Minimum

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination ranks in the 15th percentile of tested configurations for Minimum, placing it at position 3171 out of 3712 total combos. This is a low-tier placement, indicating that while the hardware is functional, it does not deliver top-tier performance in this title; the data suggests a mid-range experience that requires settings adjustments to achieve smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 3171 out of 3712 places it in the lower 15% of all tested systems for Minimum. This is a decisive indicator that the pairing is not optimized for high-end performance in this game. Benchmark data shows the CPU sits at the 47th percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 53rd percentile against all GPUs, meaning both components are roughly mid-pack individually, yet their combined result falls short in this specific title.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 12986 places it in a tight cluster with rivals; it is 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and the AMD Radeon RX 580, and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon 740M. However, it trails the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 by 0.7%. This narrow margin of performance suggests the GTX 1660 SUPER is competitive with its peers, but the overall combo ranking is dragged down by the CPU’s relative weakness in this game. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 2254 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with a 0.3% delta against the Intel Core i7-10710U and a 0.4% delta against the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, indicating no significant advantage in processing power.

The measured FPS data reinforces this low ranking. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 64 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional. At 3840x2160 with Ultra, the average drops to 22 FPS, which is untenable for smooth gameplay. The ranking reflects that this hardware is better suited for lower resolutions and settings, and the data shows a clear ceiling on performance that aligns with its 15th percentile placement.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the average FPS reaches 131. This provides a significant headroom above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring smooth motion. Benchmark results indicate that Medium settings at the same resolution yield an average of 100 FPS, with a minimum of 85 FPS and a maximum of 115 FPS, which also delivers a highly playable experience. For users prioritizing visual fidelity over raw frame rate, High settings at 1920x1080 produce an average of 84 FPS, which remains acceptable.

At 2560x1440, the data shows a steeper drop-off. Low settings average 85 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 65 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS, approaching the edge of comfort for fast-paced action. High settings at 2560x1440 average 54 FPS, which may feel less responsive. The 3840x2160 resolution is not recommended for this combo; even Low settings only average 46 FPS, and Medium drops to 35 FPS with a minimum of 30 FPS, which is borderline for playability. Ultra settings at any resolution above 1920x1080 produce averages below 41 FPS, making them unsuitable for a smooth experience.

The measured rows indicate that the sweet spot is 1920x1080 with Medium or High settings, balancing visual quality with frame rates above 80 FPS. For competitive play, Low settings at 1920x1080 or 2560x1440 provide the highest frame rates, with 131 FPS and 85 FPS respectively. The data does not support using Ultra settings at any resolution, as the lowest average is 22 FPS at 3840x2160 and the highest is 64 FPS at 1920x1080, which is below the performance of the High preset.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the best resolution, with average FPS ranging from 64 on Ultra to 131 on Low. At 2560x1440, averages range from 41 on Ultra to 85 on Low, while 3840x2160 averages max out at 46 on Low.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its closest rival, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 12986, which is 0.4% higher than the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile’s score of 12940. This indicates a negligible performance difference between the two in general benchmarks.

Q: Is the i5-9400 a bottleneck for the GTX 1660 SUPER in this game?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score of 2254 and its 47th percentile ranking suggest it is a mid-range processor. Given the combo ranks 3171 out of 3712, the data implies the CPU may limit the GPU in demanding scenarios, but the measured FPS at lower settings shows the GPU is still capable of high frame rates.

Q: What settings should I use at 2560x1440 to stay above 60 FPS?

A: According to the measured rows, only Low settings at 2560x1440 achieve an average above 60 FPS, with 85 FPS. Medium settings average 65 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS, which occasionally dips below the target.

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

A: The data indicates no. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 46 on Low settings, and High settings drop to 29 FPS. Ultra settings average only 22 FPS, which is not a playable experience.

