Minimum

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a generational mismatch, yet the measured FPS data for Minimum — a third-person shooter released in 2014 — shows this combination delivers playable frame rates across every tested setting. The combo ranks 104th out of 1,733 tested combinations, and the data reveals that the RTX 5090’s immense compute power is only partially exercised at lower resolutions, while the i5-9400’s six-core design holds up adequately for this older title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 9 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 over a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. The CPU’s benchmark results place it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. In Cinebench R23, it scores 7969 multi-core and 1125 single-core; in R20, 3346 multi-core and 472 single-core; in R15, 803 multi-core and 113 single-core. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i3-10305 (avg score 2300, delta 0.2%), the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299, 0.2%), the Intel Xeon E-2134 (2295, 0.4%), and the Intel Core i7-8809G (2319, -0.6%). This places the i5-9400 in a tight cluster of mid-range desktop and mobile parts.

For a 2014 third-person shooter, the CPU’s single-thread performance — as indicated by the R23 single-core score of 1125 — is sufficient to drive high frame rates, but the 50th percentile ranking suggests it is not a top-tier processor. The game’s age means it likely does not scale across many threads, so the 6-core/6-thread configuration is more than adequate. The measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 259.5, which is near the practical ceiling for many displays, and the CPU’s modest single-core score does not appear to be a limiting factor at that resolution. However, at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 202.2, still far above typical refresh rates, indicating that the CPU is not the primary constraint in this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a flagship GPU built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, with a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The GPU has 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 170 RT cores, and 680 tensor cores. Its pixel rate is 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate is 1,636.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS. The GPU’s benchmark results place it at the 94th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,306. In 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12), it scores 14,411; in Geekbench OpenCL, 380,114; in Geekbench Vulkan, 379,571; and in Passmark G3D, 39,650. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D (avg score 84,241, delta 0.1%), the RTX 5050 Mobile (84,171, 0.2%), the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (83,209, 1.3%), and the NVIDIA CMP 40HX (85,637, -1.6%). The RTX 5090’s launch MSRP is 1,999 USD.

For Minimum, the RTX 5090 is massively overkill. The game’s 2014 release predates the GPU by over a decade, and the measured FPS data reflects this: even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 71.2, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The GPU’s 32 GB of VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are far beyond the requirements of a title from that era, and the 94th percentile ranking confirms that this is one of the fastest GPUs available. The data shows that the GPU is the dominant component in this pairing, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops when moving from 1080p to 4K, particularly at higher settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 202.2.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, while the i3-10305 scores 2300, a delta of 0.2% — effectively a tie.

*Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combinations in Minimum?*

A: The combo ranks 104th out of 1,733 tested combinations.

Q: What is the highest measured FPS in the dataset?

A: The highest average FPS is 259.5, recorded at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the lowest measured FPS?

A: The lowest average FPS is 71.2, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the RTX 5090’s benchmark score compare to the RTX 5090 D?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 84,306, while the RTX 5090 D scores 84,241, a delta of 0.1% — the RTX 5090 is marginally ahead.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table lists all measured average FPS values from the dataset, organized by resolution and settings preset.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

|------------|----------|-------------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 89.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 142.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 108.5 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 71.2 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 169.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 224.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 202.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 130.4 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 221.4 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 259.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 235.7 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 202.2 |

The data shows a consistent pattern: at every resolution, Low settings yield the highest FPS, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra producing the lowest. At 1080p, the spread between Low and Ultra is 259.5 to 202.2, a gap of 57.3 FPS. At 1440p, the gap widens to 224.9 to 130.4, and at 4K it becomes 142.8 to 71.2. This indicates that the GPU is increasingly taxed as resolution and settings increase, with the Ultra preset at 4K being the most demanding configuration tested.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 104th out of 1,733 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the upper tier of all tested systems. This rank is heavily influenced by the RTX 5090, which sits at the 94th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-9400 is at the 50th percentile among CPUs. The GPU’s dominance is evident in the measured FPS: even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 71.2 is higher than what many mid-range GPUs would achieve at 1080p in this title. The rank of 104 suggests that while the CPU is not a top performer, the GPU’s raw power compensates, and the combination outperforms the vast majority of tested systems. The nearest rival GPUs — the RTX 5090 D, RTX 5050 Mobile, and Radeon PRO W6600 — all have average benchmark scores within 1.3% of the RTX 5090, yet the measured FPS in this game is likely similar across those cards, given the game’s low requirements.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver average FPS above 200, so the Ultra preset is recommended for maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness — the 202.2 FPS average is well above any common refresh rate. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset still yields 130.4 FPS, which is sufficient for 120 Hz displays, but for 144 Hz or higher, the Medium preset (202.6 FPS) or Low (224.9 FPS) are better choices. At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only one that exceeds 140 FPS (142.8), while Medium (108.5) and High (89.4) are suitable for 60–100 Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 71.2 FPS, is still playable but may not satisfy high-refresh-rate monitors. For a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 1440p offers 202.6 FPS, which is a strong combination of visual fidelity and performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial across all settings, but the magnitude varies. For Low settings, the average FPS falls from 259.5 at 1080p to 224.9 at 1440p and then to 142.8 at 4K — a reduction of 116.7 FPS from 1080p to 4K. For Medium, the drop is from 235.7 to 202.6 to 108.5, a reduction of 127.2 FPS. For High, it goes from 221.4 to 169.7 to 89.4, a reduction of 132.0 FPS. For Ultra, the drop is from 202.2 to 130.4 to 71.2, a reduction of 131.0 FPS. The pattern shows that the absolute FPS loss from 1080p to 4K is similar across settings, but the relative impact is larger at higher settings because the starting FPS is lower. This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, since the CPU’s workload does not change significantly with resolution. At 1080p, the CPU’s six cores are sufficient to feed the GPU, but at 4K, the GPU’s rendering load dominates, and the FPS is limited by the GPU’s ability to process pixels. The data suggests that for this 2014 title, the RTX 5090 is the limiting component at 4K, while the i5-9400 is adequate at lower resolutions.