Undisputed

Undisputed, the boxing simulator from Steel City Interactive, presents a unique scaling challenge for the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet demonstrates significant headroom in the CPU at lower settings. The RX 9070 XT is clearly the dominant component in this pairing, with frame rates scaling dramatically as resolution decreases, indicating that the six-core i5-9400 is not the primary limiter in most scenarios tested.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 4K down to 1080p is steep and consistent, highlighting the Radeon RX 9070 XT's raw rendering power. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages an average of 66 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Ultra increases that average to 104 FPS, a 58% improvement. At 1080p Ultra, the average jumps to 143 FPS, which is a 117% increase over the 4K Ultra result. This scaling pattern strongly suggests that at Ultra settings, the GPU is the sole constraint; the CPU is providing frames as fast as the graphics card can render them.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced when examining lower graphical presets. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 171. At 1440p Low, it skyrockets to 270 FPS, and at 1080p Low, it reaches 324 FPS. This near-linear scaling with pixel count is the hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau at lower resolutions, where reducing the GPU load would not yield significantly higher frame rates. The data shows no such plateau up to 324 FPS, indicating the i5-9400's six threads are sufficient to feed the RX 9070 XT even in the least demanding visual settings.

The most telling comparison for bottleneck analysis is the Medium preset, which is the only setting with recorded min and max frame times. At 4K Medium, the average is 123 FPS, with a minimum of 105 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 195 FPS, with a minimum of 165 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average is 269 FPS, with a minimum of 229 FPS. The minimum frame rates scale proportionally with the averages, suggesting consistent performance without sudden hitches or CPU-related stutters. The data indicates that the limiting component across all tested resolutions is the GPU, as the performance delta between resolutions is directly proportional to the pixel throughput demands.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Undisputed with this hardware combo?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 2560x1440 provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. It delivers 104 FPS at Ultra and 161 FPS at High, ensuring smooth gameplay without the need to drastically reduce settings. While 1920x1080 offers higher frame rates, the 1440p results are already well above the standard 60 FPS target and provide a crisper image.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Undisputed?

A: Yes, it can, but with compromises. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 66, which is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. However, at 4K High, the average rises to 102 FPS, offering a much more comfortable experience. For 4K gaming, selecting High settings is the recommended approach to maintain high frame rates.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 bottlenecking the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT?

A: The measured data suggests the CPU is not a significant bottleneck. The frame rate scaling from 1440p to 1080p remains proportional to the pixel count decrease, indicating that the GPU is still the primary limiting factor even at 1080p. The jump from 270 FPS at 1440p Low to 324 FPS at 1080p Low shows the CPU can keep up with the GPU's increased output at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance cost?

A: The performance cost of Ultra is substantial. At 4K, moving from High to Ultra drops the average frame rate from 102 FPS to 66 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 1440p, the drop is from 161 FPS to 104 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 1080p, the drop is from 223 FPS to 143 FPS, a 36% reduction. The visual uplift from High to Ultra may not justify this significant performance penalty.

Q: What is the highest frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 324, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This indicates the combo is capable of extremely high refresh rates at lower settings for competitive play or maximum smoothness, though it sacrifices visual quality.

Q: Are the frame times stable across different settings?

A: For the Medium preset, where frame time data is available, the difference between average and minimum FPS is consistent. At 1080p, the average is 269 FPS with a minimum of 229 FPS. At 1440p, the average is 195 FPS with a minimum of 165 FPS. At 4K, the average is 123 FPS with a minimum of 105 FPS. This consistent delta suggests stable frame pacing without major spikes or drops.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the undisputed performance driver in this configuration. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s, which is more than adequate for the textures and geometry in Undisputed at all tested settings. The high memory capacity ensures that even at 4K Ultra, there is no memory pressure that would cause texture pop-in or stuttering, as evidenced by the playable 66 FPS average.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a key factor in its performance. The boost clock of 2970 MHz, alongside a game clock of 2400 MHz, allows the card to sustain high throughput in sustained gaming sessions. The measured pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s are directly reflected in the high frame rates observed at lower resolutions. The 4096 shading units process the game's shaders efficiently, allowing the card to scale from 66 FPS at 4K Ultra to 324 FPS at 1080p Low.

The RDNA 4.0 architecture's performance is clearly demonstrated in the scaling data. The RX 9070 XT is not just a 1080p powerhouse; it maintains over 100 FPS at 4K High, showcasing its capability as a high-resolution gaming card. The 48.66 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power ensures that the graphical fidelity of Undisputed, with its detailed character models and arena environments, is rendered without issue. The GPU's percentile rank of 55 versus all GPUs in the database confirms its position as a strong performer, though the nearest rivals listed indicate the benchmark database has a wide range of scores.