Q: How does the GPU’s VRAM affect performance at high resolutions?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory. The measured data shows a severe performance drop at 3840x2160, where even Medium settings average 35 FPS, suggesting that the memory capacity or bandwidth may be insufficient for high-resolution textures in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings average 131 FPS, which is the highest measured across all configurations. Medium settings average 100 FPS, with a minimum of 85 FPS and a maximum of 115 FPS, providing a solid margin above the 60 FPS standard. High settings average 84 FPS, still a comfortable level. Ultra settings average 64 FPS, which is the minimum recommended threshold for playable performance. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with a 67 FPS difference between the lowest and highest presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops notably. Low settings average 85 FPS, which remains smooth. Medium settings average 65 FPS, with a minimum of 55 FPS and a maximum of 74 FPS, indicating occasional dips below 60 FPS. High settings average 54 FPS, which may be noticeable in fast-paced scenes. Ultra settings average 41 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for most users. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 44 FPS, showing a steeper decline than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles significantly. Low settings average 46 FPS, which is the only preset that approaches playability, though it falls short of 60 FPS. Medium settings average 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 40 FPS, making it a marginal experience. High settings average 29 FPS, and Ultra settings average 22 FPS, both of which are not suitable for gameplay. The data shows that this resolution is beyond the capabilities of the hardware for this title, as even the lowest settings cannot maintain a consistent frame rate.

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern: the combo is most effective at 1920x1080, where all presets exceed 60 FPS on average. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium presets are viable, and at 3840x2160, no preset delivers acceptable performance. The minimum FPS values, where available, show that Medium settings at 1920x1080 have a floor of 85 FPS, while at 2560x1440 the floor drops to 55 FPS, and at 3840x2160 it falls to 30 FPS, illustrating the increasing strain on the hardware.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU116 chip and a 12 nm process node. It features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz or 14 Gbps effective. These specifications contribute to its average benchmark score of 12986, which places it at the 53rd percentile of all GPUs.

In the context of Minimum, the GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth appear to be limiting factors at higher resolutions. The measured FPS at 3840x2160 shows a dramatic drop, with High settings averaging 29 FPS and Ultra averaging 22 FPS. This suggests that the 6 GB VRAM may be insufficient for the texture loads at 4K, or that the 336.0 GB/s bandwidth cannot keep up with the data demands. At 1920x1080, the GPU performs admirably, with Low settings reaching 131 FPS, indicating that the memory is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions.

The GPU’s raw compute capabilities, including a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s, are sufficient for 1080p gaming. The FP32 performance of 5.027 TFLOPS provides a baseline for shader work, and the FP16 performance of 10.05 TFLOPS (2:1) offers additional headroom for games that use half-precision calculations. The benchmark results show that the GPU is competitive with its nearest rivals, being 0.4% faster than the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and the RX 580, but the overall combo ranking suggests that the GPU is not the primary constraint in this game.

The GPU’s 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units are arranged in a configuration that balances pixel and texture throughput. The measured FPS at 2560x1440, where High settings average 54 FPS, indicates that the GPU is still capable of handling moderate resolutions, but the drop from 1080p is significant. The data shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER is a capable 1080p card for this title, with diminishing returns as resolution increases.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The CPU features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and 9 MB of shared L3 cache. Its average benchmark score is 2254, placing it at the 47th percentile of all CPUs, and it is nearly identical in performance to its nearest rivals, with a 0.2% delta against the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 and a 0.3% delta against the Intel Core i7-10710U.

In Minimum, the CPU’s role is less critical than the GPU at lower resolutions, but it becomes more relevant at higher settings. The measured FPS at 1920x1080 shows that the combo can achieve 131 FPS on Low settings, indicating that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution. However, at 3840x2160, the frame rates drop to 46 FPS on Low, suggesting that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU’s single-thread performance is sufficient for the game’s logic.

The CPU’s single-core benchmark scores, such as 935 in Cinebench R23 and 1389 in Geekbench, are modest compared to modern processors, but they are adequate for a game released in 2014. The dual-channel DDR4 memory support with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s may also play a role, as the CPU’s memory bandwidth could constrain performance in scenes with many entities. The data shows that the CPU’s performance is in line with its rivals, with a 0.4% delta against the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, meaning there is no standout advantage or disadvantage.

The CPU’s 6 cores and 6 threads are sufficient for the game’s workload, as demonstrated by the benchmark results. However, the combo’s overall rank of 3171 out of 3712 suggests that the CPU’s mid-range performance, combined with the GPU’s mid-range capabilities, results in a system that is not competitive with higher-end configurations. The measured FPS data indicates that the CPU can keep up with the GPU at 1080p, but the system as a whole is limited by the GPU at higher resolutions. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.10 GHz provides a reasonable single-thread performance for the game’s main thread, but the lack of hyper-threading may be a minor drawback in multi-threaded scenes, though the data does not explicitly show this impact.