High On Life

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 occupies the 2067th position out of 3718 tested combinations for High On Life. This places the combo in the 55th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms a slight majority of configurations while trailing a significant portion of the field. The ranking suggests this pairing is competent but not exceptional for this title, with the data indicating that the combination of a six-core Coffee Lake processor and an Ada Lovelace GPU produces a mid-pack result. The benchmark results reveal a system that can handle the game comfortably at most settings, though the upper echelons of performance remain out of reach.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2067 out of 3718 places this system squarely in the middle of the tested field. This is a noteworthy position because the RTX 4060 is a modern GPU that sits in the 61st percentile of all graphics cards, while the i5-9400 lands in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. The discrepancy between the GPU's percentile and the overall combo rank indicates that the processor is holding back the system's potential in this game. The CPU's average benchmark score of 2254 places it within a narrow band of rivals, including the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with a score of 2259 and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 with a score of 2246, with delta percentages of -0.2% and 0.4% respectively. These close margins show the i5-9400 is operating at the edge of its performance class, and in a game like High On Life, this can translate to measurable frame rate differences.

The GPU's nearest rivals provide an interesting contrast. The RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 17639 sits just above the AMD Radeon HD 7790 at 17666, with a delta of -0.2%, and the AMD Radeon 780M at 17588, with a delta of 0.3%. These are remarkably tight margins, suggesting that the RTX 4060's raw compute performance is not dramatically different from these older or integrated alternatives, despite the architectural advantages of Ada Lovelace. The combination ranking reflects this reality: the system is not a top-tier performer, but it is far from the bottom. For a game released in late 2022, this configuration offers a playable experience, but the data suggests that users seeking high refresh rate performance at maximum settings will need to make compromises.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering a memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and boosts up to 2460 MHz, with memory running at an effective 17 Gbps. These specifications are critical for High On Life, which is a visually vibrant FPS title that relies on fast texture streaming and geometry processing. The 8 GB frame buffer is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K results in the measured data suggest that the memory capacity and bandwidth become limiting factors at higher resolutions. The GPU's 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units provide the computational foundation for the game's rendering pipeline.

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p, the GPU is the dominant component, delivering 139 FPS on Low settings and 107 FPS on High settings. However, as resolution increases to 1440p, the frame rates drop to 116 FPS on Low and 75 FPS on High, and at 4K, the numbers fall further to 71 FPS on Low and 46 FPS on High. This scaling indicates that the GPU is being pushed harder at higher resolutions, but the CPU's limitations become more apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully saturated. The RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is adequate for this game, but the 128-bit memory interface is a bottleneck at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings where the average frame rate drops to 34 FPS. The GPU's pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput needed for High On Life's art style, but the data shows that the card is more comfortable at 1080p and 1440p.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in High On Life?

A: The 1080p resolution delivers the highest frame rates across all settings, with averages ranging from 80 FPS at Ultra to 139 FPS at Low. The 1440p results are also playable, with a 75 FPS average at High settings, making it a viable option for users with 1440p monitors.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, which is within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 at 2246 and within 0.3% of the Intel Core i7-10710U at 2248. This indicates near-identical synthetic performance among these processors.

Q: Is the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for high settings?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, the 8 GB VRAM is adequate, with High settings producing 107 FPS and 75 FPS respectively. At 4K, the VRAM appears insufficient for Ultra settings, where the average frame rate drops to 34 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The difference is 60 FPS, with Low settings averaging 116 FPS and Ultra settings averaging 56 FPS. This represents a significant performance cost for the visual quality gains.

Q: How does this combo's GPU rank against its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 17639 is just 0.2% below the AMD Radeon HD 7790 and 0.3% above the AMD Radeon 780M, indicating very close synthetic performance among these GPUs.

