Overpower

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT combination delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Overpower, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary driver at higher resolutions. The data shows a system that can push well past 100 FPS at mainstream settings, though the 6-core/6-thread Coffee Lake CPU begins to show its age as the workload shifts.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frames per second reveal a predictable downward trend as resolution increases, but the rate of decline is telling. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 114.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 103.7 FPS, a reduction of roughly 11 FPS or about 9.7%. The jump to 4K High yields 88.4 FPS, which is another 15.3 FPS lower, representing a further 14.8% decrease from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the frame rate penalty from 1440p to 4K is more severe than from 1080p to 1440p.

Low settings tell a similar story with a different ceiling. The 1080p Low result of 158.4 FPS drops to 155.3 FPS at 1440p, a mere 3.1 FPS difference. At 4K Low, the average falls to 146.9 FPS, which is still a very high number but represents an 8.4 FPS loss from 1440p. The relatively small gaps between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings indicate that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately at these lower resolutions, but the widening gap at higher resolutions points to the RX 6800 XT's rendering workload becoming the bottleneck.

The most dramatic scaling occurs at Ultra settings. The 1080p Ultra average of 92.5 FPS drops to 86.6 FPS at 1440p, then plummets to 69.8 FPS at 4K. This 16.8 FPS drop from 1440p to 4K Ultra is the largest single-step decline in the dataset, and it strongly suggests that 4K Ultra is pushing the GPU to its limits. The pattern across all settings indicates that while the i5-9400 can keep up at 1080p, the RX 6800 XT becomes the deciding factor once resolution increases, particularly with higher quality presets.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications underline why it handles 4K as well as it does. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card offers 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for feeding the 4608 shading units at high resolutions. The 72 ray accelerators and 128 ROPs further support the card's ability to maintain playable frame rates even when the render resolution climbs.

Clock speeds also play a role in the measured results. The GPU's game clock of 2015 MHz and boost clock of 2250 MHz, built on the 7 nm RDNA 2.0 architecture with 26,800 million transistors, allow it to sustain high throughput. The card's pixel rate of 288.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 648.0 GTexel/s are substantial, and these figures correlate with the observed 4K performance. At 4K High, the combo still manages 88.4 FPS, which is a strong result for a 2023 action title, and even 4K Ultra remains playable at 69.8 FPS.

The benchmark data shows that the GPU's relative standing is solid. It sits in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49982. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, which it leads by 2.6%, and the Intel Arc A550M, which trails by 0.5%. This positioning confirms that the RX 6800 XT is a high-end part that can carry the system in GPU-bound scenarios, which the resolution scaling data confirms is the case at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all 1744 tested combinations for Overpower, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ranks 655th. This places it in the upper third of all combos, which is respectable but not elite. The ranking reflects the imbalance between the two components: the GPU is clearly capable, while the CPU is more modest in its performance class.

The CPU's own benchmark results illustrate the potential limitation. The i5-9400 scores 7969 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 in single-core, with an average benchmark score of 2305. It sits at the 50th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it is exactly average in the broader market. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305, which scores 2300 and is just 0.2% slower, and the Intel Core i7-8809G, which scores 2319 and is 0.6% faster. These are extremely close margins, indicating the i5-9400 is not a standout processor.

The 655th rank out of 1744 combos suggests that while the GPU pulls the system up, the CPU holds it back from the top tiers. In games where the CPU is the bottleneck, such as at 1080p Low where the frame rate is 158.4 FPS, the i5-9400's 6 threads may limit the ceiling. The combo rank is a composite measure, and the data indicates that pairing this GPU with a stronger CPU would likely yield a significantly better ranking, as the RX 6800 XT has more headroom than the processor can exploit.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1440p High provides the best balance, with 103.7 FPS, which is 15.3 FPS higher than 4K High but only 11.1 FPS lower than 1080p High. The 1440p result is well above the 60 FPS threshold and is less demanding on the GPU than 4K.

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

A: The 4K Ultra setting yields an average of 69.8 FPS, which is playable but noticeably lower than other settings. This is the lowest measured frame rate in the dataset, and it represents a 24.5% drop from the 4K High result of 88.4 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 158.4 FPS, and the gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is only 3.1 FPS. This narrow gap suggests the CPU is beginning to limit performance at 1080p, as the GPU should be able to push higher frame rates if it were fully utilized.

Q: How does the RX 6800 XT compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RX 6800 XT has an average benchmark score of 49982, which is 2.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's score of 48704. It also leads the NVIDIA CMP 50HX by 1.9% and trails the NVIDIA RTX A1000 by 1.7%.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 655th out of 1744 total combinations tested in Overpower. This places it in the top 37.5% of all systems, indicating a solid but not top-tier configuration.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this setup?

A: Yes, 4K is viable. The 4K High setting delivers 88.4 FPS, which is smooth, and even 4K Medium hits 93.8 FPS. However, 4K Ultra drops to 69.8 FPS, so users seeking maximum quality may need to accept slightly lower frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to a clear hierarchy of presets, and the choice depends on the user's target resolution and frame rate preference. For 1080p users, the High preset at 114.8 FPS is an excellent choice, as it offers a substantial improvement over Ultra's 92.5 FPS while maintaining high visual quality. The Medium preset at 121.1 FPS is also viable, but High provides a better balance of fidelity and speed.

At 1440p, the High preset again emerges as the strongest option. The 103.7 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS standard and represents a good compromise. The Ultra preset at 86.6 FPS is still very playable and offers the maximum visual quality, while the Low preset at 155.3 FPS is unnecessary for most users unless they are chasing extremely high refresh rates.

For 4K, the data suggests that High is the sweet spot. The 88.4 FPS result is smooth and visually rich, while the Ultra preset's 69.8 FPS may feel less fluid on high refresh rate displays. The Medium preset at 93.8 FPS is also a strong option for 4K, as it provides a slight frame rate boost over High with a modest reduction in visual quality. The Low preset at 146.9 FPS is overkill for 4K and would waste the GPU's potential.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset offers the highest frame rates but sacrifices the visual experience that the RX 6800 XT is capable of delivering. The Ultra preset, while visually impressive, incurs a significant frame rate penalty at 4K. The High preset consistently provides the best measured experience, balancing the GPU's capabilities against the CPU's limitations. For users with a 1440p or 4K display, High is the recommended setting; for 1080p, High is also the best choice, though Medium offers a small boost for competitive play.