Overpower

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination delivers a highly capable 1080p and 1440p gaming experience in Overpower. The measured data shows that the Medium preset is the sweet spot across all resolutions, offering the best balance between visual fidelity and fluidity. While Ultra settings are playable at 1080p and 1440p, the Medium preset provides significantly higher frame rates with only a modest visual step down. Low settings maximize performance for competitive play, but the frame rates are already so high that it's more meaningful to target higher-quality visuals.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results for this combo in Overpower show a clear performance hierarchy across the four tested presets. Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium settings preset provides the best overall experience. In nearly every resolution, it maintains high average frame rates while providing the visual enhancements that are likely to matter in a modern Action game, as opposed to the Low preset, which prioritizes maximum speed above all.

At 3840x2160, Medium delivers an average of 77 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 66 and a maximum of 89. This is a playable and smooth frame rate, especially when compared to the 60 FPS average of the Ultra preset. The jump from High to Medium is also favorable: High averages 72 FPS, while Medium averages 77 FPS. The delta between Medium and Ultra is a 17 FPS difference, which is a significant performance cost for the highest settings.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again stands out as the most balanced choice. It achieves an average of 91 FPS, with a minimum of 77 FPS ensuring stable performance during intense scenes. The High preset offers 85 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 70 FPS. The Low preset, at 146 FPS, is only necessary for extremely high refresh rate displays, but the Medium preset's 91 FPS average is already excellent for most standard 1440p monitors.

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides an average of 102 FPS, with a minimum of 87. This is a highly fluid experience that will make full use of a standard 144Hz monitor. The High preset's 95 FPS and Ultra preset's 79 FPS are also good, but the Medium preset offers a noticeable performance headroom to avoid almost any potential frame drops. The Low preset's 160 FPS average is ideal for esports-style play with a 165Hz or 240Hz display, but the visual quality sacrifice is significant for what is typically a single-player-oriented action title.

The data indicates that the Ultra preset is only recommended for users with a 60Hz display or those who prioritize visual fidelity above all else, especially at 4K where it averages exactly 60 FPS. For every other user, the Medium preset is the recommended default, offering a significant performance advantage over Ultra while likely retaining most of the visual impact. The High preset's performance is just slightly below Medium, making it a good choice for players who want a bit more visual quality without a huge performance penalty, but the Medium preset's better frame pacing and higher average make it the better recommendation.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture. It has no hyper-threading, and its base clock is 2.90 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its performance in the database places it at the 47th percentile of all CPUs tested, which is a mid-range standing. This indicates that while the CPU is not a top-tier performer, it's also far from being a bottleneck in most gaming scenarios, especially when paired with a modern GPU in a game like Overpower.

The i5-9400's benchmark scores support this position. It scores 6629 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 935 in single-core. Its Geekbench scores are 5141 multi-core and 1389 single-core. These numbers put it in a bracket with rivals like the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (which scores -0.2% delta) and the Intel Core i3-10305 (which scores -0.4% delta), showing that its multi-threaded performance is on par with those chips. The i5-9400's lack of hyper-threading means its 6 threads are the sole execution engine, but its high single-core boost clock of 4.10 GHz helps maintain responsiveness in games.

In Overpower, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU. The measured FPS results show that the GPU is the primary driver of performance, as the frame rates scale significantly with resolution and settings. For instance, the 1080p Low preset yields 160 FPS, while the 4K Ultra yields 60 FPS. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario at higher presets. However, even at lower resolutions like 1080p, the CPU is sufficient to drive high frame rates. The 6-core, 6-thread configuration, while not as strong as newer 8-core or 12-thread chips, is likely enough for Overpower's engine, which is a 2023 Action title.

The CPU's L3 cache is 9 MB shared, and it supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, offering a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. This memory bandwidth is moderate but enough for a game at these settings. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not a significant bottleneck for the GPU, as the GPU's full potential seems to be used. For example, if the CPU were weak, we would expect the FPS to be capped at a lower number regardless of the resolution or settings. Instead, the FPS scales from 60 to 160, indicating the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output across a wide range of settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and is a 5 nm part. It features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a key factor in its performance. The GPU has a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz, with the memory running at 1750 MHz or 28 Gbps effective. These clock speeds are important for understanding its rasterization power.

The RTX 5060's benchmark performance is strong. It scores 20891 in Passmark G3D and 10899 in Passmark GPU Compute. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3628. These figures place it above the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, meaning it performs better than most other graphics cards in the database. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M (with a 0.3 delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (also with a 0.3 delta), though those are not direct desktop equivalents. A more relevant rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, which scores a 1.2 deltaPct higher.

In Overpower, the GPU's role is undeniably central. The measured FPS shows a clear scaling pattern with settings. At 4K, the Ultra preset pulls 60 FPS, while the Low preset hits 124 FPS. This is a 64 FPS difference, which is a massive swing. The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures at these settings, since the game doesn't seem to suffer from any VRAM-related stutters. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s helps with the frame rates at high resolutions. The RTX 5060's 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a strong indicator of its raw compute power, which translates into high frame rates in a game like this.

