Minimum

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a wide spread of performance in Minimum, a 2014 Third-Person Shooter. The data shows that this combination ranks 518th out of 1733 tested combos, placing it in the upper third of all configurations. The RTX 3080 Ti, holding an 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, provides substantial headroom, while the six-core i5-9400 keeps frame rates high even at demanding settings. The measured results indicate that the primary bottleneck shifts from the CPU at lower resolutions to the GPU at 4K, where the Ultra preset struggles to maintain smooth gameplay.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The highest recorded average is 255.6 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 47.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for fluid gameplay.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to limit performance at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the gap between Low (255.6 FPS) and High (178.9 FPS) settings is relatively small compared to the jump from High to Ultra (135.6 FPS), suggesting the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher presets.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield 135 FPS, while High settings produce 117 FPS, a difference of 18 FPS in favor of Medium.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 Ti compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti scores 41,224 on average, which is 0.5% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (41,441) and 0.9% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (41,610).

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K High settings?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with High settings, the average frame rate is 63 FPS, which is playable, though it barely clears the 60 FPS standard.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip manufactured on an 8 nm process. It features 10,240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster operation units, alongside 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, with memory running at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s, which is critical for the high-resolution textures and effects in Minimum.

The VRAM capacity and bandwidth directly influence the measured results. At 3840x2160, the GPU's memory subsystem is stressed, yet the data shows a steep drop-off from Low (95 FPS) to Ultra (47.1 FPS). This indicates that the GPU's compute throughput, not just memory, is strained by the Ultra preset's additional visual workloads. In contrast, at 1920x1080, the GPU is rarely the bottleneck, as even Ultra settings (135.6 FPS) exceed the refresh rate of most standard monitors. The FP32 performance of 34.10 TFLOPS allows the card to handle the game's shader complexity, but the 47.1 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests that the game's highest settings impose a workload that exceeds the card's practical limits for consistent 60 FPS play.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 + RTX 3080 Ti combination ranks 518th out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the top 30% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's moderate multi-core capability and the GPU's high-end performance. The CPU holds a 50th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 2305. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305 (0.2% higher score) and the Intel Xeon E-2134 (0.4% higher score), while the Intel Core i7-8809G trails by 0.6%. This indicates the i5-9400 is competitive with other mid-range chips, though it lags behind newer or higher-tier parts.

The GPU, however, ranks in the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41,224. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, scores 41,441 (0.5% higher), while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 41,610 (0.9% higher). The combination's overall rank is elevated by the GPU's strong showing, but the CPU's 50th percentile position prevents the combo from breaking into the top tier. The data suggests that while the GPU can push very high frame rates at lower resolutions, the CPU's six cores and six threads may limit performance in CPU-bound scenarios, particularly at 1080p where the frame rates are highest.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates reveal a clear pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance: Low settings produce an average of 255.6 FPS, Medium yields 214.5 FPS, High achieves 178.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 135.6 FPS. The relative consistency of these numbers—spanning 120 FPS from Low to Ultra—indicates that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution, and the CPU is likely the limiting factor at the lowest settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to show the GPU's workload. Low settings average 178.6 FPS, Medium 135 FPS, High 117 FPS, and Ultra 87.3 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 43.6 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 29.7 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds a significant but not insurmountable burden. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. Low settings average 95 FPS, Medium 71.6 FPS, High 63 FPS, and Ultra 47.1 FPS. The High setting at 4K barely maintains 60 FPS, and Ultra falls below that threshold, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay on standard 60 Hz displays.

The data shows a consistent scaling: from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops from 255.6 FPS to 47.1 FPS, a reduction of 81.6%. This highlights the GPU's diminishing returns as resolution increases, with the 12 GB VRAM and 912.4 GB/s bandwidth proving sufficient for 4K but not enough to sustain Ultra settings without compromise.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 135.6 FPS is the best choice for users with 144 Hz monitors, as it provides a smooth experience while maximizing visual quality. For 60 Hz displays, High settings at 178.9 FPS offer a comfortable margin above the refresh rate, allowing for consistent frame delivery without the extra GPU load of Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 117 FPS is recommended for 120 Hz monitors, as it balances visual fidelity with performance. The Ultra preset at 87.3 FPS is still viable for 60 Hz displays, but the 29.7 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gains for all users. For 3840x2160, the data clearly shows that High settings at 63 FPS are the maximum playable option, barely clearing the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 71.6 FPS provides a safer margin for 60 Hz displays, while the Ultra preset at 47.1 FPS should be avoided for competitive or fast-paced play.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is at 2560x1440 with High settings, which delivers 117 FPS—a strong balance of resolution, visual quality, and frame rate. For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, 4K High at 63 FPS is the only 4K option that remains playable, though it requires a VRR (variable refresh rate) display to mask minor frame dips.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 provides six cores and six threads, based on the Coffee Lake architecture and 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 65 W TDP. 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 memory support is dual-channel DDR4 with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, and it connects via PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the limiting factor. At 1920x1080 Low settings, the combo achieves 255.6 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game, given that the RTX 3080 Ti is capable of much higher frame rates in less CPU-bound titles. The CPU's single-core performance, reflected in a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1125, is adequate for the game's logic and physics, but the six-thread limit may constrain performance in scenes with many AI characters or complex interactions.

The CPU's multi-core score of 7969 in Cinebench R23 shows it can handle parallel workloads, but the 50th percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates it is not a high-end part. This is corroborated by the benchmark results: the i5-9400's average score of 2305 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300, 0.2% higher) and the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299, 0.2% higher). The data suggests that, while the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU at 1440p or 4K, it may limit potential frame rates at 1080p, particularly when using the Low preset. The 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for the game's data streaming, but it is not a highlight of the configuration.