Minecraft

Minecraft is a notoriously variable title, and the measured results for this Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination illustrate exactly how dramatically the workload shifts across resolutions. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, with frame rates soaring to 389 FPS on Low settings, while the 4K Ultra preset drops the average to a demanding 50 FPS, showing the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor. The data indicates a system that is exceptionally capable for high-refresh 1080p play, yet still able to deliver playable, if not silky-smooth, 4K performance on lower presets.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is severe, confirming that Minecraft’s renderer places a massive load on the graphics card at higher pixel counts. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 389 FPS at 1920x1080 to 246 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 143 FPS, and then further down to 128 FPS at 3840x2160. This steep decline highlights how much of the performance headroom at 1080p is being consumed solely by the increased pixel count.

The scaling pattern shifts with the preset. On High settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 91 FPS (245 to 154), and the subsequent fall to 4K is 73 FPS (154 to 81). This suggests that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck earlier in the resolution climb, as the higher graphical workload reduces the CPU’s ability to feed frames quickly. The Ultra preset shows a similar trend, with a 56 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p (153 to 97) and a 47 FPS drop to 4K (97 to 50), indicating that the GPU is working at its limits.

The most telling data point is the 4K Ultra result of 50 FPS, which is less than half the 1080p Ultra score of 153 FPS. This demonstrates that while the RTX 2060 SUPER has enough raw compute to handle Minecraft’s geometry and shaders at lower resolutions, the sheer pixel throughput required at 4K quickly overwhelms it. The 1080p Low result of 389 FPS, in contrast, shows that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far more frames than it can render, making the graphics card the definitive bottleneck at that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of a database of 3,710 tested processor and graphics card combinations for Minecraft, this pairing achieves a rank of 2,556. This places it in the lower third of all tested combos, indicating that while the system is perfectly functional, it is far from the top echelon of performance for this specific title. The rank suggests that many other combinations of hardware are capable of producing higher average frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs or CPUs that are better suited to the game’s single-threaded nature.

The ranking is a reflection of the balance between the two components. The RTX 2060 SUPER’s performance percentile of 62 places it above the median for all GPUs, but its average benchmark score of 18,093 is closely matched by rivals that include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (18,159, a -0.4% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18,189, a -0.5% delta). This indicates the GPU is a solid mid-range performer, but not an outlier in either direction.

The CPU, with a percentile of 71 among all processors, is similarly positioned. Its average benchmark score of 17,177 is nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 7H12 (17,120, a 0.3% delta) and the Intel Core i5-12450H (17,239, a -0.4% delta). The fact that both components are near their respective performance cliffs explains the mid-pack ranking: neither part is a bottleneck that severely cripples the other, but neither is pushing the system into the top tier of results for this particular game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, based on the TU106 chip and Turing architecture, is the primary driver for higher-resolution performance in this pairing. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for the large textures and chunk data that Minecraft can load at 4K. The measured frame rate drops from 102 FPS at 4K Medium to 50 FPS at 4K Ultra, showing that the memory bandwidth and compute units are being saturated as the preset increases.

The GPU’s clock speeds, with a base of 1470 MHz and a boost of 1650 MHz, are typical for the 20-series generation. The boost clock is what the card sustains under load, and the data suggests it is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra, where the average falls to 50 FPS. The 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is a relevant metric; while Minecraft doesn't traditionally use heavy compute shaders, the game’s modern rendering pipeline can leverage these capabilities for effects like shadows and lighting.

The RTX 2060 SUPER’s performance relative to its rivals is tight. Its average benchmark score of 18,093 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18,189, a -0.5% delta) and the Intel Arc A770M (18,383, a -1.6% delta). This indicates that in general benchmarks, these cards are interchangeable, but in Minecraft specifically, the 2060 SUPER’s driver optimization and architecture appear to be well-suited, as it manages to hit playable frame rates at 1440p High (154 FPS) and even 4K Medium (102 FPS).

