Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V, a 2013 Action Adventure title, paired with an Intel Core i5-10400F and an Intel Arc B580, presents a dataset that is as much about the game's age as it is about the hardware's capabilities. The measured frames per second across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is consistently capable, yet the pattern of performance drops indicates where the true bottleneck lies in this specific pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 1440p, and then to 4K, shows a predictable, yet steep, decline in frame rates that pinpoints the graphics card as the primary limiting factor. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 95 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, this drops to 64 FPS, a 33% reduction. The jump to 4K High further crushes performance to 37 FPS, another 42% decline. This scaling pattern is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario, where the demand on the renderer outpaces the CPU's ability to feed it.

The delta between the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution reinforces this. At 1080p, the spread is a massive 71 FPS (from 139 at Low to 68 at Ultra). This wide gap narrows as resolution increases, with the 4K spread being only 27 FPS (from 54 at Low to 27 at Ultra). This convergence is the hallmark of pixel throughput limits; at 4K, the Arc B580 is so saturated with fill-rate work that the difference between the game's graphical complexity settings becomes less impactful on the final frame rate. The data suggests the i5-10400F has ample headroom to keep up with the GPU's demands at lower resolutions, but the B580's rendering pipeline becomes the wall as pixel count climbs.

Settings Recommendations

For a smooth experience, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot for this configuration, offering a balance between visual fidelity and performance. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 122 FPS with a minimum of 103 FPS and a maximum of 140 FPS, indicating a fluid and consistent experience. Stepping up to High at 1080p drops the average to 95 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices the headroom that Medium provides.

The choice becomes more critical at higher resolutions. At 1440p, the Medium preset maintains a respectable 82 FPS average (min 70, max 94), making it the only setting that keeps the frame rate comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 1440p, at 64 FPS, is borderline, while Ultra at 46 FPS falls below the smooth-playability mark. At 4K, all presets are a compromise. Medium is the only one to break past 40 FPS, averaging 47 FPS (min 40, max 54). The data suggests that for a consistent 60+ FPS experience, 1080p Medium is the recommended target, while 1440p Medium offers a higher fidelity alternative with a still-playable frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this specific pairing holds a position in the lower-middle tier. The comboRankInGame places it at rank 2800 out of 3721 combos, putting it in the 75th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking is a sobering reminder that while the Arc B580 is a modern card, its performance in this legacy title is not at the top of the heap.

This rank seems to be heavily influenced by the GPU. The Arc B580's own benchmark percentile is 68%, and its average score of 23021 is nearly identical to that of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which is just 0.6% faster. Similarly, it sits just 0.7% behind the RTX 3080 in average score. This means the B580 is a mid-to-high tier performer. The CPU, however, is a different story. The i5-10400F's percentileVsAllCpus is also 68%, but its overall ranking is dragged down by the sheer number of combos that use more powerful processors. The 2800th place out of 3721 is a direct reflection of the system's overall capability, which, while competent, is not exceptional for a game that can be heavily CPU-bound in certain scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full dataset provides a clear picture of the performance envelope.

At 1920x1080, the settings scale as follows:

• Low: 139 FPS average
• Medium: 122 FPS average (min 103, max 140)
• High: 95 FPS average
• Ultra: 68 FPS average

Moving to 2560x1440:

• Low: 94 FPS average
• Medium: 82 FPS average (min 70, max 94)
• High: 64 FPS average
• Ultra: 46 FPS average

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 54 FPS average
• Medium: 47 FPS average (min 40, max 54)
• High: 37 FPS average
• Ultra: 27 FPS average

The pattern is consistent across all resolutions: a significant drop from Low to Medium, a smaller but still notable drop from Medium to High, and a substantial penalty for the Ultra preset. The minimum and maximum frame data for the Medium presets show tighter frame times at 1080p compared to 4K, suggesting more consistent performance at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on TSMC's 5 nm process with the BMG-G21 chip, part of the Xe2-HPG architecture. It operates at a fixed clock speed of 2670 MHz for both base and boost. The card is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is ample for a game from 2013, even at 4K resolutions, and is unlikely to be a limiting factor.

The GPU's raw compute capabilities, with 2560 shading units and a 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 rating, are more than sufficient for Grand Theft Auto V. However, the benchmark results indicate that the card's performance is in line with older, high-end models. Its average benchmark score of 23021 is within 1% of the RTX 2080 and the RTX 3080. This suggests that while the B580 is a modern card, its driver optimization or architectural efficiency in this specific title yields performance comparable to previous-generation flagship GPUs, not a significant leap forward. The data implies the B580 is the performance ceiling for this combo, and its 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms it is a solid, but not top-tier, performer.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Grand Theft Auto V at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The data shows 4K Low averages 54 FPS, while 4K Medium averages 47 FPS. For a smoother experience, 4K High (37 FPS) and Ultra (27 FPS) are less viable.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 60+ FPS experience?

A: The 1080p Medium preset is the most reliable for high frame rates, averaging 122 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset also works, averaging 82 FPS, but 1080p provides more headroom.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to other GPUs in this game?

A: Based on its average benchmark score of 23021, it performs nearly identically to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% slower) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (0.7% slower).

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU?

A: The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The frame rate drops significantly with resolution, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload, indicating the i5-10400F is keeping up.

Q: What is the frame rate range for the Medium preset?

A: At 1080p, it ranges from 103 to 140 FPS. At 1440p, it ranges from 70 to 94 FPS. At 4K, it ranges from 40 to 54 FPS.

Q: How does this system rank among all tested combos?

A: It is ranked 2800 out of 3721 total combinations, which places it in the 75th percentile of all systems tested for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Comet Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. With 12 MB of shared L3 cache and support for dual-channel DDR4 memory, it is a competent mid-range processor. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10283 and a single-core score of 1451, place it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of this game, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. Given that the frame rate drops dramatically as resolution increases, it is clear the i5-10400F is not the limiting factor. The CPU's performance is sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 1080p, as evidenced by the 139 FPS average at Low settings. The data suggests that the CPU has ample headroom, and the system's overall performance is capped by the Arc B580's rendering capabilities. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than adequate for a title from 2013, which was designed for the 4-core/8-thread era. Its 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs is respectable, but its pairing with a GPU of similar percentile ranking results in a system that is balanced, with neither component being a clear weak link, but the GPU's architecture and driver maturity in this title ultimately define the system's performance ceiling.