Minimum

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER pairing presents a stark contrast in capabilities. The i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread Coffee Lake processor with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It relies on 9 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory on a dual-channel bus. Its benchmark profile shows a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and a single-core score of 1125. In contrast, the RTX 4080 SUPER is a powerhouse built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 10240 shading units and 80 RT cores.

The CPU's performance ceiling is the primary constraint in this combo. Its 50th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates a mid-pack processor, while the GPU sits in the 88th percentile. The i5-9400's six threads are a limiting factor in modern games, but for a title like Minimum, a 2014 release, the architecture is more than adequate for the game's engine. The data shows that at 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 172.3 FPS, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU sufficiently at this resolution, though the gap between Low and Ultra settings reveals the CPU's influence on frame pacing.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific configuration ranks 184th out of 1733 tested combos for this game. This places it in the top 11% of all tested systems, which is a strong result. The ranking reflects a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but becomes more balanced at 1080p. The i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2305 places it nearly identically to the Intel Core i3-10305, which scores 2300 with a deltaPct of 0.2. This is a critical insight: the six-core i5-9400 offers negligible performance difference compared to a modern quad-core i3 in synthetic tests, showing that the CPU is not a high-end part.

The GPU, however, is a different story. The RTX 4080 SUPER's average benchmark score of 53610 is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489) and 2.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (52086). This indicates that the GPU is a top-tier component that can handle massive workloads. The disparity between the CPU's mid-pack standing and the GPU's top-tier performance is the defining characteristic of this combo. The 184th rank reflects the GPU's ability to push high frame rates, but it also highlights that the CPU is not allowing the system to reach its full potential in CPU-bound scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p High, the system produces 221.2 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 148.4 FPS, a reduction of 33%. At 4K High, the frame rate falls to 78.6 FPS, a 64% drop from the 1080p figure. This pattern is indicative of a GPU-limited scenario at higher resolutions; the RTX 4080 SUPER is working progressively harder to render more pixels.

However, the scaling at Low settings tells a different story. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 257.1 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 221.1 FPS (a 14% decrease), and at 4K Low, it falls to 124.4 FPS (a 52% decrease from 1080p). The relatively small drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings suggests the CPU is starting to limit performance at 1080p. The i5-9400's six threads cannot push frame rates much higher than 257 FPS, regardless of how fast the GPU is. The data indicates that the CPU becomes the limiting factor at 1080p Low, while the GPU takes over as the primary constraint as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably across the board. Low settings yield 257.1 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 235.5 FPS, while High settings deliver 221.2 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, dropping the average to 172.3 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 84.8 FPS, showing that the GPU has enough headroom to handle significant visual upgrades without dropping below playable thresholds.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decline. Low settings achieve 221.1 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 1080p High result. Medium settings hit 175.7 FPS, and High settings maintain a solid 148.4 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 110.1 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra is a 36% reduction, indicating that the GPU is handling the increased pixel count efficiently.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4080 SUPER's capabilities are tested. Low settings produce 124.4 FPS, which is still very smooth. Medium settings drop to 94.8 FPS, and High settings fall to 78.6 FPS. Ultra settings are the only preset that dips below the 60 FPS mark, averaging 58.5 FPS. This makes 4K Ultra the only configuration that cannot maintain a consistent 60+ FPS experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this system, and its specifications reflect its high-end positioning. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2295 MHz and boosts to 2550 MHz. Its 320 TMUs and 112 ROPs handle texture and pixel processing, while the 80 RT cores and 320 Tensor cores provide dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI workloads.

The GPU's performance is validated by its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600. In the Passmark G3D test, it scores 34245, which is a massive result. This raw compute power translates directly to the measured FPS in Minimum. At 4K High, the GPU maintains 78.6 FPS, showing that it has enough headroom for high-fidelity visuals at 4K. The GPU's role becomes more pronounced at 4K Ultra, where it drops to 58.5 FPS, indicating that the game's Ultra preset is extremely demanding on the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for this game, which was released in 2014 and does not require large texture pools.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For players with a 1080p monitor, the High preset at 221.2 FPS is the best choice. It offers a significant visual improvement over Medium (235.5 FPS) while maintaining a frame rate that is nearly identical to what most high-refresh displays can show. The Ultra preset at 172.3 FPS is also viable and provides the best image quality, but the 49 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not justify the visual gains for competitive play.

At 1440p, the High preset at 148.4 FPS is the standout recommendation. It delivers smooth gameplay on 144Hz displays and offers a good balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Medium preset at 175.7 FPS is preferable for those with 165Hz or 240Hz monitors, as it provides higher frame rates with only a modest reduction in visual quality. The Ultra preset at 110.1 FPS is still playable and offers the most detailed visuals, but the drop below the 144 FPS threshold makes it less ideal for fast-paced action.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that the High preset at 78.6 FPS is the sweet spot. It maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS and provides excellent visual quality. The Medium preset at 94.8 FPS is also a strong option for those who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 58.5 FPS is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience, as it falls below the 60 FPS standard. The Low preset at 124.4 FPS is available for maximum performance, but the visual downgrade is substantial.

The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 4080 SUPER is powerful enough to handle Minimum at high settings across all resolutions. The CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p, but the GPU's strength ensures that most configurations deliver a playable experience. For the best overall experience, the High preset at 1440p provides the most balanced combination of visual quality and performance.