Q: What frame rate can users expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 127 FPS at 1080p with Medium settings, with a minimum of 108 FPS and a maximum of 146 FPS, providing a smooth experience for competitive play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 139 FPS, while Medium settings average 127 FPS with a minimum of 108 FPS and a maximum of 146 FPS. High settings reduce the average to 107 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 80 FPS. This progression shows a 59 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, indicating that the visual quality settings have a substantial impact on performance. The 1080p results suggest that users can achieve high refresh rates with this configuration, particularly at Medium and High settings where the frame rates remain above 100 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down noticeably. Low settings average 116 FPS, which is still a solid result for 1440p gaming. Medium settings average 91 FPS with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS, representing a 25 FPS drop from the 1080p Medium result. High settings produce 75 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 56 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 60 FPS, mirroring the 1080p difference but at lower absolute values. These numbers indicate that this combo can handle 1440p with High settings at a playable 75 FPS, making it a viable resolution for this game.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more constrained. Low settings average 71 FPS, which is surprisingly playable for 4K. Medium settings average 55 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 64 FPS, while High settings drop to 46 FPS. Ultra settings produce an average of 34 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data reveals that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K only viable at Low or Medium settings. The 37 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K highlights the GPU's limitations at this resolution, particularly when the VRAM and memory bandwidth are stressed.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 features six cores and six threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The processor's 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth provide the foundation for game logic and physics calculations. The CPU's synthetic benchmarks show a single-core score of 935 in Cinebench R23 and a multi-core score of 6629, while Geekbench results show 1389 for single-core and 5141 for multi-core. These scores place the CPU in the 47th percentile of all processors, indicating a mid-range performance level.

In High On Life, the CPU's impact is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The 1080p results show a 59 FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings, which is a larger gap than the 37 FPS difference at 4K. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is able to feed the GPU with enough frames to highlight the GPU's performance ceiling, while at 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The i5-9400's six cores and six threads are sufficient for this game, but the lack of hyper-threading may cause occasional frame hitches in CPU-intensive scenes. The CPU's 65 W TDP and Coffee Lake architecture are older compared to the GPU's Ada Lovelace design, but the data shows that this processor can still deliver playable performance in this title.

Settings Recommendations

For users prioritizing frame rate at 1080p, the Medium settings preset offers the best balance, with an average of 127 FPS and a minimum of 108 FPS. This provides a smooth experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold, while still delivering better visual quality than Low settings. High settings at 1080p produce 107 FPS, which is also excellent, but the 20 FPS drop from Medium may not be worth the visual improvements for competitive players. Ultra settings at 1080p drop to 80 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant performance cost.

At 1440p, the High settings preset is the recommended choice, averaging 75 FPS. This provides a good visual experience while maintaining a playable frame rate. Medium settings at 1440p average 91 FPS, which is even better, but the visual quality reduction may be noticeable. Low settings at 1440p average 116 FPS, which is ideal for users with high refresh rate monitors, but the graphical sacrifices are substantial. Ultra settings at 1440p drop to 56 FPS, which is borderline playable but may cause issues in fast-paced scenes.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that Low settings are the only viable option, averaging 71 FPS. Medium settings at 4K average 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, and High settings drop to 46 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K are not recommended, with an average of 34 FPS that would result in a stuttery experience. The best overall experience for this combo is at 1080p with Medium or High settings, where the frame rates are consistently above 100 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about the system's bottleneck. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 139 FPS at 1080p to 116 FPS at 1440p, a 16.5% decrease, and then to 71 FPS at 4K, a 48.9% decrease from 1080p. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the pixel count increases significantly. The RTX 4060's 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K workloads, particularly when compared to the 1080p performance.

At High settings, the scaling is more pronounced. The average frame rate drops from 107 FPS at 1080p to 75 FPS at 1440p, a 29.9% decrease, and then to 46 FPS at 4K, a 57.0% decrease from 1080p. This steeper decline at High settings suggests that the visual effects and texture quality are placing additional strain on the GPU's memory subsystem. The 4K High result of 46 FPS is below the playable threshold, indicating that users should avoid this combination of resolution and settings.

The Ultra settings data shows the most dramatic scaling, with frame rates dropping from 80 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 1440p, a 30.0% decrease, and then to 34 FPS at 4K, a 57.5% decrease from 1080p. This consistent pattern across all settings suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at resolutions above 1080p. The CPU's role becomes less significant as resolution increases, with the i5-9400's six cores providing adequate performance at all resolutions but not being the limiting factor at 4K. The data indicates that this combo is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring significant compromises in visual quality to achieve playable frame rates.