The Technomancer

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 places at rank 2269 out of 3696 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This puts the combo in the lower-middle portion of the database, meaning a majority of tested configurations deliver higher frame rates. The ranking reflects the balance between a six-core, six-thread CPU from the Coffee Lake era and a current-generation Blackwell GPU. The CPU sits at the 47th percentile among all processors, while the GPU reaches the 66th percentile. That gap suggests the processor is the limiting factor in this pairing. The i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2254 places it within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 and just 0.3% behind the Intel Core i7-10710U, so its compute headroom is modest by modern standards. The RTX 5050, by contrast, posts an average benchmark score of 21035 and sits near the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, which is only 1.6% slower. The data shows a combo that can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming comfortably but struggles at 4K, a pattern consistent with the measured FPS results across resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data reveals a clear shift in component responsibility as resolution changes. At 1920x1080, the combination produces an average of 150 FPS on Low settings, 115 FPS on Medium, 98 FPS on High, and 77 FPS on Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra is 73 FPS, indicating that the GPU is still doing significant work even at this resolution. The CPU, with six threads and a 4.10 GHz boost clock, appears adequate to feed the GPU at 1080p, since frame rates remain well above 60 FPS across all presets. At 2560x1440, the averages drop to 98 FPS on Low, 75 FPS on Medium, 64 FPS on High, and 50 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a reduction of roughly 35% on Low and 35% on High, which points to the GPU becoming more influential as pixel count rises. At 3840x2160, the frame rates fall to 54 FPS on Low, 41 FPS on Medium, 35 FPS on High, and 28 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steep: 44 FPS on Low, 34 FPS on Medium, 29 FPS on High, and 22 FPS on Ultra. This pattern indicates that the RTX 5050 is the dominant factor at 4K, while the i5-9400 has enough headroom to avoid bottlenecking at lower resolutions. The min FPS values recorded at Medium settings reinforce this: 98 FPS at 1080p, 64 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K. The gap between average and minimum FPS widens at higher resolutions, suggesting the GPU is under heavier load and frame delivery becomes less consistent.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data covers four settings at three resolutions, with average FPS recorded for all combinations and min/max values available for Medium settings.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 150 FPS. Medium averages 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 and a maximum of 132. High averages 98 FPS. Ultra averages 77 FPS. All presets clear the 60 FPS playability threshold, and even the lowest recorded value, 98 FPS on Medium, is far above it.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 98 FPS. Medium averages 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 87. High averages 64 FPS. Ultra averages 50 FPS, dropping below the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset's minimum of 64 FPS indicates that frame pacing stays stable enough for smooth play, but Ultra falls short.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 54 FPS. Medium averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 48. High averages 35 FPS. Ultra averages 28 FPS. No preset reaches 60 FPS at this resolution. The Medium min/max range of 35 to 48 FPS shows a 13 FPS swing, which is notable for a game that demands consistent frame delivery. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K is linear: 54, 41, 35, 28. That is a 26 FPS spread between the lowest and highest quality settings, confirming that the GPU is saturated at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination run The Technomancer at 1080p?

A: Yes. All four presets exceed 60 FPS at 1920x1080. Low averages 150 FPS, Medium 115 FPS, High 98 FPS, and Ultra 77 FPS.

Q: What is the best playable preset at 2560x1440?

A: High is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 64 FPS. Ultra drops to 50 FPS, so it is not playable by the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K playable with this hardware?

A: No. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only reach 54 FPS, and Medium, High, and Ultra fall to 41, 35, and 28 FPS respectively. None cross the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5050 is 1.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, 0.6% slower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, and 1% behind the AMD Radeon HD 8970M. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% faster.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to similar CPUs?

A: The i5-9400 is 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, 0.3% faster than the Intel Core i7-10710U, and 0.4% faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500. The Intel Core i3-10305 is 0.4% faster.

Q: What is the most consistent frame delivery recorded?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 98 FPS and the maximum is 132 FPS, a 34 FPS range. At 2560x1440 Medium, the range is 64 to 87 FPS, a 23 FPS spread. At 3840x2160 Medium, the range narrows to 35 to 48 FPS, a 13 FPS spread, showing tighter but lower frame delivery at higher resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 77 FPS. This gives the best visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the playability threshold. At 2560x1440, the High preset is the best choice, averaging 64 FPS. It clears 60 FPS but leaves little headroom, so players who prefer more stability might select Medium at 75 FPS. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The closest is Low at 54 FPS, which is playable only if the user accepts a lower frame rate target. The database records no playable settings for 4K, meaning the threshold of 60 FPS is not met by any quality level.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Technomancer at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, but not at 3840x2160. At 1080p, all presets are playable, with Ultra at 77 FPS providing the best experience. At 1440p, High is the ceiling at 64 FPS, while Low and Medium also clear the threshold at 98 and 75 FPS. At 4K, the combination fails to reach 60 FPS on any setting, with Low at 54 FPS being the highest recorded average. The data shows a system that is well suited for high-refresh 1080p gaming and solid 1440p gaming, but it is not a 4K solution for this title. The verdict by resolution is straightforward: 1920x1080 is fully playable, 2560x1440 is playable up to High, and 3840x2160 is not playable under the 60 FPS standard.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU each have nearby hardware that would behave similarly according to the database. On the CPU side, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259, just 0.2% higher than the i5-9400, so frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios would be nearly identical. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, 0.3% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, 0.4% lower. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, 0.4% higher. Any of these processors would produce similar results when paired with the RTX 5050, assuming the game is not heavily GPU-bound. On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153, 0.6% higher, and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237, 1% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713, 1.6% lower, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, 1.6% higher. In practice, swapping the RTX 5050 for any of these cards would shift average FPS by only a few frames in The Technomancer. The measured results show that the i5-9400 and RTX 5050 combination performs as a mid-tier setup, and users with any of these near-identical alternatives should expect comparable playability across the three resolutions tested.