Undisputed

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread desktop processor from the Coffee Lake generation, running on the Intel Socket 1151 platform. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This CPU is paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT, a RDNA 3.0 graphics card built on the Navi 32 chip with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-9400 lands at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, with an average score of 2305. Its nearest rivals in that metric include the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and Intel Core i7-8809G (2319), showing the processor sits in a tight performance band. The RX 7800 XT, meanwhile, sits at the 76th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 32619.

For a sports title like Undisputed, the interaction between this older six-thread CPU and a modern high-end GPU is telling. The game’s measured frames per second (FPS) reveal that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor at higher resolutions, but at 1080p with lower settings, the processor’s six threads without hyper-threading can cap performance. The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the GPU takes over the workload, and the CPU’s role diminishes. This pairing is a study in imbalance — the GPU is capable of far more than the CPU can feed it at lower settings, but at higher quality presets, the system finds a more harmonious balance.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-9400’s specifications directly shape its performance in Undisputed. With six cores and six threads, the processor lacks the multi-threading found on higher-tier chips, meaning it has a finite pool of execution resources. Its boost clock of 4.10 GHz is respectable for a 2018-era part, but the 2.90 GHz base clock indicates that sustained all-core workloads may see lower frequencies. In this game, the CPU’s impact is most visible at 1920x1080 resolution, where the frame rate varies dramatically based on graphics settings. At Low settings, the combo hits 326 FPS, but at Ultra, it drops to 128.6 FPS. This spread of 197.4 FPS at the same resolution suggests that the game engine is heavily GPU-bound at higher settings, while the CPU can still push high frame rates when the GPU has less work.

The processor’s 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth) are modest by modern standards, but adequate for a sports sim. The data indicates that the i5-9400 is not a bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is 56.4 — a figure that aligns with GPU limits rather than CPU throughput. At 1440p, the CPU still has headroom: Low settings produce 242.6 FPS, while Medium yields 177.8 FPS. The CPU’s 50th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305, places it just 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299). This means the i5-9400 is performance-equivalent to those parts, but it is 0.6% behind the Intel Core i7-8809G (2319). For Undisputed, this CPU is sufficient to maintain playable frame rates, but it is the GPU that defines the experience at higher quality settings.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Undisputed?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 326, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only setting where the frame rate exceeds 300 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-10305’s score of 2300. This indicates near-identical general processing performance.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo dip below 60 FPS?

A: The only configuration that falls below 60 FPS is 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings, where the average FPS is 56.4. All other tested settings at 4K, 1440p, and 1080p exceed 90 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is at the 76th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32619. Its nearest rival, the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, scores 32540, placing the RX 7800 XT 0.2% ahead.

Q: Does the CPU support overclocking?

A: No, the Intel Core i5-9400 has a locked multiplier (multiplierUnlocked is false), so it cannot be overclocked. The boost clock of 4.10 GHz is the maximum frequency attainable.

Q: How does the frame rate change from 1080p Low to 4K Low?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 326, while at 4K Low, it drops to 152.2. This represents a reduction of 173.8 FPS, or roughly 53%, when moving to 4K, illustrating the GPU load increase.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data in Undisputed clearly illustrates where the bottleneck lies in this pairing. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 326 FPS at 1920x1080 to 242.6 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 152.2 FPS at 3840x2160. This is a steady decline, but the percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 25.6%, while from 1440p to 4K is 37.3%. The larger drop at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases. The RX 7800 XT’s 16 GB of memory and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient, but the rendering load at 4K is substantial.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The combo produces 128.6 FPS at 1080p, 95.3 FPS at 1440p, and 56.4 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 25.9%, and from 1440p to 4K is 40.8%. This suggests that at Ultra, the GPU is fully saturated, and the CPU’s six cores are not the constraint — otherwise, the frame rates would flatten at higher resolutions. The data points to the RX 7800 XT being the dominant component in this system, especially at 4K, where even Low settings (152.2 FPS) are far below the 1080p Low figure (326 FPS). For users targeting 4K, the CPU is effectively irrelevant to the final frame rate, as the GPU workload dominates.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 326 FPS, Medium yields 241.6 FPS, High gives 201.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 128.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 197.4 FPS, indicating that the graphics settings have a massive impact on performance at this resolution. The CPU’s six threads can keep up with the GPU’s output here, as even the Ultra score remains above 120 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down proportionally. Low settings hit 242.6 FPS, Medium reaches 177.8 FPS, High delivers 146.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 95.3 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 147.3 FPS, slightly narrower than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is starting to become more significant. At 1440p, all settings remain playable, with the lowest figure (Ultra) still above 90 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU load increases dramatically. Low settings average 152.2 FPS, Medium achieves 108.9 FPS, High produces 92.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 56.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 95.8 FPS, the smallest of all resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor. Notably, the 4K Ultra score is the only measurement below 60 FPS, making it the sole configuration where the system struggles to maintain smooth gameplay. The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step down halves the effective performance headroom, with the GPU’s pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s being the key specs driving these results.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the full database of tested combinations for Undisputed, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 613th out of 1580 combos. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all systems tested, meaning it outperforms roughly 61% of all configurations. The rank reflects the balanced performance of the two components, but the CPU’s age and modest single-thread capabilities (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1125) hold it back from the top echelons. The GPU’s high percentile (76th) does much of the heavy lifting, but the combo’s overall rank is limited by the CPU’s 50th percentile standing.

The ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data: this system can handle high-refresh 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it falls short of the top-tier combos that would push 4K Ultra well above 60 FPS. The RX 7800 XT’s nearest rivals in GPU benchmarks — the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (0.2% ahead), the NVIDIA P104-100 (0.4% behind), and the NVIDIA T600 Mobile (0.7% behind) — all have similar compute scores, but the CPU pairing determines the final game rank. In this case, the i5-9400’s 6 cores and 6 threads are sufficient for a sports title like Undisputed, but the combo rank of 613 suggests that users with newer mid-range CPUs (like the rival Intel Core i3-10305) would see similar or better results, given the 0.2% performance delta. The data indicates that this combo is a solid, but not exceptional, performer in the database, with the GPU being the star component and the CPU being a competent but unremarkable partner.