Pc Building Simulator

Pc Building Simulator is a simulation title that scales heavily with both GPU and CPU, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 delivers a performance profile that is more nuanced than a simple average. The benchmark results show a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but begins to show its structural limits as resolution increases. The data indicates a clear division of labor: the RX 7600 handles the visual load, while the i5-9400 provides the foundational processing, and this pairing creates a distinct bottleneck that shifts depending on the settings and resolution selected.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep and reveals a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At Ultra settings, the average FPS falls from 108.1 at 1080p to 70.3 at 1440p, a 35% reduction, and then plummets further to 38.1 at 4K. This pattern suggests that the rendering pipeline becomes increasingly dependent on the Radeon RX 7600's pixel throughput as pixel count rises. The GPU's pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s is being taxed heavily at 4K, where the demand for fragment processing outpaces what the card can deliver, even with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Moving to Low settings, the scaling story changes. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 229.4, which drops to 141.4 at 1440p and 72.9 at 4K. The relative drop from 1440p to 4K is about 48%, which is less severe than the drop from 1080p to 1440p (38%). This indicates that at Low settings, the CPU begins to play a more significant role at lower resolutions, but the GPU still dominates the 4K calculation. The fact that 4K Low (72.9 FPS) is nearly identical to 1440p High (69.5 FPS) suggests that the RX 7600's raw compute power, measured at 21.75 TFLOPS, is the limiting factor when pixel count is the variable, not the quality of the effects.

The data implies that the i5-9400 is not the primary constraint at 4K. If it were, the FPS would not scale so dramatically with settings changes. The 4K High result of 39.2 FPS versus 4K Low of 72.9 FPS is a 46% difference, which is a massive swing that can only be attributed to GPU workload. Therefore, the resolution scaling analysis points to a system where the RX 7600 is the dominant performance limiter at 1440p and above, while the CPU's influence is more apparent at 1080p where the GPU has headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1213 out of 1769 tested combinations in Pc Building Simulator, placing it in the 31st percentile of all systems. This is a low ranking that reflects the age of the CPU relative to the GPU. The i5-9400's average benchmark score is 2305, which places it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs, while the RX 7600's average score of 20258 places it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. This imbalance is the core issue: a GPU that is above average in performance is paired with a CPU that is exactly average, creating a bottleneck that prevents the system from achieving a higher combined rank.

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the i5-9400 is virtually tied with the Intel Core i3-10305 (deltaPct 0.2) and the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (deltaPct 0.2), and it is slightly behind the Intel Core i7-8809G (deltaPct -0.6). This proximity in scores suggests that the CPU's performance is not a differentiator; it is the GPU that is doing the heavy lifting. The RX 7600, however, is closely matched with the RX 7600 XT (deltaPct 0.6) and the RX 460 (deltaPct 0.8), which is a strange clustering that indicates the benchmark scores are not perfectly linear with real-world gaming performance.

The low combo rank is likely due to the fact that Pc Building Simulator is a CPU-intensive title in certain scenarios, such as simulating power draw and thermals, where the i5-9400's six cores and six threads may not provide the parallel processing power that newer CPUs with more threads offer. The data shows that the combo's rank is not a reflection of the GPU's capability, but rather the entire system's ability to handle the game's mixed workload. The 4K Ultra result of 38.1 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, which is a direct consequence of this pairing's limitations.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is the star of this configuration, and its specifications are well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The GPU has a boost clock of 2655 MHz and a game clock of 2250 MHz, which are high figures that help sustain performance under load. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the textures in Pc Building Simulator at most settings, but the 4K results suggest that the memory capacity is not the issue—it is the compute throughput that limits the card.

