Minimum

The Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 represent a pairing of a modern 13th Gen desktop processor with a Pascal-era GPU, a combination that yields distinct performance characteristics in Minimum. The CPU is built on the Raptor Lake architecture with 10 cores and 16 threads, a configuration that provides substantial headroom for the game's logic and physics. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz are the key operating points, and the data suggests that the processor is rarely the limiting factor in this title. The CPU's substantial L3 cache of 20 MB shared across the cores, alongside per-core L2 cache of 1.25 MB, ensures that game data is readily accessible, reducing the likelihood of stutter from memory latency. In contrast, the GPU, with its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, is the component that dictates the playability envelope. The GTX 1070's base clock of 1506 MHz and boost clock of 1683 MHz are the figures that drive its pixel throughput, and the benchmark results clearly show that this graphics card is the primary determinant of frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings.

The performance hierarchy within this pairing is clear. The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are significant, as indicated by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21279, but Minimum is a title that does not appear to stress it to its limits. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7314 and max-thread score of 7307 are nearly identical, suggesting that the game's workload scales well with the available threads but does not require the absolute maximum throughput. More telling is the single-thread performance, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2301, which are more than adequate for a game released in 2014. The CPU's role here is to feed the GPU with enough data to keep it busy; at lower resolutions and settings, where the GPU has less work to do, the CPU's ability to maintain high frame rates becomes more critical, but the data shows that even then, the GPU's performance ceiling is reached first.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F acts as a robust foundation for this gaming configuration. Its 10 cores and 16 threads are a significant asset, and the benchmark results indicate that the processor is never the bottleneck in Minimum. The data shows a clear pattern: frame rates are dictated by the GPU's rendering capabilities, not the CPU's processing power. For instance, the processor's 3DMark 8-thread score of 5591 is a strong result, but the game's engine does not seem to rely on that level of multi-threading to achieve playable results. The CPU's performance relative to its peers reinforces this view; it sits at the 82nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25236. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13620H, is just 0.1% ahead, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D is 0.5% behind, indicating that this processor is exceptionally well-positioned in the market. This headroom means that in Minimum, the CPU is providing a stable and consistent platform, allowing the GTX 1070 to be the sole focus of performance scaling.

The CPU's clock speeds are a crucial part of its capability. The boost clock of 4.60 GHz provides the high-frequency response needed for the game's primary simulation thread, while the architecture's efficiency ensures that power draw remains manageable at 65 W TDP. The fact that the game runs at an average of 138.1 FPS at 1080p Low settings shows that the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's logical operations at high speed. Even when the GPU is struggling at 4K Ultra, the CPU is still ready to process frames as fast as the GPU can output them. The processor's Passmark single-thread score of 3634 further confirms that its individual core performance is not a limiting factor. In essence, the CPU provides a wide, fast lane for the game's data, but the GPU is the vehicle that ultimately determines how quickly that data turns into visible frames.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the definitive performance arbiter in this configuration. With 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and a memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s, the card has a solid foundation for a 2014 title, but its age is evident in the frame rates. The GPU's memory clock of 2002 MHz, translating to 8 Gbps effective, is a fixed specification that does not change, but its impact is directly proportional to the resolution being rendered. At 1080p, this memory bandwidth is sufficient to feed the 1920 shading units and 64 ROPs, allowing the card to achieve its highest frame rates. However, as resolution increases to 1440p and then 4K, the demand on the memory bus and the pixel fill rate grows, and the card's limits become apparent. The GPU's texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s are the theoretical ceilings, and the measured FPS shows that the card is working progressively harder to maintain playable performance at higher resolutions.

