Ready Or Not

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Ready Or Not with the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 reveal a steep performance curve as resolution climbs. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 224.8 FPS, but this drops to 139.7 FPS at 1440p and further to 76.8 FPS at 4K. That is a 65.8% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a substantial scaling penalty that points directly at the GPU as the primary bottleneck.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p (283.5 FPS) to 1440p (177.3 FPS) represents a 37.5% drop, while moving to 4K (95.1 FPS) costs another 46.4% of the 1440p figure. This consistent, aggressive scaling with resolution is classic GPU-bound behavior. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would stay relatively flat as resolution increases, because the processor would be maxed out regardless of pixel count. That is not what the data shows here.

The most telling evidence comes from the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the combo manages 157.4 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it collapses to 51.3 FPS — a 67.4% loss. The gap between Low and Ultra at the same resolution also widens dramatically with resolution: at 1080p, Ultra is 44.5% slower than Low, but at 4K, Ultra is 46.1% slower than Low. This indicates that the RTX 5060's rendering workload, particularly with the heavier visual effects enabled by the Ultra preset, scales poorly at high pixel counts.

The 4K Ultra result of 51.3 FPS is the only measured configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that this resolution and preset combination is pushing the GPU past its comfortable limit. The data indicates that for 4K gaming, users should expect to dial settings down to High or Medium to maintain smooth frame rates, while 1440p and 1080p offer ample headroom across all presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. With a TDP of 65 W and a 9 MB shared L3 cache, this is a mid-range desktop chip that was released in late 2018. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and single-core score of 1125 place it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs tested, which is exactly average.

In Ready Or Not, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions, but it still provides enough throughput to avoid becoming the primary constraint. The fact that frame rates scale so heavily with resolution — from 224.8 FPS at 1080p High down to 76.8 FPS at 4K High — suggests the i5-9400 is not the limiting factor. If it were, we would expect to see similar frame rates regardless of resolution, since the CPU workload per frame does not change with pixel count.

However, the CPU's modest specifications do matter for the game's overall performance ceiling. With only 6 threads and no hyper-threading, the i5-9400 relies on its boost clock of 4.10 GHz to handle the game's logic, AI pathfinding, and physics calculations. The benchmark results for the CPU show it sits within 0.6% of several rivals: it is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10305, 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-1125G4, and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon E-2134, while trailing the Intel Core i7-8809G by 0.6%. This tight clustering means the i5-9400 is not leaving meaningful performance on the table compared to similarly priced processors of its era.

The practical implication is that the i5-9400 can feed the RTX 5060 enough data to achieve over 280 FPS at 1080p Low, which is well beyond what most displays can show. The CPU's performance is adequate for the game's requirements, and the measured data shows no signs of CPU-induced stuttering or frame rate plateaus at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the clear star of this pairing. Based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node, this GPU features 3840 shading units, 30 RT cores, and 120 tensor cores. It comes with 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The boost clock of 2497 MHz and base clock of 2280 MHz contribute to a peak FP32 throughput of 19.18 TFLOPS.

The GPU's benchmark pedigree is strong. Its Passmark G3D score of 20891 and overall average benchmark score of 30109 place it at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (0% difference), the AMD Radeon RX 570 (0.2% ahead), the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (0.5% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (0.6% behind). This tells us the RTX 5060 slots into a competitive tier where small percentage differences separate cards.

In Ready Or Not, the GPU's performance is characterized by strong scaling with settings and resolution. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game's textures at 4K, as evidenced by the playable 76.8 FPS at 4K High. The measured data shows the GPU handling the transition from Low to Ultra settings gracefully: at 1080p, the difference between Low (283.5 FPS) and Ultra (157.4 FPS) is a 44.5% performance hit, which is expected for a game with demanding visual effects.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is a key asset for this game. Ready Or Not's tactical shooter gameplay often involves complex scenes with multiple characters, dynamic lighting, and destructible environments, all of which stress memory bandwidth. The fact that the RTX 5060 maintains over 100 FPS at 1440p across all settings except Ultra (which drops to 102.2 FPS) suggests the memory subsystem is well-matched to the game's demands.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Ready Or Not at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The measured data shows 76.8 FPS at 4K High and 82 FPS at 4K Medium. At 4K Ultra, performance drops to 51.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for this setup?

