Revolution Idle

Revolution Idle presents an unusual scaling profile for the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination. At 1080p, the frame rates are remarkably high across all settings, with the Low preset producing 113.2 FPS and the Ultra preset still holding 84.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is only 28.7 FPS, indicating that the graphics card is not being heavily taxed by the game’s visual demands. Moving to 1440p, the pattern shifts slightly; Low yields 99.6 FPS, but High and Medium remain close at 83.3 and 87.9 FPS respectively, while Ultra drops to 51.2 FPS. This suggests that the jump to 4K is where the hardware starts to feel significant pressure.

At 3840x2160, the scaling becomes more severe and reveals the limiting component. The Low preset averages 62.7 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium falls to 45.9 FPS, High to 43.3 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 29.5 FPS. The delta between 1080p Low and 4K Low is roughly 50 FPS, while the delta between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra is about 55 FPS. This consistent drop across settings points to the GPU becoming the primary constraint as pixel count rises, since the CPU’s workload does not increase proportionally with resolution. The data indicates that the RTX 4070’s rendering pipeline is stretched thin at 4K, particularly with Ultra settings, where the frame rate falls below the 30 FPS threshold often considered the minimum for smooth gameplay in less demanding titles.

Benchmark results also show that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset achieves 84.5 FPS, which is far from the performance ceiling of the Intel Core i5-9400, given its six cores and six threads. The processor’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 7969 and single-core score of 1125 suggest adequate headroom for an idle game like Revolution Idle, which likely relies more on GPU rendering than complex CPU simulation. The conclusion is that resolution scaling is well-behaved until 4K, where the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the deciding factors.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 plays a decisive role in this game’s performance, especially at higher resolutions. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for Revolution Idle’s assets, but the heavy frame rate drops at 4K suggest that raw compute throughput, not memory capacity, is the limiting factor. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1920 MHz are relatively high, yet the 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is still challenged by the pixel workload at 3840x2160.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU’s role becomes more critical as settings increase. At 1080p, the difference between Low (113.2 FPS) and Ultra (84.5 FPS) is modest, implying that the GPU has spare capacity. At 4K, the same settings span a wider range, from 62.7 FPS on Low to 29.5 FPS on Ultra, which indicates that the GPU is working near its limits on the highest quality preset. The RTX 4070’s 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores are present, but Revolution Idle likely does not leverage these features heavily, so the performance is driven by traditional rasterization and shader work.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 37283 places it in the 81st percentile among all graphics cards, but its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 with a delta of -0.6%, show that it is not an outlier in raw power. This context helps explain why the 4K Ultra result of 29.5 FPS is plausible; the GPU is a mid-to-high-tier part, but not a top-tier one. The memory clock of 1313 MHz, effective 21 Gbps, is standard for the 40-series, and the 12 GB capacity is unlikely to be exceeded by this game, so the bottleneck is purely computational. The data confirms that the RTX 4070 is the dominant component in this pairing, with the CPU contributing little to frame rate variation across resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so significantly from 1080p to 4K?

A: The measured FPS shows a drop from 113.2 FPS at 1080p Low to 62.7 FPS at 4K Low, and from 84.5 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 29.5 FPS at 4K Ultra. This indicates that the GPU’s rendering workload increases with pixel count, and the RTX 4070’s compute capacity becomes the limiting factor at 4K.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 holding back the RTX 4070 in this game?

A: No. At 1080p, the Ultra preset achieves 84.5 FPS, which is well above playable thresholds, and the CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 7969 suggests it can handle the game’s logic. The bottleneck shifts to the GPU at higher resolutions, not the CPU.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gameplay?

A: The Medium preset offers 87.9 FPS at 2560x1440, which is close to High’s 83.3 FPS but with a lower visual load. For a balance of smoothness and quality, Medium provides the highest frame rate among the higher presets, while Ultra drops to 51.2 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings smoothly?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 29.5, which is below the 30 FPS threshold typically considered minimum for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 4K yields 62.7 FPS, making it the only viable option for 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its closest rivals in terms of raw performance?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37283, while its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, scores 37507, a delta of -0.6%. This means the two are nearly identical in synthetic tests, but the game-specific results may differ.

Q: Why does the Ultra preset perform worse than Low at all resolutions?

A: The Ultra preset increases the rendering complexity, such as higher quality textures and effects, which taxes the GPU more. The data shows Ultra is 28.7 FPS slower than Low at 1080p and 33.2 FPS slower at 4K, confirming the GPU’s workload scales with settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it delivers 84.5 FPS while providing the highest visual quality. The gap between Ultra and Medium at this resolution is only 17.2 FPS, so users with high-refresh monitors can still enjoy smooth gameplay, but Ultra offers the most immersive experience without sacrificing frame rate. If a player prioritizes maximum smoothness, the Low preset at 113.2 FPS is the fastest, but the visual downgrade is substantial for minimal benefit.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset stands out as the sweet spot, achieving 87.9 FPS. High is slightly slower at 83.3 FPS, and the difference between them is negligible in practice, so users can choose either based on preference for visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 51.2 FPS, which is still playable but introduces a noticeable reduction in smoothness. For competitive or fast-paced scenarios, Low at 99.6 FPS is an option, but the data suggests that Medium offers the best balance of frame rate and quality.

For 3840x2160, the choices are more constrained. The Low preset is the only one that maintains a comfortable frame rate, averaging 62.7 FPS. Medium and High are nearly identical at 45.9 and 43.3 FPS respectively, which may be acceptable for slower-paced play, but they are below the 60 FPS target. Ultra at 29.5 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the threshold for smooth motion. The recommendation is to use Low for 4K, or to reduce the resolution to 1440p if higher settings are desired.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 691 out of 1774 tested combos in Revolution Idle. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all configurations, indicating that it is a solid performer for this game, but not among the top echelon. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, where the RTX 4070’s strong rasterization capabilities are tempered by the older Coffee Lake processor’s single-thread performance. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1125 is modest, but for an idle game, this is less critical than raw GPU throughput.

The combo’s ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data, showing that it can handle 1080p and 1440p with ease, but struggles at 4K Ultra. The RTX 4070’s 81st percentile standing among all GPUs suggests that the graphics card is capable, yet the 691st rank out of 1774 indicates that many other combinations, likely with newer CPUs, achieve better overall performance. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i3-10305 with a delta of 0.2%, do not show a significant performance gap, so the CPU is not the primary differentiator in this game. Instead, the ranking is driven by the GPU’s ability to maintain high frame rates across settings, which it does well up to 1440p. The data confirms that this combo is a reliable choice for high-refresh 1080p and solid 1440p gaming, with 4K being a stretch for the highest presets.