Undisputed

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers a highly playable experience in Undisputed, though the data reveals a clear shift in system bottlenecks as resolution increases. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across settings and resolutions, examining the roles of both the CPU and GPU in shaping performance.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, but the pattern across settings reveals the nature of the workload. At Low settings, the transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 sees average FPS fall from 241 to 110, a reduction of 131 FPS (approximately 54%). This steep decline indicates that even at the lowest graphical preset, the rendering resolution heavily taxes the GPU. The RTX 5050’s 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are pushed harder as pixel count quadruples, making the GPU the definitive limiting factor in this scenario.

Moving to Medium settings, the scaling is slightly less dramatic in percentage terms but still significant. The average drops from 173 FPS at 1080p to 125 FPS at 1440p, and then further to 79 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K is 46 FPS, which is larger than the 48 FPS gap between 1080p and 1440p. This suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s becomes increasingly strained at higher resolutions, with the 4K resolution amplifying the cost of each additional pixel.

At High settings, the trend continues. The average FPS at 1080p is 144, which drops to 104 at 1440p and then to 66 at 4K. The scaling from 1440p to 4K here is a 38 FPS loss, while the 1080p to 1440p loss is 40 FPS. This near-linear drop indicates that the game's High preset is consistently GPU-bound across all tested resolutions. The RTX 5050's boost clock of 2572 MHz and its 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are being fully utilized, with no single resolution step causing a disproportionate collapse.

The Ultra preset shows the most severe degradation, with average FPS falling from 92 at 1080p to 67 at 1440p and finally to 42 at 4K. The 25 FPS loss from 1080p to 1440p is followed by another 25 FPS loss to 4K. This consistent halving of performance at each step suggests that Ultra settings introduce a workload that scales almost perfectly with pixel count. The data indicates that the CPU, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, is not a significant constraint here; if it were, we would expect to see a plateau or a less linear decline at lower resolutions where the GPU has more headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the primary driver of frame rates in Undisputed, and its specifications align with the observed scaling. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz, providing the raw compute power for the game's physics and rendering. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus yields a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. This bandwidth appears to be a critical factor, as the performance gap between Medium and High settings at 4K (79 vs 66 FPS) suggests that texture and geometry data transfers are a bottleneck.

The GPU's architecture, Blackwell 2.0 on a 5 nm process, includes 2560 shading units and 80 texture mapping units. These resources are responsible for the pixel and texture throughput, which is reflected in the pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s. In practical terms, these figures support the high frame rates seen at 1080p, where the GPU can process pixels faster than the display can refresh. However, at 4K, the pixel rate becomes a limiting factor, explaining why Ultra settings drop to 42 FPS.

The RTX 5050's performance percentile of 66 places it above the median of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (1.6% slower) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (0.6% faster). The benchmark results show that the GPU is capable of handling the game's demands, but the 4K Ultra results are borderline. The data shows that the GPU's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game at these settings, as no memory-related crashes or stutters are indicated by the min FPS values, which are only recorded for Medium settings (e.g., 67 FPS at 4K).

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested combinations, the Intel Core i5-9400 and RTX 5050 pairing ranks 1722 out of 2813 combos for Undisputed. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all tested systems, which is consistent with the CPU's age and the GPU's mid-range positioning. The combo's rank is influenced by the CPU's average benchmark score of 2254, which sits at the 47th percentile of all CPUs. This suggests that while the GPU can push high frame rates, the CPU may hold back performance in CPU-bound scenarios.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (-0.2% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (+0.4% delta), have nearly identical average scores, indicating that the i5-9400 is competitive with other six-core parts of its era. However, the combo's rank of 1722 means that a significant number of systems with newer CPUs or higher-end GPUs outperform it. For Undisputed, the data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the GPU can leverage its full potential without the CPU becoming a bottleneck.

