Fivem

Fivem’s performance with the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 shows a clear pattern: the pairing is heavily dependent on resolution and settings, with the CPU acting as a significant constraint at lower resolutions. The measured data reveals that this combination delivers playable frame rates across most configurations, but the scaling behavior indicates a system where the GPU’s headroom is only fully utilized at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial but not uniform across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 215.2 at 1920x1080 to 90.6 at 3840x2160, representing a 58% reduction. This steep decline suggests that at 1080p Low, the system is heavily CPU-limited, as the RX 9070 is capable of far higher output than the i5-9400 can feed it. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low is 53.2 FPS (from 215.2 to 162), while the gap from 1440p to 4K is 71.4 FPS (from 162 to 90.6), showing that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more moderate. The FPS drops from 121.9 at 1080p to 79.0 at 1440p (a 35% reduction), then to 41.9 at 4K (a 47% reduction from 1440p). This indicates that at Ultra, the load is more evenly balanced between CPU and GPU, but the 4K Ultra result of 41.9 FPS shows the GPU struggling with the combined demands of high resolution and maximum settings. The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 192.8 FPS at 1080p, 129.9 at 1440p, and 72.2 at 4K. The High preset delivers 155.5 at 1080p, 101.7 at 1440p, and 56.6 at 4K.

The data suggests that the limiting component shifts based on configuration. At 1080p, the i5-9400’s 6 cores and 6 threads appear to cap performance, as evidenced by the minimal difference between Low (215.2 FPS) and Medium (192.8 FPS) compared to the larger gap between Medium and High (155.5 FPS). At 4K, the RX 9070’s raw throughput becomes the dominant factor, with the 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth being taxed heavily at Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K gameplay, the Low preset is the only viable option for smooth performance, delivering 90.6 FPS average. Medium at 4K provides 72.2 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced multiplayer scenarios. High at 4K drops to 56.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41.9 FPS, which is below the threshold for competitive play. The data strongly suggests that 4K Ultra is not recommended for this combo, as the performance hit is severe.

At 1440p, the Medium preset offers the best balance, achieving 129.9 FPS. High at 1440p delivers 101.7 FPS, which is also respectable. Low at 1440p reaches 162 FPS, but this setting likely reduces visual fidelity unnecessarily. Ultra at 1440p produces 79.0 FPS, which is acceptable but not optimal. For 1080p, the High preset at 155.5 FPS provides an excellent experience, while Ultra at 121.9 FPS is still smooth. The Medium preset at 192.8 FPS is arguably the sweet spot for competitive play, offering high frame rates without the visual compromises of Low.

The benchmark results indicate that the best overall experience for this combination is 1440p Medium, which balances the GPU’s capabilities with the CPU’s limitations. The 129.9 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the visual quality is significantly better than Low. For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, 1080p Medium at 192.8 FPS is the optimal choice.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination ranks 620 out of 1792 tested combos in Fivem. This places it in the 65th percentile, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of all tested configurations. The ranking is respectable but not outstanding, reflecting the CPU’s mid-range positioning. The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, placing it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs, which is exactly average. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300 score, 0.2% faster) and the Intel Xeon E-2134 (2295 score, 0.4% faster), showing the CPU is closely matched with other mid-range options.

The GPU, in contrast, is a high-end part. The RX 9070 has an average benchmark score of 34780 and sits in the 79th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA A2 (34866 score, 0.2% faster) and the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 (34677 score, 0.3% faster). This creates an imbalance: a top-tier GPU paired with an average CPU. The combo’s 620th rank out of 1792 reflects this mismatch, as the CPU likely holds back the GPU in many scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU is the bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low 215.2, Medium 192.8, High 155.5, and Ultra 121.9. The progression from Low to Medium is a 22.4 FPS drop, from Medium to High a 37.3 FPS drop, and from High to Ultra a 33.6 FPS drop. This shows that the most significant performance hit occurs when moving from Medium to High, suggesting a substantial increase in graphical workload at that tier.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 162.0, Medium 129.9, High 101.7, and Ultra 79.0. The drop from Low to Medium is 32.1 FPS, from Medium to High is 28.2 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 22.7 FPS. The diminishing returns between settings are evident, with each tier costing less in absolute FPS than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the values are: Low 90.6, Medium 72.2, High 56.6, and Ultra 41.9. The differences are: 18.4 FPS from Low to Medium, 15.6 FPS from Medium to High, and 14.7 FPS from High to Ultra. This pattern indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the primary constraint, and the relative cost of each settings tier becomes more consistent as the resolution increases.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a substantial amount of memory bandwidth, which is crucial for high-resolution gaming. The GPU has a base clock of 1330 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, with a game clock of 2070 MHz. The boost clock is particularly important for Fivem, as the game’s multiplayer environments can create variable loads.

The GPU’s 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs contribute to its pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s. These specifications explain why the GPU performs well at 1440p Medium (129.9 FPS) but struggles at 4K Ultra (41.9 FPS). The 4K Ultra result indicates that the GPU’s compute capabilities are being fully utilized, and the 16 GB of VRAM is likely being taxed by the high-resolution textures. In contrast, at 1080p Low (215.2 FPS), the GPU is not the limiting factor, as the CPU cannot feed it enough frames.

The GPU’s FP32 performance of 36.13 TFLOPS is strong for rasterization tasks, which is what Fivem primarily relies on. The RDNA 4.0 architecture on a 4 nm process node provides efficiency, but the 220 W TDP suggests it requires adequate cooling. The 2x 8-pin power connectors and 550 W suggested PSU are typical for this class of GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It has 9 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 2305 places it in the 50th percentile, indicating it is a mid-range part. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, scores 2300 (0.2% faster), showing that the i5-9400 is competitive within its class.

In Fivem, the CPU’s 6 cores and 6 threads appear to be adequate for the game’s multiplayer demands, but not exceptional. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, the CPU limits performance to 215.2 FPS, which is below what the GPU could theoretically deliver. The boost clock of 4.10 GHz helps with single-threaded performance, which is important for game logic, but the lack of hyper-threading may cause issues in heavily populated multiplayer servers.

The CPU’s 14 nm process node and 65 W TDP indicate it is an older design compared to the GPU. The memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s is modest, which could create a bottleneck when the CPU needs to feed data to the GPU at high frame rates. This is evident in the 1080p results, where the FPS difference between Low (215.2) and Medium (192.8) is only 22.4 FPS, suggesting the CPU is struggling to keep up with the GPU’s demands.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Fivem?

A: The data shows that 1440p Medium provides the best balance, achieving 129.9 FPS, which is well above the playable threshold while maintaining good visual quality.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings (90.6 FPS) or Medium (72.2 FPS). High and Ultra at 4K are not recommended, as they drop to 56.6 and 41.9 FPS respectively.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: At 1080p, the i5-9400 is the limiting factor, capping performance at 215.2 FPS on Low. At 4K, the RX 9070 becomes the bottleneck, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops at higher settings.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 620 out of 1792 tested combos, placing it in the 65th percentile. This is above average but not outstanding, reflecting the CPU’s mid-range performance.

Q: What settings provide the highest frame rates?

A: At 1080p, Low settings deliver 215.2 FPS, while Medium provides 192.8 FPS. At 1440p, Low reaches 162 FPS, and at 4K, Low achieves 90.6 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU’s memory bandwidth affect performance?

A: The 644.6 GB/s bandwidth is a key factor in the GPU’s ability to handle high-resolution textures. At 4K Ultra, the performance drops to 41.9 FPS, indicating that the memory bandwidth is being heavily taxed.