Revolution Idle

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination sits at rank 1425 out of 1774 tested combos for Revolution Idle. This places the pairing in the lower-middle tier of the database, with roughly 80% of tested configurations delivering better results. The ranking reflects a pairing where CPU and GPU are both mid-pack performers individually—the i5-9400 lands at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs. Neither component pulls the other significantly upward, and for an idle game that typically favors raw single-thread responsiveness, the 6-core, 6-thread CPU with a 4.10 GHz boost clock provides adequate but not exceptional headroom.

The combo's rank becomes clearer when examining the CPU's synthetic benchmarks. The i5-9400 scores 7969 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 in single-core, which are modest figures for a Coffee Lake chip. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core i3-10305 (0.2% ahead), the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (0.2% ahead), and the Intel Xeon E-2134 (0.4% ahead), while the Intel Core i7-8809G trails by 0.6%. These tiny deltas indicate the CPU is essentially tied with a cluster of similarly positioned processors, meaning the i5-9400's contribution to the combo ranking is unremarkable. For Revolution Idle, where the game's logic ticks can benefit from higher single-core throughput, the 1125-point R23 single-core score suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck, but it also does not boost the experience beyond what a typical mid-range desktop offers.

On the GPU side, the RTX 2060's average benchmark score of 16074 places it near the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (0.5% ahead), the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (1.7% behind), the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (1.7% behind), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (1.8% ahead). These narrow margins indicate the RTX 2060 is competitively positioned among its peers, though none of these rivals are top-tier cards. The GPU's percentile rank of 58 reinforces this: it is better than a majority of GPUs but far from the top. In the context of Revolution Idle, the GPU's role is secondary since the genre does not stress graphical fidelity heavily, but the measured FPS data shows the pairing still produces significant variation across resolutions and settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 brings 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its TU106 chip runs at a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These specifications are solid for a 2019-era card, but Revolution Idle's demands are modest. The GPU's 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs are more than sufficient for the game's 2D-focused visuals and incremental mechanics. The 12 nm Turing architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring broad API compatibility, though the game likely runs on simpler rendering paths.

The GPU's benchmark results reveal its compute capabilities: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 71278, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 67425. Passmark scores range from 53 in DirectX 12 to 190 in DirectX 9, with a G3D score of 14111 and a GPU compute score of 5488. These numbers indicate the RTX 2060 can handle modern workloads, but for an idle game, the GPU's load is minimal. The measured FPS data confirms this—at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 100.8 FPS, which is well above playable thresholds. The GPU's VRAM of 6 GB is not taxed by Revolution Idle, and the 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is overkill for a game that likely uses simple sprites and minimal textures. The 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present on the chip but are irrelevant for this title, as Revolution Idle does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS features.

The RTX 2060's clock behavior matters more than its raw specs in this context. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 18 FPS, which suggests the GPU is hitting a compute ceiling even for an idle game, likely due to the increased pixel workload at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080 Ultra, the FPS jumps to 47.5, indicating that the GPU's boost clock can sustain higher output when pixel count decreases. The GPU's 80.64 GPixel/s pixel rate and 201.6 GTexel/s texture rate are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but 4K pushes the card beyond its comfort zone. The 160 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU are standard for this class, but power draw is not a factor in the measured results.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations for Revolution Idle?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 1425 out of 1774 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its closest GPU rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 2060's average score of 16074 is 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, 1.7% behind both the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, and 1.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500.

Q: What is the best measured FPS for this combo, and at what settings?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 100.8, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The lowest is 18 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU bottleneck performance in this game?

A: The data shows that FPS scales more with resolution than settings, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU's single-core score of 1125 in Cinebench R23 is sufficient, as FPS remains above 44 even at High settings.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 2060 have, and is it sufficient for this game?

A: The GPU has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory. For Revolution Idle, this is more than sufficient, as the game's low graphical complexity does not approach the 6 GB limit at any resolution.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all CPUs?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 is at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, meaning it performs better than half of all processors in the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo across three resolutions and four settings tiers reveals a clear pattern: resolution impacts performance more drastically than settings changes. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 18 (Ultra) to 31.8 (Low), with High at 25.9 and Medium at 26.4. The jump from Low to Medium is only 5.4 FPS, while moving from Medium to High costs just 0.5 FPS, but Ultra drops a significant 8.4 FPS below High. This suggests that at 4K, the Ultra preset introduces a heavy rendering load that the RTX 2060 cannot handle smoothly, even for an idle game.

At 2560x1440, performance improves substantially. Low settings deliver 64.8 FPS, Medium reaches 49.2 FPS, High achieves 44.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 32.8 FPS, indicating that settings have a larger impact at 1440p than at 4K. The 1440p results are more playable, with Low and Medium both exceeding 49 FPS, which is smooth for a game that does not require fast reaction times. High at 44.7 FPS remains acceptable, though Ultra's 32 FPS is borderline for a fluid experience.

At 1920x1080, the combo performs best. Low settings yield 100.8 FPS, Medium hits 76.9 FPS, High reaches 76.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 47.5 FPS. The 1080p results show that the CPU-GPU pairing can push well past 60 FPS at Low through High settings, making the game feel responsive. The small gap between Medium (76.9) and High (76.2) is notable—only 0.7 FPS—suggesting that High settings do not add a meaningful rendering burden over Medium at this resolution. Ultra, however, costs 29.4 FPS versus High, which is a substantial penalty for the visual upgrade.

Comparing across resolutions, the data shows that 4K Ultra is the only configuration that falls below 20 FPS, while 1080p Low is the only one that exceeds 100 FPS. The median performance across all 12 measured rows is approximately 46 FPS, meaning half of the tested configurations deliver below that threshold. For a game like Revolution Idle, where the player spends long sessions monitoring incremental progress, even 30 FPS can be tolerable, but the 4K Ultra result of 18 FPS would be noticeably sluggish.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal configuration for this combo is 1920x1080 with High settings, delivering 76.2 FPS. This strikes the best balance between visual quality and smoothness: High settings at 1080p are only 0.7 FPS behind Medium, so there is no reason to drop to Medium when High is nearly identical in performance. The 100.8 FPS at Low is technically faster, but the visual downgrade is unnecessary since High already exceeds 75 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold most players consider smooth.

For users with 2560x1440 displays, the recommended preset is Medium, which achieves 49.2 FPS. This is playable for an idle game, and the jump to High (44.7 FPS) or Ultra (32 FPS) does not provide enough visual benefit to justify the FPS loss. Low at 64.8 FPS is smoother, but Medium offers a better visual experience for only a 15.6 FPS reduction. If the player prioritizes smoothness over visuals, Low is acceptable, but Medium is the sweet spot.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests avoiding Ultra entirely, as the 18 FPS result is below playable standards. Low settings at 31.8 FPS are the only viable option for 4K, and even then, the experience is marginal. The 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are not the limiting factors; rather, the GPU's 80.64 GPixel/s pixel rate struggles to fill 4K pixels. For the best overall experience, 1080p High is the clear choice, as it combines the highest resolution with settings that do not compromise frame rate. The 47.5 FPS at 1080p Ultra is a viable alternative for those who want maximum graphical fidelity, but the 28.7 FPS penalty versus High is steep for minimal visual gain in an idle game.