Roblox

Roblox is a notoriously lightweight game, yet the pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER produces a dataset that reveals a fascinating bottleneck dynamic. The measured FPS figures across three resolutions and four quality presets show a system that is almost always over-delivering, but the scaling patterns indicate where the limits of this particular combination truly lie. The raw numbers, ranging from 146 FPS at 4K Ultra to 554 FPS at 1080p Low, tell a story of a GPU that is rarely challenged, leaving the six-core processor to dictate the upper boundaries of performance in this sandbox title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is not a smooth, linear decline; instead, it is a dramatic cliff that reveals the shift in the system's limiting factor. At 1080p High, the combo produces 478 FPS, but moving to 1440p High drops that figure to 319 FPS, a 33% reduction. The subsequent jump to 4K High yields 180 FPS, another 44% cut from the 1440p result. This pattern strongly suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary constraint, as the GPU is nowhere near its maximum capacity—evidenced by the fact that even at 4K High, the system still pushes 180 FPS, which is well above what most displays can handle.

However, the scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution provides a clearer picture of the GPU's role. At 4K, the difference between Low (224 FPS) and Ultra (146 FPS) is a 78 FPS spread, indicating that the GPU is finally being taxed by the higher pixel count and graphical demands. In contrast, at 1080p, the gap between Low (554 FPS) and Ultra (388 FPS) is 166 FPS, but the absolute values are so high that the GPU is still not the bottleneck. The data implies that while resolution scaling does impact performance, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is so powerful for this game that even at 4K, the limiting factor shifts back to the CPU's ability to feed the renderer, particularly at lower settings where frame rates are highest.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake generation, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores—such as 668 in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 6629 in Cinebench R23 multi-core—place it at the 47th percentile of all CPUs. This mid-range standing is perfectly reflected in the Roblox results. The data shows that in scenarios where the GPU is not saturated, the CPU becomes the hard ceiling. The 1080p Low result of 554 FPS is likely near the maximum frame rate this CPU can generate in this game, regardless of the GPU's potential.

The CPU's limitations become more apparent when comparing its nearest rivals. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 has an average benchmark score that is 0.2% lower, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is 0.4% faster. These are negligible differences, suggesting that the i5-9400 is in a performance class where minor clock and architectural variations do not produce meaningful FPS swings in Roblox. The L3 cache of 9 MB shared and the dual-channel DDR4 memory support are adequate but not exceptional, and the data suggests that the six threads are enough to handle Roblox's single-threaded tendencies, yet not so many that they can compensate for the lack of raw single-core speed at higher refresh rates.

GPU Role

On the other side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a behemoth, with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 256-bit bus that delivers 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its 8448 shading units and boost clock of 2610 MHz make it a top-tier part, and its benchmark scores—like 31,811 in Passmark G3D and 5,569 in 3DMark Steel Nomad—place it at the 76th percentile of all GPUs. In Roblox, this power is almost entirely untapped. The fact that the GPU sits at the 76th percentile while the CPU sits at the 47th percentile is the core of the bottleneck story.

The GPU's role in this combo is to ensure that frame rates never dip below playable levels, even at the most demanding settings. The 4K Ultra result of 146 FPS is still exceptionally high, and the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium is 173 FPS, showing that the GPU provides a rock-solid foundation. However, the data suggests that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is overkill for Roblox. Its 16 GB VRAM is far more than the game requires, and its 44.10 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is spent mostly idle. The GPU is so fast that it is waiting on the CPU at almost every resolution and setting, making the processor the definitive performance limiter in this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS values are consistently high, starting at 554 FPS on Low settings. The Medium preset yields 536 FPS, with a minimum of 456 FPS and a maximum of 617 FPS, showing a tight distribution. High settings reduce the average to 478 FPS, while Ultra brings it down to 388 FPS. These numbers indicate that even at the lowest settings, the CPU is holding the system back from pushing beyond 600 FPS, and the GPU is never the constraint.

