Overpower

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination delivers a strong 1080p and 1440p experience in Overpower, but the data reveals a clear shift in system bottleneck as resolution climbs. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces 114 FPS, while dropping to Low settings yields 159.7 FPS—a 40% performance headroom that indicates the CPU is not fully saturating the GPU’s capabilities. Moving to 1440p, the spread narrows slightly: Ultra hits 100.8 FPS, Low reaches 153.8 FPS, a 52.6% gap. At 4K, the Ultra preset falls to 83.7 FPS, and Low manages 145 FPS, showing that the GPU becomes the primary limiter at higher resolutions. The scaling from 1080p Ultra (114 FPS) to 4K Ultra (83.7 FPS) represents a 26.6% drop, while the same resolution change at Low settings (159.7 to 145 FPS) only costs 9.2% performance. This pattern suggests that the RTX 4070 SUPER has ample headroom at lower resolutions, but the older six-core processor begins to constrain frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across resolutions paints a clear picture of where this combo’s limits lie. At 1080p Low, the system produces 159.7 FPS, which drops to 153.8 FPS at 1440p and 145 FPS at 4K—a remarkably shallow decline of 9.2% from 1080p to 4K. This indicates that at Low settings, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU has enough performance to maintain high frame rates even at 4K. Conversely, at Ultra settings, the 1080p result of 114 FPS falls to 100.8 FPS at 1440p and 83.7 FPS at 4K—a 26.6% total drop. The widening gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution (14.7 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 61.3 FPS at 4K) demonstrates that the RTX 4070 SUPER’s rendering load grows with resolution, while the i5-9400’s six threads deliver diminishing returns. The 4K Medium result of 108.4 FPS is notably close to the 1080p High result of 128.6 FPS, suggesting that the GPU can handle moderate settings at 4K without severe penalties. Overall, the data shows that this combo is most balanced at 1440p, where the CPU and GPU contributions are more evenly matched, while 1080p favors the GPU and 4K shifts the burden entirely onto the graphics card.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 brings six cores and six threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. In Overpower, this processor’s impact is most visible at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 159.7 FPS, which is only 3.8% faster than the 1440p Low result of 153.8 FPS. This modest gain suggests that the CPU is already near its limit in feeding frames to the GPU at 1080p. The processor’s 50th percentile ranking among all CPUs, coupled with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969, places it as a mid-range part. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-9400’s average benchmark score of 2305 is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299), but 0.6% behind the Intel Core i7-8809G (2319). In practice, these minor differences mean the i5-9400 does not create a noticeable bottleneck in Overpower, as evidenced by the 4K Low result of 145 FPS—only a 9.2% drop from 1080p Low. The six cores and six threads are sufficient for this action game, but the absence of hyper-threading means that more demanding scenes could expose CPU limits, particularly when aiming for high refresh rates at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, is the dominant component in this pairing. Its 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 42576 place it well above the i5-9400’s CPU percentile. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz and 7168 shading units drive the performance seen in the measured FPS rows. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 83.7 FPS, which is a 26.6% drop from 1080p Ultra (114 FPS), demonstrating the GPU’s ability to handle demanding settings at high resolutions. The GPU’s rivals show how close it sits to other high-end parts: the NVIDIA RTX A6000 scores 42653 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE scores 42723 (0.3% higher), and the AMD Radeon Pro 580X scores 41991 (1.4% lower). In Overpower, the RTX 4070 SUPER’s VRAM capacity and bandwidth prove sufficient, as even the 4K Ultra result remains playable. The GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at 4K, where the difference between Low (145 FPS) and Ultra (83.7 FPS) is 61.3 FPS, showing that the graphics card is the primary driver of frame rate changes at that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 488th out of 1744 tested combos in Overpower. This places the pairing in the top 28% of all tested systems, a strong showing given the CPU’s age. The ranking reflects the GPU’s high percentile (84th) compensating for the CPU’s mid-pack position (50th). Compared to other combos, this pairing outperforms systems with weaker GPUs but similar CPUs, but it falls short of combos that pair the RTX 4070 SUPER with newer, higher-core-count processors. The gap between the CPU and GPU’s benchmark percentiles (34 points) suggests that a newer processor would improve the combo’s rank, particularly in CPU-bound scenarios at 1080p. However, the measured FPS data indicates that the i5-9400 does not drag down the experience in Overpower to a significant degree, as the 4K results remain above 80 FPS even at Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience across all resolutions, the data points to High settings as the optimal balance. At 1080p, High delivers 128.6 FPS, which is 12.8% faster than Ultra (114 FPS) but only 3.4% slower than Medium (133.1 FPS). At 1440p, High produces 119.4 FPS, falling between Medium’s 131.8 FPS and Ultra’s 100.8 FPS. The 4K High result of 103.9 FPS is nearly identical to the 4K Medium result of 108.4 FPS, making High the more visually demanding option with minimal frame rate cost. Ultra settings at 4K drop to 83.7 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 19.4% penalty over High. For players seeking maximum frame rates, Low settings at 1080p (159.7 FPS) or 1440p (153.8 FPS) are the clear choices, but the visual downgrade may not be worth the 24.2% gain over High at 1080p. The data suggests that High at 1440p (119.4 FPS) offers the most balanced experience, providing smooth gameplay without compromising visual quality significantly.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1440p with High settings (119.4 FPS) offers the best balance of performance and visual quality, as it remains above 100 FPS while delivering better detail than 1080p.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Ultra settings, the drop is 30.3 FPS (from 114 to 83.7 FPS), a 26.6% decrease. At Low settings, the drop is only 14.7 FPS (from 159.7 to 145 FPS), a 9.2% decrease.

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

A: At 1080p Low, the CPU is the limiter, as the GPU has headroom (159.7 FPS vs 145 FPS at 4K Low). At 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes the limiter, with a 61.3 FPS gap between Low and Ultra settings.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 488th out of 1744 tested combos, placing it in the top 28% of all systems in the database for Overpower.

Q: What is the difference between Medium and High settings at 4K?

A: The difference is 4.5 FPS (108.4 FPS for Medium vs 103.9 FPS for High), making High a near-free visual upgrade at 4K.

Q: Can this system achieve 144 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings (153.8 FPS). Medium settings drop to 131.8 FPS, High to 119.4 FPS, and Ultra to 100.8 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates: Low settings produce 159.7 FPS, Medium 133.1 FPS, High 128.6 FPS, and Ultra 114 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 45.7 FPS, indicating that the CPU limits the ceiling at this resolution. Moving to 2560x1440, the results are 153.8 FPS (Low), 131.8 FPS (Medium), 119.4 FPS (High), and 100.8 FPS (Ultra). The gap between Low and Ultra narrows slightly to 53 FPS, showing the GPU beginning to take on more work. At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 145 FPS (Low), 108.4 FPS (Medium), 103.9 FPS (High), and 83.7 FPS (Ultra). The Low-to-Ultra gap grows to 61.3 FPS, confirming the GPU’s dominant role at 4K. Across all resolutions, the Ultra preset consistently shows the largest performance penalty, while Low maintains playable frame rates even at 4K. The Medium preset offers a consistent middle ground, with results that are within 10% of High at every resolution.