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows its maximum potential. The Low preset achieves an average of 389 FPS, which is a result of the CPU and GPU working in a near-ideal state where the CPU can feed frames rapidly. The Medium preset drops to 308 FPS, with a minimum of 262 FPS and a maximum of 355 FPS, showing a stable frame time distribution. High settings reduce the average to 245 FPS, and Ultra brings it down to 153 FPS, which is still exceptionally smooth for a game that often sees frame drops in complex scenes.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to show its limits, but the system remains highly capable. Low settings produce an average of 246 FPS, which is still far above the refresh rate of most monitors. Medium settings average 195 FPS, with a minimum of 165 FPS and a maximum of 224 FPS, indicating that even in the most demanding scenes, the frame rate remains above 144 Hz. High settings average 154 FPS, and Ultra drops to 97 FPS, which is still smooth for most players, though it may not be sufficient for a 144 Hz display.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, and the results become more varied. Low settings produce 128 FPS, which is playable but not high-refresh. Medium settings average 102 FPS, with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS, showing that the frame rate can dip below 90 FPS in busy areas. High settings drop to 81 FPS, and Ultra falls to 50 FPS, which will feel sluggish for competitive play but is acceptable for a single-player sandbox experience. The spread between the 4K Medium minimum of 86 FPS and the 4K High average of 81 FPS shows that the GPU is running out of headroom.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience on a 1080p display with a high refresh rate, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers an average of 245 FPS while still providing the visual fidelity of shadows and lighting enhancements. The Ultra preset, at 153 FPS, is also viable for 144 Hz monitors, but the 92 FPS difference between High and Ultra is a significant trade-off for visual gains that are often hard to discern in fast-paced gameplay. The Medium preset at 308 FPS is the optimal choice for competitive play on a 240 Hz monitor, as it maintains a frame rate above 300 FPS.

For 1440p displays, the Medium preset offers the best balance, with an average of 195 FPS and a minimum of 165 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience on 165 Hz monitors. High settings, at 154 FPS, are a solid second choice for those who prefer better visuals, and they will still provide a fluid experience on most displays. The Ultra preset, at 97 FPS, is only recommended for players who prioritize visual quality and are willing to accept a frame rate that is below the refresh rate of most gaming monitors.

At 4K, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, as it produces an average of 102 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS, which is playable on a 60 Hz display with some headroom. Low settings, at 128 FPS, are preferred for those who want a smoother experience, but the visual downgrade is substantial. High settings, at 81 FPS, are a viable middle ground for players with a 60 Hz monitor who want better graphics, but the Ultra preset at 50 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate dips below the 60 FPS threshold and will result in noticeable stutter in fast-moving scenes.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is a strong performer for gaming, but its role in Minecraft is more nuanced. The game is known to be heavily dependent on single-thread performance, and the CPU’s boost clock of 4.40 GHz is critical for achieving high frame rates at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low result of 389 FPS confirms the CPU’s ability to process the game’s logic and chunk updates quickly, as the GPU is not the limiting factor at that resolution.

The CPU’s 3DMark scores show a significant scaling from 1,691 for 2 threads to 5,652 for max threads, indicating that the chip is capable of utilizing its multi-threading capabilities. However, in Minecraft, the single-thread score of 868 is more relevant, as the game’s main render thread is often the bottleneck. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,024 and multi-core score of 14,340 further confirm that the CPU is a solid all-rounder, but its performance in this game hinges on that single-thread boost.

The data shows that the CPU is not a significant bottleneck at 4K, where the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, but it is the primary driver of performance at 1080p. The 389 FPS Low result is a clear indicator that the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them, but as the resolution increases, the GPU’s workload becomes the dominant constraint. The CPU’s 12 MB of L3 cache and 14 nm process node are adequate for this title, and its 65 W TDP suggests it is an efficient part that does not generate excessive heat, allowing for sustained boost clocks during long sessions.