Minimum

# Minimum: Intel Core i5-11400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060

This combo ranks 1392nd out of 1733 tested configurations in Minimum, placing it in the lower-mid tier of the database. The CPU sits at the 75th percentile among all tested processors, while the GPU lands at the 58th percentile, indicating that the graphics card is the weaker link in this pairing. The average benchmark scores reflect this imbalance: the i5-11400F averages 17181 points, statistically identical to its nearest rivals (AMD Ryzen 7 5700U at 17189, Intel Core i7-1260P at 17212, Intel Core Ultra 7 164U at 17215), while the RTX 2060's average of 16074 places it just 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600S and 1.7% behind both the Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700. This is a balanced 1080p-oriented system that can stretch to 1440p at reduced settings, but 4K gaming is largely out of reach except at the lowest quality presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The 1392nd position out of 1733 combos translates to roughly the 20th percentile of all tested pairings. This is not a top-tier configuration by any stretch, but it is far from the bottom. The ranking reflects a system that can deliver playable frame rates at 1080p across all settings, with the Ultra preset yielding 74.7 FPS and Low reaching 152.4 FPS. At 1440p, the combo still produces respectable numbers—65.2 FPS on High and 101.1 FPS on Low—but 4K performance deteriorates sharply, with Ultra dropping to 26.1 FPS and High barely breaking 35.6 FPS. The data suggests that this pairing is optimized for 1080p and entry-level 1440p gaming, with the GPU acting as the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The CPU's 75th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 58th percentile means that in most scenarios, the RTX 2060 will max out before the i5-11400F becomes a bottleneck. This is particularly evident in the synthetic benchmarks: the CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and single-core score of 2029 are solid mid-range figures, while the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 14111 is merely average. The ranking also reflects the age of the components—both are end-of-life products—and their inability to compete with newer generations in raw throughput.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: Based on measured FPS, High settings at 1920x1080 deliver 99.3 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Ultra drops to 74.7 FPS, still playable, while Medium and Low reach 118.2 and 152.4 FPS respectively. For competitive play, Low offers the highest headroom.

Q: Can this system handle 1440p gaming?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 2560x1440, High settings produce 65.2 FPS, which is acceptable for most titles. Medium achieves 79.9 FPS, and Low reaches 101.1 FPS. Ultra falls to 51.6 FPS, which may be too low for fast-paced action. The GPU is the limiting factor here.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 2060's average benchmark score of 16074 is 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996) and 1.8% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15786). It trails the Radeon Pro 5600M and Radeon Pro 5700 by 1.7% (both at 16351). These differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 in Minimum?

A: The data indicates the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. The i5-11400F ranks at the 75th percentile among CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 58th percentile. In multi-threaded workloads, the CPU's 3DMark max-thread score of 5652 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 show adequate headroom. The GPU limits performance at higher resolutions.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 26.1 FPS, which is unplayable for most users. Dropping to High improves this to 35.6 FPS, still below the 60 FPS target. Medium reaches 40.4 FPS, and Low achieves 55.5 FPS. This system is not suitable for 4K gaming.

Q: How does this CPU perform in synthetic benchmarks relative to its rivals?

A: The i5-11400F's average benchmark score of 17181 is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189, 0% delta), Intel Core i7-1260P (17212, -0.2%), and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (17215, -0.2%). It edges out the Intel Core i5-1240U (17141) by 0.2%. These are all within measurement noise.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-limited scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the combo produces 99.3 FPS; moving to 1440p High drops this to 65.2 FPS (a 34.3% reduction), and 4K High falls to 35.6 FPS (a 64.1% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck, as the RTX 2060's 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth struggle to feed the increasing pixel counts. The CPU's role becomes less significant at higher resolutions, as the i5-11400F's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient to keep up with the GPU's output. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is less severe—152.4 to 101.1 FPS (a 33.7% drop)—but the pattern persists. At 4K, even Low settings only reach 55.5 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the definitive limiting factor. The data suggests that for this pairing, 1080p is the sweet spot, with 1440p viable for less demanding presets. The 4K numbers are consistently below playable thresholds across all settings, reinforcing that this combo should not be considered for 4K gaming. The GPU's 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs simply cannot handle the pixel throughput required at 3840x2160.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 152.4 FPS on Low, 118.2 FPS on Medium, 99.3 FPS on High, and 74.7 FPS on Ultra. These figures show a smooth progression, with each settings tier reducing performance by roughly 20-25%. The 1080p results are all above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution highly playable across all presets. At 2560x1440, the scores drop to 101.1 FPS (Low), 79.9 FPS (Medium), 65.2 FPS (High), and 51.6 FPS (Ultra). The Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS, suggesting that users should stick to High or below for competitive play. At 3840x2160, the numbers are 55.5 FPS (Low), 40.4 FPS (Medium), 35.6 FPS (High), and 26.1 FPS (Ultra). None of these reach 60 FPS, and even the Low preset is marginal. The data shows a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 77.7 FPS (152.4 vs 74.7); at 1440p, it is 49.5 FPS (101.1 vs 51.6); at 4K, it narrows to 29.4 FPS (55.5 vs 26.1). This narrowing suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes saturated even on Low settings, reducing the impact of quality presets. The RTX 2060's DirectX 12 Passmark score of 53 and DirectX 11 score of 110 indicate moderate API performance, which aligns with the observed frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 2.60 GHz and boosts to 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 12 MB shared L3. Memory support is dual-channel DDR4 with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and single-core score of 2029, while Geekbench multicore reaches 7579 and single-core 1979. These scores place it at the 75th percentile of all CPUs, indicating solid mid-range performance. In the context of Minimum, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The game's third-person shooter genre typically relies more on graphics processing than CPU-intensive physics or AI. The measured FPS scaling with resolution confirms this: as resolution increases, the frame rate drops proportionally, which is a GPU-bound behavior. The CPU's 3DMark scores—5619 for 16 threads, 5652 for max threads, and 868 for single-thread—show that it can handle the game's threading requirements without becoming a bottleneck. The nearest CPU rivals, all within 0.2% of the i5-11400F's average score, further demonstrate that this processor is a known quantity in this performance tier. The 4.40 GHz boost clock and 12 MB L3 cache provide sufficient headroom for gaming workloads, though the lack of an unlocked multiplier limits overclocking potential. Overall, the CPU is a capable partner for the RTX 2060, but it is not the component that defines this combo's gaming performance.