Minimum

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread desktop processor from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, built on Intel's 14 nm process. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz place it as a mainstream mid-range part from its era, and the data shows it sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs in the database. That percentile rank is a meaningful indicator: in Minimum, a game released in 2014, this processor is neither a bottleneck nor a standout — it simply provides adequate throughput for the workload. The CPU's 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (42.7 GB/s bandwidth) are consistent with what a third-person shooter from that period would expect.

The i5-9400's benchmark results reinforce this positioning. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and single-core score of 935 show a processor that handles modern multithreaded loads competently while remaining modest in raw single-thread performance. The Geekbench single-core score of 1389 and multi-core score of 5141 align with the same story. In Minimum, the game's CPU demands are modest by modern standards, so the i5-9400's 6 physical cores without hyper-threading are sufficient to feed the GPU in most scenarios. The nearest rivals in the database — the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (avg score 2259, 0.2% higher), Intel Core i7-10710U (2248, 0.3% lower), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246, 0.4% lower), and Intel Core i3-10305 (2264, 0.4% higher) — all cluster within a fraction of a percent, confirming that this CPU's compute capability is firmly in the middle of the pack.

However, the measured FPS data for this combo tells a more interesting story about CPU-GPU balance. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 233 FPS average. That figure is high enough that the CPU's per-core performance begins to matter, but the scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p (233 to 114 FPS) shows a 119 FPS drop, which is more characteristic of GPU saturation than CPU limitation. The CPU's 6 threads and 4.10 GHz boost clock are adequate for the game's engine, which was designed for the hardware of its 2014 release window. The data does not indicate any CPU-bound ceiling at 1080p, as the Low setting result of 233 FPS suggests the processor can push well beyond typical display refresh rates.

FAQ

*Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 capable of running Minimum at high frame rates?*

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 149 FPS, and with Low settings it reaches 233 FPS. The CPU's 6 cores and 6 threads, combined with a 4.10 GHz boost clock, are more than sufficient for this 2014 title.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its closest rivals in compute performance?

A: The i5-9400's average benchmark score is 2254. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, scores 2264 (0.4% higher), while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (0.4% lower). All four nearest rivals are within 0.6% of the i5-9400, making them functionally equivalent for this game.

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings delivers 96 FPS, which is smooth, while 1920x1080 with High delivers 149 FPS. For maximum visual fidelity, 3840x2160 with Medium settings yields 62 FPS, but that comes with a noticeable FPS penalty.

Q: Does the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB bottleneck the i5-9400 at 1080p?

A: The evidence suggests the opposite. At 1920x1080, the FPS scales from 233 (Low) to 114 (Ultra), a drop of approximately 51%, which indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at higher settings. The CPU appears capable of feeding the GPU without constraint at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB perform relative to other GPUs in the database?

A: The GPU sits at the 29th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 4901. Its nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro W5130M (4904, 0.1% higher) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 (4893, 0.2% lower), though these comparisons are based on synthetic benchmarks, not in-game results.

Q: Is the combo's ranking competitive for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1113 out of 2939 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier. This rank reflects a balanced pairing for Minimum, where the CPU's mid-range compute and the GPU's modern architecture deliver playable frame rates across most settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo reveals distinct scaling patterns as resolution increases, and those patterns show where the bottleneck shifts. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 233 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops that to 150 FPS, a reduction of 83 FPS (about 36%). Pushing to 3840x2160 at Low yields 81 FPS, another 69 FPS drop (46% from 1440p). This steep decline with resolution at Low settings indicates the GPU is the primary limiter, as the CPU's workload remains relatively constant while pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

The Medium preset tells a similar story with more granularity. At 1920x1080, the average is 178 FPS. At 2560x1440, it falls to 115 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it drops to 62 FPS. The min-to-max ranges at each resolution — 151-205 at 1080p, 98-132 at 1440p, and 53-71 at 4K — all narrow proportionally, which is consistent with GPU-bound scaling. The High preset follows the same arc: 149 FPS at 1080p, 96 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. Ultra is the most demanding, with 114 FPS at 1080p, 73 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K.

