Minecraft

Minecraft with the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER presents a unique performance profile, heavily influenced by resolution and the game's engine characteristics. The measured data shows this combo delivering frame rates ranging from 97 FPS at 4K Ultra to 560 FPS at 1080p Low, with the scaling pattern revealing a shift in system bottleneck as resolution changes.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates how the workload transitions from CPU-bound to GPU-bound. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 560 FPS, which drops to 475 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 248 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 55.7% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions while the CPU maintains high throughput.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced when examining High settings. At 1080p High, the system delivers 473 FPS, dropping to 298 FPS at 1440p (a 37% decrease) and then to 156 FPS at 4K (a 67% decrease from 1080p). The relatively smaller drop from 1080p to 1440p compared to the larger drop from 1440p to 4K suggests that the CPU can still feed the GPU adequately at 1440p, but the GPU's rendering workload at 4K becomes the dominant constraint.

For Medium settings, the measured data shows 515 FPS at 1080p, 376 FPS at 1440p, and 196 FPS at 4K. The min FPS figures at Medium settings provide additional insight: 438 FPS at 1080p, 320 FPS at 1440p, and 167 FPS at 4K, with max FPS reaching 592, 432, and 226 respectively. These frame time variations suggest that even at Medium settings, the 4K resolution introduces enough GPU load to cause more significant frame pacing fluctuations.

Ultra settings demonstrate the most dramatic scaling, with 296 FPS at 1080p, 186 FPS at 1440p, and only 97 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result, nearly half of the 1440p Ultra figure, highlights how the combination of high resolution and maximum graphical features overwhelms the GPU's capabilities for this title. The data indicates that for players targeting 4K Ultra, this combo will struggle to maintain high refresh rates, while at 1080p and 1440p, the system has substantial headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

In Minecraft's benchmark database, this CPU-GPU combination ranks 596th out of 3710 tested combos, placing it in the top 16% of all configurations tested. This percentile ranking reflects the strong overall performance of the i5-11400F paired with the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, though the rank is influenced by the game's variable performance across different resolution and settings combinations.

The combo's ranking suggests that while this configuration is potent, it is not at the very top tier for Minecraft specifically. The game's engine, which can be heavily CPU-dependent at lower resolutions, means that combos with newer or higher-core-count CPUs may edge out this pairing in the ranking. However, the rank of 596 out of 3710 places this combo well above the median, indicating solid performance for the majority of gaming scenarios.

The ranking should be interpreted with the resolution scaling data in mind. At 1080p, where CPU performance matters more, this combo may rank lower relative to configurations with faster processors. At 4K, where GPU load dominates, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's capabilities push this combo higher in the rankings compared to systems with weaker graphics cards. The overall rank of 596 aggregates these different performance regimes into a single metric.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F contributes 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Rocket Lake architecture processor, built on Intel's 14 nm process, provides the computational foundation for Minecraft's game logic, world generation, and physics simulation. The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth feed the GPU with draw calls and game state data.

Benchmark results for the i5-11400F show a multi-threaded score of 14,340 in Cinebench R23 and a single-core score of 2,024 in the same test. The single-thread performance is particularly relevant for Minecraft, as the game's primary game loop often relies on a single thread for core simulation tasks. The CPU's 3DMark scores demonstrate scaling from 1,691 in the 2-thread test to 5,652 at max threads, indicating moderate multi-threading efficiency.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 71 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17,177, places it in the upper echelon of processors. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7H12 with a score of 17,120 (0.3% delta), the Intel Core i5-12450H at 17,239 (-0.4% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G at 17,278 (-0.6% delta). This tight clustering shows that the i5-11400F performs comparably to these alternatives in general benchmarks.

