Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V, a 2013 open-world title, remains a demanding benchmark even a decade later. The pairing of an Intel Core i5-9400 with an Intel Arc B580 produces a fascinating dataset, revealing a system that scales predictably with resolution but struggles to maintain high frame rates at maximum settings. The measured results indicate a configuration where the GPU is often the primary bottleneck, yet the older six-core CPU still plays a significant role in overall performance, particularly at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a clear shift in system bottleneck. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces 96 FPS, but this falls to 62.9 FPS at 1440p and further down to 38.7 FPS at 4K. This represents a 59.7% reduction in frame rate from the lowest tested resolution to the highest, a pattern typical of a GPU-bound scenario. As the pixel count rises, the Intel Arc B580’s rendering workload increases, and the CPU's influence on the frame rate diminishes.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep. At High settings, moving from 1440p (62.9 FPS) to 4K (38.7 FPS) results in a 38.5% drop. This suggests that at 4K, the Arc B580 is heavily saturated, as the 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus are pushed to their limits. The data implies that the GPU is the limiting component at this resolution, as the frame rate drops almost proportionally with the increase in pixel count.

Conversely, the jump from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings (137.8 FPS to 95.6 FPS) shows a 30.6% drop, which is less severe than the drop from 1440p to 4K at the same settings (95.6 FPS to 50.8 FPS, a 46.9% drop). This indicates that while the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck at 4K, the system is more balanced at 1440p. The i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, is likely still providing enough headroom for the GPU to work efficiently at this mid-range resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested configurations for Grand Theft Auto V, this specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks at 1321 out of 1723 tested combos. This places it in the lower 23.3% of all system pairings, a percentile that seems at odds with the strong synthetic benchmark scores of both components. The i5-9400 sits at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, while the Arc B580 is at the 66th percentile among all GPUs, yet their combined performance in this specific title lags behind many other pairings.

The rank suggests that this is not an ideal match for GTA V, especially when considering the game’s age and the hardware’s capabilities in other workloads. The low rank may be attributed to the game’s engine and its historical sensitivity to CPU single-thread performance. The i5-9400’s boost clock of 4.10 GHz is respectable, but the processor lacks hyper-threading, which can be a disadvantage in a game world as complex as GTA V’s. This combination is not in the top tier, but the data shows it is also far from the bottom, offering a playable experience at most settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the clear driver of graphical performance in this setup. Its specifications are robust: 2560 shading units, 80 ROPs, and a boost clock of 2670 MHz. The synthetic benchmarks reflect this power, with a Passmark G3D score of 15748 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 further confirms its capability in modern APIs. However, the measured FPS in GTA V does not always align with these high numbers.

The GPU's memory subsystem is a key factor. With 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, it provides a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This allows for high texture quality without capacity issues, but the bus width is narrower than some rivals. The data shows that at Ultra settings, the frame rate collapses, with 4K Ultra producing only 28.2 FPS. This suggests that the GPU's pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s is insufficient for the extreme demands of 4K Ultra in this title.

The Arc B580’s performance in GTA V appears to be constrained by its raw fill rate rather than its compute power. The drop from High to Ultra at 1080p (96 FPS to 69.4 FPS) is a 27.7% decrease, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes significantly more strain on the ROPs and memory system. This is a scenario where the GPU’s 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is not the limiting factor; instead, it’s the rasterization and pixel processing throughput that holds the system back.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play at with this combo?

A: The data suggests 1080p is the most practical. At High settings, it delivers 96 FPS, which is smooth. 1440p High is also playable at 62.9 FPS, but 4K High dips to 38.7 FPS, which may feel less fluid.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 holding back the Intel Arc B580?

A: At 1080p, the CPU likely has a greater influence, as the frame rates are high. However, the severe drops at 4K indicate the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The combo rank of 1321 out of 1723 suggests the pairing is not optimal for this game.

Q: How much performance is lost by enabling Ultra settings?

A: The cost is significant. At 1080p, moving from High to Ultra drops the average FPS from 96 to 69.4, a 27.7% loss. At 1440p, the drop is from 62.9 to 44.5 FPS, and at 4K, from 38.7 to 28.2 FPS.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM of the Arc B580 help in this game?

A: While 12 GB of GDDR6 memory is ample for GTA V, the data shows that the bottleneck is not memory capacity but rather the GPU’s processing power. The frame rate drops at Ultra settings are due to the increased computational load, not a lack of memory.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar hardware in synthetic tests?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 23021 places it near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which has an average score of 23181, a delta of -0.7%. The CPU’s average score of 2305 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2300, a delta of 0.2%.

Q: Is this system capable of hitting 60 FPS at all tested resolutions?

A: No. At 1080p, it exceeds 60 FPS at all settings. At 1440p, it passes 60 FPS only on Low and Medium settings. At 4K, it fails to reach 60 FPS on any setting, with the maximum being 50.8 FPS on Low.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400, a Coffee Lake six-core processor, provides the computational foundation for this system. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz are moderate figures. The CPU has 6 cores and 6 threads, which is a limitation for modern games that can utilize more threads. Its Cinebench R23 scores, 7969 multi-core and 1125 single-core, place it at the 50th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a mid-range performer.

In GTA V, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 137.8 FPS, a high frame rate that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough draw calls. However, the lack of hyper-threading likely prevents it from pushing even higher. The processor's performance is closely matched with rivals like the Intel Core i3-10305, which has an average score of 2300, a mere 0.2% difference. This data indicates that the i5-9400 is a competent but not exceptional gaming CPU.

The 9 MB of shared L3 cache is adequate for GTA V’s data demands. The memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, provided by dual-channel DDR4, is a potential bottleneck in CPU-heavy scenarios. When the GPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p, the CPU’s architecture and memory throughput become more critical. The data suggests that the CPU is sufficient for a smooth experience at 1080p and 1440p, but it lacks the headroom to maintain high frame rates when the GPU is under less stress.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset at 1080p is the clear recommendation. It delivers 96 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target, and offers a significant visual upgrade over Low and Medium settings. At 1440p, High is still viable at 62.9 FPS, but users seeking a more consistent 60+ FPS experience should consider the Medium preset, which yields 80.3 FPS.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this hardware combination. The performance cost is too high, dropping the frame rate to 69.4 FPS at 1080p and 44.5 FPS at 1440p. The visual improvement from High to Ultra does not justify the substantial loss in smoothness. At 4K, even the Low preset (50.8 FPS) struggles to maintain a playable frame rate, making High settings (38.7 FPS) a poor choice. The data indicates that this system is best suited for 1080p High or 1440p Medium gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably. The Low preset produces an average of 137.8 FPS, the highest of any configuration tested. The Medium preset achieves 122.3 FPS, while High drops to 96 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding only 69.4 FPS. This shows a clear performance hierarchy where each settings tier costs a measurable amount of frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down accordingly. Low settings produce 95.6 FPS, Medium 80.3 FPS, and High 62.9 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 44.5 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at this resolution is 17.4 FPS, indicating a moderate impact from the increased visual effects. The gap between High and Ultra is 18.4 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset is particularly demanding on the GPU.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system struggles. Low settings produce 50.8 FPS, which is not ideal for a smooth experience. Medium settings drop to 48.1 FPS, and High falls to 38.7 FPS. The Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at 28.2 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: this hardware configuration is capable of 1080p and 1440p gaming with quality settings, but it is not suited for 4K resolution.