Minimum

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a frame rate profile in Minimum that is heavily dictated by resolution and settings, with a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as pixel count increases. At 1080p, the combo produces extremely high frame rates, but the scaling suggests the CPU is the primary limiter at lower resolutions. Moving to 4K reveals a dramatic drop in performance, indicating that the GPU becomes the dominant constraint under higher pixel loads. This analysis breaks down the measured data to show exactly how this pairing behaves.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, with the most significant drop occurring between 1440p and 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 254.1 FPS at 1080p to 165.9 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 34.7%. The drop from 1440p to 4K is even more pronounced, with the average falling to 85.7 FPS, a further 48.3% decrease. This pattern indicates that the RTX 4090 is being pushed to its limits at 4K, while the i5-14400F has ample headroom at lower resolutions.

The scaling trend is similar across other settings, though the magnitude of the drop varies. At Low settings, the combo achieves 396 FPS at 1080p, which falls to 252.4 FPS at 1440p (a 36.3% drop) and then to 136.9 FPS at 4K (a 45.8% drop). For Ultra settings, the numbers are 193.3 FPS at 1080p, 122.6 FPS at 1440p (a 36.6% drop), and 65.5 FPS at 4K (a 46.6% drop). The consistent 35-48% drops between each resolution step suggest that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU’s performance ceiling is reached at 1080p, where frame rates are exceptionally high.

The data shows that the RTX 4090’s raw compute power is the primary constraint at 4K, as the frame rates at that resolution are roughly one-third of those at 1080p. This is a classic sign of GPU-bound behavior, where the graphics card’s shading and rasterization throughput becomes the bottleneck. Conversely, at 1080p, the CPU’s single-thread performance and memory subsystem are more likely to be the limiting factor, given the extremely high frame rates that exceed 300 FPS at Low and Medium settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested combos for Minimum, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 46th out of 1,733 combinations. This places it in the top 2.7% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a high-performing configuration for this game. The rank reflects the combined capabilities of both components, with the RTX 4090’s massive memory bandwidth and shading power contributing significantly to the overall score.

The CPU itself holds an 88th percentile ranking against all tested processors, which places it well above average. Its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-12800H (with a 0% deltaPct), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (0.2% deltaPct), the AMD Ryzen 7 250 (-0.2% deltaPct), and the Intel Core i7-13705H (-0.2% deltaPct). These rivals are all within a fraction of a percent of the i5-14400F’s average score, showing that the CPU is competitive with a wide range of mobile and desktop parts.

The GPU, meanwhile, holds a 91st percentile ranking against all tested graphics cards. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (-0.4% deltaPct), the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (0.5% deltaPct), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (-0.9% deltaPct), and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (-1.3% deltaPct). These comparisons show that the RTX 4090 is near the top of the performance hierarchy, with only a few specialized compute cards posting similar average scores. The combination of a top-tier GPU and a solid mid-range CPU results in a high overall rank, though the CPU is clearly the weaker link in this pairing, as evidenced by the resolution scaling analysis.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly influence the measured frame rates. The GPU features 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units, which provide the raw computational power needed for high-resolution gaming. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz ensures that these units are fed with data quickly, while the 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivers 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This memory bandwidth is crucial for 4K gaming, where large textures and high-resolution buffers demand rapid data transfer.

The GPU’s 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores also contribute to its performance in Minimum, although the game’s 2014 release date suggests that ray tracing and AI features are not heavily utilized. The 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the key metric for traditional rasterization, and it explains why the GPU can push 4K frame rates that are still playable, even at Ultra settings. The 450 W TDP and triple-slot cooler indicate that this is a high-power part, but the benchmark results show that it is capable of sustaining high clocks under load.

In the context of Minimum, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the CPU is likely the limiting factor, but at 4K, the GPU’s shading and memory subsystems are fully utilized. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth is particularly important at 4K, where the data throughput requirements are significantly higher than at 1080p. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (65.5 FPS) shows that even a top-tier GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates at the highest settings, though it remains playable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive look at how this combo performs across all resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high, with Low settings producing an average of 396 FPS and Medium producing 301.2 FPS. High settings yield 254.1 FPS, while Ultra drops to 193.3 FPS. These numbers indicate that the combo is heavily CPU-bound at 1080p, as the GPU has significant headroom left on the table.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain high but show the GPU starting to take on more work. Low settings produce 252.4 FPS, Medium produces 194.6 FPS, High yields 165.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 122.6 FPS. The differences between settings are more pronounced at 1440p, suggesting that the GPU is becoming more of a factor, though the CPU is still able to keep up with the demands of the game.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings produce 136.9 FPS, Medium produces 105.8 FPS, High yields 85.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 65.5 FPS. The frame rates at 4K are roughly one-third of those at 1080p, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 71.4 FPS, which is smaller than the gap at 1080p (202.7 FPS), further indicating that the GPU is being pushed to its limits.

The data shows a clear progression: at 1080p, the CPU is the bottleneck, at 1440p, the load is balanced, and at 4K, the GPU is fully saturated. This pattern is typical of a high-end GPU paired with a mid-range CPU, where the CPU’s performance ceiling is reached at lower resolutions, but the GPU’s massive compute resources are only fully utilized at higher pixel counts.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Minimum?*

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 396 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate across all tested configurations.

Q: How much does performance drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 254.1 FPS at 1080p to 85.7 FPS at 4K, representing a 66.3% reduction.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as frame rates at this resolution are roughly one-third of those at 1080p, showing that the RTX 4090 is fully saturated.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Minimum?*

A: This combo ranks 46th out of 1,733 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.7% of all systems.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Low settings produce 252.4 FPS, while Ultra produces 122.6 FPS, a difference of 129.8 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth, and why is it relevant?

A: The GPU has 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth, which is crucial for 4K gaming as it allows rapid transfer of large textures and high-resolution buffers, directly impacting frame rates at higher resolutions.