Undisputed

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 produces a striking performance profile in Undisputed, one that is heavily defined by the resolution ceiling. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional frame rates, with the Low preset reaching 324 FPS and the Medium preset hitting 286 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers remain robust, with Low at 289 FPS and Medium at 208 FPS. The most significant shift occurs at 3840x2160, where the Low preset still produces a highly playable 183 FPS, but the Ultra preset drops to 70 FPS. This scaling pattern—where 4K Ultra is less than half the speed of 1080p Medium—indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and quality settings.

The data reveals a clear trend: the frame rate penalty for increasing resolution is substantial, but the penalty for increasing settings is even more pronounced. At 4K, the gap between Low (183 FPS) and Ultra (70 FPS) is a 113 FPS swing, which represents a 61.7% reduction in performance. This suggests that while the RTX 5070 has ample headroom at lower settings, the Ultra preset’s demands push the GPU hard enough to expose its limits. Conversely, at 1080p, the difference between Low (324 FPS) and Ultra (153 FPS) is a 171 FPS drop, but the absolute numbers remain so high that the experience is still smooth. The limiting component at 1080p is less clear-cut; the CPU may be preventing the GPU from reaching even higher peaks, but the measured results show that the combo is never starved for performance at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. This is a mid-range processor by modern standards, and its performance in Undisputed reflects that positioning. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 324 FPS, which is a strong result, but it also hints that the CPU might be a constraint at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do.

When examining the nearest rivals, the i5-9400 sits remarkably close to several other processors. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 has an average score of 2259, a delta of -0.2%, while the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, a delta of 0.3%. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a delta of 0.4%. These tiny margins—all under half a percent—mean that the i5-9400 is effectively performance-equivalent to these other chips in synthetic benchmarks. In gaming, this translates to a situation where the CPU is unlikely to be the sole differentiator between systems, but its 6-core/6-thread configuration without hyper-threading could still limit performance in scenarios that favor higher thread counts.

The game’s results at 1080p Medium (286 FPS) versus 4K Low (183 FPS) are instructive. The 1080p Medium score is 103 FPS higher than 4K Low, which suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU is able to feed the GPU adequately, but the GPU is not the limiting factor. At 4K Low, the GPU takes on more work, and the frame rate drops accordingly. This indicates that the CPU role is more prominent at 1080p, where its single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935) and multicore capabilities (Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629) are sufficient to drive high frame rates, but not so powerful that they eliminate the GPU’s influence entirely. The i5-9400’s 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 42.7 GB/s are adequate for this workload, but they do not provide the kind of headroom that would allow the CPU to push past the GPU’s limits in more demanding settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process, featuring 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus with a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 2325 MHz with a boost clock of 2512 MHz, and it offers 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40377. In Undisputed, the data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in determining frame rates at higher resolutions and settings.

The RTX 5070’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all AMD Radeon Pro cards, which is an interesting comparison given the gaming context. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 40318, a delta of 0.1%, while the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40063, a delta of 0.8%. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870, a delta of -1.2%, and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39568, a delta of 2%. These deltas are small, indicating that the RTX 5070’s raw compute performance is similar to these professional-grade cards, but the gaming-specific features and drivers may make a difference in actual gameplay.

The measured FPS data shows the GPU’s strength clearly. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 70 FPS, which is a demanding workload, but at 4K Medium, it jumps to 132 FPS, and at 4K Low, it reaches 183 FPS. This scaling suggests that the GPU has significant headroom when settings are reduced, but the Ultra preset places a heavy load on the 12 GB VRAM and the 80 ROPs. The 4K Medium results include a minimum FPS of 112 and a maximum of 151, showing some variance, but the average remains solid. The GPU’s 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 482.3 GTexel/s texture rate are clearly sufficient for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p, where the High preset delivers 172 FPS. However, the 4K Ultra result of 70 FPS is the lowest measured, indicating that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and pixel rate (201.0 GPixel/s) are stretched at the highest settings.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 offers the best balance, with the High preset achieving 172 FPS and the Medium preset at 208 FPS. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are higher (238 FPS on High), but the difference in visual quality may not justify the performance increase for most users.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 40377. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 580, scores 40318, which is 0.1% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40063, 0.8% lower, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870, 1.2% higher.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RTX 5070?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 324 FPS, which is very high, but the CPU’s 47th percentile ranking suggests it may limit performance in less demanding scenarios. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, with the combo dropping to 70 FPS.

