Minecraft

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 1000th out of 3710 tested combos in Minecraft, placing it in the top 27% of all configurations. This is a strong result that underscores a well-balanced pairing for this sandbox title, though the ranking also reveals that the CPU is the limiting factor at lower resolutions. The RTX 4070 SUPER delivers exceptional frame rates across the board, but the data shows clear scaling patterns that point to where the bottleneck shifts as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1000 out of 3710 places this system firmly in the upper quartile of tested configurations for Minecraft. This ranking reflects the combination's ability to deliver high average FPS across all tested settings and resolutions. The RTX 4070 SUPER, which sits in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, provides the raw horsepower needed for this game’s rendering demands, while the i5-9400, in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, offers sufficient single-thread performance to keep up at most settings.

Benchmark results indicate that the pairing is more effective at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers 92 FPS, which is a playable and smooth experience. The ranking suggests that while the GPU is powerful, the older six-core processor prevents the system from achieving the absolute top-tier scores seen with newer, higher-clock CPUs. However, the overall position is still impressive, indicating that this configuration is capable of a premium Minecraft experience without being held back significantly by either component.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the high frame rates. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This is ample for Minecraft’s texture and chunk data, ensuring that the GPU is rarely starved for data. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, allows for substantial compute throughput.

The GPU’s benchmark scores corroborate its strength. It achieves a Passmark G3D score of 29995 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 205624, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 43223 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, differing by only -0.1%. This level of performance ensures that even at 4K resolution, the GPU is capable of pushing well over 100 FPS on Medium settings and 147 FPS on High, as the measured data shows. The GPU is clearly not the primary constraint in this system, especially when considering the frame rates achieved at 1440p and 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 plays a crucial supporting role, providing six cores and six threads with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. For Minecraft, which is known for being sensitive to single-core performance, the boost clock is a critical factor. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935 and Geekbench single-core score of 1389 indicate that it has adequate single-thread strength to handle the game’s primary logic thread.

However, the CPU’s overall performance profile is more modest. Its average benchmark score of 2254 places it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, and it sits very close to its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (deltaPct -0.2%) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (deltaPct 0.4%). This suggests that while the CPU is competent, it lacks the headroom of more modern processors. The data shows this becomes apparent at lower resolutions where the frame rate is less dependent on the GPU. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 455 FPS, but the scaling from 1440p to 1080p is much smaller than from 4K to 1440p, indicating that the CPU is beginning to cap the maximum achievable frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance. On Low settings, it averages 455 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 418 FPS, with a minimum of 356 FPS and a maximum of 481 FPS. On High settings, the average is 385 FPS. Even at Ultra, which is the most demanding preset, the combo maintains an average of 278 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the system is essentially overkill for any refresh rate monitor currently available.

At 2560x1440, performance remains very high but shows a more noticeable drop-off. Low settings yield an average of 390 FPS. Medium settings average 354 FPS (min 301, max 407). High settings result in 281 FPS, and Ultra drops to 176 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1440p shows a steeper decline than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is starting to work harder, but the frame rates are still excellent for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s workload becomes significant. Low settings still manage an average of 234 FPS, which is remarkable for 4K. Medium settings average 185 FPS (min 157, max 213). High settings drop to 147 FPS, and Ultra falls to 92 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K at Ultra represents the largest relative performance hit, showing that the GPU is now the definitive limiting factor, but the 92 FPS average at 4K Ultra is still well within the bounds of smooth, playable performance for most users.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling of frame rates across resolutions reveals the shifting bottleneck between CPU and GPU. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS across all settings drops by roughly 20-30%, which is a typical scaling curve when the GPU is still the primary target. For example, at High settings, performance drops from 385 FPS at 1080p to 281 FPS at 1440p, a 27% reduction. This indicates that the GPU is still doing the heavy lifting and the CPU is keeping up.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is where the CPU’s limitations become apparent, but paradoxically, this is where the GPU takes over as the bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the system produces 92 FPS, which is a 48% drop from the 176 FPS at 1440p Ultra. This steep decline is typical of GPU-bound scenarios. However, the data also shows that at lower settings, the CPU begins to cap performance. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 455 FPS, but at 1440p Low, it only drops to 390 FPS. This 14% drop is much smaller than the 48% drop seen at Ultra, suggesting that at 1080p Low, the CPU is hitting its maximum frame delivery rate, and the GPU is waiting. The i5-9400’s 4.10 GHz boost clock is likely the limiting factor in these extreme frame-rate scenarios, preventing the system from scaling to 500+ FPS as a newer, faster CPU might allow.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 SUPER in Minecraft?

A: The data suggests it is a minor bottleneck at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the system averages 455 FPS, while at 1440p Low, it averages 390 FPS. The relatively small 14% drop indicates that the CPU is limiting the maximum frame rate, as the GPU is less stressed at these settings. At 4K Ultra, the drop to 92 FPS is much steeper, indicating the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck.

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

A: For high-refresh-rate gaming, 1440p is the sweet spot. The combo delivers 281 FPS on High and 176 FPS on Ultra at this resolution, providing a great balance of visual fidelity and speed. While 4K Ultra is playable at 92 FPS, 1440p offers a much higher frame rate headroom.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 43223, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (43262), showing a deltaPct of -0.1%. It is also very close to the GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile, which scores 43667, with a deltaPct of -1%.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Minecraft?

A: Yes, it can. The measured data shows an average of 147 FPS at 4K High and 92 FPS at 4K Ultra. For a game like Minecraft, this is more than sufficient for a smooth experience, even on a 4K display.

Q: What is the CPU’s single-thread performance relative to its multi-thread performance?

A: The CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score is 935, while its multi-core score is 6629. The Geekbench scores are 1389 single-core and 5141 multi-core. The single-core performance is strong enough for Minecraft’s primary logic thread, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p, but it is not exceptional compared to modern CPUs.

Q: Does the GPU’s memory bandwidth play a significant role in these results?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, which is substantial. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory ensures that texture data is readily available, allowing the GPU to maintain high frame rates, as seen in the 234 FPS average at 4K Low. This bandwidth is sufficient to avoid memory-related bottlenecks in Minecraft.