Don't Starve Together

This combo of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 lands in the upper-middle tier of tested configurations for Don't Starve Together, ranking 970th out of 1667 combos. That placement is heavily influenced by the CPU, which sits at the 50th percentile among all processors, while the GPU is stronger, ranking in the 66th percentile. The result is a system that delivers playable framerates across the board, but the data suggests the processor is the limiting factor in several key scenarios, preventing the graphics card from reaching its full potential.

How This Combo Ranks

The 970th position out of 1667 tested combos places this pairing in the 58th percentile overall, which is a solid mid-pack result. This is not a top-tier combination for Don't Starve Together, but it is far from the bottom. The ranking reflects a balance where the GPU's higher percentile ranking is dragged down by the CPU's more modest standing. In practical terms, this means the system will handle the game well at mainstream resolutions, but it will not compete with high-end rigs at 4K Ultra settings.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 2305 places it right at the 50th percentile, and its nearest rivals are extremely close. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2300, a delta of just 0.2%, while the Intel Xeon E-2134 scores 2295, a 0.4% difference. On the other side, the Intel Core i7-8809G scores 2319, which is 0.6% higher. This clustering shows that the i5-9400 is squarely in a performance tier where minor architectural differences dictate rankings. For this game, that means the CPU's capability is adequate but not exceptional, and its influence on the overall combo rank is more about keeping pace than pushing ahead.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the 5 nm Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD107 chip, featuring 3072 shading units and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. The memory runs at 2125 MHz, delivering 17 Gbps effective speed and a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is 2460 MHz, and it has a pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s. These specifications point to a card capable of handling modern titles with ease, and its Passmark G3D score of 19545 confirms that capability.

In Don't Starve Together, the GPU's role becomes more apparent as resolution increases. At 1080p, the card is never the bottleneck, but at 4K, its workload grows significantly. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 41.8, which is the lowest recorded result for this combo. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor here, as the game is not texture-heavy, but the raw compute power required to push 4K at higher settings does strain the card. The RTX 4060's nearest rival is the Intel Arc B580, which has an average score of 23021, just 0.7% lower, showing that the 4060 is competitively positioned in its class.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with a 9 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores include a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and a single-core score of 1125. These numbers indicate a processor that is competent for gaming but lacks the multi-threading headroom of more modern or higher-tier parts.

In Don't Starve Together, the CPU's impact is most visible at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 196.8 FPS, but this is the ceiling for the processor. When moving to 1440p Low, the FPS drops to 157.7, and at 4K Low it falls to 93.3. This scaling shows that even at Low settings, where GPU load is minimized, the CPU cannot maintain the same framerate across resolutions, indicating the processor is the limiting component at these settings. The i5-9400's 50th percentile ranking and its close rivalry with the Intel Core i3-10305 (0.2% delta) highlight that it is a dependable but not standout performer.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Don't Starve Together?*

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 196.8 at 1080p with Low settings. This is the only setting where the combo approaches 200 FPS, and it drops to 157.7 at 1440p Low and 93.3 at 4K Low.

Q: Is the RTX 4060 or the i5-9400 the stronger component in this pairing?

A: The data indicates the GPU is stronger. The RTX 4060 ranks in the 66th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-9400 ranks in the 50th percentile. The GPU's average benchmark score of 23181 is also significantly higher than the CPU's 2305.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 41.8 FPS. This is the lowest recorded framerate across all tested settings and resolutions, and it falls below the 60 FPS threshold generally considered smooth for most players.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 970th out of 1667 tested combinations. This places it in the upper-middle portion of the field, indicating a capable but not top-tier setup for Don't Starve Together.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor. The framerate difference between Low (196.8 FPS) and Ultra (106.3 FPS) at 1080p is substantial, but the GPU still has headroom, as evidenced by the fact that the CPU's 50th percentile ranking is the weaker link in this combo.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear shift in the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 196.8 FPS, which drops to 157.7 at 1440p Low and then to 93.3 at 4K Low. This is a 52.6% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is a significant reduction, but the framerates remain playable. At High settings, the drop is steeper: 132.8 FPS at 1080p, 94.6 at 1440p, and 57 at 4K, a 57.1% decline. The Ultra setting shows the most dramatic scaling, with 106.3 FPS at 1080p, 76.4 at 1440p, and 41.8 at 4K, a 60.7% drop.

The pattern suggests that at Low settings, the CPU is the primary limiter, as the framerate drop is not as steep as the resolution increase might dictate. At Ultra settings, the GPU takes over as the bottleneck, with the 4K result falling to less than half of the 1080p result. This is a typical behavior for a combo where the GPU is more powerful than the CPU, as the processor holds back performance at lower resolutions, but the GPU's limits are exposed at higher ones.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to Medium settings as the sweet spot. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 157.7 FPS, which is identical to the 1440p Low result, showing that the settings have a stronger impact than resolution at this tier. Moving to 1440p Medium yields 111.4 FPS, which is still smooth, and even 4K Medium produces 65.7 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target. High settings are also viable, with 132.8 FPS at 1080p and 94.6 FPS at 1440p, but the 4K High result of 57 FPS is borderline.

Ultra settings are only recommended if a 60 FPS target is not required. At 1080p Ultra, the combo hits 106.3 FPS, which is good, but at 1440p Ultra it drops to 76.4 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 41.8 FPS. For players with a 1080p or 1440p monitor, Medium or High settings provide the best balance of visual quality and performance. For 4K users, Medium is the highest setting that maintains a consistent 60 FPS, while High and Ultra will require acceptance of lower framerates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers a wide range of framerates depending on settings. Low settings produce the highest average at 196.8 FPS, followed by Medium at 157.7 FPS, High at 132.8 FPS, and Ultra at 106.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 90.5 FPS, which shows that the settings have a massive impact at this resolution. All results are above 100 FPS, making 1080p a comfortable experience for any setting.

Moving to 2560x1440, the framerates scale down but remain strong. Low settings average 157.7 FPS, which is a 19.9% drop from 1080p. Medium averages 111.4 FPS, High averages 94.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 76.4 FPS. The 1440p results show that even Ultra settings stay above 75 FPS, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 81.3 FPS, a smaller margin than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is starting to become more involved.

At 3840x2160, the 4K results are the most demanding. Low settings average 93.3 FPS, which is the only 4K setting above 90 FPS. Medium averages 65.7 FPS, High averages 57 FPS, and Ultra averages 41.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 51.5 FPS, and the Ultra result is the only one that falls below 50 FPS. This breakdown confirms that 4K Ultra is the only configuration where the combo struggles, while all other resolution and setting combinations provide at least adequate performance for Don't Starve Together.