Overpower

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Overpower, but the data reveals a steep performance cliff at 4K Ultra. The measured frame rates show a system that is well-balanced at lower resolutions, yet increasingly GPU-bound as resolution and quality settings rise. The core takeaway from the dataset is that the RTX 3070 Ti is the dominant force in this pairing, while the six-core i5-9400 provides sufficient headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck until the most demanding configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows indicate that the High preset is the optimal balance for this hardware combination across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 108.8 FPS, which is only 6.7 FPS lower than the Medium preset’s 115.5 FPS, yet it offers a visually richer experience. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 86.2 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 20.7% reduction from High. The data suggests that the visual uplift from Ultra does not justify the performance cost, especially when High maintains such a strong frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the High preset again stands out with 97.1 FPS. This is a 6.9% drop from the Medium preset’s 104.3 FPS, but the High preset remains comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at this resolution falls to 75.7 FPS, which is a noticeable 22.0% decrease from High. For 4K resolution, the High preset produces 80.4 FPS, which is respectable, but the Medium preset’s 85.8 FPS is only marginally better. The Low preset at 4K reaches 140.9 FPS, indicating that the GPU can push very high frame rates when the graphical load is minimized.

Benchmark results indicate that the Low preset is the only setting that consistently provides frame rates above 140 FPS at all resolutions, making it the choice for competitive play. However, for a balanced experience, High is the sweet spot. The Ultra preset, while visually demanding, shows the largest performance penalty, particularly at 4K where it drops to 68.7 FPS. The data implies that High is the recommended preset for most users, as it offers the best combination of visual fidelity and performance without the steep cost of Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i5-9400 and RTX 3070 Ti holds a comboRankInGame of 702 out of 1744 tested combos. This places the pairing in the 59.7th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms a majority of the other CPU-GPU pairings in the database. The rank indicates that while this is not a top-tier enthusiast setup, it is a solidly above-average performer for Overpower.

The CPU’s own benchmark percentile is 50, placing it exactly in the middle of all CPUs tested. This suggests that the i5-9400 is not a high-end processor, but its six cores and six threads are sufficient for this game’s demands. The GPU, however, sits in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, which is significantly higher. The data suggests that the RTX 3070 Ti is the stronger component in this pairing, and the overall combo rank is likely held back by the CPU’s more modest standing.

When examining the CPU’s nearest rivals, the i5-9400 is virtually tied with the Intel Core i3-10305 and the Intel Core i3-1125G4, with deltaPct values of 0.2% and 0.2%, respectively. It is also comparable to the Intel Xeon E-2134, which is 0.4% faster. The only rival that notably outperforms it is the Intel Core i7-8809G, which is 0.6% faster. These small deltas indicate that the i5-9400 is competing with lower-tier processors, yet the combo still ranks well due to the GPU’s strength.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the clear performance driver in this configuration. Its 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s, which is ample for the textures and assets in Overpower. The GPU’s boost clock of 1770 MHz, combined with 6144 shading units, allows it to handle the game’s action sequences with ease. The 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores further enhance the GPU’s capabilities, though the measured FPS data does not specifically isolate ray tracing performance.

The GPU’s performance is evident in the scaling across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 162.4 FPS, which is a 13.7% increase over the 1440p Low result of 153.9 FPS and a 15.3% increase over the 4K Low result of 140.9 FPS. This shows that the GPU is capable of maintaining high frame rates even at 4K when settings are reduced. However, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 4K, the difference between Low (140.9 FPS) and Ultra (68.7 FPS) is 72.2 FPS, demonstrating the GPU’s sensitivity to graphical load.

The GPU’s percentile ranking of 74 reflects its position among all tested GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME (0.3% faster) and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (0.8% slower). These close deltas suggest that the RTX 3070 Ti is a mid-to-high-range card, and its performance in Overpower aligns with that expectation. The data shows that the GPU is not the limiting factor in this system until the highest settings at 4K are used.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for this CPU-GPU combo at 1440p?

