Minimum

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT delivers a playable experience in Minimum, but the data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by graphics settings and resolution. The measured frame rates show a clear pattern: this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K performance only viable at lower presets. The benchmark results indicate a balance where the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU holds its own at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, pointing to a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 166 at 1920x1080 to 60.7 at 3840x2160 — a reduction of roughly 63%. The pattern repeats at Medium settings, where 127.6 FPS at 1080p drops to 45 at 4K, a 65% decline. High settings show a similar trend: 110.9 FPS at 1080p versus 37.2 at 4K, a 66% decrease.

The most telling data comes from the Ultra preset. At 1080p, the combo manages 83.2 FPS, which is still smooth for a third-person shooter. However, at 4K Ultra, the average plummets to 29.7 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. This indicates that the RX 5700 XT’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient to maintain fluid frame rates at 4K with maximum quality settings. The scaling between resolutions suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck once resolution increases, as the CPU’s six cores and six threads are less stressed by higher pixel counts.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (166 FPS) and Ultra (83.2 FPS) is 82.8 FPS. At 1440p, that gap narrows to 54 FPS (108.3 vs 54.3). At 4K, it shrinks further to 31 FPS (60.7 vs 29.7). This compression indicates that at 4K, the GPU is saturated even at Low settings, leaving less headroom for quality improvements to impact performance. The data shows that for 4K gaming, users should stick to Low or Medium settings, while 1440p offers a solid middle ground with High settings hitting 72.8 FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with a 7 nm process, is the dominant component in this pairing. Its boost clock of 1905 MHz and game clock of 1755 MHz provide the computational muscle, while the 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs handle pixel output. The card’s memory configuration—8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth—is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results suggest it struggles with the memory demands of higher resolutions.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its mid-range positioning. It achieves a percentile vs all GPUs of 68, meaning it outperforms 68% of all tested graphics cards. Its average benchmark score of 24731 places it close to rivals like the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile (24763, deltaPct -0.1%) and the Intel Arc A350M (24647, deltaPct 0.3%). This proximity in scores indicates that the RX 5700 XT is competitive with these mobile and workstation-class GPUs, which explains its solid 1440p performance in Minimum.

The GPU’s DirectX 12 support (version 12_1) and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility are relevant for a 2014 game like Minimum, which likely uses an older graphics API. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 116 and DirectX 12 score of 64 suggest that the card is more efficient in legacy APIs, which could explain why it performs well at 1080p even with a mid-range CPU. The texture rate of 304.8 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 121.9 GPixel/s are sufficient for the game’s third-person shooter visuals, but the 4K Ultra result of 29.7 FPS indicates that the card’s 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is not enough for maximum settings at that resolution.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 offers the highest frame rates, with 166 FPS at Low settings and 83.2 FPS at Ultra. For a balance of quality and performance, 2560x1440 at High settings delivers 72.8 FPS, which is playable. 4K is only viable at Low settings (60.7 FPS) or Medium (45 FPS).

Q: How does the RX 5700 XT compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 24731 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile (24763, deltaPct -0.1%) and the Intel Arc A350M (24647, deltaPct 0.3%). It is also 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile and 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Minimum?*

A: At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as frame rates drop sharply regardless of settings. At 1080p, the CPU’s six cores and six threads are sufficient, allowing the GPU to reach 166 FPS at Low settings. The bottleneck shifts to the GPU as resolution increases.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Minimum?*

A: Yes, but only with reduced settings. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 60.7, which is playable. Medium settings drop to 45 FPS, while High (37.2 FPS) and Ultra (29.7 FPS) are below the ideal range for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the i5-9400 perform in CPU benchmarks relative to its rivals?

A: The CPU has an average benchmark score of 2305, which is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299). It is 0.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon E-2134 (2295) but 0.6% behind the Intel Core i7-8809G (2319).

*Q: What is the combo’s overall rank in Minimum?*

A: The combo ranks 1257 out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of all tested systems for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results: 166 FPS at Low, 127.6 FPS at Medium, 110.9 FPS at High, and 83.2 FPS at Ultra. These numbers indicate that 1080p is the sweet spot for this pairing, with even the most demanding preset remaining above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops but remains respectable. Low settings produce 108.3 FPS, Medium yields 84.1 FPS, and High hits 72.8 FPS. Ultra at 1440p falls to 54.3 FPS, which is still playable but shows the GPU starting to struggle. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 54 FPS, demonstrating that quality settings have a significant impact at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results are more constrained. Low settings achieve 60.7 FPS, which is just above the playability threshold. Medium drops to 45 FPS, High to 37.2 FPS, and Ultra to 29.7 FPS. The data shows a clear progression: each step up in settings at 4K costs roughly 8-15 FPS, making Ultra an unrealistic option. The min and max FPS values are not provided in the data, so the analysis relies solely on averages, but the trend is consistent across all presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1257 out of 1733 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all tested systems. This is a below-average ranking, suggesting that many other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher frame rates in this game. The data indicates that the bottleneck is primarily the GPU, as the RX 5700 XT’s performance is mid-range, while the CPU’s six-core configuration is adequate for the game’s demands.

The GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs of 68 is higher than the combo’s overall rank percentile, which implies that the CPU is slightly holding back the GPU in some scenarios. The CPU’s percentile vs all CPUs is 50, meaning it is exactly average, but its six threads may limit performance in CPU-bound situations. However, in Minimum, the game appears to be more GPU-intensive, as evidenced by the sharp FPS drops at 4K.

The rank of 1257 indicates that users seeking higher performance in Minimum would need a more powerful GPU, such as one with higher memory bandwidth or more shading units. The RX 5700 XT’s 8 GB of memory is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results suggest that 8 GB is not enough for maximum settings at that resolution. The combo’s position in the lower half of the rankings is consistent with its mid-range hardware, but the 1080p results are strong enough for most players. The data shows that this pairing is a capable 1080p and 1440p solution, but not a 4K powerhouse.