has substantial headroom at 1080p. All settings are playable at this resolution, with even the most demanding preset leaving significant performance in reserve.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, while the CPU becomes increasingly relevant at lower resolutions. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate drops from 87 FPS at Medium to 73 FPS at High, and further to 56 FPS at Ultra. This is a 34% reduction from Medium to Ultra, showing clear GPU limits as pixel count and shading complexity increase.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset reaches 103 FPS, which is 84% higher than the 4K Ultra result. This substantial jump indicates that the GPU has significant headroom when the resolution drops, and the CPU is not yet a limiting factor. The difference between 1440p and 1080p Ultra is smaller: 103 FPS versus 160 FPS, a 55% increase. This suggests that the CPU starts to exert more influence at 1080p, where the GPU is less stressed.

The medium preset data shows similar trends. At 4K Medium, the average is 87 FPS, while at 1440p Medium it rises to 161 FPS, and at 1080p Medium it reaches 234 FPS. The scaling from 4K to 1440p is a 85% improvement, while from 1440p to 1080p it is 45%. This diminishing return as resolution drops confirms that the GPU dominates until very low resolutions, where the CPU's six cores and six threads become the next constraint.

The recorded minimum FPS values for Medium settings provide additional insight: at 4K the minimum is 74 FPS, at 1440p it is 137 FPS, and at 1080p it is 199 FPS. These minimums remain well above 60 FPS at every resolution, indicating that frame pacing is stable and there are no severe CPU-side hitches that would cause drops below the playable threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 113 FPS, no minimum or maximum recorded.
• Medium: Average 87 FPS, minimum 74 FPS, maximum 100 FPS.
• High: Average 73 FPS, no minimum or maximum recorded.
• Ultra: Average 56 FPS, no minimum or maximum recorded.

At 4K, the performance span from Low to Ultra is 57 FPS. The Low preset nearly doubles the frame rate of Ultra, which is a typical result for a GPU-intensive title at high pixel counts. The Medium preset shows a tight frame window of 26 FPS between minimum and maximum, suggesting consistent pacing.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 211 FPS, no minimum or maximum recorded.
• Medium: Average 161 FPS, minimum 137 FPS, maximum 185 FPS.
• High: Average 135 FPS, no minimum or maximum recorded.
• Ultra: Average 103 FPS, no minimum or maximum recorded.

The 1440p results show a clear step-down from Low to Ultra, with each preset tier reducing the average by roughly 25 to 30 FPS. The Medium preset has a 48 FPS spread between minimum and maximum, which is wider than at 4K but still far above the 60 FPS threshold.

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 258 FPS, no minimum or maximum recorded.
• Medium: Average 234 FPS, minimum 199 FPS, maximum 270 FPS.
• High: Average 210 FPS, no minimum or maximum recorded.
• Ultra: Average 160 FPS, no minimum or maximum recorded.

At 1080p, even the lowest recorded minimum (199 FPS at Medium) is more than triple the playable threshold. The Ultra preset delivers 160 FPS, which leaves enough headroom for a high-refresh-rate monitor. The Low preset pushes past 250 FPS, indicating that the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently at this resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400 sits in the 47th percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals in the database are extremely close in performance: the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259 (0.2% faster), the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264 (0.4% faster), the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248 (0.3% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (0.4% slower). These deltas are within measurement noise, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Minimum when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks in the 84th percentile of all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44795. Its closest rivals show slightly larger performance gaps: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile scores 45152 (0.8% faster), the Intel Arc A730M scores 45592 (1.7% faster), the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT scores 45384 (1.3% faster), and the NVIDIA RTX A6000 scores 44075 (1.6% slower). The 1.7% difference from the fastest rival is negligible in real-world gaming, so swapping to any of these GPUs would yield similar frame rates, though the RTX 4070 Ti has a distinct advantage in driver maturity and feature support.

The Verdict

This system can run Minimum successfully at all three tested resolutions, with one qualification. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Medium, and Low, with the best being High at 73 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K falls short at 56 FPS, so users targeting 4K should stick to High or below.

At 2560x1440, every preset is playable, with Ultra averaging 103 FPS. This makes 1440p the sweet spot for maximum visual quality, as the system maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS even at the highest settings.

At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 160 FPS. The system is overkill for 1080p gaming, delivering frame rates that are suitable for high-refresh displays. The verdict is clear: the CPU and GPU combination handles the game smoothly at 1080p and 1440p with max settings, and at 4K with High settings or lower.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 4K?

A: High settings, which average 73 FPS. Ultra drops to 56 FPS, below the playable threshold.

Q: Can this system run the game at Ultra settings?

A: Yes, at 2560x1440 (103 FPS) and 1920x1080 (160 FPS). At 3840x2160, Ultra averages only 56 FPS, so it is not recommended at that resolution.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1440p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 103 FPS at 1440p to 56 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 47 FPS or roughly 45%.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest recorded minimum is 74 FPS, which occurs at 4K Medium settings. All other recorded minimums are higher, ranging up to 199 FPS at 1080p Medium.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for this game?

A: The GPU is the primary constraint at 4K, where frame rates scale strongly with preset quality. At 1080p, the CPU becomes more relevant, but the system still delivers 160 FPS at Ultra, so neither component is a major bottleneck at standard resolutions.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, which is within 0.4% of all four nearest rivals (the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, Intel Core i7-10710U, AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, and Intel Core i3-10305). The performance differences are negligible for gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks 627th out of 3712 tested combinations in the database for this game. This places the combo in the top 17% of all systems tested, which is consistent with the high frame rates observed at 1440p and 1080p. The ranking reflects that while the CPU is mid-range (47th percentile), the GPU is well above average (84th percentile), and the combination is strong enough to handle Minimum at high settings across most resolutions. The 4K Ultra limitation is the primary reason the combo does not rank higher, as many top-tier systems can maintain 60 FPS at that setting.