Overpower

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture. It operates at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and can boost up to 4.10 GHz, with 9 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 7969 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 points in single-core. Its average benchmark score of 2305 places it at the 50th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it sits exactly in the middle of the performance distribution. The nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2300 (0.2% slower), the Intel Core i3-1125G4 scores 2299 (0.2% slower), and the Intel Xeon E-2134 scores 2295 (0.4% slower). The only faster nearby chip is the Intel Core i7-8809G at 2319, which is 0.6% ahead. This clustering means the i5-9400 is effectively tied with its immediate competition.

For Overpower, this CPU provides adequate processing power for the game’s Action genre demands. The six physical cores without hyper-threading are sufficient for modern game logic, but the lack of extra threads means background tasks could contend for resources. The 2.90 GHz base clock is modest, yet the 4.10 GHz boost clock provides headroom when a single core is under load. In the measured results, the CPU’s contribution is visible in the scaling between settings at the same resolution. At 1920x1080, dropping from Ultra to Low raises the average frame rate from 30.5 FPS to 63.8 FPS, a gap of 33.3 FPS. This wide spread suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower settings, as the frame rate nearly doubles when graphical load decreases. However, the 50th percentile CPU ranking indicates that this processor is neither a weak point nor a strong asset; it is a balanced mid-pack performer.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for Overpower on this Intel Core i5-9400 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination shows a clear hierarchy across presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 63.8 FPS, which is the only setting that approaches smooth 60 FPS gameplay. The Medium preset drops to 36.5 FPS, High falls to 39.1 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 30.5 FPS. Based on these numbers, the Low preset at 1080p is the only viable option for responsive play. The jump from Low to Medium costs 27.3 FPS, a massive 43% reduction in performance, indicating that the Medium preset introduces a disproportionately heavy load relative to its visual gain.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset still manages 54.6 FPS, which is playable but not fluid. Medium and High both hover around 31 FPS (31.3 and 30.6 respectively), while Ultra drops to 25.5 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset remains above 30 FPS at 49.8 FPS; Medium falls to 30.0 FPS, High to 27.3 FPS, and Ultra is nearly unplayable at 22.0 FPS. The data strongly suggests that Low settings are the only reasonable choice for this hardware. Even at 1080p, the 63.8 FPS average on Low is the sole preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold. For a better visual experience without a massive frame rate penalty, the High preset at 1080p (39.1 FPS) offers a middle ground, but it is still below 40 FPS, which will feel stuttery in an action game.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component in this system. At Low settings, the average frame rate moves from 63.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 54.6 FPS at 2560x1440 and 49.8 FPS at 3840x2160. This is a 14.0 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K, or a 22% reduction. The relatively modest decline suggests that at Low settings, the GPU is still able to keep up with the resolution increase, but the CPU’s 50th percentile performance is holding the frame rate back from scaling linearly with pixel count. If the GPU were the sole bottleneck, the 4K resolution would cause a much steeper drop, as it has four times the pixels of 1080p.

At High settings, the progression is steeper: 39.1 FPS at 1080p, 30.6 FPS at 1440p, and 27.3 FPS at 4K. The 11.8 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K (30%) indicates that the GTX 1650 is becoming the primary constraint as graphical load increases. At Ultra settings, the trend is even more pronounced: 30.5 FPS at 1080p, 25.5 FPS at 1440p, and 22.0 FPS at 4K. The 8.5 FPS drop (28%) shows that the GPU is saturated. The data indicates a balance shift: at Low settings, the CPU and GPU are co-limiting, with the CPU preventing higher frame rates; at High and Ultra, the GPU’s 4 GB VRAM and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth become the ceiling. The GTX 1650’s 128-bit memory bus and 2.984 TFLOPS FP32 performance are simply insufficient for 4K Ultra, but the CPU’s mid-pack ranking means it cannot push beyond 60 FPS even at 1080p Low.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Overpower at 60 FPS?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the measured average FPS is 63.8, which clears the 60 FPS mark. All other settings and resolutions fall below 60 FPS, with the next closest being 2560x1440 Low at 54.6 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where any preset achieves over 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, the best result is 54.6 FPS on Low, and at 3840x2160, the best is 49.8 FPS on Low. 1080p Low is the only playable option for smooth frame rates.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 8713, placing it at the 43rd percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 at 8671, which is 0.5% slower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (8746) and AMD Radeon 550X (8749) are both 0.4% faster, while the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 (8761) is 0.5% faster.

Q: Is the i5-9400 a bottleneck in Overpower?

A: The CPU’s 50th percentile ranking and the FPS scaling suggest it is not a severe bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the frame rate reaches 63.8 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at that level. However, the single-core Cinebench R15 score of 113 is low, which could limit performance in CPU-heavy scenes, though the measured data does not show a hard cap below 60 FPS.

Q: What settings should I avoid?

A: Avoid Ultra at all resolutions. At 1920x1080 Ultra, the FPS is 30.5; at 2560x1440 Ultra, it is 25.5; and at 3840x2160 Ultra, it is 22.0. These are all below playable thresholds for an action game. Medium is also poor, as it drops to 36.5 FPS at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a Turing-architecture GPU built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It features 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1485 MHz and boosts to 1665 MHz, with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus providing 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The pixel rate is 53.28 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 93.24 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 2.984 TFLOPS. This GPU scores 7880 in Passmark G3D and 39112 in Geekbench OpenCL, putting it at the 43rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.5% in average score, with the AMD Radeon 550X at 8749 being the fastest (0.4% ahead).

In Overpower, the GPU’s 4 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are the primary constraints at higher settings. The measured FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 22.0, which is below 30 FPS and essentially unplayable. The GPU’s 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors indicate it is a low-power card, but the die size of 200 mm² and 4,700 million transistors show it is not a small chip. The GTX 1650’s performance in this game is predictable: it can handle Low settings at 1080p for smooth play, but any attempt to raise quality results in a significant frame rate penalty. The 128.1 GB/s bandwidth is a clear limitation, as the memory system cannot feed the shading units fast enough at high resolutions and quality presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across settings is as follows: Low delivers 63.8 FPS, High provides 39.1 FPS, Medium offers 36.5 FPS, and Ultra yields 30.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 27.3 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is only 2.6 FPS, and High to Ultra is 8.6 FPS. This suggests that Medium and High are nearly identical in cost, but Ultra adds a substantial load.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low at 54.6 FPS, High at 30.6 FPS, Medium at 31.3 FPS, and Ultra at 25.5 FPS. Here, Medium (31.3) is slightly faster than High (30.6), which is atypical and suggests variance in the measured data. The drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 9.2 FPS, while the drop from 1080p High to 1440p High is 8.5 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the numbers are: Low at 49.8 FPS, Medium at 30.0 FPS, High at 27.3 FPS, and Ultra at 22.0 FPS. The Low preset at 4K is the only one above 30 FPS, and it loses 14.0 FPS compared to 1080p Low. The Ultra preset at 4K is the worst measured result at 22.0 FPS, which is 8.5 FPS below 1080p Ultra. The overall pattern is clear: this combo is only capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p Low, with 1440p Low being a compromise and 4K Low being barely acceptable. The GPU’s 43rd percentile ranking and the CPU’s 50th percentile ranking combine to produce a mid-range experience that requires low settings for playable frame rates in Overpower.