Minimum

# Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across the three resolutions reveal a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern for the Intel Core i5-9400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D in Minimum. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 220 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 178 FPS, a 19.1% reduction. At 4K High, the average falls to 96 FPS, which represents a 56.4% drop from the 1080p result. This steep decline as resolution increases strongly indicates that the RTX 5090 D is the primary performance limiter at higher pixel counts.

The pattern is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The 1080p Ultra average is 200 FPS, dropping to 136 FPS at 1440p (a 32% reduction) and then to 73 FPS at 4K (a 63.5% reduction from 1080p). The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra shows a 46.3% performance loss, which is consistent with the roughly 2.25x pixel count increase between those resolutions. This suggests the GPU's shading and rasterization throughput is fully saturated at 4K Ultra.

Low settings tell a different story. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 258 FPS. At 1440p Low, it achieves 223 FPS, and at 4K Low, it still delivers 149 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 42.2%, which is less severe than the High and Ultra drops. This indicates that at lower settings, the fixed CPU overhead becomes a larger relative share of the frame time, partially masking the GPU scaling. The fact that the 4K Low result (149 FPS) is higher than the 1080p Ultra result (200 FPS) by a significant margin underscores how much the GPU workload varies with preset.

Medium settings provide the only rows with min and max FPS data. At 4K Medium, the average is 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 and maximum of 131. At 1440p Medium, the average is 203 FPS with a range of 172 to 233. The 1080p Medium result averages 234 FPS, with min and max of 199 and 270 respectively. The frame time consistency, as inferred from the min-max spread, narrows at higher resolutions: the 4K Medium spread is 34 FPS, while the 1080p Medium spread is 71 FPS. This tighter range at 4K suggests the GPU becomes the consistent bottleneck, whereas at 1080p, CPU-side variability introduces larger frame time swings.

Overall, the resolution scaling data shows that the RTX 5090 D's raw compute is the dominant factor at 4K, while the i5-9400's six cores can still push very high frame rates at 1080p. The transition from 1440p to 4K is where the GPU's 32 GB memory and 512-bit bus become heavily exercised, as evidenced by the average FPS dropping below 100 at High and Ultra presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this CPU-GPU combo in Minimum?

A: The highest average FPS is 258, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How much faster is the 1440p High result compared to the 4K High result?

A: The 1440p High average is 178 FPS, while the 4K High average is 96 FPS. This means the 1440p result is 85.4% higher, or approximately 1.85x faster.

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

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra average is 73 FPS, which is above the common 60 FPS threshold, though it is the lowest measured average across all tested configurations.

Q: What is the difference between the 1080p Low and 1080p Ultra results?

A: The 1080p Low average is 258 FPS, while the 1080p Ultra average is 200 FPS. The difference is 58 FPS, meaning Ultra is 22.5% slower than Low at 1080p.

Q: Which resolution and settings combination yields the most stable frame times based on the available min/max data?

A: The 4K Medium settings show a min of 97 FPS and a max of 131 FPS, a spread of 34 FPS. This is the narrowest spread among the rows with min/max data, indicating the most consistent frame pacing relative to the average.

Q: Is the 4K Low result higher than the 1080p Ultra result?

A: No, the 4K Low average is 149 FPS, which is lower than the 1080p Ultra average of 200 FPS. However, the 4K Low result is higher than the 4K Ultra result of 73 FPS by a margin of 76 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D holds a combo rank of 190 out of 2,939 tested combinations in Minimum. This places the combo in the top 6.5% of all tested pairings, which is a strong showing given that the CPU is an older six-core part from the Coffee Lake generation. The GPU's high percentile ranking of 92 among all GPUs is the primary driver of this overall position, while the CPU's percentile of 47 among all CPUs is a limiting factor.

The rank of 190 means that 2,749 other combos performed worse in this game's benchmark suite. The gap between the top-tier GPU and mid-tier CPU creates an interesting dynamic: the combo's rank is better than what the CPU alone would suggest, but worse than what the GPU alone would imply. If the CPU were replaced with a higher-performing part, the combo rank would likely improve substantially, as the RTX 5090 D has significant headroom at lower resolutions.

Compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 5090 D sits close to the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (deltaPct of 1.1% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (deltaPct of -1.6% lower). This indicates that in synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5090 D's average score of 77,712 is only marginally different from these competitors. However, in Minimum, the measured FPS results reflect the actual game workload, which may favor the RTX 5090 D's architecture differently than synthetic tests.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (deltaPct of -0.2%), the Intel Core i7-10710U (deltaPct of 0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (deltaPct of 0.4%). These deltas are all within half a percent, meaning the i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2,254 is essentially tied with these parts. In Minimum, the CPU's six cores and six threads are sufficient to feed the RTX 5090 D at 1080p, but the 47th percentile ranking suggests that many CPUs could offer better frame pacing in CPU-bound scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset averages 258 FPS, which is the peak measured value. Medium settings reduce the average to 234 FPS, with a minimum of 199 FPS and a maximum of 270 FPS. High settings produce a 220 FPS average, while Ultra settings yield 200 FPS. The difference between the lowest and highest presets at 1080p is 58 FPS, or 22.5%, showing that the GPU has enough headroom at this resolution to absorb the increased workload of higher presets without severe penalties.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show more sensitivity to settings. Low settings average 223 FPS, which is only 13.6% lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 203 FPS, with a minimum of 172 FPS and a maximum of 233 FPS. High settings drop to 178 FPS, while Ultra settings fall to 136 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 87 FPS, or 39%, which is wider than the 1080p gap, indicating that the GPU is starting to feel the pressure of the higher pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates decline significantly. Low settings still manage an average of 149 FPS, which is respectable for 4K. Medium settings average 114 FPS, with a minimum of 97 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS. High settings drop to 96 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 73 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 76 FPS drop, or 51%, which demonstrates that the RTX 5090 D's compute resources are heavily taxed at this resolution.