The GTX 1070's performance percentile of 51 places it squarely in the middle of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 12331 is closely matched by its nearest rivals. The NVIDIA Quadro K4200 is just 0.7% behind, and the GeForce GTX 880M is 1.3% ahead, showing that this card is a known quantity with predictable performance. In Minimum, this translates to a card that can handle 1080p and 1440p with ease but begins to falter at 4K. The data shows that the GPU is the component that scales the frame rate down as resolution increases. The card's 8 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor in this game, as the title's textures are not demanding enough to fill it, but the GPU's raw compute power is. The benchmark results indicate that the GTX 1070 is a capable performer for its era, but it is the clear bottleneck in this specific pairing, as the CPU waits for the GPU to finish rendering each frame.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GTX 1070 is in its element, delivering an average of 89.5 FPS at High settings. This drops to 60.3 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of roughly 33%, and then plummets to 33 FPS at 4K, a further 45% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steep decline is a clear indicator that the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU is capable of handling the game at much higher frame rates, as evidenced by the 138.1 FPS average at 1080p Low settings, but the GPU's rendering capacity is what holds the system back at higher resolutions. The delta between 1080p and 4K at High settings is a loss of 56.5 FPS, a significant drop that highlights the card's struggle with the increased pixel count.

The same trend is visible across all settings, but the severity varies. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 138.1 FPS at 1080p to 87.3 FPS at 1440p, and then to 48.3 FPS at 4K. This shows that even when the visual load is minimal, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are still the primary constraints. The data suggests that the game becomes increasingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the CPU's role diminishing further. The fact that the 4K Ultra setting yields just 21.8 FPS, a drop of 45.4 FPS from the 1080p Ultra result of 67.2 FPS, underscores the GPU's inability to handle the combined load of high resolution and high graphical fidelity. This scaling pattern is a textbook example of a system where the graphics card determines the playable resolution ceiling, and the processor is never a factor in the frame rate drops.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of all tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1468 out of 1733 combos in Minimum. This places it in the lower 15% of all systems tested, a position that is directly attributable to the age of the GPU. The CPU is a modern, high-performing part, but it is paired with a graphics card that is several generations old, and the benchmark results show that the GPU drags the overall performance down. This rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capability; rather, it highlights the imbalance in this particular configuration. A system with this CPU and a more modern GPU would likely rank significantly higher, but the data shows that the GTX 1070's performance ceiling is the limiting factor.

The combo's rank of 1468 out of 1733 indicates that the majority of tested systems outperform it in this game. This is expected, given that the GTX 1070 is an end-of-life product with a performance percentile of 51, meaning half of all GPUs are faster. The CPU's high percentile of 82 does not compensate for the GPU's middling performance. The data confirms that this is a system built for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve respectable frame rates, but it is not competitive at higher resolutions. The rank is a quantitative measure of the system's overall capability, and in this case, it serves as a warning that the GPU is the bottleneck. The combination is functional and can play the game, but it is far from the top of the performance charts, and the measured FPS breakdown below provides the specific evidence for this assessment.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the system shows its best performance. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 138.1 FPS, providing a very smooth experience. Moving to Medium settings drops this to 107.1 FPS, and High settings further reduce it to 89.5 FPS. The Ultra preset yields an average of 67.2 FPS, which is still playable but shows a significant performance cost for the higher visual fidelity. These numbers suggest that at 1080p, the GTX 1070 is well-suited to the task, with all settings producing playable frame rates, and the CPU is never a limiting factor.

At 1440p, the strain on the GPU becomes more apparent. The Low setting produces an average of 87.3 FPS, which is still a solid result, but the drop from 1080p is significant. Medium settings yield 67.7 FPS, and High settings drop to 60.3 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 45.7 FPS, which is at the edge of playability for a third-person shooter. The data shows that the GPU's performance is degrading as the pixel count increases, and the system is beginning to struggle to maintain high refresh rates.

At 4K, the GTX 1070 is clearly out of its depth. The Low setting produces an average of 48.3 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. Medium settings drop to 36.1 FPS, and High settings fall to 33 FPS. The Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at 21.8 FPS. This resolution is too demanding for the card, and the frame rates indicate that the GPU is the definitive bottleneck. The system is not suitable for 4K gaming in Minimum, and users would need to drastically lower settings or resolution to achieve a smooth experience. The data across all resolutions paints a clear picture: this is a 1080p-centric system that can handle 1440p with some compromises, but it is not a 4K-capable configuration.