Overpower

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Overpower, but the data reveals a clear ceiling at 4K Ultra. This combination ranks in the top 22% of all tested configurations (rank 389 out of 1744), which is respectable, but the bottleneck shifts decisively to the CPU as resolution drops. The measured frame rates show a pattern where the GPU’s raw power is sufficient for high refresh rates at lower resolutions, yet the older Comet Lake processor limits the maximum achievable FPS, particularly when settings are lowered. For builders targeting high-refresh 1080p or smooth 1440p, this is a balanced setup; for 4K enthusiasts, the i5-10400F becomes a liability at higher settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS delta from 1080p to 4K tells a story of GPU dominance at higher resolutions and CPU limitation at lower ones. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 135.5 FPS at 1920x1080 to 122.1 FPS at 2560x1440, then falls further to 104.5 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 22.9% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is modest compared to what a purely GPU-bound scenario would show. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is only 13.4 FPS, suggesting the RTX 4070 SUPER has ample headroom at 1440p, but the i5-10400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads start to become a limiting factor as the pixel count decreases and the CPU must feed more frames per second.

The trend is more pronounced at Low settings. Here, 1080p produces 167.5 FPS, 1440p yields 161.1 FPS, and 4K drops to 154.4 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is just 7.8%, which indicates that the game is heavily CPU-bound at lower graphical presets. The RTX 4070 SUPER is capable of pushing well over 150 FPS even at 4K Low, but the i5-10400F cannot maintain higher frame rates regardless of resolution. This is a classic sign of a processor bottleneck: when lowering settings does not proportionally increase FPS, the CPU is the constraining component. At Ultra settings, the scaling is steeper—116 FPS at 1080p, 98.6 FPS at 1440p, and 85.3 FPS at 4K—a 26.5% drop, which shows the GPU taking on more work.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 SUPER’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Overpower at all tested settings. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1980 MHz place it in the top 84th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 42576 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42653, deltaPct -0.2). This means the 4070 SUPER is performing exactly as expected, with no thermal or power throttling visible in the data. The 220 W TDP and 550 W suggested PSU are reasonable for this class, and the dual-slot cooler appears adequate given the consistent frame rates across resolutions.

The GPU’s 7168 shading units and 224 texture mapping units are the primary drivers of the 4K performance. At 4K Ultra, the 85.3 FPS average is respectable but not exceptional, and the 26.5% performance drop from 1080p Ultra indicates that the GPU is being pushed to its limits. However, the fact that 4K Low still yields 154.4 FPS—only 7.8% less than 1080p Low—confirms that the GPU is not the bottleneck at lower settings. The RTX 4070 SUPER’s 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is clearly not being fully utilized when the CPU cannot keep up. This is a common pairing issue: a modern, powerful GPU with an older mid-range CPU will always leave performance on the table in CPU-light scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 389 out of 1744 tested configurations, this i5-10400F + RTX 4070 SUPER pairing sits in the 77.7th percentile of all combinations. This is a strong result, but it is not reflective of the GPU’s individual capability. The RTX 4070 SUPER alone ranks in the 84th percentile, while the i5-10400F ranks in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. The gap between these percentiles—11 points—quantifies the CPU bottleneck. In practical terms, this combo performs better than 77.7% of all tested systems, but it is held back from higher rankings by the processor’s relatively modest multi-threaded performance.

The CPU’s nearest rivals illustrate its position. The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14168, which is within 1.2% of the Intel Core i5-8500 (14332, deltaPct -1.1) and the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 (14336, deltaPct -1.2). This puts it in the same performance tier as older mid-range desktop and embedded processors. The GPU, by contrast, is within 1.6% of the NVIDIA Tesla M40 (41897, deltaPct 1.6) and the AMD Radeon Pro 580X (41991, deltaPct 1.4), which are professional-grade cards. This suggests that the RTX 4070 SUPER is a top-tier consumer GPU, but the i5-10400F is a generation behind the current mainstream. The combo ranking reflects this mismatch: excellent GPU performance is partially wasted by CPU limitations in frame-rate-sensitive scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured averages are 167.5 FPS on Low, 139.6 FPS on Medium, 135.5 FPS on High, and 116 FPS on Ultra. The jump from Low to Medium is 27.9 FPS, which is significant, but the transition from Medium to High is only 4.1 FPS, indicating diminishing returns. The step from High to Ultra costs another 19.5 FPS, making Ultra the most demanding preset. At 2560x1440, the figures are 161.1 FPS on Low, 131.2 FPS on Medium, 122.1 FPS on High, and 98.6 FPS on Ultra. The pattern is similar, but the drop from Low to Ultra is 62.5 FPS, which is 38.8% lower. At 3840x2160, the averages fall to 154.4 FPS on Low, 108.5 FPS on Medium, 104.5 FPS on High, and 85.3 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 45.9 FPS, which is the largest single-preset jump in the entire dataset.

