Overpower

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B580 occupies a mid-field position in the Overpower benchmark hierarchy. The data places this combo at rank 1376 out of 1744 tested combinations, which puts it in the lower-middle tier of the overall distribution. This ranking is notable because the individual components tell a more nuanced story—the GPU sits at the 66th percentile against all GPUs, while the CPU rests at the 50th percentile against all CPUs. The combination's aggregate position suggests that the pairing is not bottlenecking catastrophically, but it is also not extracting the maximum potential from either component. In practical terms, this combo lands in a zone where it can handle the game's demands at mainstream resolutions, but it trails a significant portion of the tested field in raw throughput. The delta between the component percentiles and the combo rank indicates that the system's performance is being moderated by the CPU's six-core, six-thread configuration, which lacks the headroom of higher-core-count parts when paired with a GPU of this class.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1376 out of 1744 tested combinations represents a percentile position of roughly 21% from the bottom, meaning about 79% of tested systems outperform it in Overpower. This is a challenging placement for a system built around a current-generation GPU. The Intel Arc B580 itself holds the 66th percentile against all GPUs, which is a respectable standing, but the Intel Core i5-9400's 50th percentile against all CPUs drags the overall result downward. The CPU's nearest rivals illustrate the tight competition at this performance level: the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2300 with a delta of 0.2% versus the i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2305, and the Intel Core i3-1125G4 scores 2299 with the same 0.2% delta. The Intel Xeon E-2134 trails slightly at 2295 with a 0.4% delta, while the Intel Core i7-8809G leads this group at 2319 with a -0.6% delta. These margins are razor-thin, indicating that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class—neither overachieving nor underdelivering. The bottleneck analysis is straightforward: the GPU is capable of more, but the CPU's six threads constrain the frame delivery in a game that likely benefits from additional processing headroom. The result is a combo that is playable but not competitive with higher-ranked systems that pair this GPU with a stronger processor.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 brings substantial graphics resources to this pairing. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s, which is ample for modern game assets at high resolutions. The memory clock runs at 2375 MHz with 19 Gbps effective throughput, and the GPU's base and boost clocks are both set to 2670 MHz. The shading engine consists of 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, with 20 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 13.67 TFLOPS. In the context of Overpower, these specifications translate into a GPU that can push high frame rates at lower settings but struggles to maintain fluidity at the highest presets. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672 confirm that the GPU's raw compute is solid, but the measured FPS data shows that the CPU pairing limits the realized performance. The GPU's 66th percentile ranking against all GPUs is consistent with its position near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in the nearest rivals list—the RTX 4060 scores 23181 with a delta of -0.7% versus the B580's average benchmark score of 23021. The AMD Radeon 760M trails at 22999 with a 0.1% delta, and the NVIDIA P106-100 sits at 22950 with a 0.3% delta. This GPU is clearly capable of more than the combo delivers, and the measured FPS data confirms that the processor is the limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this combo responds to different quality presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 123.1 FPS, which is the highest frame rate achieved at any resolution or setting. This drops to 74.7 FPS at Medium, 71.1 FPS at High, and 58.1 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium is substantial—a 48.4 FPS difference—while the step from Medium to High is a modest 3.6 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 13 FPS. This pattern suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it captures most of the fidelity upgrade from Low while maintaining a frame rate that is 16.6 FPS higher than High. At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds: Low delivers 111.5 FPS, Medium 68.2 FPS, High 65.4 FPS, and Ultra 51.1 FPS. The Medium preset again represents the sweet spot, with only a 2.8 FPS penalty versus High but a 43.3 FPS advantage over Low. At 3840x2160, the situation tightens considerably. Low delivers 92.2 FPS, Medium 60.6 FPS, High 56 FPS, and Ultra 46.5 FPS. At this resolution, Medium is the recommended choice for a playable experience, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold while High dips below it. The data supports Medium as the optimal preset across all resolutions for this combo, balancing the GPU's capabilities against the CPU's limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The resolution and settings matrix reveals a consistent performance hierarchy. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its best results: Low settings produce an average of 123.1 FPS, Medium 74.7 FPS, High 71.1 FPS, and Ultra 58.1 FPS. The progression from Low to Medium represents a 39.3% reduction in frame rate, while the step from Medium to High is only a 4.8% reduction, and from High to Ultra is an 18.3% reduction. This indicates that the game's visual settings have a non-linear impact on performance, with the Low-to-Medium transition being the most demanding. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale downward predictably: Low delivers 111.5 FPS, Medium 68.2 FPS, High 65.4 FPS, and Ultra 51.1 FPS. The percentage drops from 1080p are roughly 9.4% for Low, 8.7% for Medium, 8.0% for High, and 12.0% for Ultra. The resolution scaling is relatively uniform, suggesting that the GPU is not the primary constraint at these settings. At 3840x2160, the picture changes. Low settings yield 92.2 FPS, Medium 60.6 FPS, High 56 FPS, and Ultra 46.5 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is significant: 17.3% for Low, 11.1% for Medium, 14.4% for High, and 9.0% for Ultra. The fact that the Ultra preset drops below 50 FPS at 4K indicates that this combo is not suited for maximum quality at the highest resolution. The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra widens with resolution: at 1080p the delta is 65 FPS, at 1440p it is 60.4 FPS, and at 4K it is 45.7 FPS. This narrowing gap at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor as pixel count increases, which is consistent with the GPU's 456.0 GB/s bandwidth being taxed more heavily at 4K.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings delivers the highest average frame rate at 123.1 FPS. For a balance of quality and performance, 2560x1440 at Medium settings provides 68.2 FPS, while 3840x2160 at Medium drops to 60.6 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, scores 2300 with a 0.2% delta. The Intel Core i3-1125G4 scores 2299 with a 0.2% delta, the Intel Xeon E-2134 scores 2295 with a 0.4% delta, and the Intel Core i7-8809G scores 2319 with a -0.6% delta.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The GPU holds the 66th percentile against all GPUs, while the CPU sits at the 50th percentile. The combo ranks at 1376 out of 1744, indicating that the CPU's six-core, six-thread configuration is likely constraining the GPU's performance, especially at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 123.1 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 58.1 FPS. This represents a 65 FPS difference, or a 52.8% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: How does the GPU's 3DMark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B580 scores 3068 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 with an average benchmark score of 23181 and a -0.7% delta, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile with 22729 and a 1.3% delta. The AMD Radeon 760M scores 22999 with a 0.1% delta.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the combo achieves 92.2 FPS at Low settings and 60.6 FPS at Medium settings. However, High settings drop to 56 FPS and Ultra falls to 46.5 FPS, so 60 FPS is only sustainable at Low or Medium presets.