Minimum

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 secures the 107th position out of 1,733 tested combinations for Minimum. This places the combo in the top 6.2% of all configurations recorded in the database, a strong showing for a system built around a 2020 mid-range processor. The ranking suggests that while the RTX 4090 is the dominant component, the older i5-10400F does not drag the overall score down as much as one might expect, given its age relative to the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 107 out of 1,733 is notable because it places the pairing ahead of roughly 94% of other tested systems. However, the data implies that the CPU is the limiting factor in achieving a higher rank. The i5-10400F's average benchmark score of 14,168 places it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, which is respectable but not elite. When comparing the i5-10400F to its nearest rivals, the margins are razor-thin: the AMD EPYC 7552 is a mere 0.4% higher in average score, while the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C is 0.8% higher, the Intel Core i5-8500 is 1.1% higher, and the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 is 1.2% higher. This tight cluster indicates that the i5-10400F is performing squarely within expectations for its class, offering no unexpected headroom that would push the combo higher in the rankings. The RTX 4090, by contrast, sits in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66,473. Its nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (0.4% lower) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (0.9% lower), show that the GPU is a top-tier part. The combination of a high-percentile GPU with a mid-pack CPU results in a rank that reflects the GPU's strength while acknowledging the CPU's constraints.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 brings massive resources to Minimum, including 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1313 MHz, which translates to 21 Gbps effective, and the GPU's base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz. These specifications are far beyond what a 2014 third-person shooter requires, yet the measured FPS data shows that the GPU is not always the bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 66.5, which is the lowest in the dataset, suggesting that even this GPU is being pushed hard by the highest settings at maximum resolution. The RTX 4090's shading units number 16,384, with 512 texture mapping units and 176 raster output units, yielding a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS is staggering, yet in Minimum, the data shows that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU begins to take over the workload. The GPU's role is clearly to provide headroom; at 1080p Low, the average FPS of 272.9 is likely near the engine's practical limit, and the GPU is not the limiting factor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process node. It runs at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and can boost up to 4.30 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The L3 cache is 12 MB shared, and it supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. In Minimum, the CPU's influence becomes apparent when examining the FPS scaling across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 272.9 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 134.1 FPS — a 51% reduction. This drop is driven by the GPU's workload increasing with resolution, but the CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by a 3DMark single-thread score of 688, is what caps the absolute maximum FPS. The i5-10400F's multi-threaded capabilities are shown in the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10,297, which is sufficient for a 2014 title that likely leverages only a few cores. The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at 4K, but it does limit the combo from achieving even higher frame rates at 1080p. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU's passmark multithread score of 12,115 is above average, but its single-thread score of 2,541 is what matters most for Minimum's frame generation, and that score is modest compared to the GPU's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 192.4 at Ultra to 272.9 at Low, with Medium at 248.2 and High at 229.7. The spread of 80.5 FPS between Low and Ultra shows that settings have a significant impact, but even at Ultra, the combo exceeds 190 FPS, which is exceptional for a game of this era. Moving to 1440p, the averages are 126.9 at Ultra, 164.2 at High, 192.3 at Medium, and 235.2 at Low. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not severe, with the Ultra setting losing 65.5 FPS, a 34% reduction. At 4K, the numbers fall to 66.5 at Ultra, 87.8 at High, 104.4 at Medium, and 134.1 at Low. The 4K Ultra result is the only one below 100 FPS, indicating that the combo can handle 4K gaming, but only at lower presets if the target is a high refresh rate. The data shows that the RTX 4090 is capable of pushing this game to extreme frame rates, but the playable range depends heavily on the chosen resolution and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the balance between CPU and GPU workload. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 272.9 at 1080p to 235.2 at 1440p (a 13.8% reduction) and then to 134.1 at 4K (a 43% reduction from 1440p). This steepening decline at 4K indicates that the GPU is becoming increasingly saturated as the pixel count rises. At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 192.4 at 1080p to 126.9 at 1440p (a 34% reduction) and then to 66.5 at 4K (a 47.6% reduction from 1440p). The larger percentage drops at Ultra suggest that the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are being taxed more heavily, while the CPU's role remains constant. The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, as the FPS does not scale proportionally with the GPU's raw power. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, especially at Ultra, where the 66.5 FPS average is a fraction of the 1080p Low result. This pattern is typical for a high-end GPU paired with a mid-range CPU, where the CPU caps performance at lower resolutions, and the GPU takes over at higher ones.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution. For 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 192.4 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor, and the drop from Low to Ultra is only 80.5 FPS, so there is little reason to compromise on visual quality. At 1440p, the Ultra preset still provides 126.9 FPS, which is excellent, but the High preset at 164.2 FPS offers a smoother experience with a modest visual trade-off for those seeking higher frame rates. For 4K, the data suggests that High settings at 87.8 FPS is the sweet spot, as the Ultra preset drops to 66.5 FPS, which may be below the threshold for a 120 Hz display. The Medium preset at 4K yields 104.4 FPS, which could be a better option for players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The Low preset at 4K, at 134.1 FPS, shows that even at the lowest settings, the game remains playable at high frame rates, but it sacrifices the visual polish that the RTX 4090 is capable of delivering.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU-GPU combo for Minimum?

A: The combo ranks 107th out of 1,733 tested combinations.

Q: How does the i5-10400F compare to its nearest CPU rivals in average benchmark score?

A: It is 0.4% slower than the AMD EPYC 7552, 0.8% slower than the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, 1.1% slower than the Intel Core i5-8500, and 1.2% slower than the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546.

Q: What is the maximum average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The maximum is 272.9 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the minimum average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The minimum is 66.5 FPS, achieved at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU act as the primary bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p, as the FPS does not scale with the GPU's full potential.

Q: What is the RTX 4090's average benchmark score and percentile ranking?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66,473 and ranks in the 91st percentile of all GPUs.