The rank also reflects the fact that the RTX 5050's average benchmark score of 21035 is high (66th percentile), but the CPU's lower score drags the overall combo down. In games that are more GPU-intensive, this pairing would rank higher, but Undisputed appears to have enough CPU overhead demands to prevent the combo from climbing into the top half of the rankings.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 offers the highest frame rates, with an average of 241 FPS on Low and 144 FPS on High. At 2560x1440, the combo still delivers smooth performance, with High settings averaging 104 FPS, but 4K is only viable on lower presets.

Q: Can the RTX 5050 handle 4K in this game?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 110 on Low to 42 on Ultra. High settings yield 66 FPS, which is playable, but the drop to 42 FPS on Ultra suggests that the GPU is maxed out at that preset.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RTX 5050?

A: The CPU's 6 cores and 6 threads provide adequate performance, but its 47th percentile ranking indicates it is not a top-tier processor. The data shows that resolution scaling is smooth, which suggests the GPU is the primary limiter, but the CPU may prevent the GPU from reaching its absolute maximum in lower-resolution, high-FPS scenarios.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5050's average benchmark score of 21035 is 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT and 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL. This places it in a competitive mid-range tier.

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 104 FPS, which is very smooth. The Ultra preset averages 67 FPS, which is still playable, but the High preset offers a better balance of visual quality and frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across all resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings average 241 FPS, Medium averages 173 FPS with a minimum of 147 and maximum of 200, High averages 144 FPS, and Ultra averages 92 FPS. This resolution is clearly where the RTX 5050 shines, with all presets exceeding 90 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 174 FPS, Medium averages 125 FPS (min 107, max 144), High averages 104 FPS, and Ultra averages 67 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 21 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 37 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset has a significant performance cost.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. Low settings average 110 FPS, Medium averages 79 FPS (min 67, max 91), High averages 66 FPS, and Ultra averages 42 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 67 FPS is notable, as it indicates that even with frame drops, the game remains playable. The Ultra preset's 42 FPS average is the only result that falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

The data shows a consistent pattern: for every resolution, the Low preset offers roughly double the frame rate of the Ultra preset. This suggests that the game's Ultra settings introduce effects that are disproportionately expensive on the RTX 5050's hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support provide a solid foundation for gaming. The CPU's average benchmark score of 2254 places it at the 47th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it is slightly below the median performer.

In Undisputed, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The data shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from 1440p to 4K. If the CPU were limiting performance, we would expect to see smaller FPS differences between resolutions, as the GPU would be waiting for the CPU to send data.

However, at 1080p with Low settings, the CPU may be a limiting factor. The 241 FPS average is high, but the boost clock of 4.10 GHz and 6 threads may not be enough to push frame rates even higher. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-10710U, has a similar average score (2248), indicating that the i5-9400 is performing as expected for its class.

The CPU's 14 nm process node and 65 W TDP make it an efficient part, but its end-of-life production status means it lacks the modern features of newer processors. For this game, the CPU provides sufficient performance to avoid major frame drops, as indicated by the min FPS values on Medium settings, which are only slightly lower than the average.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended choice. It averages 144 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium. The Ultra preset, while averaging 92 FPS, may not be worth the performance cost for the marginal visual gains, especially given that High is already so smooth.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is again the best balance. It averages 104 FPS, providing a fluid experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset averages 125 FPS, but the visual fidelity drop is noticeable. The Ultra preset, at 67 FPS, is playable but leaves little headroom for frame drops during intense boxing sequences.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the recommended setting. It averages 79 FPS with a minimum of 67, ensuring that the game remains smooth even during demanding moments. The High preset averages 66 FPS, which is borderline, and the Ultra preset's 42 FPS average is too low for competitive play. The Low preset, at 110 FPS, is the best for pure performance, but the visual compromise is severe.

In summary, the data suggests that the High preset is the sweet spot for 1080p and 1440p, while the Medium preset is the best option for 4K. The Ultra preset should only be used at 1080p, where the GPU has enough headroom to maintain a playable frame rate.