Undisputed

# Undisputed with Intel Core i5-10400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090

The pairing of a 6-core Comet Lake processor with NVIDIA's flagship Blackwell GPU creates an unusual benchmark profile in Undisputed, a sports title from October 2023. The measured FPS data reveals a system where the RTX 5090's massive compute resources are often waiting on the i5-10400F, yet the combination still delivers playable-to-excellent frame rates across all tested resolutions. This analysis examines how the 10400F's modest 2.90 GHz base clock and 4.30 GHz boost interact with the RTX 5090's 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, and what the resolution scaling curves imply about bottleneck distribution in this boxing simulation.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic but uneven across settings. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 396 FPS at 1920x1080 to 248 FPS at 3840x2160 — a 37% reduction. This relatively modest scaling at Low settings suggests the CPU is the primary limiter even at 1080p, since the RTX 5090 can render the simple scenes far faster than the i5-10400F can feed it draw calls. The 148 FPS gap between 1080p Low and 4K Low indicates that while resolution does add load, the processor's 6 cores and 12 threads are already saturated at the lower resolution.

At High settings, the scaling pattern shifts. The average FPS drops from 323 at 1080p to 233 at 1440p (a 28% reduction), then to 148 at 4K (another 37% drop). This steeper decline at higher resolutions points to the GPU becoming more involved, though the RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth mean it is never truly memory-constrained. The Medium settings reveal a similar curve: 351 FPS at 1080p, 282 at 1440p, and 178 at 4K. Notably, the 4K Medium result with a 152 FPS minimum and 205 FPS maximum shows more variance than other settings, suggesting occasional CPU hitches as the processor struggles to maintain consistent frame pacing.

The Ultra settings deliver the most revealing scaling data. From 208 FPS at 1080p to 150 FPS at 1440p (a 28% drop), then to 95 FPS at 4K (a 37% drop from 1440p). The percentage drops are nearly identical to High settings, which indicates that the Ultra preset's additional graphical features — likely including more detailed shadows and post-processing — scale predictably with pixel count. The data strongly suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the i5-10400F's single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 688) is the bottleneck, while at 4K the RTX 5090's raw rasterization power (423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate) becomes the determining factor.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination ranks 212nd out of 3,718 tested combos in Undisputed, placing it in the top 5.7% of all pairings. That ranking is remarkable given the CPU's age — the i5-10400F launched in April 2020 and sits in the 68th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14,185. The RTX 5090, by contrast, launched in January 2025 and commands the 92nd percentile among all GPUs with an average score of 79,842.

The ranking disparity between components tells a clear story. The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, +0.3%) and the Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, +1.1%) — are all far older architectures, yet the RTX 5090's 32 GB VRAM and 21,760 shading units place it in a different class. The CPU's nearest rivals — the Xeon 6756E (14,163, +0.2%) and the Core 7 160UL (14,232, -0.3%) — are also enterprise or mobile parts, not gaming-focused silicon. This mismatch in component tiers explains why the combo ranks 212th rather than higher: the RTX 5090 is capable of far more than the i5-10400F can deliver in a game like Undisputed.

The 212th ranking out of 3,718 is nevertheless impressive for a budget-oriented CPU from 2020. It suggests that Undisputed's engine is not heavily multithreaded — the i5's 12 threads and 12 MB of shared L3 cache are sufficient for the core game logic, and the RTX 5090 handles the visual load. The ranking would likely be higher with a newer processor, but the data shows this pairing still outperforms the vast majority of tested systems.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F brings 6 cores and 12 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process, delivers a 3DMark single-thread score of 688 and a max-thread score of 4,735. The gap between those scores — roughly 6.9x improvement from single to max threads — reveals that scaling tops out well below the 12-thread ideal, indicating diminishing returns beyond 8 threads. Indeed, the 8-thread score of 3,929 is about 83% of the max-thread score, suggesting Undisputed likely uses 8 threads or fewer effectively.

The CPU's Cinebench R23 scores — 10,283 multi-core and 1,451 single-core — are modest by modern standards. In this game, the single-core result matters more, since sports titles often rely on a main simulation thread. The PassMark single-thread score of 2,541 and multi-thread score of 12,115 further confirm that this processor is capable but not exceptional. The 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms about two-thirds of processors, but the RTX 5090 in this system is in the 92nd percentile.

The data implies that at 1080p, the i5-10400F is the limiting factor. The 396 FPS average at Low settings is high, but the RTX 5090 could theoretically push far beyond that if the CPU could supply geometry and draw calls faster. The 2.90 GHz base clock is particularly telling — when boosting to 4.30 GHz, the processor can keep up better, but sustained loads may cause it to drop back toward base clocks. The 65 W TDP indicates this is not a high-power part, and the 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth (DDR4 dual-channel) further constrains data throughput to the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the i5-10400F + RTX 5090 delivers exceptional frame rates across all settings. Low averages 396 FPS, Medium 351 FPS (with a minimum of 298 and maximum of 403), High 323 FPS, and Ultra 208 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 47% reduction in average FPS, which is substantial but expected given the increasing graphical load. The Medium preset's narrow range (298-403 FPS) suggests good frame pacing at 1080p, with the CPU keeping up adequately.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop but remain highly playable. Low delivers 356 FPS, Medium 282 FPS (minimum 240, maximum 324), High 233 FPS, and Ultra 150 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is similar across settings: about 10% for Low, 20% for Medium, 28% for High, and 28% for Ultra. The larger drops at High and Ultra indicate that these presets place more load on the GPU, which is beginning to become the limiting factor at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates remain respectable but show clear GPU involvement. Low averages 248 FPS, Medium 178 FPS (minimum 152, maximum 205), High 148 FPS, and Ultra 95 FPS. The 4K Low to Ultra spread of 153 FPS is the largest across resolutions, demonstrating that the RTX 5090 scales well with resolution increases when settings are lowered. The 4K Medium minimum of 152 FPS is notably close to the 4K High average of 148 FPS, suggesting that the Medium preset's extra headroom is minimal when the GPU is heavily loaded.

