Pc Building Simulator

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread Coffee Lake processor with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This is a 14 nm part running on the Intel Socket 1151 platform, pairing with DDR4 memory over a dual-channel bus rated at 42.7 GB/s. Its L3 cache totals 9 MB shared across all six cores, with 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core. The processor sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 2254.

In Cinebench R23, the chip scores 6629 in multi-core and 935 in single-core. The single-core result is particularly relevant for Pc Building Simulator, a simulation title that frequently relies on per-thread performance for game logic and UI responsiveness. The multi-core score of 6629 suggests that while the CPU can handle background tasks, it is not a workstation-class part; its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (average score 2259, delta -0.2%) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (average score 2246, delta 0.4%). The i5-9400 is effectively within 0.4% of these competitors, meaning it sits in a tightly contested mid-range band.

For this game, the CPU's six threads are adequate but not abundant. Pc Building Simulator is not a heavily multithreaded title compared to modern shooters or strategy games; the workload is more about maintaining a consistent simulation loop. The 4.10 GHz boost clock helps ensure that single-threaded tasks—like calculating component compatibility or rendering the in-game shop interface—do not become a bottleneck. However, at higher resolutions and with more demanding settings, the data shows that the GPU becomes the dominant factor, which we will examine in the GPU section.

# GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process from TSMC, with a die size of 750 mm² containing 92,200 million transistors. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The GPU has 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, along with 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. Its FP32 performance is rated at 104.8 TFLOPS, and it maintains a 1:1 ratio for FP16 at 104.8 TFLOPS.

In the benchmark database, this GPU sits at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (average score 79605, delta 0.3%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (average score 78940, delta 1.1%). The RTX 5090 leads these by less than 1.4%, indicating that at the very top of the GPU hierarchy, the performance differences are marginal in synthetic tests.

For Pc Building Simulator, the RTX 5090's massive 32 GB VRAM is far beyond what the game requires, but the raw compute power directly translates to high frame rates. At 1080p with Low settings, the measured average FPS reaches 244, showing that the GPU is not constrained by memory capacity or bandwidth in this title. The 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth and 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are overkill for a simulation game that does not push complex shaders or heavy geometry. Instead, the limiting factor at lower resolutions is the CPU, as we will see in the resolution scaling analysis.

# Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Examining the measured FPS across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling at higher settings)Skip—but the CPU becomes more relevant at lower settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 244. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 209, a 14.3% reduction. At 4K Low, the average is 168, which is 31.1% lower than 1080p Low. This scaling suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU is still doing significant work, but the CPU is keeping up reasonably well.

At Medium settings, the pattern shifts. 1080p Medium averages 214 FPS, 1440p Medium averages 184 FPS (a 14.0% drop), and 4K Medium averages 124 FPS (a 42.1% drop from 1080p). The larger drop from 1440p to 4K indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck as resolution increases. The same trend is visible at High settings: 1080p High is 188 FPS, 1440p High is 161 FPS (14.4% drop), and 4K High is 88 FPS (53.2% drop from 1080p). At Ultra settings, 1080p Ultra is 185 FPS, 1440p Ultra is 159 FPS (14.1% drop), and 4K Ultra is 84 FPS (54.6% drop).

The data shows that from 1080p to 1440p, the FPS drop is consistently around 14% across all settings, which is a moderate penalty. However, from 1440p to 4K, the drop is much steeper—between 31% at Low and 54% at High/Ultra. This indicates that at 4K with higher settings, the RTX 5090 is fully utilized, and the i5-9400 is no longer the limiting factor. At 1080p and 1440p, especially at Low and Medium settings, the CPU's six threads and 4.10 GHz boost clock are sufficient to feed the GPU, but at 4K Ultra, the GPU's workload dominates, resulting in the lowest measured FPS of 84.

# How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested combinations for Pc Building Simulator, this pairing of Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 752nd out of 3723 total combos. This places it in the top 20.2% of all tested configurations, which is a strong result given that the CPU is a mid-range part from 2018 while the GPU is a flagship from 2025. The rank reflects the fact that the GPU carries most of the performance weight in this game, and the CPU does not significantly hold it back.

