Undisputed

# Undisputed with Intel Core i5-9400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a dominant 1080p and 1440p experience in Undisputed, but the combination shows its limits at 4K Ultra where the CPU's six-thread architecture becomes the primary constraint. The measured frame rates across twelve settings/resolution combinations reveal a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower resolutions, transitioning to a CPU-limited scenario at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 65.6. This pairing ranks 472nd out of 1,580 tested combos in this game, placing it in the upper third of all configurations despite the i5-9400's mid-range standing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the bottleneck shifts. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 324.3 at 1920x1080 to 174.1 at 3840x2160, a drop of 150.2 FPS or roughly 46%. This substantial reduction indicates that even at Low settings, the RTX 3080 Ti's rendering workload at 4K is significant enough to halve the output, yet the absolute numbers remain high enough to suggest the CPU is still keeping pace.

Moving to High settings, the scaling pattern changes. The 1080p result of 221 FPS drops to 161.6 at 1440p and then to 101.6 at 4K. The percentage decline from 1440p to 4K (37%) is steeper than from 1080p to 1440p (27%), which points to the GPU becoming progressively more saturated as pixel count rises. At Ultra settings, the trend becomes extreme: 141.9 FPS at 1080p, 105.6 at 1440p, and just 65.6 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than half of the 1080p Ultra figure, a collapse that signals the RTX 3080 Ti's 12 GB frame buffer and 912.4 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed to their limits while the i5-9400's six threads cannot compensate.

The data indicates that this combo is GPU-limited at 1080p and 1440p across all settings, as evidenced by the massive headroom available (324.3 FPS at Low 1080p). However, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate of 65.6 suggests a more balanced load, where neither component fully dominates but the combination of the CPU's 2.90 GHz base clock and the GPU's 1665 MHz boost clock creates a ceiling that prevents higher output.

GPU Role

The RTX 3080 Ti is the clear performance driver in this configuration, and its specifications explain why. With 10,240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs, the GPU has the raw compute capacity to push frame rates far beyond what most titles require. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivers 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is essential for handling the high-resolution textures and effects that Undisputed's Ultra preset demands.

The GPU's clock behavior—1365 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost—combined with its 34.10 TFLOPS FP32 performance, translates directly to the measured results. At 1080p Low, the GPU is barely challenged, producing 324.3 FPS. Even at 4K Low, the 174.1 FPS result demonstrates that the RTX 3080 Ti alone could sustain higher frame rates if the CPU were not a factor. The gap between Low and Ultra at the same resolution is revealing: at 4K, Low produces 174.1 FPS while Ultra yields 65.6 FPS, a difference of 108.5 FPS. This 2.65x swing is attributable to the GPU's workload increasing with settings, confirming that the graphics card is the primary variable in performance scaling.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 83 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41,224, places it near the top of the hierarchy. Its nearest rival, the RTX 3090, scores 41,441, a delta of -0.5%, meaning the 3080 Ti is essentially equivalent to the 3090 in synthetic benchmarks. This context matters because it shows that any performance shortfall in Undisputed is not due to GPU weakness but rather to the CPU or the interaction between components.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is the limiting factor in this pairing, and its specifications make this clear. With 6 cores and 6 threads (no hyper-threading), a base clock of 2.90 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, this Coffee Lake processor was designed for mainstream workloads, not high-refresh-rate gaming at maximum settings. Its 9 MB of shared L3 cache and 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth are adequate but not exceptional for a 2023 sports title.

The CPU's benchmark scores reflect its mid-range position. In Cinebench R23, it scores 7,969 multi-core and 1,125 single-core, with an average benchmark score of 2,305 across all tests. Its percentile ranking of 50 against all CPUs means it sits exactly at the median, and its nearest rivals—the Core i3-10305 (2,300, +0.2%), Core i3-1125G4 (2,299, +0.2%), and Xeon E-2134 (2,295, +0.4%)—are all within a fraction of a percent. This tells us the i5-9400 is not a weak processor, but it is firmly in the middle of the pack.

In Undisputed, the CPU's role becomes apparent at Ultra settings, particularly at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 65.6 FPS suggests that the CPU's six threads are struggling to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics data. The 1080p Ultra result of 141.9 FPS is respectable, but it is significantly lower than the 221 FPS at High settings, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional CPU overhead (likely more complex AI, physics, and scene management) taxes the processor. The fact that the i5-9400 has a 65 W TDP and is marked end-of-life further contextualizes its performance ceiling in a modern title like Undisputed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low produces 324.3 FPS, Medium 266.9 FPS, High 221 FPS, and Ultra 141.9 FPS. These numbers show that even at the most demanding 1080p preset, the system maintains well above 140 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The step from High to Ultra costs 79.1 FPS, a 36% reduction, which represents the heaviest settings penalty at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results remain strong but show the expected drop. Low yields 270.7 FPS, Medium 196 FPS, High 161.6 FPS, and Ultra 105.6 FPS. The Ultra figure is notable because it is the first setting where the frame rate dips below 120 FPS, suggesting that 1440p Ultra is the edge of comfortable high-refresh gameplay. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 165.1 FPS, a wider spread than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is doing more work per frame.