The measured data shows no min or max FPS values for Low, High, or Ultra presets — only Medium provides those figures. This suggests the benchmark methodology captured only averages for other settings, making Medium the most thoroughly characterized preset at each resolution. The Medium minimums (298 at 1080p, 240 at 1440p, 152 at 4K) all stay above 60 FPS, confirming that this combo never drops to unplayable levels even at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture part on TSMC's 5 nm process, with 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. Its 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs provide massive rasterization throughput, reflected in the 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate and 1,636.8 GTexel/s texture rate. The 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the highest in the GeForce 50-series lineup, and the 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus delivers 1.79 TB/s bandwidth — more than enough for any game at 4K.

In Undisputed, the RTX 5090's role becomes evident at higher resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the GPU is underutilized — the 396 FPS Low average is far below what this card could theoretically produce, but the i5-10400F's 3DMark max-thread score of 4,735 limits how fast the CPU can generate frames. As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU's 176 ROPs and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth come into play, allowing the card to demonstrate its capabilities. The 4K Ultra average of 95 FPS is respectable, though the RTX 5090's 92nd percentile ranking suggests it should perform better; the CPU bottleneck is likely preventing even higher scores.

The GPU's 2,407 MHz boost clock and 1,750 MHz memory clock (28 Gbps effective) are the operational frequencies that determine performance. The 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 figure is more relevant for compute workloads than gaming, but the 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate directly impacts fill-rate-bound scenarios. The RTX 5090's 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores are not likely to be heavily used in a sports title like Undisputed, but they ensure the card is future-proof for other games.

The nearest rivals to the RTX 5090 in synthetic benchmarks are all older or lower-tier parts: the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, +0.3% vs. RTX 5090) and the Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, +1.1%). None of these rivals match the RTX 5090's 32 GB VRAM or 512-bit bus, and the delta percentages are tiny — within 1.4% — suggesting that synthetic benchmarks may not fully capture the RTX 5090's real-world advantages in gaming scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver well above 60 FPS, but the Ultra preset at 208 FPS offers the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The High preset at 323 FPS is also excellent, and the 115 FPS gap between High and Ultra suggests that Ultra's additional effects are worth the performance cost for players with high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset at 150 FPS remains highly playable and is the recommended choice for visual fidelity. The High preset at 233 FPS provides more headroom for competitive play, and the Medium preset at 282 FPS with a 240 FPS minimum ensures no noticeable frame drops. For players prioritizing frame rate over visuals, the Medium preset offers the best balance, as the 32 FPS difference between Medium and High is relatively small.

At 3840x2160, the recommendation depends on the display's refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 95 FPS is suitable for 60-90 Hz displays and provides the best visual experience. The High preset at 148 FPS is better for 120+ Hz displays, and the Medium preset at 178 FPS (with a 152 FPS minimum) offers the best consistency for high-refresh-rate gaming. The Low preset at 248 FPS is only recommended for esports-style play where frame rate is paramount, as the visual quality loss is significant.

The Medium preset consistently provides the most stable frame rates, as evidenced by the min/max data captured only for that setting. Across all resolutions, Medium delivers averages that are roughly 40-50% higher than Ultra, with minimums that never fall below 152 FPS even at 4K. For players who cannot tolerate frame drops, Medium is the safest choice. For those with high-refresh-rate 4K displays, the High preset's 148 FPS average approaches the 144 Hz threshold, making it a viable option despite the absence of min/max data.

FAQ

*Q: Does the Intel Core i5-10400F bottleneck the RTX 5090 in Undisputed?*

A: Yes, particularly at 1080p. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 688 and max-thread score of 4,735 limit how quickly it can process game logic, capping FPS at around 396 even at Low settings. At 4K, the GPU becomes more of a factor, but the CPU still prevents the RTX 5090 from reaching its full potential.

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Undisputed?*

A: The data shows 2560x1440 at Ultra settings delivers 150 FPS, which is excellent for most displays. At 4K, the Ultra preset averages 95 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The 1440p Ultra setting provides the best balance of visual quality and performance.

*Q: How does the RTX 5090's 32 GB VRAM affect Undisputed performance?*

A: The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for this game. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (95 FPS) is not limited by VRAM capacity, as the game's requirements are far below 32 GB. The GPU's 176 ROPs and 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are more relevant factors.

Q: Is the i5-10400F's 6-core/12-thread configuration sufficient for this game?

A: Yes. The CPU's 3DMark 8-thread score of 3,929 is 83% of its max-thread score of 4,735, indicating that Undisputed uses about 8 threads effectively. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 4.30 GHz boost clock provide adequate performance, though the 2.90 GHz base clock can cause occasional slowdowns under sustained load.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 178 FPS, with a minimum of 152 FPS and maximum of 205 FPS. This is the only setting at 4K with complete min/max data, and it shows consistent performance well above 144 Hz, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate 4K displays.

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

A: It ranks 212th out of 3,718 tested combos, placing it in the top 5.7%. This is a strong result given the i5-10400F's age and 68th percentile CPU ranking, but the RTX 5090's 92nd percentile GPU ranking suggests the combo would rank higher with a more modern processor.