Minecraft: Java Edition

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER sits at rank 1258 out of 1727 tested combos in Minecraft: Java Edition. This placement places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, indicating that while this system handles the game competently, a substantial number of other configurations deliver higher average frame rates. The percentile data for the individual components reinforces this position: the CPU ranks at the 50th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks at the 63rd percentile among all graphics cards. The combo's overall rank being lower than either component's individual percentile suggests that the pairing's performance in this specific title is constrained by factors beyond raw component strength, likely related to the game's single-threaded rendering engine and the CPU's six-core, six-thread architecture.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1258 out of 1727 places this system in the 72nd percentile of tested configurations for Minecraft: Java Edition. This means roughly 28% of tested combos perform worse, while 72% perform better. The CPU's average benchmark score of 2305 places it nearly even with its nearest rivals: the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2300 (0.2% ahead), the Intel Core i3-1125G4 scores 2299 (0.2% ahead), and the Intel Xeon E-2134 scores 2295 (0.4% ahead). The only rival that the i5-9400 beats is the Intel Core i7-8809G, which scores 2319, placing it 0.6% behind the i5-9400. This clustering within a 1% band indicates that the CPU's processing power is essentially average for its class, offering no significant advantage or disadvantage in compute-heavy workloads.

The GPU tells a similar story with a slightly different nuance. The RTX 2060 SUPER's average benchmark score of 19774 puts it ahead of its nearest listed rivals: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN scores 19706 (0.3% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 scores 19680 (0.5% behind), the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 scores 19623 (0.8% behind), and the NVIDIA Tesla K40m scores 19519 (1.3% behind). This consistent lead over all four nearest rivals, though small in percentage terms, suggests the GPU is marginally stronger than its immediate peers in general compute tasks. However, the combo's overall rank being lower than what either component's individual standing might suggest points to a system bottleneck in Minecraft's specific workload, where the CPU's six threads without hyper-threading likely limit frame pacing in chunk generation and entity processing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. The GPU's base clock is 1470 MHz, boosting to 1650 MHz under load. These specifications place the card in the upper-middle tier of the GeForce 20-series, with a launch MSRP of 399 USD. The GPU's 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output pipelines provide the raw throughput needed for high-resolution rendering, while its 34 ray tracing cores and 272 tensor cores add features that Minecraft: Java Edition does not meaningfully utilize in its default renderer.

The GPU's measured performance in synthetic benchmarks shows a passmark G3D score of 16462 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2011. Its OpenCL score of 87670 and Vulkan score of 83503 indicate strong compute capability. In the context of Minecraft, the GPU's role becomes more prominent at higher resolutions and quality settings, where pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth matter. The pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s suggest the card can handle substantial geometry and texture work, but the game's Java-based renderer often places more load on the CPU for draw calls and world updates. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is ample for this title, as even the highest measured settings at 4K would not approach this limit given the game's block-based textures and relatively modest asset sizes.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a clear pattern of CPU limitation at lower resolutions and GPU limitation at higher resolutions. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 245.6 FPS, while at 1440p it drops to 152.1 FPS (a 38% reduction), and at 4K it falls to 79.4 FPS (a 68% reduction from 1080p). This scaling curve is steeper than what pure GPU-bound scaling would predict, suggesting that the CPU begins to bottleneck at 1080p, preventing the system from reaching even higher frame rates. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is particularly telling: a 38% drop for a 78% increase in pixel count indicates that the system is not purely GPU-limited at 1080p.

