Overpower

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a compelling mid-range combination for Overpower, a 2023 Action title. The benchmark data shows a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, though the performance curve reveals a nuanced story about where the bottleneck lies in this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear, linear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves a robust 126.1 FPS average. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings, the frame rate drops by 13.7% to 108.8 FPS. Pushing further to 4K at Low settings yields 93.2 FPS, a 26.1% reduction from the 1080p result. This scaling suggests the Intel Arc B580 is doing heavy lifting, but the CPU is still keeping pace at these lower fidelity settings.

The picture changes dramatically when settings are increased to Ultra, which stresses the GPU more intensely. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 62 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, this falls to 54.3 FPS (a 12.4% drop), and at 4K Ultra, it plummets to 45.4 FPS (a 26.8% drop from the 1080p Ultra figure). The consistency of the percentage drop between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution step indicates that the Intel Arc B580 is the primary limiting component in this configuration. The CPU is effectively feeding the GPU enough data to maintain these ratios, rather than capping performance at a specific frame rate.

A more telling observation is the gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (126.1 FPS) and Ultra (62 FPS) is 64.1 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Low (93.2 FPS) and Ultra (45.4 FPS) is 47.8 FPS. This shrinking gap at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is becoming the absolute constraint; it simply cannot render the extra visual fidelity of Ultra at 4K without significant frame rate loss, regardless of the CPU headroom.

FAQ

*Q: Does the Intel Core i5-11400F bottleneck the Intel Arc B580 in Overpower at 1080p?*

A: The data suggests minimal bottlenecking at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 126.1 FPS, which is the highest recorded score across all tested settings. The fact that performance scales down consistently as resolution increases indicates the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates, not the CPU.

Q: What is the best resolution for a smooth experience with this combo?

A: For 60 FPS gameplay, the 1440p High setting is the definitive ceiling, averaging 61.9 FPS. The 1080p Ultra setting also delivers 62 FPS, but 1440p High offers a higher resolution with the same frame rate. The 4K High setting (55.4 FPS) falls just short of the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its nearest competitor in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, which places it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, scores 23181, indicating the Arc B580 trails by 0.7%. Conversely, it is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile.

Q: Is the Core i5-11400F considered a strong processor in its class?

A: Yes, the data shows the CPU sits in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 17181 is virtually identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, which scores 17189, a 0% delta. This indicates it is a solid, mid-range performer.

Q: What is the performance hit from 1080p to 4K on Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 62 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 45.4 FPS at 4K Ultra. This represents a 26.8% reduction in performance, highlighting the extreme load that 4K rendering places on the Intel Arc B580.

Q: Does the system benefit more from a CPU or GPU upgrade?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The 4K Ultra score of 45.4 FPS is the lowest in the dataset, and the scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K shows the GPU struggling to maintain frame rates as pixel count increases. The CPU is likely to have more headroom than the GPU in this specific title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, built on a 14nm process. Its base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide a solid foundation for gaming. The CPU’s benchmark results show a strong multi-threaded capability, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372 and a single-core score of 2029. This combination of multi-threading and solid single-core performance is crucial for feeding a modern GPU like the Arc B580.

In Overpower, the CPU’s role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The performance data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to become a bottleneck, the system achieves 126.1 FPS. This high frame rate suggests the i5-11400F is capable of processing game logic and draw calls quickly enough to keep the GPU busy. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and DDR4 memory support are adequate for this workload, as evidenced by the consistent scaling across resolutions.

The processor’s 65W TDP and 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes provide a capable platform. The data suggests the i5-11400F is not holding the system back in this title. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5619 and the Passmark multithread score of 16908 indicate a robust computing foundation. However, the fact that frame rates drop significantly when moving from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra—even though the CPU workload remains constant—points directly at the GPU as the performance limiter in this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four settings levels.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low setting produces an average of 126.1 FPS, which is the peak performance of the entire dataset. The Medium setting yields 75.7 FPS, while High achieves 70.2 FPS. The Ultra setting brings up the rear at 62 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 64.1 FPS, showing the significant impact of graphical fidelity on the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down accordingly. Low settings still deliver a highly playable 108.8 FPS. The Medium setting drops to 70.5 FPS, and High falls to 61.9 FPS. The Ultra setting at 1440p produces 54.3 FPS, which is the first instance where the system dips below the 60 FPS threshold on a high-quality preset.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly stressed. The Low setting manages 93.2 FPS, which is still smooth. However, the Medium setting drops to 58 FPS, and High dips to 55.4 FPS. The Ultra setting at 4K is the most demanding configuration tested, yielding only 45.4 FPS. This shows that 4K Ultra is not a viable option for a consistent 60 FPS experience with this hardware combination.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of tested hardware combinations for Overpower, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B580 ranks 1370 out of 1744 total combos. This places it in the 78.5th percentile of all systems tested, meaning it outperforms the majority of setups but is not in the top tier of performers.

The ranking reflects the mid-range nature of the components. The CPU sits in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. When combined, they produce a system that is capable of handling most gaming scenarios at 1080p and 1440p with high fidelity, but struggles at 4K with maximum settings. The combo’s position in the rankings suggests that while it is a solid, balanced pairing, there is significant headroom above it in the database, likely occupied by higher-end processors and more powerful graphics cards.

The ranking also validates the performance scaling data. The combo’s ability to deliver above 60 FPS at 1080p and 1440p High settings is a strong indicator of its overall capability, yet its rank shows it is not designed for enthusiast-level 4K gaming. The data confirms that this is a capable mainstream build, with the GPU being the primary determinant of performance in Overpower.