Minimum

FAQ

Q: What is the Intel Core i5-10400F, and how does it perform in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F is a desktop processor from the Core 10th Gen series, built on the Comet Lake architecture using a 14 nm process. It has 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. In the database, its average benchmark score is 14185, placing it in the 68th percentile among all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 scores are 10283 multi-core and 1451 single-core.

Q: What are the key specifications of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is part of the Radeon RX 7000 series, based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip. It has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GPU features 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2755 MHz. Its average benchmark score is 17083, placing it in the 60th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: How does the RX 7600 XT compare to its nearest rivals in GPU benchmarks?

A: The RX 7600 XT's average benchmark score of 17083 is 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 7970M (17019). It is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (17208) and 0.9% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla M4 (16932). These are very close margins, indicating similar raw performance levels.

Q: What is the combo rank for this CPU and GPU pairing in Minimum?

A: In Minimum, this combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT ranks 2392 out of 3712 tested combos in the database. This places it in the middle range of all tested system configurations for this game.

Q: Can this system run Minimum at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the measured average frame rate is 84.4 FPS. This exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings produce 112.6 FPS, Medium produces 137.8 FPS, and Low produces 179.5 FPS at the same resolution.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains above 60 FPS at 3840x2160?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset maintains an average above 60 FPS, delivering 62.2 FPS. Medium drops to 46.2 FPS, High drops to 41.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 29 FPS. Therefore, Low is the only playable setting at 4K resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The balance between the Intel Core i5-10400F and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT shifts noticeably across resolutions in Minimum. At 1920x1080, the data shows high frame rates across all presets, with Low producing 179.5 FPS and Ultra still delivering 84.4 FPS. The large gaps between presets at this resolution, from 179.5 down to 84.4 FPS, suggest that the GPU is the primary performance driver, as reducing graphics load yields substantial frame rate increases.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with a compressed range. Low produces 115 FPS, Medium drops to 88.6 FPS, High reaches 70.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 58.8 FPS. The scaling from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 shows a reduction of approximately 36% at Low settings (from 179.5 to 115 FPS) and about 30% at Ultra settings (from 84.4 to 58.8 FPS). This consistent drop across presets indicates that the GPU workload is scaling with pixel count, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. Low settings produce 62.2 FPS, but Medium falls to 46.2 FPS, High to 41.1 FPS, and Ultra to 29 FPS. The steep decline from Low to Medium at 4K, a drop of 16 FPS, highlights how quickly the RX 7600 XT becomes saturated as resolution increases. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears to keep up even at 4K, as the frame rate differences between resolutions correlate more strongly with GPU load than with CPU limitations.

The data indicates that at 1920x1080, the GPU still matters most, but the CPU's single-thread performance, reflected in its 1451 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking. At 2560x1440, the balance remains GPU-centric, with the RX 7600 XT determining the playable preset ceiling. At 3840x2160, the GPU is unquestionably the limiting factor, as even Medium settings cannot hold 60 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU side, the Intel Core i5-10400F's nearest rivals in the database are remarkably close in average benchmark scores. The Intel Xeon 6756E scores 14163, just 0.2% lower, while the Intel Core 7 160UL scores 14232, 0.3% higher. The AMD EPYC 7552 scores 14115, 0.5% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C scores 14277, 0.6% higher. These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning any of these processors would deliver virtually identical frame rates in Minimum when paired with the same GPU.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT has similar proximity to its nearest rivals. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, 0.3% lower, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, 0.4% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 scores 17208, 0.7% higher, and the NVIDIA Tesla M4 scores 16932, 0.9% lower. For gaming purposes, the RTX 3070 would behave nearly identically to the RX 7600 XT in Minimum, as would the older GTX 690 and HD 7970M within their respective driver limitations.

When considering a full system swap, pairing any of these rival CPUs with the RX 7600 XT would produce frame rates within 1% of the measured results. Similarly, swapping the GPU for one of its rivals while keeping the i5-10400F would yield differences under 1% in average FPS. This suggests that the measured performance of this combo is highly representative of a cluster of similar hardware configurations.

The Verdict

The data confirms that this PC can run Minimum, but the playable experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, every preset clears the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra delivers 84.4 FPS, High reaches 112.6 FPS, Medium achieves 137.8 FPS, and Low hits 179.5 FPS. This makes 1080p fully playable at any setting.

At 2560x1440, the system maintains 60 FPS on High (70.5 FPS), Medium (88.6 FPS), and Low (115 FPS). Ultra falls slightly below the threshold at 58.8 FPS, so it is not recommended. The best playable setting at 1440p is High, which provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings remain playable, producing 62.2 FPS. Medium drops to 46.2 FPS, High to 41.1 FPS, and Ultra to 29 FPS. For 4K gaming, the system requires Low presets to stay above 60 FPS, and even then the margin is narrow at just 2.2 FPS over the threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Minimum, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT ranks 2392 out of 3712 combos. This position places it in the 64th percentile of tested systems, meaning roughly 36% of tested combos perform better. Given that the CPU sits in the 68th percentile and the GPU in the 60th percentile among their respective components, the combo rank is consistent with expectations for mid-range hardware.

The rank reflects the GPU's role as the primary performance limiter in this game. Since the RX 7600 XT ranks lower than the i5-10400F among their peers, the combo's overall standing is pulled down by the GPU. Systems with similarly ranked CPUs but higher-ranked GPUs would appear above this combo in the rankings, while those with lower-ranked GPUs would fall below.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with a measured average of 84.4 FPS. This is the recommended setting for full visual quality at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding playable preset is High, delivering 70.5 FPS. Ultra falls short at 58.8 FPS, so High represents the best balance of visual fidelity and performance at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 62.2 FPS. This is the sole playable option at 4K, and it carries a slim margin above the threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: average 179.5 FPS
• Medium: average 137.8 FPS
• High: average 112.6 FPS
• Ultra: average 84.4 FPS

The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a steady decline of roughly 26-28 FPS per preset step. The gap between Low and Ultra is 95.1 FPS, indicating significant GPU headroom at this resolution.

2560x1440:

• Low: average 115 FPS
• Medium: average 88.6 FPS
• High: average 70.5 FPS
• Ultra: average 58.8 FPS

At 1440p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 56.2 FPS. The step from Medium to High costs 18.1 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs 11.7 FPS. This shows diminishing returns as settings increase.

3840x2160:

• Low: average 62.2 FPS
• Medium: average 46.2 FPS
• High: average 41.1 FPS
• Ultra: average 29 FPS

The 4K results show a steep decline from Low to Medium of 16 FPS, then a more gradual drop to High and Ultra. The total range from Low to Ultra is 33.2 FPS, and every setting above Low falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

The data across all resolutions consistently shows that the RX 7600 XT handles 1080p with ease, manages 1440p with selective presets, and struggles at 4K beyond minimal settings. The i5-10400F does not appear to introduce frame rate ceilings at any tested resolution, as the scaling between presets follows GPU-bound patterns throughout.