Minecraft: Java Edition

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 combination delivers playable frame rates in Minecraft: Java Edition across most settings, but the data shows a clear GPU bottleneck at 4K and a combo ranking that places it in the lower portion of the database. With a 6-core CPU and an 8GB GPU, this pairing produces strong 1080p performance but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra. The measured FPS values reveal a consistent scaling pattern that points to the GPU as the limiting component at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep drop as resolution increases. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 201.9 at 1920x1080 to 123.9 at 2560x1440, a 38.6% reduction, and then to 67.6 at 3840x2160, a further 45.4% drop. The overall reduction from 1080p to 4K is 66.5%. This pattern repeats across all settings: Low goes from 320.4 to 199 to 104.1 (67.5% total), Medium from 255 to 158.6 to 81.2 (68.2%), and Ultra from 128.1 to 81.8 to 40.4 (68.5%). The consistency of these drops—roughly two-thirds from 1080p to 4K—indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, but the FPS does not drop to a quarter; instead, it falls to about a third, suggesting that the CPU still provides some headroom, but the GPU's rendering capacity is exhausted. At 1080p, the system achieves very high frame rates, even at Ultra (128.1 FPS), which implies the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. As resolution climbs, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors.

The scaling behavior is uniform across all quality presets, which reinforces the conclusion that resolution, not settings, is the dominant variable. The drop from 1440p to 4K is consistently larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p, with the 4K step costing roughly 45–50% of the remaining FPS. This is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the increased pixel workload overwhelms the graphics processor. The data does not show any anomaly that would suggest a CPU limitation at higher resolutions; the frame rates decline smoothly and predictably.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the High preset offers the best balance across resolutions. At 1080p, High delivers 201.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra still provides 128.1 FPS—both are smooth, but High leaves more headroom for fluctuations. At 1440p, High yields 123.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 81.8 FPS, still playable but closer to the edge. At 4K, only Low (104.1) and Medium (81.2) exceed 60 FPS; High sits at 67.6, which is borderline, and Ultra falls to 40.4, which is not smooth. Therefore, the data suggests that High is the recommended preset for 1080p and 1440p, while Medium is the best choice for 4K to maintain a comfortable frame rate. For users prioritizing maximum visual quality at 1080p, Ultra is viable, but the 128.1 FPS average is still high. At 4K, Ultra is not recommended due to the sub-60 FPS result.

The measured FPS at Medium settings are consistently higher than High, but the visual quality difference may not justify the performance gain. At 1080p, Medium reaches 255 FPS, which is 26% higher than High, but both are far above any playability threshold. At 1440p, Medium (158.6) is 28% higher than High (123.9), and at 4K, Medium (81.2) is 20% higher than High (67.6). The data indicates that Medium is a safe fallback for 4K, while High is the sweet spot for lower resolutions. Low settings provide the highest FPS but sacrifice visual fidelity; the 320.4 FPS at 1080p Low is excessive for most displays, which typically cap at 144 or 240 Hz.

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. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 7969 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 in single-core. Its average benchmark score is 2305, placing it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-8809G, scores 2319, a 0.6% difference. In Minecraft: Java Edition, the CPU's role is evident at lower resolutions: at 1080p Low, the system reaches 320.4 FPS, indicating that the CPU can process the game's logic and feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck. However, as resolution increases, the FPS drops, showing that the GPU takes over as the limiting factor. The CPU's 6 threads are sufficient for the game's workload, and the boost clock of 4.10 GHz provides strong single-thread performance, which is important for a game that relies heavily on a single core. The data shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint in this configuration.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s and dual-channel support are adequate for the game's data demands. The L3 cache size of 9 MB is moderate, but the game's performance at 1080p suggests that cache misses are not a significant issue. The CPU's percentile of 50 indicates it is an average performer, and its nearest rivals are all within 0.6% in average score, meaning the i5-9400 is a typical mid-range part. The high frame rates at 1080p Low (320.4) and Medium (255) demonstrate that the CPU can sustain very high output, but the GPU's limits become apparent as resolution climbs. The CPU's boost clock of 4.10 GHz is the key factor for single-threaded tasks, and the measured results confirm that it does not bottleneck the GTX 1070 at any tested resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i5-9400 and GTX 1070 ranks 1441st out of 1727 tested combos in Minecraft: Java Edition. This means it outperforms only 286 other combinations, placing it in the lower 16.6% of the database. This is a low ranking, especially considering that both components sit near the 50th percentile in their respective categories. The GPU's percentile is 51, and the CPU's is 50, yet the combo ranks poorly. This suggests that the pairing is not well-suited for this specific game, or that other combinations with similar individual scores achieve better results. The measured FPS values, while playable at many settings, do not place this combo among the top performers. The rank indicates that there are 1440 combos that deliver higher average FPS in this game, which is a significant number. This could be due to the game's sensitivity to memory bandwidth, cache size, or other factors not captured by the synthetic benchmarks.

