Overpower

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a robust 1080p experience in Overpower, but the data reveals a clear shift toward GPU limitation as resolution climbs. This combo ranks in the 35th percentile of tested configurations, indicating that while it is not a top-tier pairing, it offers a solid foundation for high-refresh-rate gaming at lower resolutions and remains playable at 4K with adjusted settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 98.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much faster is the combo at 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The difference is significant. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 167.5, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 73. This represents a performance reduction of over 56% when moving from the lightest to the heaviest settings.

Q: Does the GPU or CPU become the limiting factor at higher resolutions?

A: The data indicates a GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops from 117.9 FPS at 1080p High to 86.7 FPS at 4K High, a decline of roughly 26%, which aligns with the increased rendering load on the GPU rather than a CPU limitation.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested system configurations?

A: This specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 612 out of 1744 tested combos in Overpower, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all configurations.

Q: Is the 16 GB of VRAM on the GPU sufficient for 4K gaming in this title?

A: Based on the measured results, the RX 9070's 16 GB of VRAM appears sufficient, as the game runs at an average of 86.7 FPS at 4K High and 73 FPS at 4K Ultra without any reported issues or stutters in the data.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i5-10400F's average benchmark score of 14168 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7552, which scores 14115. This places it just 0.4% behind the EPYC and 1.2% behind the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the primary driver of frame rates in Overpower, a role that becomes more pronounced as resolution and settings increase. The GPU is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a 4 nm process node and features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. This substantial bandwidth is critical for feeding the GPU's 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs at high resolutions, ensuring that texture streaming and pixel throughput do not become a bottleneck.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a factor. With a base clock of 1330 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, the RX 9070 can dynamically scale its performance. The measured "game" clock of 2070 MHz suggests a sustained performance level during typical gaming workloads. This combination of high bandwidth and a high boost clock allows the GPU to maintain impressive frame rates, as evidenced by the 167.5 FPS average at 1080p Low. However, the data also shows that when the CPU is capable of feeding it enough data, the GPU is the component that determines the final output.

The GPU's benchmark scores further confirm its capability. It scores 25381 in the Passmark G3D test and 165532 in Geekbench Vulkan, highlighting its strength in DirectX and Vulkan-based workloads. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA A2, scores 34866, making the RX 9070 just 0.2% slower. This performance is a clear step above the CPU's own capabilities, meaning that in Overpower, the GPU is rarely waiting on the processor to supply data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a classic scaling pattern where the frame rate drop is more severe at higher settings, indicating a growing GPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 167.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low reduces this to 162.3 FPS, a modest 3% drop, and further to 149.9 FPS at 4K Low, an additional 8% reduction from 1440p. This relatively gentle decline at Low settings suggests that the CPU is still a significant contributor to performance, keeping the GPU fed even as the pixel count increases.

The picture changes dramatically at Ultra settings. The frame rate falls from 98.8 FPS at 1080p to 85.9 FPS at 1440p, and then to 73 FPS at 4K. This represents a 26% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is significantly steeper than the 10% drop seen at Low settings. This pattern indicates that the GPU's compute and memory resources are being saturated at higher resolutions and settings. The RX 9070's 16 GB of VRAM is ample, but the sheer number of pixels and the complexity of Ultra settings place a heavy load on its 3584 shading units.

The data suggests that the limiting component shifts from the CPU to the GPU as resolution increases. At 1080p, the Core i5-10400F's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to maintain high frame rates, but the GPU is still the primary constraint. By 4K, the GPU is almost certainly the sole bottleneck, as the CPU's workload (draw calls, physics) does not increase with resolution, while the GPU's pixel and shader workload scales directly with the number of pixels.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware, this CPU-GPU pairing sits in a solid, mid-tier position. With a combo rank of 612 out of 1744, it outperforms roughly 65% of all tested configurations in Overpower. This places it in the upper-middle echelon of systems, suggesting that it is a well-balanced pairing for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but not an extreme high-end setup.

The CPU's individual performance is a key factor in this ranking. The Core i5-10400F holds a 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14168. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7552, scores 14115, a delta of just 0.4%. This indicates that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class, providing a stable foundation. Its multi-threaded capabilities, as shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10297, are adequate for modern game engines, even though its single-thread score of 1453 is more modest.

The GPU, on the other hand, is a more powerful component. The RX 9070 holds a 79th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34780. This is a significant contributor to the combo's overall rank. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA A2, scores 34866, just 0.2% higher, showing that the RX 9070 is a high-performance part. The combination of a mid-range CPU with a high-end GPU is a common pairing for maximizing gaming performance per dollar, and the data shows it works effectively here, though the CPU will limit the GPU's potential in CPU-bound scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system is highly capable. The average frame rates are 167.5 FPS at Low, 122.5 FPS at Medium, 117.9 FPS at High, and 98.8 FPS at Ultra. This range shows that even at the highest settings, the system can push well past 60 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 41% drop in performance, a significant cost for visual fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's workload. The average frame rates are 162.3 FPS at Low, 111.4 FPS at Medium, 105.9 FPS at High, and 85.9 FPS at Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is now 47%, which is steeper than at 1080p. This indicates that the GPU is working harder to fill the extra pixels, and the visual quality settings are having a larger relative impact.

At 3840x2160, the system is pushed to its limits. The average frame rates are 149.9 FPS at Low, 95.9 FPS at Medium, 86.7 FPS at High, and 73 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is now 51%, showing a clear GPU bottleneck. While the Low setting is still very playable, the Ultra setting dips to 73 FPS. This is still a playable frame rate, but it shows that 4K Ultra is the boundary of this combo's capability. The data confirms a consistent trend: the system is a 1080p and 1440p champion, but at 4K, users will need to manage settings to maintain high frame rates.