The GPU's boost clock of 2497 MHz is quite high, and it's a big contributor to the strong performance. The pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s indicate it can handle high resolutions without being limited by its texture mapping units. The RTX 5060 has 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. This configuration is well-suited for a 2023 Action game. The GPU's performance in the game is clearly good, as shown by the ability to hit 160 FPS at 1080p Low and 77 FPS at 4K Medium. The fact that the 4K Medium has a minimum FPS of 66 also shows it doesn't have any severe frame time spikes.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested hardware combinations, this specific combo of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 1682 out of 3713 total combos. This puts it in the 45th percentile of all combinations tested, meaning it's a mid-pack performer. This ranking is influenced by the CPU's 47th percentile standing and the GPU's 72nd percentile standing. The CPU is a relative weak point in this pairing, bringing the overall ranking down from what the GPU could achieve with a stronger processor. The combo's rank is within the top half of tested combos, but not at the top.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context. The i5-9400 scores 2254 on average, which is nearly identical to the i7-1068NG7 (2259, -0.2%), the i7-10710U (2248, 0.3%), the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246, 0.4%), and the i3-10305 (2264, -0.4%). This suggests that the i5-9400's performance is right in the middle of a group of mid-range chips. The GPU's nearest rivals include the Radeon 860M (26401, -0.3%), MX550 (26421, -0.3%), RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (26553, -0.8%), and RX 6750 XT (26011, 1.2%), placing it in a similar mid-range bracket.

The combo's rank of 1682/3713 is a solid result. It indicates that this is a balanced build for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it excels, but it's not a top-tier 4K or high-refresh-rate machine. The data shows that the CPU is the limiting factor in this pairing, as the GPU has more headroom to push frame rates, but the CPU's 6 threads could hold it back in CPU-intensive scenes. However, the measured FPS in Overpower shows that this bottleneck is not apparent in this particular game, as the GPU reaches 160 FPS at 1080p Low. The ranking of 1682 out of 3713 means this combo is better than roughly 54% of all tested combos, which is a decent result.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset to use for this combination in Overpower?

A: The Medium preset offers the best experience across all resolutions. It provides an average of 102 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p, and 77 FPS at 4K, with solid minimum frame rates.

Q: Is this combo capable of running Overpower at 4K?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K Ultra, it delivers exactly 60 FPS, and at High, it reaches 72 FPS. For a smoother experience, the Medium preset at 4K yields 76 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its rivals?

A: The Core i5-9400's average benchmark score is 2254, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259, -0.2%) and the Intel Core i3-10305 (2264, -0.4%). It is a mid-range performer, scoring at the 47th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth, and is it enough?

A: The RTX 5060 has 448 GB/s of memory bandwidth from its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus. This is sufficient for the game, as the GPU delivers high frame rates without hitting memory bandwidth limits.

Q: What is the combo's ranking in the database?

A: The combo ranks 1682 out of 3713 tested combinations. This places it in the top 55% of all combinations, indicating a solid mid-tier performance.

Q: Does the GPU's performance in the game match its average benchmark?

A: The GPU's percentile of 71% and a PassMark G3D score of 20891 indicate a strong card. In Overpower, it's able to push 160 FPS at 1080p Low, which aligns with its high benchmark scores.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo provides a complete picture of its performance across all settings. The data is a direct measurement of the game's performance.

1920x1080 (1080p)

At 1080p, the CPU is the least likely to be a bottleneck. The Low preset delivers the highest frame rate, averaging 160 FPS. This is a great result for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset averages 102 FPS, with a minimum of 87 and a maximum of 118. This is a very stable frame rate. The High preset averages 95 FPS. The Ultra preset brings it down to 79 FPS, which is still smooth.

2560x1440 (1440p)

At 1440p, the GPU starts to take on more work. The Low preset averages 146 FPS, showing the GPU headroom. The Medium preset averages 91 FPS, with a minimum of 77 and a maximum of 105. The High preset averages 85 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 70 FPS. These numbers show that the Medium preset is the best compromise for 1440p, as it's well above the 60 FPS mark.

3840x2160 (4K/2160p)

At 4K, the GPU is heavily utilized. The Low preset averages 124 FPS, which is still very high for 4K. The Medium preset averages a 77 FPS, with a minimum of 66 and a maximum of 89. The High preset averages 72 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, averaging 60 FPS. This is the only preset that dips to the 60 FPS baseline at 4K, making it the absolute maximum for a 60Hz display.

The data shows a consistent pattern: Medium is roughly 23-25% faster than Ultra across all resolutions, while High sits in between. The 1080p Low preset's 160 FPS is a 60% improvement over the 1080p Ultra's 79 FPS. This scaling indicates that the GPU is the main driver of performance, and the CPU is not holding it back. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 87 at 1080p and 77 at 1440p suggests a smooth experience without major stutters. The Ultra preset's lack of a minimum FPS value in the data means it's likely very stable, but the average is lower. The High presets also have no minimum data, but the averages are consistent. This breakdown provides a clear picture of what to expect from this hardware.