Minimum

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 produces a highly capable gaming system for Minimum, with benchmark results that reveal a clear shift in system bottlenecks as resolution and graphical load change. Across the measured resolutions, the combo demonstrates that the RX 9070 has substantial headroom at lower settings, while the demands of higher presets and 4K resolution begin to expose the limits of both the GPU and the older Comet Lake processor. The data shows a system that can deliver extremely high refresh rates at 1080p, yet drops to just playable levels at 4K Ultra, making it a fascinating study in how a modern GPU performs when paired with a six-core CPU from 2020.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Minimum illustrates a dramatic and predictable decline in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 169 FPS at 1080p to 109 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 59 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35% drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 46% drop when moving from 1440p to 4K, suggesting that the GPU is becoming an increasingly dominant limiting factor at higher pixel counts. The scaling pattern is consistent across all presets, with the gap between 1080p and 4K widening as settings increase.

Looking at the Low preset, the frame rate scales from 262 FPS at 1080p down to 169 FPS at 1440p and 91 FPS at 4K. The fact that 1080p Low produces over 260 FPS while 4K Low only manages 91 FPS indicates that the RX 9070's rendering workload grows exponentially with resolution. However, the 1080p Low result also hints at a potential CPU limitation, as the frame rate is exceptionally high but not scaling perfectly with the GPU's raw capability. The data implies that at 1080p with Low settings, the i5-10400F may be approaching its limit in feeding the GPU, whereas at 4K, the GPU's pixel throughput is the primary constraint.

The Medium preset offers a middle ground, with averages of 201 FPS at 1080p, 130 FPS at 1440p, and 70 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, shows the steepest drop, falling from 128 FPS at 1080p to 83 FPS at 1440p and just 45 FPS at 4K. This 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration below 60 FPS, indicating that this resolution and preset combination is too demanding for the system to maintain a smooth experience. The scaling suggests that for 4K gaming, users will need to compromise on settings to stay above the 60 FPS threshold.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus and a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s, plays a central role in these results. The GPU's 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs contribute to a pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s, which directly influences how quickly it can fill frames at high resolutions. The boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz are critical for sustaining performance, and the data shows that the card can deliver strong results even at 1440p High, where it averages 109 FPS.

The VRAM capacity is a notable asset, especially when considering the 4K Ultra preset, which produces an average of 45 FPS. While the frame rate is low, the 16 GB frame buffer is unlikely to be a limiting factor in Minimum, a game from 2014 that would not require massive memory allocations. Instead, the GPU's compute performance, rated at 36.13 TFLOPS FP32, appears to be the bottleneck at 4K Ultra. The card's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, which has an average benchmark score 1.2% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 6800S, which is 0.8% lower, placing the RX 9070 in a competitive mid-to-high tier that is well-suited for this title.

The GPU's performance at 1080p Low, where it achieves 262 FPS, shows that it has significant headroom when the CPU can keep up. However, the fact that the frame rate does not increase proportionally when moving from 1440p Low to 1080p Low (169 to 262 FPS) suggests that the GPU is not the sole constraint at these settings. The RX 9070's RDNA 4.0 architecture and PCIe 5.0 interface ensure it is not bandwidth-limited in most scenarios, but the data indicates that the CPU becomes a more significant factor as resolution decreases.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 4K gaming, the High preset, which averages 59 FPS, is the highest quality option that remains near the 60 FPS target, though it is borderline. The Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 70 FPS and a minimum of 59 FPS, offers a safer margin for consistent playability, making it the recommended choice for a smooth 4K experience without sacrificing too much visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the data shows that the High preset, averaging 109 FPS, provides an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. For users with high refresh rate monitors, the Medium preset, at 130 FPS, is also a strong candidate, delivering a 19% improvement over High while still looking good. The Low preset at 169 FPS is excessive for most displays but could be used for competitive play. The Ultra preset at 83 FPS is playable but offers diminishing returns over High, given the significant frame rate cost.

