Minecraft

Minecraft is a game where the CPU often dictates the ceiling, but with this combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, the data reveals a nuanced shift in bottlenecks depending on the resolution and preset. The measured frames per second show a system that can push past 900 FPS at 1080p Low, yet it also demonstrates the raw demands of the Ultra preset at 4K, where the frame rate drops significantly. This analysis breaks down the measured performance to show where each component is pulling its weight and what settings yield the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At the Low preset, the average frame rate at 1920x1080 is 906 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops this to 620 FPS, a reduction of roughly 32%. At 3840x2160, the average is 324 FPS, which is about 64% lower than the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is becoming a significant limiting factor as pixel count increases, though the CPU is still capable of feeding it enough data to maintain very high frame rates.

The scaling pattern shifts with the High preset. At 1080p, the average is 618 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 390 FPS, a 37% decrease. At 4K, the average is 204 FPS, which is 67% lower than the 1080p result. The consistent drop across presets suggests that the game's workload scales heavily with resolution. The fact that the 4K High result (204 FPS) is lower than the 4K Low result (324 FPS) by 120 FPS shows that the GPU is being pushed harder by the higher visual fidelity, not just the resolution.

The most telling data point is the Ultra preset. At 1080p, the average is 386 FPS, which is already a significant drop from the Low preset's 906 FPS. At 1440p, it falls to 244 FPS, and at 4K, it plummets to 127 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is less than one-seventh of the 1080p Low result. This highlights that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are extremely taxing on the GPU, making the resolution scaling more pronounced. The limiting component shifts from the CPU at 1080p Low to the GPU at 4K Ultra, where the RTX 5090 D is clearly working at its limit.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a massive piece of hardware, and its specifications suggest it should be able to handle almost anything. The data confirms this at lower resolutions, but it also shows the limits of even a 32 GB GDDR7 memory buffer with a 512-bit bus. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 28 Gbps effective, and the total bandwidth is 1.79 TB/s. This is a substantial amount of bandwidth, but Minecraft's Ultra preset at 4K seems to require more than the GPU can efficiently process, as the 127 FPS average suggests.

The GPU's clock speeds are also relevant. The base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost of 2407 MHz. These clocks are high, but the performance delta between the Medium and Ultra presets shows that the GPU is not just clock-bound. At 4K, the Medium preset averages 257 FPS, while Ultra averages 127 FPS. This is a 130 FPS difference, which is far larger than the difference between Medium and High at the same resolution (257 vs 204 FPS). This implies that the Ultra preset likely enables features that cause a disproportionate performance hit, possibly related to ray tracing or advanced shading effects, which the 170 RT cores are responsible for processing.

The benchmark scores for the GPU place it in the 92nd percentile, with an average benchmark score of 77712. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, is 1.6% higher, and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB is 2.4% higher. These are close margins, but in this game, the RTX 5090 D's performance is more defined by the preset and resolution than by its raw compute potential. The Passmark G3D score of 44065 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 14326 indicate strong DirectX 12 performance, but Minecraft's bottleneck at 4K Ultra seems to be more about fill rate and memory bandwidth than raw shader compute, given the steep drop from Medium to Ultra.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain high frame rates?

A: At 1920x1080, the system can achieve an average of 906 FPS on Low, 779 FPS on Medium, and 618 FPS on High. Even at 2560x1440, the average stays above 240 FPS on all presets, with the Low preset reaching 620 FPS. For the highest refresh rate monitors, 1080p is ideal, but 1440p is also excellent for most presets.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at the same resolution?

A: The Ultra preset is significantly more demanding. At 4K, High averages 204 FPS, while Ultra averages 127 FPS, a 77 FPS drop. At 1440p, High averages 390 FPS, while Ultra averages 244 FPS, a 146 FPS drop. The gap is consistent, showing Ultra is roughly 40-60% more costly.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: At 4K, the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The data shows that at Low settings, the average FPS is 324, but at Ultra, it drops to 127. This is a 197 FPS difference driven by GPU load. The CPU, with its 24 cores and high boost clock, is less stressed at this resolution, as the frame rate is dictated by the GPU's rendering capabilities.

Q: Can this system handle high refresh rate gaming at 1440p?