A: 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The combo achieves 139.7 FPS at 1440p High and 102.2 FPS at 1440p Ultra, both well above playable thresholds. 1080p is also excellent, with 224.8 FPS at High, but the higher resolution provides better image clarity without sacrificing smoothness.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. Evidence comes from the resolution scaling: frame rates drop by 65.8% from 1080p to 4K at High settings. If the CPU were the limiting factor, frame rates would stay relatively constant across resolutions, which is not the case.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 30109, placing it 0% different from the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 570, 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M60, and 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile.

Q: What settings should I use for competitive play?

A: For maximum frame rates, 1080p Low delivers 283.5 FPS. If you want a balance of visuals and speed, 1080p Medium at 247.9 FPS or 1440p Medium at 157.6 FPS are strong choices. Avoid 4K Ultra unless you can tolerate 51.3 FPS.

Q: Does the i5-9400 hold back the RTX 5060?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The i5-9400 sits at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, and the combo still achieves over 280 FPS at 1080p Low. The 6-core, 6-thread configuration with a 4.10 GHz boost clock is sufficient to keep the GPU fed in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 840th out of 1748 tested combos for Ready Or Not. This places it in the 52nd percentile of all system configurations, which is a slightly above-average standing. The rank reflects a pairing where the GPU is significantly more capable than the CPU: the RTX 5060 sits at the 73rd percentile among GPUs, while the i5-9400 is at the 50th percentile among CPUs.

This disparity means the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the older processor. If paired with a more modern CPU, the RTX 5060 would likely achieve a higher rank, as the GPU's performance headroom is not fully constrained in this game. However, the measured frame rates tell a more nuanced story: at 1080p and 1440p, the combo delivers excellent performance that would satisfy most gamers, with 224.8 FPS at 1080p High and 139.7 FPS at 1440p High.

The rank of 840 out of 1748 also indicates that there are many combos that outperform this one, primarily those with newer CPUs that can push higher minimum frame rates and better handle CPU-intensive scenarios. Yet, the gap in overall ranking does not translate to a poor gaming experience — the measured data shows this combo is more than capable of running Ready Or Not smoothly at mainstream resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo in Ready Or Not is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 283.5 FPS average, Medium delivers 247.9 FPS, High delivers 224.8 FPS, and Ultra delivers 157.4 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 126.1 FPS, representing a 44.5% performance penalty for the highest quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 177.3 FPS average, Medium delivers 157.6 FPS, High delivers 139.7 FPS, and Ultra delivers 102.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 75.1 FPS, a 42.4% penalty. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings costs roughly 37-38% of performance across the board.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 95.1 FPS average, Medium delivers 82 FPS, High delivers 76.8 FPS, and Ultra delivers 51.3 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 43.8 FPS, a 46.1% penalty. The transition from 1440p to 4K costs approximately 45-50% of performance depending on the settings preset.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: each resolution step (1080p to 1440p to 4K) incurs a roughly 40-50% performance loss, while each settings step (Low to Medium to High to Ultra) incurs a smaller but still significant penalty. The Ultra preset is disproportionately expensive at 4K, where the 51.3 FPS result is the only sub-60 FPS figure in the entire dataset.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the target display resolution.

At 1080p, the High preset at 224.8 FPS is the recommended choice. It provides a 9.4% performance advantage over Medium (247.9 FPS) is not large, but the visual quality improvement from High to Ultra (157.4 FPS) costs 30% of performance, which is not worth it for most players. The Low preset at 283.5 FPS is only useful for extreme competitive play where every frame counts.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 157.6 FPS offers the best combination of visual fidelity and smoothness. High at 139.7 FPS is also viable, but the jump to Ultra at 102.2 FPS is a 26.8% performance hit that may be noticeable on high refresh rate displays. Low at 177.3 FPS is the choice for players who prioritize frame rate over graphics.

At 4K, the Medium preset at 82 FPS is the recommended setting. It delivers a smooth experience that is 6.8% faster than High (76.8 FPS) and 60% faster than Ultra (51.3 FPS). The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely at this resolution, as the 51.3 FPS result falls below the 60 FPS threshold and will likely produce noticeable stutter in fast-paced tactical situations.

The overall recommendation is to use the Medium preset at 1440p for the best balance of image quality and performance, or High at 1080p if you prefer maximum visual detail without sacrificing frame rate. The Ultra preset is best reserved for 1080p, where 157.4 FPS remains highly playable.