Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers an exceptional performance profile in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. The data indicates that this combination is heavily GPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the CPU’s capabilities becoming more apparent only as resolution and settings increase. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand scaling, settings, and overall ranking.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear and predictable scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K, but the magnitude of the drop reveals where the bottleneck lies. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 264.6 at 1920x1080 to 170.8 at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 35%. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the average further drops to 92.5, which is a 46% decrease from the 1440p figure. This steep decline when moving to 3840x2160 is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the primary limiting component, as the pixel count increase demands more from the RTX 5090’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more exaggerated. The 1080p average of 393 FPS drops to 260 at 1440p (a 34% decrease) and then to 139.7 at 4K (a 46% decrease from 1440p). The fact that the 1080p score is nearly three times the 4K score at Low settings suggests that at lower resolutions, the game is so light on the GPU that the Ryzen 5 8400F’s single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 951, is likely sufficient to feed the GPU, but the GPU’s workload is still the determining factor. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are not a limiting factor here, as the game’s engine appears to scale well with the GPU’s capabilities.

The pattern across all settings is consistent: the biggest relative FPS drop is always from 1440p to 4K. For example, at Medium settings, the drop is from 198.5 to 109.4, a 45% decline, while the 1080p to 1440p drop is only 36% (310.3 to 198.5). This indicates that the RTX 5090’s memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s and 512-bit bus are being pushed hard at 4K, but the card still delivers playable results. The data shows that this combo is not CPU-limited at any tested resolution, as the FPS scales directly with pixel count, a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.

Settings Recommendations

Benchmark results indicate that the choice of settings is a direct trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate, with the sweet spot varying by resolution. At 1920x1080, all settings are playable, but the data suggests that Ultra is the most sensible choice for a high-refresh-rate display. The Ultra preset still delivers an average of 199 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay, while the High preset at 264.6 FPS offers diminishing returns in fluidity for a significant drop in visual quality. The Low preset’s 393 FPS is unnecessary unless targeting extreme refresh rates, as the difference between 199 and 264 FPS is far less perceptible than the visual improvement from High to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the High preset becomes the recommended starting point. The data shows an average of 170.8 FPS, which comfortably exceeds the 144 Hz threshold for most monitors. While Ultra still achieves 129.5 FPS, the drop to below 144 FPS makes High the better option for maintaining a locked high refresh rate. The Medium preset at 198.5 FPS is viable, but the visual step down from High is more noticeable at this resolution than the FPS gain is beneficial. Low at 260 FPS is overkill for most users and sacrifices too much visual detail.

At 3840x2160, the analysis changes completely. The Ultra preset’s 70.8 FPS average is below the 75 Hz refresh rate that many 4K monitors use, making it a poor choice for competitive play. The High preset, with an average of 92.5 FPS, is the clear recommendation for a balanced experience, as it provides a solid frame rate that is above the 90 FPS threshold for smoothness. The Medium preset at 109.4 FPS is also viable, but the jump from Medium to High is visually significant, and the 17 FPS cost (from 109.4 to 92.5) is acceptable. The Low preset at 139.7 FPS is only for players who prioritize frame rate above all else, as the visual degradation at 4K is more apparent than at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 21st out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum. This top 1.2% placement is a direct reflection of the GPU’s raw power, as the CPU’s own benchmark percentile is 82, meaning it outperforms 82% of all CPUs. The RTX 5090’s percentile is 94, indicating it is in the top 6% of all GPUs. The combination of a top-tier GPU with a high-end CPU results in a ranking that is higher than either component’s individual percentile, which is expected for a game that is not heavily multithreaded.

The data shows that the CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, with an average score of 25057 and a deltaPct of 0, and the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, with an average score of 24993 and a deltaPct of 0.3. These scores are nearly identical, but the 8400F’s advantage in single-thread performance, as seen in its 3dmark_single_thread score of 951, is what makes it a better pairing for a high-end GPU like the RTX 5090. The GPU’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, scores 84241 with a deltaPct of 0.1, confirming that the 5090 is at the very top of the performance stack.

The combo’s 21st rank is a strong result, but it is not the absolute top. This suggests that there are 20 other combos that achieve higher average FPS in this game, likely using CPUs with even higher single-thread performance or faster memory configurations. However, the 8400F’s 4.70 GHz boost clock and Zen 4 architecture provide a robust foundation that does not hold back the RTX 5090 in any meaningful way, as evidenced by the FPS scaling data. The rank of 21 out of 1733 places this combo in the top 1.2% of all tested systems, making it an elite configuration for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 393 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 264.6 at High settings and 199 at Ultra.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming at high refresh rates?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset yields an average of 92.5 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 70.8 FPS. This indicates that 4K gaming is possible, but a stable 144 FPS is not achievable even at Low settings, which average 139.7 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 8400F compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F has an average benchmark score of 25064. This is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (25057, deltaPct 0) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24993, deltaPct 0.3), but it is slightly ahead of both in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the performance difference between the RTX 5090 and its closest rival?

A: The RTX 5090’s average benchmark score is 84306. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, scores 84241, which is a deltaPct of 0.1. This means the 5090 is 0.1% faster than the 5090 D in average benchmark scores.

Q: Does the CPU limit the GPU at any resolution in this game?

A: The FPS scaling data suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at all resolutions. The average FPS drops consistently with increasing resolution, indicating a GPU-bound scenario, and the CPU’s 3dmark_max_threads score of 6165 shows it has enough headroom.

Q: What is the worst-performing preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers the lowest average FPS at 129.5. This is still above 120 FPS, making it playable, but it is the most demanding setting.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and the data shows that its massive memory subsystem and compute capabilities are the primary drivers of the measured performance. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This is crucial for Minimum, as the game’s textures and effects at 4K Ultra settings can easily consume large amounts of memory, and the high bandwidth prevents any stuttering or texture pop-in. The core clocks, with a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz, are high, but the GPU’s 21760 shading units and 680 tensor cores are what allow it to sustain high frame rates.

The GPU’s benchmark scores confirm its top-tier status. Its passmark_g3d score of 39650 places it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs, and its 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 14411 shows strong DirectX 12 performance. The measured FPS data directly reflects this: at 1080p Low, the GPU is so fast that it achieves 393 FPS, which is likely near the engine’s maximum draw call limit. The fact that the FPS does not scale linearly with settings at 1080p (393 to 310 to 264 to 199) suggests that the GPU is never fully utilized at this resolution, but it still performs admirably.

At 4K, the GPU’s role becomes even more critical. The 70.8 FPS at Ultra is a demanding workload, and the 92.5 FPS at High shows that the GPU has enough headroom to handle the increase in pixel count. The RTX 5090’s 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is what allows it to handle the shading and lighting calculations at 4K, while its 176 ROPs ensure that the final pixel output is efficient. The GPU’s 575 W TDP and 1x 16-pin power connector are necessary to sustain these clocks under load, but the performance data shows that this power is well spent. The GPU’s launch MSRP is 1,999 USD, and its performance in this game justifies its position as a top-tier part.