In Minecraft specifically, the CPU's role is most evident at low resolution and settings. The jump from 560 FPS at 1080p Low to 475 FPS at 1440p Low (85 FPS difference) suggests that the CPU can maintain high frame generation rates even as resolution increases, but the GPU begins to limit output. At 1080p, the CPU can push frame rates beyond what many displays can show, indicating that it is not the primary bottleneck at this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS values represent the ceiling for this combo. Low settings produce an average of 560 FPS, while Medium yields 515 FPS with a minimum of 438 and maximum of 592. High settings deliver 473 FPS, and Ultra drops to 296 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 264 FPS, showing that graphical settings have a substantial impact even at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the GPU's increasing workload. Low settings average 475 FPS, Medium produces 376 FPS with a minimum of 320 and maximum of 432, High achieves 298 FPS, and Ultra falls to 186 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 15% at Low (560 to 475) to 37% at Ultra (296 to 186), with the percentage drop growing as settings increase.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiter. Low settings still average 248 FPS, which is playable on high refresh rate displays, but Medium drops to 196 FPS with a minimum of 167, High falls to 156 FPS, and Ultra produces just 97 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is only 17% of the 1080p Low figure, demonstrating the massive performance cost of combining maximum resolution with maximum settings.

The min and max FPS data at Medium settings across resolutions shows consistent frame time behavior. At 1080p, the range from 438 to 592 represents a 35% spread; at 1440p, the range from 320 to 432 is also a 35% spread; at 4K, the range from 167 to 226 is a 35% spread. This consistent relative variation suggests that the frame pacing characteristics are stable across resolutions, with the absolute values scaling down as resolution increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, provides 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's 8,448 shading units, 264 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output processors operate at base and boost clocks of 2,340 MHz and 2,610 MHz respectively. These specifications translate to 44.10 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and pixel and texture rates of 250.6 GPixel/s and 689.0 GTexel/s.

The GPU's benchmark results show strong compute performance, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,569 and Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores of 199,267 and 53,683 respectively. The Passmark G3D score of 31,811 and GPU compute score of 18,372 place the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER in the 76th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 31,087. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 at 31,206 (-0.4% delta), the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q at 31,220 (-0.4% delta), and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell at 31,532 (-1.4% delta).

In Minecraft, the GPU's role becomes dominant at higher resolutions and settings. The 4K Ultra result of 97 FPS, compared to the 4K Low result of 248 FPS, shows that the GPU's rendering workload scales significantly with settings. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Minecraft's texture and chunk data, and the memory bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s ensures that texture streaming and draw call processing do not bottleneck the pipeline.

The GPU's performance at 1440p is particularly noteworthy, as it maintains high frame rates across all settings. The 1440p Ultra result of 186 FPS still exceeds the refresh rate of most 1440p displays, indicating that this combo can handle maximum settings at this resolution without compromising smoothness. The GPU's strong compute capabilities also help with Minecraft's shader-based rendering, though the measured data does not include modded or shader-enabled configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Minecraft?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 560, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 97 FPS, which exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 473 at 1080p to 156 at 4K, representing a 67% reduction.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 320 FPS, with a maximum of 432 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Minecraft?

A: This combo ranks 596th out of 3710 tested combos, placing it in the top 16% of all configurations.

Q: Which component limits performance at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low with 560 FPS, the CPU's single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,024) is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080 displays, the Ultra preset delivers 296 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of all but the most extreme gaming monitors. This makes Ultra the recommended choice for 1080p, as it provides the best visual quality while still maintaining triple-digit frame rates.

For 2560x1440, the High preset produces 298 FPS, while Ultra yields 186 FPS. Given that 1440p displays typically have refresh rates of 144 Hz to 240 Hz, the High preset at 298 FPS offers a better experience for high-refresh-rate monitors, while Ultra at 186 FPS is still suitable for 144 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 376 FPS provides additional headroom for players with 360 Hz monitors, though the visual tradeoff may not be worth it for most users.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 196 FPS is the recommended choice for 4K gaming, as it maintains frame rates above 144 Hz while providing a good balance of visual quality. The High preset at 156 FPS is also viable for 120 Hz displays, and the Low preset at 248 FPS is suitable for 240 Hz 4K monitors if such displays are available. The Ultra preset at 97 FPS should be avoided for competitive play but can be used for single-player experiences where visual fidelity takes priority.

For players with variable refresh rate displays, the Medium preset across all resolutions provides the most consistent frame times, as evidenced by the min and max FPS data. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 167 FPS ensures that frame drops remain within the VRR range of most modern displays, preventing screen tearing or stuttering. The data indicates that Medium settings offer the best balance of performance and visual quality for this combo, particularly at higher resolutions.