For 1920x1080, the High preset at 169 FPS is the sweet spot, offering high visual quality and frame rates well above 144 Hz. The Medium preset at 201 FPS is ideal for 200 Hz displays, while the Low preset at 262 FPS is only useful for the most extreme esports scenarios. The Ultra preset at 128 FPS is also viable and provides the best image quality, but the performance gap between High and Ultra suggests that the visual improvements may not justify the 24% frame rate reduction. Overall, the recommended presets are Medium at 4K, High at 1440p, and High or Ultra at 1080p.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS the combo can achieve in Minimum?*

A: The highest measured average is 262 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

*Q: Can this system run Minimum at 4K with a smooth frame rate?*

A: At 4K with the Medium preset, the average FPS is 70, with a minimum of 59 FPS, indicating it can maintain a mostly smooth experience. The High preset averages 59 FPS, which is borderline, while Ultra drops to 45 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Radeon RX 9070 has an average benchmark score of 23877, which is 0.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z and 1.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile, but 0.8% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6800S.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at lower resolutions?

A: The data suggests a potential CPU limitation at 1080p Low, where the FPS of 262 is high but does not scale as much as expected when compared to the 1440p Low result of 169 FPS, implying the i5-10400F may be limiting the GPU's full potential.

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

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 110 FPS, with an average of 130 FPS and a maximum of 149 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance?

A: The CPU scores 688 in the 3dMark single-thread test and 4748 in the 16-thread test, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1451 and multi-core score of 10283, showing strong scaling across cores.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination ranks 1119 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the 70th percentile of all systems tested. This is a solid ranking, indicating that the combo performs well relative to the broader database of hardware pairings. The rank suggests that this system is above average for this game, though not in the top tier, which is consistent with the measured FPS results that show excellent 1080p and 1440p performance but weaker 4K capabilities.

The ranking position is influenced by both components. The CPU, with a percentile of 68 against all CPUs, is a mid-range performer, while the GPU, with a percentile of 69, is similarly positioned. The combo's rank of 1119 out of 3712 implies that there are many combinations that outperform it, likely those with newer, higher-core-count CPUs or more powerful GPUs. However, the data shows that for this specific game, the pairing is well-matched, as the bottleneck shifts smoothly between components depending on resolution and settings. The rank also indicates that the system is not held back by any single major weakness, making it a versatile option for playing Minimum across various quality levels.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, operates at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. This Comet Lake processor, built on a 14 nm process, has a 12 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a multi-core score of 10283 in Cinebench R23 and a single-core score of 1451, indicating balanced performance that is sufficient for gaming.

In the context of Minimum, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 262 FPS, which is a very high frame rate, but the CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 688 suggests that it may not be able to push much higher. The data shows a clear pattern where the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, but at 1080p, the CPU's ability to process game logic and draw calls becomes more critical. The CPU's passmark single-thread score of 2541 and its percentile of 68 against all CPUs indicate that it is a competent but not exceptional gaming processor.

The 6-core, 12-thread configuration is well-suited for a game from 2014, which likely does not require more than a few cores. The CPU's performance in multi-threaded tasks, such as the 3DMark 16-thread score of 4748, suggests it can handle background tasks without impacting game performance. However, the data implies that for users seeking the absolute highest frame rates at 1080p, a newer CPU with higher single-thread performance could offer an improvement. The i5-10400F's boost clock of 4.30 GHz is respectable, but its age relative to the GPU is evident in the scaling patterns.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across all resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from a minimum of 128 FPS at Ultra to a maximum of 262 FPS at Low. Specifically, the High preset averages 169 FPS, the Medium preset averages 201 FPS with a minimum of 171 FPS and a maximum of 231 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 128 FPS. These results show that the system is capable of delivering high refresh rates at 1080p, with even the most demanding preset exceeding 120 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but scales down as expected. The Low preset averages 169 FPS, the High preset averages 109 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 83 FPS. The Medium preset provides an average of 130 FPS, with a minimum of 110 FPS and a maximum of 149 FPS, offering a good balance for 1440p gaming. The data shows that the system can handle 1440p with ease, with all presets except Ultra exceeding 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 91 FPS, the Medium preset averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, and the High preset averages 59 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to an average of 45 FPS, which is the only result below 60 FPS across all measurements. This breakdown highlights that 4K gaming is possible but requires careful settings management, with Medium being the highest preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The data demonstrates a clear performance hierarchy: 1080p is excellent, 1440p is very good, and 4K is playable only with reduced settings.