The RX 7600's FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS is a key metric for understanding its behavior. At 1080p Ultra, the card achieves 108.1 FPS, which is respectable, but the drop to 70.3 FPS at 1440p Ultra shows a 35% reduction that aligns with the increased pixel count (from 2.07 million to 3.69 million). The 4K Ultra result of 38.1 FPS is a 65% drop from 1080p, which is slightly more than the 4x pixel increase would suggest (from 2.07 million to 8.29 million), indicating that the card is not purely pixel-bound but also shader-bound.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2310 and Passmark G3D score of 16634 are synthetic indicators that place it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. In Pc Building Simulator, the GPU's role is to render the 3D workspace, and the data shows that at 1440p High, the card achieves 69.5 FPS, which is a playable result. The fact that the RX 7600 XT is only 0.6% ahead in average benchmark score but the RX 7600 delivers 39.2 FPS at 4K High suggests that the extra memory or clocks of the XT variant would not significantly improve this specific game's performance, as the bottleneck is the GPU's raw shader output.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the results are consistently high: Low settings produce an average of 229.4 FPS, Medium produces 160.3 FPS, High produces 111.4 FPS, and Ultra produces 108.1 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is minimal (3.3 FPS), which suggests that the Ultra preset adds effects that are not heavily taxing on the GPU, or that the CPU is holding back the GPU from reaching higher frame rates at these settings.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop but remain playable: Low produces 141.4 FPS, Medium produces 100.8 FPS, High produces 69.5 FPS, and Ultra produces 70.3 FPS. Interestingly, the Ultra result is slightly higher than the High result (70.3 vs 69.5), which could be a measurement anomaly or a sign that the Ultra preset optimizes certain draw calls. The 1440p Medium result of 100.8 FPS is a strong showing, indicating that the RX 7600 can handle high refresh rates at this resolution if settings are moderated.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain 60 FPS on higher presets. Low produces 72.9 FPS, Medium produces 52.7 FPS, High produces 39.2 FPS, and Ultra produces 38.1 FPS. The 4K Medium result of 52.7 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, and the 4K High and Ultra results are firmly in the 30-40 FPS range. This data confirms that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo with high-quality settings, and even Low settings at 4K are only marginally playable. The step from 1080p to 4K at Low settings shows a 68% reduction in FPS, which is significant but expected given the pixel count.

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. It is built on the Coffee Lake architecture and has a 9 MB shared L3 cache. In Pc Building Simulator, the CPU's role is to handle the game's logic, including the simulation of PC components and their interactions. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 7969 is a measure of its multithreaded capability, and the single-core score of 1125 indicates its per-thread performance.

The CPU's 50th percentile ranking versus all CPUs suggests it is an average performer, but the benchmark results show that it is nearly identical in performance to the Intel Core i3-10305 (deltaPct 0.2) and the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (deltaPct 0.2). This means that the i5-9400 is not providing any significant advantage over a modern i3, which is noteworthy given that the i3 parts are likely newer and have different architectures.

In this game, the CPU's impact is visible at 1080p Low settings, where the average FPS of 229.4 is likely limited by the CPU's ability to issue draw calls and process game logic. If the CPU were faster, the FPS could be higher, but the RX 7600 is capable of much more than 229 FPS at 1080p Low. The 4K results, however, show that the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the FPS drops are consistent with GPU limitations. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s and dual-channel DDR4 support are sufficient for this game, and the lack of SMT (simultaneous multithreading) does not appear to be a major issue, as the game likely does not scale well beyond six threads.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is recommended, as it delivers 108.1 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides the best visual fidelity without sacrificing playability. The High preset at 111.4 FPS is nearly identical, so users can choose between the two based on preference for visual effects.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, delivering 100.8 FPS, which is a smooth experience. The High preset at 69.5 FPS is also acceptable, but the Medium preset offers a 45% performance increase over High with only a minor visual downgrade. The Ultra preset at 70.3 FPS is marginally better than High, but it is not worth the potential stability risk.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only viable option, producing 72.9 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. The Medium preset at 52.7 FPS is borderline, and the High and Ultra presets at 39.2 and 38.1 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for a smooth experience. For 4K gaming, users should consider lowering the resolution or upgrading the GPU, as the RX 7600 is not sufficient for high-quality 4K in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Pc Building Simulator?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Ultra settings delivers 108.1 FPS, which is the best balance of performance and visual quality. 2560x1440 with Medium settings is also viable at 100.8 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 7600 compare to its closest rival, the RX 7600 XT?

A: The RX 7600 has an average benchmark score of 20258, while the RX 7600 XT is 0.6% higher. In this game, the RX 7600 achieves 39.2 FPS at 4K High, which suggests the XT would not provide a significant improvement.

Q: Is the i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RX 7600?

A: At 1080p Low settings, the i5-9400 appears to limit performance, as the FPS of 229.4 is high but the GPU could potentially do more. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1213 out of 1769 tested combinations, placing it in the 31st percentile of all systems tested in Pc Building Simulator.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Pc Building Simulator?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which produce 72.9 FPS. Medium settings yield 52.7 FPS, and High/Ultra settings drop to 39.2 and 38.1 FPS, respectively.

Q: How does the CPU's single-core performance compare to its rivals?

A: The i5-9400's Cinebench R23 single-core score is 1125. It is within 0.2% of the Intel Core i3-10305 and Intel Core i3-1125G4, and 0.6% behind the Intel Core i7-8809G.