Looking at resolution scaling within each preset, the differences are telling. At Low settings, the FPS only drops by 13.1 FPS from 1080p to 4K, or 7.8%. At Medium, the drop is 31.1 FPS, or 22.3%. At High, the drop is 31 FPS, or 22.9%. At Ultra, the drop is 30.7 FPS, or 26.5%. This shows that the CPU bottleneck is most severe at Low settings, where the GPU is not the limiting factor. The RTX 4070 SUPER is capable of over 150 FPS at 4K Low, but the i5-10400F simply cannot feed it more frames. At Ultra, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the 26.5% drop from 1080p to 4K is more consistent with a GPU-bound workload.

Settings Recommendations

The data suggests that High settings at 1440p offer the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 2560x1440 High, the average FPS is 122.1, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and approaches the 120+ FPS range for high-refresh monitors. The jump from High to Ultra at 1440p costs 23.5 FPS, dropping to 98.6, which is still playable but not ideal for competitive play. At 1080p, High settings at 135.5 FPS are excellent, but the 19.5 FPS penalty for Ultra may not be worth the visual upgrade unless the player has a 144 Hz monitor and prefers maximum fidelity.

For 4K users, the recommendation is clear: stick to High settings. The 104.5 FPS average at 4K High is significantly better than the 85.3 FPS at Ultra, and the visual difference between High and Ultra is often subtle in fast-paced action games. Medium settings at 4K (108.5 FPS) offer only a marginal improvement over High, so the extra visual quality of High is worth the 4 FPS loss. At 1080p, Medium (139.6 FPS) provides a 4.1 FPS gain over High, but the visual downgrade is likely noticeable. The sweet spot for this combo is 1440p High, which leverages the GPU’s strength while avoiding the CPU bottleneck that appears at lower resolutions and settings.

FAQ

Q: Is this CPU-GPU combo better at 1080p or 1440p?

A: The data shows the combo performs best at 1440p High (122.1 FPS) relative to the GPU’s capability. At 1080p, the CPU limits frame rates to 167.5 FPS at Low, but the GPU could push higher if not bottlenecked. At 1440p, the balance is better, with High settings yielding 122.1 FPS and Ultra at 98.6 FPS.

Q: Why does the FPS drop so little from 1080p to 4K at Low settings?

A: At Low settings, the FPS only drops from 167.5 at 1080p to 154.4 at 4K (7.8%). This indicates a severe CPU bottleneck—the RTX 4070 SUPER can handle 4K Low easily, but the i5-10400F cannot generate more frames regardless of resolution.

Q: Should I use Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 Ultra, the average FPS is 98.6, which is playable but 23.5 FPS lower than High settings (122.1 FPS). If you have a 144 Hz monitor, High is preferable. If you only have a 60 Hz display, Ultra is acceptable.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 389 out of 1744 configurations, placing it in the top 22% of all tested systems. However, the GPU alone ranks in the 84th percentile, while the CPU ranks in the 73rd, indicating the processor holds back overall performance.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 SUPER the limiting factor at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 Ultra, the FPS drops to 85.3, which is 26.5% lower than 1080p Ultra. This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound workload, as the CPU is less stressed at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: High settings at 4K provide 104.5 FPS, which is the best balance of quality and performance. Ultra drops to 85.3 FPS, and Medium only offers 108.5 FPS, so High is the recommended choice for 4K.