Q: What settings provide the most stable frame rates?

A: The Medium preset shows the most consistent results, with a minimum FPS of 243 at 1080p, 177 at 1440p, and 112 at 4K. The High and Ultra presets do not report minimum FPS values, but the Medium preset’s data suggests it offers a good balance of performance and stability.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: This combo ranks 822 out of 3718 tested combinations in Undisputed, placing it in the top 22% of all tested systems.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 has a launch MSRP of 549 USD.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 achieves a rank of 822 out of 3718 tested combos in Undisputed. This places the combo in the top quarter of all systems tested, which is a strong result given the CPU’s mid-range positioning. The rank reflects the GPU’s high percentile (82nd) and the CPU’s more modest standing (47th), but in this particular game, the GPU’s influence dominates the overall performance.

The ranking suggests that while the CPU is not a top-tier part, it does not significantly drag down the combo’s performance in Undisputed. The 1080p results (238 FPS on High, 324 FPS on Low) are exceptionally high, and even the 4K Ultra result of 70 FPS is playable. The gap between this combo and higher-ranked systems likely comes from CPUs with more cores or higher single-thread performance, which could push frame rates even higher at 1080p. However, the data shows that the combo is well-balanced for this game, with the GPU doing the heavy lifting at higher resolutions and the CPU providing sufficient support at lower ones. The rank of 822 out of 3718 is a solid placement, indicating that this setup is capable of delivering a smooth experience across all tested settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best overall experience for this combo in Undisputed. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 286 FPS with a minimum of 243 and a maximum of 329, which is well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset achieves 208 FPS with a minimum of 177 and a maximum of 239, providing a smooth experience on 144Hz displays. Even at 3840x2160, the Medium preset maintains 132 FPS with a minimum of 112 and a maximum of 151, which is playable on most 4K displays.

The High preset is a viable alternative for users who prioritize visual quality over raw frame rates. It delivers 238 FPS at 1080p, 172 FPS at 1440p, and 109 FPS at 4K. These numbers are all above 100 FPS, making High a strong choice for those with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors. The Ultra preset, however, is more demanding, with 153 FPS at 1080p, 111 FPS at 1440p, and 70 FPS at 4K. While the 1080p and 1440p results are still playable, the 4K Ultra result of 70 FPS may be too low for some users who prefer a locked 60 FPS or higher. The Low preset offers the highest frame rates (324 FPS at 1080p, 289 FPS at 1440p, 183 FPS at 4K), but the visual fidelity is sacrificed. For most users, the Medium preset provides the best balance of performance and quality, with the High preset as a close second for those who want more visual detail.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows a wide range of performance depending on settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 324 FPS, while the Medium preset delivers 286 FPS with a minimum of 243 and a maximum of 329. The High preset drops to 238 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 153 FPS. This represents a 171 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, showing that the settings have a significant impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are still high but show more variation. The Low preset reaches 289 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 208 FPS with a minimum of 177 and a maximum of 239. The High preset delivers 172 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 111 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 178 FPS, which is slightly larger than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a factor.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops more noticeably. The Low preset achieves 183 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 132 FPS with a minimum of 112 and a maximum of 151. The High preset delivers 109 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 70 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 113 FPS, which is smaller than at lower resolutions, but the absolute numbers are lower, making the Ultra preset the only one that dips below 100 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 112 FPS at 4K is still above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable option for 4K gaming.