Minimum

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination delivers a robust performance profile in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter from 2014. Benchmark data shows this pairing handles the game with considerable headroom across all tested resolutions, though the most demanding 4K Ultra preset falls short of the 60 FPS playability threshold. The recorded measurements confirm a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the CPU becoming a more significant factor only when frame rates climb into the triple digits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces exceptional frame rates that far exceed the needs of any standard display. The Low preset delivers an average of 260.7 FPS, which is the highest recorded measurement for this pairing. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 231.9 FPS, while High settings still maintain a very strong 192.1 FPS average. The most demanding 1080p configuration, Ultra, records an average of 148.5 FPS. Every 1080p preset keeps the average well above the 60 FPS playability threshold, with even the heaviest settings providing more than double the required frame rate.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptionally high, though the scaling from 1080p shows a clear cost associated with additional pixels. The Low preset averages 191.3 FPS, which represents a significant but expected reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings at 1440p produce 148 FPS on average, while High settings follow closely at 122.5 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution still delivers a very playable 97.2 FPS average. All four 1440p presets clear the 60 FPS threshold with substantial margin, indicating that this resolution is well within the comfortable operating range for this hardware.

At 3840x2160, the performance picture changes noticeably. The Low preset maintains a strong 106 FPS average, and Medium settings still produce 81.8 FPS. High settings at 4K yield 68.3 FPS, which remains above the 60 FPS playability line. However, the Ultra preset at 4K drops to 51 FPS on average, falling below the threshold and representing the only tested configuration that fails to maintain smooth gameplay. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steep, with the Ultra preset losing roughly 46 FPS, a 47 percent reduction. This demonstrates that 4K Ultra is simply too demanding for this combination, while every other 4K setting remains playable.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i5-9400 and the GeForce RTX 5070 depending on resolution. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are so high that the CPU likely becomes a limiting factor in some presets. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 112.2 FPS, which shows that graphics settings have a substantial impact, but the sheer speed of these numbers suggests the RTX 5070 is capable of far more work than the i5-9400 can feed it in certain scenarios.

The CPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 2560x1440, the RTX 5070 still has plenty of headroom, but the frame rates are lower than at 1080p, which reduces the CPU bottleneck potential. The i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, provides enough processing power to keep the GPU well fed at this resolution. The average scores for this CPU place it in the 47th percentile among all tested processors, indicating a mid-range part that can handle modern games but does not lead the pack.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The RTX 5070 is working much harder to push the increased pixel count, and the frame rates drop accordingly. The i5-9400 has ample capacity to supply the GPU with draw calls and game logic at these lower frame rates, so the CPU's influence diminishes. The scaling between 1440p and 4K is more pronounced than the scaling between 1080p and 1440p, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 5070's 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game's demands, but the compute load at 4K Ultra exceeds what the card can deliver at 60 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-9400, the benchmark data shows several CPUs that would deliver nearly identical performance in this game. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259 in the aggregate benchmark, which is 0.2 percent behind the i5-9400's 2254 average. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, placing it 0.4 percent ahead. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, which is 0.4 percent behind, and the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, just 0.3 percent behind. All four of these processors would behave essentially identically to the i5-9400 in Minimum, meaning any of them paired with an RTX 5070 would produce the same FPS figures within a negligible margin.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, the nearest rivals in the database are a mix of professional and mobile parts. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 40318, which is 0.1 percent ahead of the RTX 5070's 40377 average. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40063, 0.8 percent behind, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870, 1.2 percent ahead. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39568, 2 percent behind. These delta values are all within a few percentage points, suggesting that swapping the RTX 5070 for any of these cards would yield similar frame rates in Minimum. The RTX 5070 sits in the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, which is a strong position, but these rivals show that the performance envelope is shared with several other options.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum with no problems at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440. At 1080p, every preset from Low to Ultra maintains an average above 60 FPS, with the Ultra preset delivering 148.5 FPS. At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 97.2 FPS, which is still far above the playable threshold. The data indicates that this combination is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate monitors at both of these resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is mixed. The Low, Medium, and High presets all clear the 60 FPS line, with High averaging 68.3 FPS. However, the Ultra preset falls to 51 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. Gamers with 4K displays can still enjoy Minimum at High settings with smooth performance, but they will need to avoid the Ultra preset. The recorded data shows that the 4K Ultra configuration is the only tested combination that fails to meet the 60 FPS standard.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 810th out of 3712 tested combos in the database for Minimum. This places it in the top 22 percent of all pairings, which is a strong showing for a system built around a mid-range CPU from 2018 and a current-generation GPU. The rank reflects the balance between the two components: the RTX 5070 is a high-end part that boosts the overall performance, while the i5-9400 is a capable but older processor that holds the combo back slightly in CPU-bound scenarios.

The 810th position out of 3712 combos means this system outperforms the majority of tested configurations, but it also indicates that there are many faster pairings. A newer CPU with more cores or higher clock speeds would likely push this combo higher in the rankings, particularly at 1080p where the CPU has a greater influence. Still, the data shows that this is a well-matched pair for Minimum, delivering excellent frame rates at all but the most demanding settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings that stay at or above 60 FPS are Ultra, with an average of 148.5 FPS. This is the most demanding preset available, and it runs at nearly two and a half times the playable threshold, so there is no reason to lower any settings at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, averaging 97.2 FPS. This preset provides the maximum visual quality while still maintaining a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The 97.2 FPS average means there is room for occasional dips without falling below the playable line.

At 3840x2160, the best settings that remain playable are High, with an average of 68.3 FPS. This provides a solid balance between visual fidelity and performance, though the margin above 60 FPS is slimmer than at lower resolutions. The Low and Medium presets also work at 4K, but High is the most demanding option that still delivers smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration in the entire dataset that fails to meet the 60 FPS standard, so it should be avoided on this hardware.