A: The High preset is the best choice at 2560x1440, delivering an average of 97.1 FPS. This is 6.9% lower than the Medium preset’s 104.3 FPS, but it offers better visual quality. The Ultra preset is significantly slower at 75.7 FPS, making High the optimal balance.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300, 0.2% faster) and the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299, 0.2% faster). The Intel Xeon E-2134 is 0.4% faster, while the Intel Core i7-8809G is 0.6% faster.

Q: Is the RTX 3070 Ti a bottleneck at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the data indicates a bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 68.7. This is a 51.3% decrease from the 4K Low setting’s 140.9 FPS, showing that the GPU is heavily taxed by the highest quality settings.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 115.5 FPS. This is a smooth experience for action gameplay, and it is 29.3 FPS higher than the Ultra preset at the same resolution.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 702nd out of 1744 tested combinations, placing it in the 59.7th percentile. This means it performs better than roughly 60% of all tested CPU-GPU pairs in Overpower.

Q: Does the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM limit performance in this game?

A: Based on the data, the 8 GB of GDDR6X memory does not appear to be a limiting factor. The GPU maintains high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, and only shows significant drops at 4K Ultra, which is more likely due to compute load than VRAM capacity.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the system delivers 108.8 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 97.1 FPS at 1440p (a 10.8% decrease) and further to 80.4 FPS at 4K (a 26.1% decrease from 1080p). This scaling suggests that the GPU is the primary driver of performance, as the CPU’s workload does not scale with resolution in the same way.

The Low preset demonstrates a similar trend, with 162.4 FPS at 1080p, 153.9 FPS at 1440p (a 5.2% decrease), and 140.9 FPS at 4K (a 13.2% decrease from 1080p). The smaller percentage drops at Low settings indicate that the GPU has more headroom to handle the resolution increase when the graphical load is lighter. Conversely, the Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with 86.2 FPS at 1080p dropping to 75.7 FPS at 1440p (a 12.2% decrease) and then to 68.7 FPS at 4K (a 20.3% decrease from 1080p).

The data implies that at 1080p and 1440p, the system is not entirely GPU-bound, as the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s output. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor, especially at higher settings. The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 28.4 FPS, while at Low settings it is only 21.5 FPS. This suggests that the GPU’s compute resources are exhausted by the 4K resolution, making it the bottleneck in this scenario.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its 9 MB of shared L3 cache and 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth are modest by modern standards, but they are sufficient for Overpower. The CPU’s benchmark results show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and a single-core score of 1125, which places it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU’s role in this game is to feed the RTX 3070 Ti with draw calls and game logic. The measured FPS data suggests that the i5-9400 does not bottleneck the GPU at 1080p or 1440p, as frame rates remain high. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system reaches 162.4 FPS, which is a strong indication that the CPU can handle high frame rate scenarios. However, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 68.7 FPS, but this is likely due to GPU limitations rather than CPU constraints.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i3-10305 and Intel Core i3-1125G4, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with deltas of 0.2%. This indicates that the i5-9400 is not a performance outlier in its class. The data shows that while the CPU is not a high-end part, it provides enough processing power to keep the GPU well-fed in most scenarios, making it a suitable match for the RTX 3070 Ti.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers a range of frame rates depending on settings. The Low preset achieves the highest average at 162.4 FPS, followed by Medium at 115.5 FPS, High at 108.8 FPS, and Ultra at 86.2 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 76.2 FPS, which is a substantial 46.9% reduction in performance when moving to the highest quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are lower across the board. The Low preset produces 153.9 FPS, which is a 5.2% decrease from 1080p Low. The Medium preset delivers 104.3 FPS, High achieves 97.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 75.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 78.2 FPS, which is actually larger than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU’s load increases more steeply with settings at higher resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the performance further degrades. The Low preset still manages 140.9 FPS, which is impressive, but the Medium preset falls to 85.8 FPS, High to 80.4 FPS, and Ultra to 68.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 72.2 FPS. The data shows that the Low preset is the only setting that maintains a frame rate above 100 FPS at 4K, while all other presets fall below 90 FPS. This breakdown confirms that the RTX 3070 Ti is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 4K only with reduced settings, and that the High preset is the best compromise for visual quality and performance across all resolutions.