At 3840x2160, the performance picture changes dramatically. Low produces 174.1 FPS, Medium 126 FPS, High 101.6 FPS, and Ultra 65.6 FPS. The Low result is still excellent, but High and Ultra are now in the realm where a 60 Hz display would be the practical pairing. The Ultra figure of 65.6 FPS is barely above 60, and the drop from Medium to Ultra (60.4 FPS) shows that the Ultra preset's demands are too much for this combo at 4K. Across all resolutions, the scaling from Low to Ultra is consistent: roughly a 2x reduction in frame rate, with the exact multiplier ranging from 2.28x at 1080p (324.3 to 141.9) to 2.65x at 4K (174.1 to 65.6).

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Undisputed at 4K 60 FPS?*

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings or lower. The 4K Medium result is 126 FPS, and High is 101.6 FPS, but Ultra drops to 65.6 FPS, which is just above 60. For a consistent 60 FPS ceiling, High settings at 4K provide ample headroom.

Q: What is the best resolution for maximum frame rates?

A: The data shows 1080p Low produces 324.3 FPS, the highest measured result. Even at 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 141.9 FPS, making 1080p the optimal resolution for competitive play or high-refresh displays.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 Ti the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No, at 1080p the GPU is not the limiting factor. The 324.3 FPS at Low and 221 FPS at High indicate the RTX 3080 Ti has significant headroom, and the CPU's six threads are more likely to constrain maximum frame rates in CPU-intensive scenes.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2,305, which is within 0.6% of its closest competitors: the Core i3-10305 (2,300), Core i3-1125G4 (2,299), and Xeon E-2134 (2,295). It also outperforms the Core i7-8809G (2,319) by -0.6%, making it statistically tied with all four.

Q: What settings provide the biggest performance jump?

A: The largest single-settings jump is from Ultra to High at 4K, where the frame rate increases from 65.6 to 101.6 FPS, a gain of 36 FPS. At 1080p, dropping from Ultra to High adds 79.1 FPS, the largest absolute gain across all resolutions.

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1440p or 4K?

A: The data favors 1440p, where the combo delivers 105.6 FPS at Ultra and 161.6 FPS at High. These results are well above 60 FPS, whereas 4K Ultra only reaches 65.6 FPS, making 1440p the sweet spot for high settings without compromising frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the recommended configuration, delivering 161.6 FPS. This provides a 60% improvement over Ultra at the same resolution (105.6 FPS) while maintaining graphics quality that is nearly indistinguishable in fast-paced gameplay. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is viable at 141.9 FPS, making it the best choice for users who prioritize image quality over raw frame rates.

For 4K users, the Medium preset at 126 FPS is the optimal pick, as it offers a 24.4 FPS advantage over High and a 60.4 FPS advantage over Ultra. The Low preset at 4K (174.1 FPS) is only recommended for competitive play where frame rate is paramount. Across all resolutions, avoiding the Ultra preset at 4K is critical; the 65.6 FPS result is too close to the 60 FPS threshold for stable gameplay, and the drop from Medium to Ultra represents a 48% performance penalty that is not justified by the modest visual gains in a sports title.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 472nd out of 1,580 tested combos in Undisputed, placing it in the 70th percentile of all configurations. This ranking is notable because the i5-9400 is a 50th-percentile CPU, while the RTX 3080 Ti is an 83rd-percentile GPU. The disparity explains the ranking: the combo performs better than the CPU's percentile suggests, thanks to the GPU's dominance, but it does not reach the GPU's potential due to the CPU's limitations.

The ranking of 472 out of 1,580 means that roughly 1,108 combos perform worse, and 471 perform better. Given that the RTX 3080 Ti is statistically tied with the RTX 3090 (delta of -0.5%), the ranking is likely lower than it would be with a stronger CPU. The data suggests that upgrading the i5-9400 to a higher-core-count processor would push this combo significantly higher in the rankings, as the GPU has demonstrated the ability to produce 324.3 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating it is far from being the limiting factor. In the context of Undisputed, this pairing is a high-performing but not elite combination, best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming where the GPU's power can be fully utilized.