Pc Building Simulator

Pc Building Simulator presents an unusual workload where the combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti yields performance that is heavily dictated by resolution and settings, with the data showing a clear transition from a CPU-limited state at lower resolutions to a more balanced state at 4K. The measured frames per second indicate that this pairing is exceptionally strong for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the gap between settings narrows considerably at 4K, revealing the GPU's limits.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is dramatic, but the pattern is not uniform across all settings presets, which reveals critical information about the system's bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 244 at 1920x1080 to 209 at 2560x1440, a 14.3% reduction, and then falls further to 121 at 3840x2160, which is a 42.1% decrease from the 1440p result. This steep decline at Low settings indicates that the GPU is being increasingly taxed as pixel count rises, but the sheer headroom at 1080p suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at that resolution.

For Medium settings, the scaling is more linear and severe: 214 FPS at 1080p drops to 163 FPS at 1440p (a 23.8% reduction) and then to 85 FPS at 4K (a 47.9% reduction from 1440p). The 4K Medium result with a minimum of 73 FPS and maximum of 98 FPS shows a wider variance, suggesting the workload is becoming more demanding. High settings follow a similar pattern, with 183 FPS at 1080p, 115 FPS at 1440p (37.2% drop), and 60 FPS at 4K (47.8% drop from 1440p).

The most telling data comes from Ultra settings, where the frame rate at 1080p is 174 FPS, only 9 FPS lower than High settings at the same resolution. However, the drop to 1440p brings 110 FPS (a 36.8% reduction), and at 4K, the average falls to 57 FPS. This 4K Ultra result is nearly identical to the 4K High result (60 FPS), which strongly indicates that the RTX 3080 Ti is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, regardless of whether High or Ultra presets are selected. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is saturated, and the CPU has enough headroom to not further constrain performance.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti achieves a combo rank of 1259 out of 3723 tested combinations for Pc Building Simulator. This places the pairing in the 66th percentile of all tested combos, which is a strong showing but not a top-tier result. The ranking indicates that while this system delivers high absolute frame rates, there are many other processor and graphics card pairings that achieve even higher performance in this specific game.

This rank is particularly noteworthy when considering the individual components' standings. The RTX 3080 Ti sits at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-9400 is at the 47th percentile among all CPUs. The fact that the combo ranks higher than the CPU's percentile but lower than the GPU's percentile suggests that the processor is holding back the graphics card's full potential in some scenarios. The data supports this, as the frame rates at 1080p Low (244 FPS) and 1080p Medium (214 FPS) are exceptionally high but still show the CPU limiting the GPU from reaching even higher numbers, while at 4K, the GPU becomes the constraining factor, and the combo's performance is more aligned with the GPU's capability.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this combo in Pc Building Simulator?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 244, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: At which resolution does the system fail to maintain 60 FPS?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 57, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much faster is the system at 1440p compared to 4K on High settings?

A: The average FPS at 2560x1440 on High is 115, while at 3840x2160 on High it is 60, making the 1440p result approximately 91.7% higher.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the primary limiter, as the GPU is capable of higher frame rates but the i5-9400's performance ceiling appears to be reached around 244 FPS.

Q: What is the lowest recorded performance for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 57, which is observed at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the combo perform better at 1440p Medium than at 1080p Ultra?

A: Yes, the average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 163, which is lower than the 174 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, so the 1080p Ultra result is actually higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a detailed look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates, with an average of 244 FPS on Low, 214 FPS on Medium, 183 FPS on High, and 174 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution shows a minimum of 182 FPS and a maximum of 247 FPS, indicating a frame time variance of 65 FPS. The spread between the lowest and highest settings at 1080p is 70 FPS, which is significant, but even the Ultra preset remains well above 144 Hz, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are 209 on Low, 163 on Medium, 115 on High, and 110 on Ultra. The Medium preset again provides the only min/max data at this resolution, with a minimum of 139 FPS and a maximum of 188 FPS apearing. The performance delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 99 FPS, which is a larger absolute gap than at 1080p, highlighting the increased GPU load. The High and Ultra presets both stay above the 110 FPS mark, ensuring smooth gameplay on 1440p displays.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. The average FPS values are 121 on Low, 85 on Medium, 60 on High, and 57 on Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 73 FPS and a maximum of 98 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 64 FPS, which is a smaller relative gap than at lower resolutions, but the absolute numbers are much lower. The High and Ultra presets both hover around 60 FPS, suggesting that the graphics card is the limiting factor and that higher settings do not significantly penalize performance at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It has 9 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration. In Pc Building Simulator, a simulation game that may rely on single-threaded performance for game logic and physics, the i5-9400's specifications are adequate but not exceptionalches to the data, as it sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs in the benchmark database.

The benchmark results for the i5-9400 show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935. Its Geekbench scores are 5141 for multi-core and 1389 for single-core. These results indicate that the CPU is a mid-range performer, and its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (with a delta of -0.2%), the Intel Core i7-10710U (0.3% faster), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (0.4% faster). The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 244 FPS, but this is likely constrained by the CPU's single-thread capabilities, as the GPU is far more powerful.

The role of the CPU becomes more apparent when comparing the 1080p and 1440p results. At 1080p Low, the system hits 244 FPS, but at 1440p Low, it drops to 209 FPS. This 35 FPS drop is more attributable to the increased GPU load than to the CPU, but the fact that the 1080p Low result is so high suggests the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU up to that point. The boost clock of 4.10 GHz is likely the key factor in maintaining high frame rates in this game, but the 6-thread configuration may limit performance in more complex simulation scenarios, even if the measured data does not show a severe bottleneck at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080 displays, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 174 FPS. This is well above the 144 Hz threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors and only 70 FPS lower than the Low preset, which offers no tangible benefit at this resolution since Ultra still provides a very high frame rate. The Medium preset at 214 FPS is also viable for 240 Hz displays, but the visual quality trade-off is significant for only a 40 FPS gain over Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is recommended as the best balance, with an average of 115 FPS. This is nearly identical to the Ultra preset's 110 FPS, and the 5 FPS difference is negligible, while High likely offers better stability. The Medium preset at 163 FPS is the better option for gamers with 165 Hz or 144 Hz monitors who prioritize frame rate over maximum visual fidelity. The Low preset at 209 FPS is unnecessary unless targeting 240 Hz, as the visual compromise is substantial.

For 3840x2160, the data shows that the High and Ultra presets produce nearly identical results, with 60 FPS and 57 FPS respectively. Given this, the High preset is the clear recommendation, as it provides a 60 FPS average, which is the standard for smooth 4K gameplay, while the Ultra preset dips below 60 FPS and offers no meaningful visual advantage at this point. The Medium preset at 85 FPS is the best option for 4K displays with higher refresh rates, but the High preset is the safest choice for a consistent 60 FPS experience. The Low preset at 121 FPS is only recommended for competitive play, as the visual quality at Low settings is severely degraded.