What these numbers indicate is that the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB, with its 128-bit memory bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, becomes the limiting component as resolution climbs. The i5-9400's six cores are sufficient to maintain frame pacing, but the GPU's pixel throughput — 123.5 GPixel/s — caps performance at higher resolutions. The 4K results, particularly the 40 FPS average on Ultra, show that this combo is not suited for maximum settings at 4K. However, the 4K Low result of 81 FPS demonstrates that the hardware can handle 4K if the user is willing to compromise on visual quality. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly linear in terms of pixel count (about 2.25x), and the FPS drops align with that expectation, confirming the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy of performance across presets, and the data supports a specific recommendation for the best experience. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 149 FPS average, which is 35 FPS higher than Ultra (114 FPS) and only 29 FPS lower than Low (233 FPS). The jump from High to Ultra costs 35 FPS, a 23% reduction, for what is typically a marginal visual gain in a 2014 title. High at 1080p is the sweet spot: it exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates while maintaining solid visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts. High delivers 96 FPS, which is playable on 60 Hz displays and adequate for 100 Hz panels. Medium offers 115 FPS, a 19 FPS improvement over High, at the cost of some visual detail. Ultra at 1440p drops to 73 FPS, which is below the 80 FPS threshold many players prefer for a third-person shooter. For 1440p, Medium is the optimal choice — it stays above 100 FPS and the min FPS of 98 ensures consistent frame delivery without stutter.

At 3840x2160, the data strongly suggests avoiding Ultra (40 FPS) and being cautious with High (52 FPS). Medium at 4K yields 62 FPS, which is borderline but acceptable for slower-paced gameplay. Low at 4K delivers 81 FPS, which is smooth, but the visual compromise is significant. For 4K, Medium is the recommended preset, as it balances the 62 FPS average with the 53 FPS minimum, keeping the experience above the 50 FPS floor. Across the board, the data indicates that the combo's performance envelope is best exploited at 1080p High or 1440p Medium, where the FPS-to-quality ratio is most favorable.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB combination ranks 1113 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the 62nd percentile of all tested configurations. This rank is notable because it sits well above the individual percentile rankings of both components — the CPU at the 47th percentile and the GPU at the 29th percentile. The discrepancy suggests that the pairing is more effective in this specific game than the components' aggregate synthetic benchmarks would predict. The game's 2014 release date means it leverages older DirectX 12 features (the GPU supports 12 Ultimate) and does not stress the RTX 5060 Ti's newer capabilities, such as its 36 RT cores or 144 tensor cores, which are unused in this title.

The combo's rank relative to the database is driven by the CPU's adequate single-thread performance and the GPU's raw rasterization throughput. The i5-9400's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935 is sufficient for a game engine from 2014, while the RTX 5060 Ti's 23.70 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 370.4 GTexel/s texture rate provide ample fill-rate for the game's geometry. The 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus (448.0 GB/s bandwidth) is more than enough for Minimum's texture budgets, even at 4K. The combo's rank of 1113 indicates that it outperforms the majority of tested configurations, which include both older and newer hardware pairings. It is not a top-tier combo — those are reserved for the latest high-core-count CPUs paired with flagship GPUs — but it delivers a solidly above-average experience for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full measured FPS dataset for the Intel Core i5-9400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB combo in Minimum is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 233 FPS average
• Medium: 178 FPS average, 151 FPS min, 205 FPS max
• High: 149 FPS average
• Ultra: 114 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 150 FPS average
• Medium: 115 FPS average, 98 FPS min, 132 FPS max
• High: 96 FPS average
• Ultra: 73 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 81 FPS average
• Medium: 62 FPS average, 53 FPS min, 71 FPS max
• High: 52 FPS average
• Ultra: 40 FPS average

The 1080p results show a wide spread across presets, with Low more than doubling Ultra's frame rate. The Medium preset at 1080p has a min-max range of 151-205 FPS, which represents a 54 FPS variance — indicating some frame-time inconsistency, but the 151 FPS minimum still clears most high-refresh-rate displays. At 1440p, the Medium preset's range narrows to 98-132 FPS, a 34 FPS spread, which is tighter and suggests more stable pacing. The 4K Medium range of 53-71 FPS (18 FPS spread) is the most consistent, though the absolute values are lower.

Comparing presets across resolutions, the data shows that dropping from High to Medium at 1080p gains 29 FPS (149 to 178), while the same change at 1440p gains 19 FPS (96 to 115), and at 4K gains 10 FPS (52 to 62). This diminishing return with resolution indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput are increasingly taxed as resolution rises, making preset changes less impactful at higher pixel counts. The Ultra preset is consistently the weakest performer, and the data does not support its use at any resolution — even at 1080p, the 114 FPS average is only 76% of the High preset's 149 FPS. The combo's measured performance is best summarized as: 1080p for high refresh rates, 1440p for balanced play, and 4K only with reduced settings.