At Lower settings, the pattern holds with even more pronounced CPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 387.6 FPS, which drops to 245.1 FPS at 1440p (a 37% reduction) and 130.3 FPS at 4K (a 66% reduction). The fact that 1080p Low produces nearly 388 FPS while 1080p High produces 245.6 FPS shows that lowering settings reduces GPU load significantly, but the CPU still cannot push frame rates beyond that ceiling. The Ultra preset at each resolution shows the steepest drops: from 150.5 FPS at 1080p to 94.2 FPS at 1440p (37% reduction) to 51.4 FPS at 4K (66% reduction). This consistent 37-38% drop from 1080p to 1440p across all settings, followed by a further 46-48% drop from 1440p to 4K, indicates that the limiting component shifts progressively from CPU to GPU as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The data provides twelve measured data points across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 387.6 FPS on Low settings, 308.3 FPS on Medium, 245.6 FPS on High, and 150.5 FPS on Ultra. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 61% reduction in frame rate, which is substantial but not unexpected given the increased rendering load. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 308.3 FPS, which is 25.5% higher than High and 104.8% higher than Ultra, making it a strong contender for users seeking high refresh rate performance.

At 2560x1440, the measured values are 245.1 FPS on Low, 194.2 FPS on Medium, 152.1 FPS on High, and 94.2 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is remarkably consistent: Low falls by 36.8%, Medium by 37.0%, High by 38.1%, and Ultra by 37.4%. This uniformity suggests the scaling factor is primarily resolution-driven rather than settings-driven, which points to the GPU's pixel processing becoming more dominant at this resolution while the CPU still keeps pace. The 1440p Medium result of 194.2 FPS is particularly notable, as it exceeds the 1080p Ultra result of 150.5 FPS by 29%, indicating that users can achieve higher frame rates at a higher resolution by lowering quality settings.

At 3840x2160, the results are 130.3 FPS on Low, 104 FPS on Medium, 79.4 FPS on High, and 51.4 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from 1440p shows drops of 46.8% for Low, 46.4% for Medium, 47.8% for High, and 45.4% for Ultra. This larger drop compared to the 1080p-to-1440p transition confirms that the GPU is now the primary limiting factor. The 4K Medium result of 104 FPS and 4K High result of 79.4 FPS both remain playable for most users, while 4K Ultra at 51.4 FPS approaches the threshold where frame pacing becomes noticeable.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 308.3 FPS, which is 25.5% higher than High and more than double Ultra. This frame rate comfortably exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, making Medium the clear choice for competitive or fast-paced gameplay. At 1440p, Medium produces 194.2 FPS, which remains well above the 144 Hz threshold and provides a 27.7% improvement over High's 152.1 FPS. Even at 4K, Medium achieves 104 FPS, which is 31% higher than High's 79.4 FPS and provides smooth gameplay on standard 60 Hz displays.

The High preset serves as a reasonable middle ground for users prioritizing visual fidelity over raw frame rate. At 1440p, High delivers 152.1 FPS, which still exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates, while at 4K it produces 79.4 FPS, which is adequate for 60-75 Hz monitors. The Ultra preset is only recommended for users with 60 Hz displays who insist on maximum quality, as it delivers 150.5 FPS at 1080p but drops to 94.2 FPS at 1440p and 51.4 FPS at 4K. The Low preset, while delivering the highest frame rates (387.6 FPS at 1080p), sacrifices too much visual quality for most users, though it may be appropriate for extreme competitive play where frame rate is paramount. For most users, the data supports Medium as the default recommendation, with High as an option for those who prioritize image quality at 1440p or below.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Minecraft: Java Edition?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 with RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1258 out of 1727 tested combos, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all configurations in the database.

Q: What is the highest frame rate this combo can achieve in Minecraft?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 387.6, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p resolution?

A: The data indicates CPU limitation at 1080p, as lowering settings from High to Low only increases frame rate from 245.6 to 387.6 FPS, while at higher resolutions the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest measured average FPS is 51.4, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER scores 19774 on average, which is 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN, 0.5% higher than the RTX 2070, and 1.3% higher than the Tesla K40m.

Q: What is the recommended settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset delivers 194.2 FPS at 1440p, which is 27.7% higher than High and 106% higher than Ultra, making it the most balanced choice for this resolution.