Minecraft: Java Edition

This entry covers the measured performance of Minecraft: Java Edition running on an Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. The data set includes average frame rates at three resolutions and four quality presets, along with synthetic benchmark scores for both components. The combo ranks 25th out of 1,727 tested combinations, placing it in the upper tier of the database.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear progression as resolution increases. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 568.2 at 1920x1080 to 355.8 at 2560x1440, and further to 187.4 at 3840x2160. The same pattern appears across all presets: Low drops from 799.7 at 1080p to 569.4 at 1440p and 295.7 at 4K; Medium goes from 713.4 to 450.6 to 237.0; Ultra goes from 356.5 to 222.9 to 116.6. The absolute decline from 1080p to 4K is largest at Low (799.7 to 295.7) and smallest at Ultra (356.5 to 116.6), but in every case the 4K result remains above 100 FPS.

This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU becomes more influential as resolution rises. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset produces 356.5 FPS, a figure that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at that resolution. At 4K, the frame rate drops to 116.6 on Ultra, which is still playable but shows a much heavier rendering load. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 443.2 FPS (799.7 vs 356.5), while at 4K the gap narrows to 179.1 FPS (295.7 vs 116.6). This compression of the settings spread at higher resolutions points to the GPU becoming the primary limiter as pixel count increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i5-14600KF and RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 25 out of 1,727 combos in Minecraft: Java Edition. This places it in the top tier of tested systems. The CPU itself sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, based on synthetic benchmark averages.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU’s average score is 49,367. That is 0.4% above the Intel Core i5-14600K (49,166) and 0.5% below the AMD EPYC 4345P (49,595). It is also 0.6% above the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49,062) and 1.4% above the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48,698). These deltas are small, indicating that the i5-14600KF is effectively tied with its nearest rivals in raw compute performance.

The GPU’s average benchmark score is 66,473. It sits 0.4% below the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66,733) and 0.5% above the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (66,127). It is also 0.9% below the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (67,097) and 1.3% below the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (67,320). Again, the differences are minor, placing the RTX 4090 in a tight cluster of high-end accelerators.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The L3 cache is 24 MB shared, and the CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its synthetic scores include a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 32,889 and a single-core result of 4,643. Geekbench multi-core is 15,636 and single-core is 2,778. Passmark single-thread is 4,273.

These numbers indicate strong single-thread performance, which is relevant for Minecraft: Java Edition. The measured frame rates at 1080p are exceptionally high—799.7 FPS on Low and 356.5 FPS on Ultra—suggesting that the CPU is not a limiting factor at that resolution. Even at 1440p, the Low preset reaches 569.4 FPS, and Ultra stays at 222.9 FPS. The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking reinforces its position as a high-end part.

The CPU’s launch MSRP is $294. It is an unlocked multiplier part, allowing overclocking, and it uses the Intel Socket 1700. Its nearest rivals in synthetic average score are all within 1.4% of its result, so the i5-14600KF delivers performance comparable to those alternatives.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo’s rank among tested combinations?

A: It ranks 25th out of 1,727 combos in Minecraft: Java Edition.

Q: What is the CPU’s boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has a boost clock of 5.30 GHz.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 4090 have?

A: The GPU has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory.

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 116.6.

Q: What is the CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score?

A: The CPU scores 32,889 in Cinebench R23 multi-core.

Q: What is the GPU’s Passmark G3D score?

A: The GPU scores 38,194 in Passmark G3D.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process. It features 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs. The memory subsystem consists of 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. The base clock is 2235 MHz and the boost clock is 2520 MHz. The GPU’s synthetic scores include a Passmark G3D result of 38,194, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 317,684, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 270,615.

The large VRAM and high bandwidth are likely beneficial at 4K and Ultra settings, where the frame rate drops to 116.6 FPS. That is still a playable level, but the scaling data shows that the GPU is the component that limits performance at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU is not stressed, as evidenced by the 799.7 FPS on Low. The GPU’s 91st percentile ranking places it among the top 9% of all GPUs in the database.

The GPU’s launch MSRP is 1,599 USD. It is a triple-slot card with a 1x 16-pin power connector and a suggested PSU of 850 W. Its nearest rivals in synthetic average score are all within 1.3% of its result, indicating that the RTX 4090 is closely matched with other high-end accelerators in raw compute.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide clear guidance for each resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets deliver frame rates above 356.5 FPS, so the Ultra preset is fully playable and offers the highest visual quality. At 2560x1440, Ultra still produces 222.9 FPS, which is well above typical refresh rates, so Ultra remains a strong choice. At 3840x2160, Ultra drops to 116.6 FPS, while High provides 187.4 FPS. For users prioritizing higher frame rates at 4K, High is a better option than Ultra, as it offers a substantial increase in FPS while still maintaining a high-quality preset. Medium at 4K yields 237.0 FPS, and Low reaches 295.7 FPS, but these presets reduce visual fidelity. The data suggests that High at 4K strikes a balance between image quality and performance, while Ultra is viable for those who prefer maximum settings and can accept a lower frame rate.