Minimum

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a performance profile in Minimum that is heavily dictated by resolution and settings, with the data indicating a clear shift from a CPU-bound scenario at 1080p to a GPU-bound one at 4K. The measured frame rates show that this combination is capable of high refresh rate play at 1080p with tuned settings, but drops to below playable thresholds at 4K with maximum quality. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to isolate the roles of the processor and graphics card, and provides guidance on how to optimize the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data for Minimum reveals a significant and predictable drop as resolution increases, but the rate of that drop changes depending on the graphics preset. At the "Low" preset, the average frame rate falls from 145 FPS at 1920x1080 to 94 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 51 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 3840x2160 sees a further drop to 50 FPS, which is a 44 FPS reduction. This indicates that at Low settings, the game is heavily reliant on the CPU at 1080p, and the GPU only becomes the primary limiter as resolution and pixel count increase.

The scaling is more compressed at higher settings. With "High" settings, the average FPS goes from 93 at 1080p to 60 at 1440p (a 33 FPS drop) and then to 32 at 4K (a 28 FPS drop). The "Ultra" preset shows a similar pattern, with averages of 71, 46, and 25 FPS across the three resolutions. The fact that the absolute FPS difference between 1440p and 4K is smaller than the difference between 1080p and 1440p at High and Ultra settings suggests that the rendering workload is scaling more linearly with pixel count, pointing towards the GPU being the consistent bottleneck at these higher quality presets.

The data suggests that the Intel Core i5-9400 is the limiting component at 1080p with Low and Medium settings, where the GPU has enough headroom to render frames quickly but the CPU struggles to keep up with the game's logic. At 4K, however, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck; the Arc B570 is fully saturated, and the FPS drops to 32 on High and 25 on Ultra. The 4K Medium result of 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS, confirms that even a modest quality increase at this resolution pushes the GPU to its limits with this processor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake generation, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark data shows a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935. This places the CPU at the 47th percentile among all tested processors, indicating a mid-range performance level. The data shows that the CPU's performance is the primary limiter at 1080p with lower graphical settings. At the Low preset, the FPS jumps from 145 at 1080p to 94 at 1440p, a clear sign that the GPU is being held back by the CPU at the lower resolution. The CPU is not able to feed the GPU with enough data to fully utilize its potential.

The CPU's role becomes less prominent as resolution increases and the GPU takes over as the bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 25, which is a very low result for a game from 2014. This is not because the CPU is weak, but because the GPU is struggling with the sheer number of pixels at maximum quality settings. The CPU's 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are adequate for this title, but the 6-thread limitation is likely a factor in the 1080p performance ceiling. The nearest rival data shows the i5-9400 is within 0.4% of processors like the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, confirming its mid-pack standing.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a discrete graphics card based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU's 2304 shading units run at a boost clock of 2500 MHz, and its benchmark scores include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844. It sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, making it a solid mid-range performer. The data clearly shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K resolution. At 4K High, the average FPS is 32, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 25. Even at 4K Low, the average FPS is only 50, which is far below the 145 FPS achieved at 1080p Low.

This indicates that the Arc B570's raw pixel-pushing power is not sufficient for demanding 4K gaming in this title. The GPU's 10 GB of VRAM is not the issue here, as the game is not likely to exceed that, but rather the compute throughput at high resolutions. The card's performance is closer to its rivals, such as the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% difference in average score) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% difference), which positions it as a capable 1080p and 1440p card. The data shows that the GPU can deliver excellent frame rates at 1440p with High settings (60 FPS) and 1080p with Ultra settings (71 FPS), but it is not equipped for 4K gaming beyond Low settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60 FPS or higher?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 is the highest resolution where this combo can consistently hit 60 FPS or more. At 1440p with High settings, the average FPS is 60, and at Low settings it is 94. At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS average.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bigger bottleneck at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The CPU is the primary bottleneck at 1080p Low. The average FPS is 145, which is significantly higher than the 94 FPS seen at 1440p Low, indicating that the GPU has more headroom and the CPU is limiting the frame rate.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B570 have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The card has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory. The measured data does not show any VRAM-related performance dips, such as stuttering, and the FPS drops are consistent with resolution scaling, suggesting that 10 GB is sufficient for Minimum.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals in terms of performance?

A: The Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, has a score of 2259, which is 0.2% faster. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is 0.4% slower, with a score of 2246.

Q: What is the expected performance at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average FPS of 39 at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. The minimum FPS recorded is 33, and the maximum is 44, indicating some variability but overall a playable, though not smooth, experience.

Q: Is this GPU more powerful than the Intel Arc A750?

A: According to the average benchmark scores, the Arc B570 scores 20556, while the Arc A750 scores 20582. This makes the A750 0.1% faster on average, so they are effectively equivalent in performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B570 is ranked 2336 out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested systems, which is surprising given the individual component scores. The CPU is at the 47th percentile, and the GPU is at the 65th percentile, so the combination's low rank suggests that the pairing is not optimal for this specific game.

This low rank is primarily due to the game's age and its likely reliance on single-threaded performance, where the i5-9400 is not particularly strong. The data shows that the GPU is far more capable than the CPU in this pairing, as evidenced by the significant FPS jump from 1080p to 1440p at lower settings. The rank of 2336 indicates that many other CPU and GPU combinations are able to achieve higher frame rates in this title, likely due to having stronger single-core performance or a better balance between the two components. The combo's performance is held back by the CPU's 6-thread limit, which prevents the Arc B570 from being fully utilized at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the "High" preset is a strong choice, delivering an average of 93 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and leaves headroom for demanding scenes. The "Ultra" preset is also viable at 71 FPS average, but the drop to 71 FPS from 93 FPS might not justify the marginal visual gains. For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the "Low" preset at 145 FPS is available, but the "High" preset offers a better balance of visuals and performance.

At 2560x1440, the "High" preset is the clear recommendation, as it hits exactly 60 FPS average. The "Medium" preset provides a more comfortable margin at 72 FPS, and is recommended for those who prefer a buffer against FPS drops. The "Ultra" preset at 46 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided for a smooth experience. At 3840x2160, the "Low" preset is the only one that approaches playability, with an average of 50 FPS. The "Medium" preset at 39 FPS is borderline, and the "High" (32 FPS) and "Ultra" (25 FPS) presets are not recommended for serious play. For 4K, the "Low" preset is the best option, but even then, the experience will be less smooth than at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a complete breakdown of the measured average FPS for the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B570 combination across all tested resolutions and settings.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 145 FPS average.
• Medium: 111 FPS average, with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS.
• High: 93 FPS average.
• Ultra: 71 FPS average.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 94 FPS average.
• Medium: 72 FPS average, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS.
• High: 60 FPS average.
• Ultra: 46 FPS average.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 50 FPS average.
• Medium: 39 FPS average, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS.
• High: 32 FPS average.
• Ultra: 25 FPS average.

The data shows a clear pattern: the system is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and solid 60 FPS performance at 1440p with medium-to-high settings. The 4K results are consistently below the 60 FPS target, with the Ultra preset delivering an average of only 25 FPS. The minimum FPS values for the Medium preset at all resolutions indicate that there is some frame pacing variance, but the overall averages are stable.