Don't Starve Together

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Core 10th Gen series, built on the Comet Lake architecture using Intel's 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The CPU supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. Its cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-10400F posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10297 and a single-core score of 1453. The Geekbench results show 5783 multi-core and 1454 single-core. PassMark's multithread score is 12115 with a single-thread score of 2541. The 3DMark results illustrate scaling from 1350 in the 2-thread test to 4748 in the 16-thread test, with a max-thread score of 4735. This shows the processor reaches its performance ceiling around 8 threads (3929 in the 8-thread test), with only marginal gains when moving to 16 threads.

The percentile ranking of 73 indicates this CPU outperforms 73% of all processors in the benchmark database. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.4% ahead), the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (0.8% behind), the Intel Core i5-8500 (1.1% behind), and the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 (1.2% behind). The i5-10400F sits essentially at parity with these parts, with deltas under 1.2% in either direction.

For Don't Starve Together, the data suggests the CPU is not the primary constraint. The game's measured FPS at 1080p Ultra reaches 159.3, and the frame rates remain high across all settings. The 6-core/12-thread configuration provides ample parallelism for the game's logic, and the boost clock of 4.30 GHz delivers the single-thread performance needed for simulation-heavy tasks. The CPU's 73rd percentile standing among all CPUs aligns with its ability to sustain high frame rates without becoming the bottleneck in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 achieves a rank of 364 out of 1667 tested combos in Don't Starve Together. This places the pairing in the top 21.8% of all tested configurations. The ranking reflects the combined capability of the CPU and GPU working together in this specific title.

The CPU's nearest rivals all score within 1.2% of its average benchmark, yet the combo's position at 364 suggests the GPU is doing substantial work in lifting the overall result. The i5-10400F holds a 73rd percentile position among all CPUs, while the RTX 5080 sits at an 89th percentile among all GPUs. The GPU's higher relative standing contributes more heavily to the combo's overall rank.

The rank of 364 means there are 363 combos that deliver higher performance in this game. These would include configurations with more powerful CPUs paired with similar or better GPUs, as well as systems where both components are higher-tier. However, the fact that this combo still ranks in the top 22% demonstrates that the i5-10400F does not severely hamper the RTX 5080's capabilities in Don't Starve Together.

The data indicates a balanced enough pairing for this title. The 6-core processor maintains frame rates that keep the GPU fed, and the resulting rank reflects a system that performs well above the median tested configuration. The delta between CPU rivals is small enough that swapping to any of the nearest rivals would not meaningfully change the combo's in-game rank.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals distinct scaling patterns across resolutions. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 159.3 FPS. Moving to 1440p Ultra drops this to 139.5 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls further to 84.2 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is approximately 12.4%, while the drop from 1080p to 4K is approximately 47.1%.

This scaling pattern indicates that at 1080p, the system is likely CPU-limited or has headroom on the GPU side. The relatively modest drop from 1080p to 1440p (about 12.4%) suggests the GPU is still capable of handling the increased pixel count without a proportional frame rate loss. The much larger drop from 1440p to 4K (about 39.6% lower) shows the GPU becoming the limiting factor as pixel throughput demands escalate.

At 1080p Low, the system achieves 210 FPS, which is the highest measured value across all resolution/settings combinations. The difference between 1080p Low and 1080p Ultra is 50.7 FPS, or about 24.1%. This gap demonstrates that the game's settings have a measurable impact even at the same resolution, but the CPU can still push high frame rates regardless.

The 4K results show a compressed range: Low at 153.8, Medium at 122.6, High at 104.8, and Ultra at 84.2. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 69.6 FPS. This compression relative to lower resolutions indicates the GPU is the dominant constraint at 4K, as settings changes have a larger absolute effect when the GPU is already under heavy load. Conversely, at 1080p the spread from Low (210) to Ultra (159.3) is 50.7 FPS, showing that even at the lowest settings, the CPU maintains high throughput.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low at 210.0, Medium at 181.2, High at 173.7, and Ultra at 159.3. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decline, with each settings tier reducing performance. The step from Low to Medium is a 28.8 FPS drop, from Medium to High is a 7.5 FPS drop, and from High to Ultra is a 14.4 FPS drop. The largest single-step reduction occurs between Low and Medium, while the smallest occurs between Medium and High.