The rank of 752 is notably lower than what the RTX 5090 alone would suggest if paired with a high-end CPU, but it is still respectable. The i5-9400's six threads are enough for the game's simulation logic, but the lack of hyper-threading means there is no headroom for background tasks or streaming. Compared to other tested combos in the database, this configuration is well above the median (which would be around 1861st place), indicating that the RTX 5090's sheer compute power overcomes the CPU's limitations in this specific title.

It is notably the combo rank is game-specific. In a more CPU-intensive title, this pairing would likely rank lower, but Pc Building Simulator's modest CPU requirements allow the GPU to shine. The delta between this combo and the top-ranked configurations is likely driven by faster CPUs with higher single-thread performance, but the measured FPS data shows that the i5-9400 does not cause catastrophic bottlenecks even at 4K.

# Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, all settings deliver playable frame rates: Low averages 244 FPS, Medium averages 214 FPS, High averages 188 FPS, and Ultra averages 185 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra is only 3 FPS (from 188 to 185), which is within the margin of error, so Ultra is essentially free performance-wise at this resolution. At 1080p, the recommendation is Ultra, since the 185 FPS average far exceeds any display's refresh rate and the visual quality improvement is worth the negligible FPS cost.

At 1440p, the story is similar but slightly more nuanced. Low averages 209 FPS, Medium averages 184 FPS, High averages 161 FPS, and Ultra averages 159 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is again minimal (2 FPS), so Ultra is the best choice for 1440p users with high-refresh-rate monitors. However, if a user has a 144 Hz display, even Ultra at 159 FPS is above the refresh rate, making it the clear recommendation.

At 4K, the situation changes. Low averages 168 FPS, Medium averages 124 FPS, High averages 88 FPS, and Ultra averages 84 FPS. For a 60 Hz display, High at 88 FPS is more than sufficient, and Ultra at 84 FPS is also playable. For a 120 Hz display, Medium at 124 FPS is the sweet spot, as it stays above 120 FPS while offering better visuals than Low. High at 88 FPS would be below 120 Hz, so users with high-refresh 4K panels should choose Medium. The data shows that Ultra at 4K provides only 4 FPS more than High, but both are well above 60 FPS, so the choice between them is purely visual preference.

# Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete matrix of results. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 244 FPS, Medium averages 214 FPS (with a minimum of 182 and maximum of 247), High averages 188 FPS, and Ultra averages 185 FPS. The minimum FPS for Medium at 1080p is 182, which is still well above any standard refresh rate, indicating consistent performance.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 209 FPS, Medium averages 184 FPS (with a minimum of 156 and maximum of 211), High averages 161 FPS, and Ultra averages 159 FPS. The minimum FPS for Medium at 1440p is 156, which is above 144 Hz, ensuring smooth gameplay on high-refresh monitors.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 168 FPS, Medium averages 124 FPS (with a minimum of 106 and maximum of 143), High averages 88 FPS, and Ultra averages 84 FPS. The minimum FPS for Medium at 4K is 106, which is below 120 Hz but above 60 Hz, meaning it is playable on 60 Hz displays without drops. The maximum FPS for Medium at 4K is 143, showing that the GPU can occasionally push much higher, but the average is constrained by the game's workload.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset shows the highest FPS, followed by Medium, then High, then Ultra. The gap between High and Ultra is consistently small (3 FPS at 1080p, 2 FPS at 1440p, 4 FPS at 4K), suggesting that Ultra settings offer marginal visual improvements that do not cost much performance. The Medium preset's minimum and maximum values are the only ones recorded, providing a sense of frame-time variance, but the absence of min/max for other presets limits deeper analysis.

# FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS for 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 185 FPS, which is only 3 FPS lower than High settings at 188 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79842, while its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79605, a delta of 0.3%. The RTX 5090 is 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which scores 78940.

Q: Is the i5-9400 a bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: At 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 88, and at Ultra it is 84. The steep FPS drop from 1440p to 4K (over 50% at High and Ultra) indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, not the CPU.

Q: What is the combo rank of this CPU-GPU pairing in Pc Building Simulator?

A: This combination of Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 752nd out of 3723 tested combos, placing it in the top 20.2% of all configurations.

Q: Which settings provide the best experience at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Ultra settings average 159 FPS, which is above 144 Hz, making it the best choice for high-refresh displays. High settings average 161 FPS, but the difference is negligible.

Q: What is the maximum measured FPS for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 244 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The maximum FPS measured across any preset is 247, which occurs at 1080p Medium.