The rank of 1441 out of 1727 is a stark contrast to the individual component percentiles. The CPU and GPU each sit at the 50th percentile, but the combo falls to the 83rd percentile from the bottom (i.e., worse than 83% of combos). This discrepancy highlights that raw component scores do not always translate to game-specific performance. The data suggests that other pairings, perhaps with different memory configurations or CPU architectures, are more effective in Minecraft. The combo's low rank is not a reflection of poor individual hardware, but rather a mismatch for this particular game's demands. The measured FPS at 1080p High (201.9) is respectable, but many other combos achieve higher numbers, pushing this pairing down the list.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is a Pascal-architecture GPU with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1506 MHz, with a boost clock of 1683 MHz. It has 1920 shading units and 64 ROPs. The GPU's average benchmark score is 12331, placing it at the 51st percentile. Its nearest rival, the GTX 1650 SUPER, scores 12504, a 1.4% difference. The GPU had a launch MSRP of 379 USD. In Minecraft, the GPU's performance is the main driver of frame rates at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 40.4, which is below the 60 FPS target. At 4K High, it reaches 67.6, just above 60. The 8GB VRAM is likely sufficient for the game, but the GPU's compute power and memory bandwidth are stressed at 4K. The boost clock of 1683 MHz and 6.463 TFLOPS FP32 performance are modest, and the data shows that the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU delivers high frame rates, but at 4K, only Low and Medium settings achieve comfortable FPS.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s is a key factor for texture streaming and rendering at high resolutions. The 256-bit bus and 8GB capacity are adequate for Minecraft's world data, but the 4K Ultra result of 40.4 FPS indicates that the GPU's shading units and ROPs are overwhelmed. The pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s are moderate, and the game's blocky geometry may not be as demanding as modern AAA titles, but the sheer number of pixels at 4K still taxes the GPU. The GPU's percentile of 51 shows it is an average performer, and its nearest rivals are within 1.7% in average score, meaning the GTX 1070 is a typical mid-range card. The measured FPS at 1080p High (201.9) is strong, but the drop to 67.6 at 4K High illustrates the GPU's limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table lists the average FPS for each resolution and settings combination:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 67.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 104.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 81.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 40.4 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 123.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 199.0 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 158.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 81.8 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 201.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 320.4 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 255.0 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 128.1 |

The data shows that at 1080p, all settings exceed 128 FPS, with Low reaching 320.4. At 1440p, Low and Medium stay above 150 FPS, while High is 123.9 and Ultra 81.8. At 4K, only Low and Medium exceed 80 FPS, with High at 67.6 and Ultra at 40.4. The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent drop: at 1080p, Ultra is 60% of Low (128.1 vs 320.4); at 1440p, Ultra is 41% of Low (81.8 vs 199); at 4K, Ultra is 39% of Low (40.4 vs 104.1). This indicates that the GPU's performance scales poorly with increasing settings at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 40.4 FPS is the only sub-60 value in the entire dataset, making it the clear outlier. The 1080p Low result of 320.4 FPS is the highest recorded, showing the system's peak capability when the GPU is not stressed.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 128.1.

Q: How does this combo rank among tested configurations?

A: It ranks 1441st out of 1727 combos, placing it in the lower 16.6% of the database.

Q: What is the GPU's launch MSRP?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 had a launch MSRP of 379 USD.

Q: What is the CPU's boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has a boost clock of 4.10 GHz.

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

A: The average FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 81.2.

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

A: The i5-9400 scores 7969 in Cinebench R23 multi-core.