Minimum

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a performance curve in Minimum that clearly illustrates where the bottleneck shifts as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the system is heavily CPU-bound, evidenced by the frame rates scaling dramatically with graphical settings. The jump from Low at 185.8 FPS to Ultra at 93.7 FPS shows a 92.1 FPS swing, indicating that the graphics card is not the limiting factor at this resolution; instead, the processor's headroom allows the GPU to run at its maximum potential, but the load is still manageable. Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling tightens, with Low producing 124 FPS and Ultra dropping to 62 FPS. This 62 FPS difference suggests the GPU is starting to take on more responsibility, but the CPU still has enough throughput to keep the frame rate high. At 3840x2160, the tables turn completely. The RTX 2070 SUPER becomes the clear limiting component, as the average FPS at Low is only 62.7, and Ultra falls to 32 FPS. The 30.7 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is the smallest relative gap across the tested resolutions, confirming that the GPU's rendering throughput is the primary constraint, with the CPU's performance being largely irrelevant at this pixel count. The data shows a classic transition: a CPU-bound scenario at 1080p that gradually shifts to a GPU-bound scenario as resolution increases.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its substantial multi-threading capabilities are reflected in its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21279 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 10971. In Minimum, this processing power ensures that the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the high frame rates—even 185.8 FPS on Low—indicate that the CPU can feed the graphics card with data faster than the GPU can render frames. The processor's single-thread performance, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3634, is also robust enough to handle the game's primary logic thread without causing stutters. However, the benchmark results indicate that the CPU's role diminishes as resolution climbs. At 4K, the frame rates across all settings are significantly lower than at 1080p, and the performance gap between settings is compressed, which points to the GPU being the limiting factor rather than the CPU. This combo ranks in the 82nd percentile for all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 25236 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-13620H with a delta of 0.1% and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D with a delta of -0.5%, confirming that its performance is well-balanced for gaming workloads.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its core clocks are set to a base of 1605 MHz and a boost of 1770 MHz, and it features 2560 shading units. The GPU's computational power is evident in its Passmark G3D score of 18169, which places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. In Minimum, the GPU's role is straightforward: it dictates the absolute frame rate ceiling at each resolution. At 1080p, the GPU can render frames quickly, but the overall FPS is often capped by the CPU's ability to issue draw calls. At 1440p, the GPU's workload increases, and the frame rates drop proportionally, with High settings producing 79.2 FPS compared to 119.5 FPS at 1080p. At 4K, the GPU is fully saturated, and its performance is the sole determinant of the final frame rate. The 8 GB VRAM buffer is sufficient for the game's assets at these settings, as there is no evidence of a memory capacity bottleneck causing severe frame drops. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A400, has a delta of -0.5%, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 is 2.5% slower, indicating that the RTX 2070 SUPER holds its own in this performance tier, though it is clearly not designed for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1055 out of 1733 tested combos for Minimum. This places the system in the lower-middle tier of all configurations, which is expected given the age of the GPU relative to the CPU. The data shows that while the CPU is a modern, high-performing part, the GPU holds the combo back from achieving higher ranks. The i5-13400F's performance, which is within 0.5% of the AMD EPYC 9474F and 0.1% of the Intel Core i7-13620H, suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing. Instead, the GPU's percentile rank of 65, which puts it below the RTX 4060 Mobile by 2.3%, is the primary reason for the combo's overall position. In practical terms, this ranking means that many other tested systems will deliver higher average frame rates in Minimum, particularly at 1440p and 4K. However, the combo's performance is still respectable, and the high frame rates at 1080p suggest that it can handle competitive play at that resolution, even if it is not a top-tier 4K machine.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rate data provides a clear guide for optimizing the experience in Minimum based on the player's display resolution and performance goals. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 119.5 FPS offers an excellent balance of visual fidelity and smoothness, and it is the recommended starting point. If a player prioritizes maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 185.8 FPS provides a significant boost, but the visual trade-off may not be worth it on a 60Hz or 144Hz monitor, as High already exceeds the refresh rate of most displays. For 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 95.2 FPS is the sweet spot, delivering a solid frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining a higher level of detail than Low. The High preset at 79.2 FPS is also viable for gamers who prefer higher quality and have a 75Hz or 100Hz monitor. Ultra at this resolution drops to 62 FPS, which is playable but may not feel as responsive. For 3840x2160, the data shows that this combo is not ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming. The Low preset at 62.7 FPS is the only setting that consistently achieves playable frame rates, while Medium at 48.2 FPS and High at 40.3 FPS are acceptable for slower-paced play but will struggle with fast action. Ultra at 32 FPS is not recommended. Therefore, for 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only viable option, and users should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.