Moving to 2560x1440, the FPS drops are more pronounced. Low settings produce 396 FPS, Medium yields 361 FPS (with a min of 307 and max of 415), High drops to 319 FPS, and Ultra falls to 259 FPS. The pattern here is clear: the GPU is beginning to take on more work, but the CPU is still the primary limit. The 1440p results are roughly 70-75% of the 1080p results, which is a smaller percentage decrease than the pixel count increase (from 2.07 million to 3.68 million pixels), confirming that the CPU is still the bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the GPU finally starts to show its workload. Low settings yield 224 FPS, Medium produces 204 FPS (with a min of 173 and max of 235), High drops to 180 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 146 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 34% reduction, which is steeper than the 30% reduction seen at 1440p and the 30% reduction at 1080p. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, particularly at Ultra settings, where the 146 FPS result is the lowest in the entire dataset.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested combos, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 560th out of 3,711 combinations. This places it in the top 15% of all systems, which is a strong showing given the age of the CPU. The rank confirms the GPU's raw power, which boosts the combo despite the processor's mid-range standing. However, it also highlights the inefficiency of pairing a 47th percentile CPU with a 76th percentile GPU.

The rank of 560 suggests that there are many combos with more balanced pairings that achieve similar or better performance in Roblox. The data implies that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is not being fully utilized, and a less powerful GPU paired with a stronger CPU might yield a higher rank in this specific game. The comboRankInGame of 560, while impressive in absolute terms, is likely lower than what the GPU could achieve when paired with a top-tier processor, indicating a mismatch in this particular application.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience depends on the user's display refresh rate and resolution preference. For 1080p users, the High preset at 478 FPS is the sweet spot, as it offers a significant visual improvement over Low (554 FPS) while still maintaining an incredibly high frame rate. The Ultra preset at 388 FPS is also viable and provides the best visual fidelity, but the 90 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not be worth it for competitive players who prioritize frame rate.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 361 FPS is recommended, as it balances visual quality with performance, and the minimum FPS of 307 ensures a smooth experience. The High preset at 319 FPS is also excellent, but the jump from Medium to High only yields a 42 FPS cost, making High a better choice for those who want more detail. The Ultra preset at 259 FPS is still playable, but it represents a significant drop from the lower presets.

For 4K, the Medium preset at 204 FPS is the best overall choice, offering a minimum FPS of 173 and a maximum of 235, which is a stable and high-performing result. The Low preset at 224 FPS is marginally faster, but the visual compromise is not worth it when Medium is so close. The High preset at 180 FPS is acceptable, but Ultra at 146 FPS is the only setting where the GPU is truly stressed, and it still provides a playable experience for most users.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER in Roblox?

A: Yes, the data strongly indicates this. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 554 FPS, but the GPU is capable of far more. The CPU's 47th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 76th percentile, combined with the fact that FPS at 1080p does not scale linearly with resolution, confirms the CPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the maximum FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The highest recorded average FPS in the dataset is 554 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The maximum single-frame value recorded is 617 FPS, seen at 1080p Medium.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, which is 0.4% lower, and the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, which is 0.4% higher.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's 16 GB VRAM necessary for Roblox?

A: The data does not suggest that Roblox requires anywhere near 16 GB of VRAM. The GPU's performance at 4K Ultra is 146 FPS, which is excellent, but this is likely more due to the GPU's compute power than its memory capacity. The high VRAM is a spec of the card, but the game does not appear to be memory-limited.

Q: What is the best 4K setting for this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 4K, which yields an average of 204 FPS, is the best balance. It provides a minimum FPS of 173 and a maximum of 235, offering smooth performance without the visual compromises of Low settings. Ultra at 146 FPS is also viable but represents a significant performance drop.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: This combo ranks 560th out of 3,711 tested combinations. This places it in the top 15% of all systems, which is a strong result, but it also suggests that the GPU is not being fully utilized due to the CPU's limitations.