The available min/max data shows that the 1080p Medium configuration has the widest absolute range (199 to 270 FPS), while the 4K Medium configuration has the narrowest (97 to 131 FPS). This pattern suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU's frame delivery can cause occasional dips and spikes, while at 4K, the GPU's consistent workload smooths out the frame times.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this combo for Minimum, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This massive bandwidth is critical for 4K rendering, where texture fetches and framebuffer operations consume significant memory throughput. The measured FPS results at 4K (96 FPS High, 73 FPS Ultra) indicate that the GPU's 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the limiting factor at these settings.

The GPU's clock speeds are listed as a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz. These clocks, combined with 21,760 shading units, allow the RTX 5090 D to maintain high utilization in Minimum. The pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s provide ample fill rate for the game's third-person shooter visuals. The fact that the 4K Low result (149 FPS) is nearly 2x the 4K Ultra result (73 FPS) suggests that the GPU's shader workload scales dramatically with preset complexity.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 92 places it well above the median GPU, and its average benchmark score of 77,712 reflects strong synthetic performance. In the game, the RTX 5090 D's nearest rivals (AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and RX 6850M XT) have average scores within 1.6% of the RTX 5090 D, but the measured FPS in Minimum shows that the RTX 5090 D can push 4K High to 96 FPS, which is a demanding workload. The 32 GB memory capacity is not a limiting factor in this game, as the data shows no signs of memory-related stutters or dropped minimum FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The CPU has 9 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. In Minimum, the CPU's role is to feed the RTX 5090 D with draw calls and game logic updates. At 1080p, the CPU's six cores are sufficient to achieve 258 FPS on Low settings, which indicates that the game's CPU workload is well within the processor's capabilities at this resolution.

However, the CPU's percentile ranking of 47 and its average benchmark score of 2,254 suggest that it is a mid-range part in the broader landscape. The nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, have average scores within 0.4% of the i5-9400, meaning these CPUs are essentially equivalent in synthetic tests. In Minimum, the CPU's impact is most visible at 1080p, where the frame rates are highest and the GPU is less likely to be the bottleneck. The min FPS data at 1080p Medium (199 FPS) compared to the average (234 FPS) shows a 35 FPS gap, which could be attributed to CPU-related frame pacing issues.

The CPU's boost clock of 4.10 GHz provides sufficient single-thread performance for the game's main thread, but the lack of hyperthreading (six threads total) may limit performance in scenarios with heavy multi-threaded workloads. The 4K results show that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the FPS scaling closely follows the GPU's workload expectations. The CPU's TDP of 65 W and integration with the Intel Socket 1151 platform are not directly measured in the FPS data, but they contextualize the processor's position as an older, efficient part that pairs well with a high-end GPU in GPU-bound scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. For 4K displays, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 96 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a 23 FPS improvement over Ultra (73 FPS) while maintaining higher quality than Medium (114 FPS). If a higher frame rate is desired at 4K, the Medium preset delivers 114 FPS, but the visual fidelity reduction from High to Medium is not quantified in the data.

For 1440p, the High preset at 178 FPS is the recommended choice for users with high-refresh-rate monitors, as it stays well above 144 Hz. The Ultra preset at 136 FPS is also viable for 144 Hz displays, offering a 42 FPS drop from High but with maximum visual settings. The Low preset at 223 FPS is unnecessary for most users unless they are targeting 240 Hz displays, which the combo can achieve at 1080p as well.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 200 FPS is the best choice for users with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors, as it provides maximum visual quality while still exceeding the refresh rate. The High preset at 220 FPS offers a slight performance boost for 240 Hz displays, while the Medium preset at 234 FPS with a 199 FPS minimum ensures high frame rates even in demanding scenes. The Low preset at 258 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where frame rate is prioritized over visuals.

The data shows that the combo is most balanced at 1440p High, where the 178 FPS average leverages both the CPU's ability to deliver high frame rates and the GPU's capacity for higher resolutions. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, so users should prioritize the High preset over Ultra to maintain smoother gameplay. The measured min FPS of 97 at 4K Medium indicates that even the lowest frames stay well above playable thresholds, making Medium a safe fallback for users with variable refresh rate monitors.