At 2560x1440, the values are: Low at 186.0, Medium at 158.6, High at 149.9, and Ultra at 139.5. Comparing to 1080p, the drops are 24.0 FPS for Low, 22.6 FPS for Medium, 23.8 FPS for High, and 19.8 FPS for Ultra. The resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 20-24 FPS across all settings, a relatively consistent penalty.

At 3840x2160, the values are: Low at 153.8, Medium at 122.6, High at 104.8, and Ultra at 84.2. The transition from 1440p to 4K costs 32.2 FPS for Low, 36.0 FPS for Medium, 45.1 FPS for High, and 55.3 FPS for Ultra. This shows the resolution penalty grows with higher settings, with Ultra suffering the largest absolute drop. The 4K Ultra result of 84.2 FPS remains playable, while 4K Low at 153.8 provides a high-refresh experience.

The full data set shows 12 measured points, covering four settings at three resolutions. The highest FPS is 210.0 at 1080p Low, and the lowest is 84.2 at 4K Ultra. Every resolution/settings combination exceeds 84 FPS, indicating the combo never dips below a smooth playability threshold in this game.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2617 MHz, with memory running at 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective). Its chip is the GB203, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die.

The RTX 5080 includes 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. It has 84 ray tracing cores and 336 tensor cores. The GPU achieves a pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 56.28 TFLOPS, matching its FP16 output at a 1:1 ratio. The GPU has a TDP of 360 W and requires a 750 W power supply, using a single 16-pin connector.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5080 scores 8637 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 264461 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 257942 in Geekbench Vulkan. PassMark shows a G3D score of 36565 and a compute score of 21789. The GPU's percentile ranking is 89, meaning it outperforms 89% of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A570M (1.6% ahead), the Intel Arc Pro A60 (1.9% behind), the Intel Arc A580 (2.5% ahead), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (2.6% ahead).

The GPU's role in Don't Starve Together is clear from the resolution scaling: at 1080p, frame rates are high across all settings, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is ample for this title, and the high memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s ensures texture streaming does not bottleneck performance. The GPU's 89th percentile standing supports its ability to deliver the measured frame rates, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides clear guidance for settings selection based on the target resolution. At 1080p, all settings exceed 159 FPS, so the choice depends on whether visual fidelity or maximum frame rate is prioritized. The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 159.3 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh displays, while the Low preset at 210 FPS offers the highest headroom. The Medium preset at 181.2 FPS provides a balanced middle ground with 21.9 FPS more than Ultra.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset achieves 139.5 FPS, which remains smooth for most displays. The High preset at 149.9 FPS offers a 10.4 FPS improvement over Ultra with presumably minor visual differences. The Medium preset at 158.6 FPS adds another 8.7 FPS, while Low at 186.0 FPS provides the maximum performance. For 1440p, the High or Medium presets appear to offer the most balanced experience, as they stay above 149 FPS while retaining reasonable visual quality.

At 4K, the Ultra preset drops to 84.2 FPS, which is still above typical 60 FPS thresholds but provides less margin for demanding scenes. The High preset at 104.8 FPS offers a 20.6 FPS improvement over Ultra, making it a compelling choice for 4K gaming. The Medium preset at 122.6 FPS is another strong option, delivering 38.4 FPS more than Ultra. The Low preset at 153.8 FPS maximises frame rate but sacrifices visual quality.

Across all resolutions, the data suggests that the High preset provides the most consistent experience relative to Ultra: at 1080p it is 14.4 FPS higher, at 1440p it is 10.4 FPS higher, and at 4K it is 20.6 FPS higher. The Medium preset offers even more headroom at 4K (122.6 FPS) and 1440p (158.6 FPS), making it the recommended choice for users who value frame rate stability over maximum visual fidelity. For 1080p users, the High preset at 173.7 FPS represents the best balance, as the gains from lowering to Medium (7.5 FPS) or Low (36.3 FPS) are less significant relative to the visual quality loss.