How This Combo Ranks

In the specific context of Undisputed, this combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT ranks at 1031 out of 3718 tested combos. This places it in the top 28% of all tested systems, a strong showing that underscores the GPU's dominance in this pairing. The high rank is primarily attributable to the RX 9070 XT's ability to maintain high frame rates across all resolutions, compensating for the i5-9400's relatively modest positioning in the CPU percentile rankings.

The CPU, with a percentile rank of 47 versus all CPUs, is a mid-range processor, but the combo's overall rank in-game demonstrates that for this specific title, the GPU is the deciding factor. The data shows that a high-end GPU can improve a mid-range CPU pairing to a top-tier gaming experience in Undisputed. The rank of 1031 out of 3718 suggests that the i5-9400 is not holding back the system enough to push the combo into a lower tier, as the GPU's performance is sufficient to overcome the CPU's limitations in this game's workload.

This ranking is not surprising given the frame rate data, which shows the system is GPU-bound. The i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, is sufficient to feed the GPU, resulting in a combo that performs significantly better than the sum of its parts might suggest on paper. The delta between the CPU's average benchmark score and the GPU's high performance is effectively bridged by the game's engine, which appears to be well-optimized for multi-threaded CPUs but not heavily dependent on high core counts.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance. Low settings yield an average of 324 FPS, Medium produces 269 FPS (min 229, max 310), High produces 223 FPS, and Ultra produces 143 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors (144Hz or 240Hz) even at High settings, and only at Ultra does it drop below the 144 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the results are still very strong for high-refresh gaming. Low settings average 270 FPS, Medium averages 195 FPS (min 165, max 224), High averages 161 FPS, and Ultra averages 104 FPS. This resolution is the sweet spot, as it maintains over 100 FPS at the highest preset and over 160 FPS at High, making it ideal for 144Hz monitors with high visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits but still provides playable frame rates. Low settings average 171 FPS, Medium averages 123 FPS (min 105, max 142), High averages 102 FPS, and Ultra averages 66 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only one that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that players targeting 4K should stick to High settings to maintain a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 4K also provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS with a minimum of 105 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the High preset offers the best overall experience for this combo, providing a balance of visual quality and high frame rates. At 1080p, High yields 223 FPS, which is excellent for any monitor. At 1440p, High yields 161 FPS, which is ideal for 144Hz displays. Even at 4K, High yields 102 FPS, which is smooth and playable. High is the only preset that delivers over 100 FPS at all three tested resolutions.

For users with 4K displays, the High preset is the clear recommendation over Ultra. The jump from High to Ultra at 4K results in a 36 FPS drop (from 102 to 66), which is a significant loss in smoothness for what is typically a marginal visual improvement in a sports title like Undisputed. The Medium preset at 4K offers even more performance headroom with 123 FPS, but the visual quality compromise from High to Medium is more noticeable.

For competitive or high-refresh-rate gamers at 1080p, the Medium preset provides 269 FPS, which is a substantial increase over High's 223 FPS. This could be beneficial for 240Hz monitors where every frame counts. However, for the majority of users, the High preset strikes the optimal balance, avoiding the diminishing returns of Ultra while maintaining superior visual fidelity compared to Medium. The data clearly shows that High is the "best value" preset in terms of FPS per visual quality, though it should be noted that all presets are playable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, plays a supporting role in this combination. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz provide adequate single-thread performance for game logic and physics, while the 9 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data locality. The CPU's 47th percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates it is an average performer, but the measured game data suggests it is not the bottleneck in Undisputed.

The lack of hyper-threading could be a concern in some modern games, but the FPS scaling data shows that Undisputed does not appear to require more than 6 threads at the tested settings. The jump from 270 FPS at 1440p Low to 324 FPS at 1080p Low is a 20% increase, which is close to the 25% increase in pixel count (3,686,400 to 2,073,600 pixels). This near-linear scaling is a strong indicator that the CPU is not limiting performance, as a CPU bottleneck would flatten the frame rate curve at lower resolutions.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s via dual-channel DDR4 is sufficient to feed the GPU's 644.6 GB/s bandwidth, as the data does not show any signs of starvation. The i5-9400's PCIe Gen 3 interface with 16 lanes is also not a limiting factor, as the RX 9070 XT supports PCIe 5.0 but can operate effectively on older standards. The benchmark results for the CPU, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935, confirm its mid-range standing, but the game's performance shows that it is capable of supporting a high-end GPU without dragging down overall frame rates in this specific title.