A: Yes, it can. At 2560x1440, the average FPS is 620 on Low, 491 on Medium, 390 on High, and 244 on Ultra. All of these are well above the 144 Hz threshold, and even the Ultra preset can drive a 240 Hz monitor, although it will not fully saturate it in all scenes.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like on the Medium preset?

A: The measured data includes minimum and maximum FPS for the Medium preset. At 1080p, the average is 779 FPS with a minimum of 662 FPS and a maximum of 895 FPS. At 1440p, the average is 491 FPS with a minimum of 418 and a maximum of 565. At 4K, the average is 257 FPS with a minimum of 218 and a maximum of 295. These ranges suggest consistent performance without major stutters.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its direct rivals in this setup?

A: The data shows the RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77712, ranking in the 92nd percentile. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, scores 78940, which is 1.6% higher. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79605, which is 2.4% higher. This indicates the RTX 5090 D is slightly behind these specific rivals in general benchmarks, but its performance in Minecraft is still exceptional, as shown by the frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 906 FPS, which is the highest recorded result in the data. The Medium preset averages 779 FPS, with a minimum of 662 FPS and a maximum of 895 FPS. The High preset averages 618 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 386 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a drop of 520 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset is more than twice as demanding as Low.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 620 FPS, which is still extremely high. The Medium preset averages 491 FPS, with a minimum of 418 FPS and a maximum of 565 FPS. The High preset averages 390 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 244 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant for every preset, with an average reduction of about 37% across all settings. The Medium preset's minimum of 418 FPS at 1440p is still higher than the Ultra preset's average at the same resolution, highlighting the performance cost of Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 324 FPS, which is a comfortable frame rate for most displays. The Medium preset averages 257 FPS, with a minimum of 218 FPS and a maximum of 295 FPS. The High preset averages 204 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 127 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 197 FPS, which is proportionally larger than at 1080p, where the gap is 520 FPS. This suggests that the CPU is less of a bottleneck at 4K, allowing the GPU's limitations to become more apparent. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration in the data that drops below 200 FPS, making it the most demanding scenario.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. This processor is a powerhouse for multi-threaded workloads, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and single-core score of 7303. In Minecraft, the CPU's role is critical at lower resolutions, where the game's logic and chunk loading can become the bottleneck. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 906 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for frame generation.

The CPU's benchmark percentile is 96, with an average benchmark score of 84003. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has an average score of 83807, which is a 0.2% difference. This indicates that the 290K Plus is marginally faster than its predecessor. The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% higher, placing it slightly ahead. However, in gaming, the single-thread performance is more important, and the 290K Plus's single-core score of 4823 in Passmark suggests it is well-suited for Minecraft's primary thread.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s and support for DDR5 memory are also relevant. Minecraft is known to be memory-sensitive, and the high bandwidth helps ensure that the CPU can feed data to the GPU quickly. The L3 cache of 36 MB shared is substantial, which can help with the game's world data. The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at 4K, as the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU load, but at 1080p, the CPU's performance is what allows the system to exceed 900 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset to use for the best experience. For players with a 1080p monitor, the High preset offers an average of 618 FPS, which is more than enough for any high refresh rate display. The Medium preset at 779 FPS is also viable, but the visual upgrade from Medium to High is likely worth the 161 FPS drop, as the frame rate remains extremely high. The Ultra preset at 1080p, averaging 386 FPS, is also playable, but the performance cost is significant, and the visual difference may not justify the 232 FPS drop from High.

At 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot, with an average of 390 FPS. This is ideal for 240 Hz monitors, as it provides enough headroom to avoid drops below the refresh rate in most scenes. The Medium preset at 491 FPS is also excellent, but the High preset's visual improvements are likely more noticeable at this resolution. The Ultra preset at 244 FPS is also viable for 240 Hz displays, but it is closer to the limit, and any demanding scene could cause a dip below the refresh rate.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the best balance, with an average of 257 FPS. This is well above the 144 Hz threshold and even supports 240 Hz in less demanding scenes. The High preset at 204 FPS is also acceptable for 144 Hz displays, but the Medium preset offers a 53 FPS advantage, which is substantial. The Ultra preset at 127 FPS is only suitable for 120 Hz or 60 Hz displays, and the drop from Medium is 130 FPS, which is a severe penalty. Given that the Medium preset's minimum FPS is 218, it is the recommended choice for 4K, as it provides a smooth experience without sacrificing too much visual quality.