Pc Building Simulator

# Pc Building Simulator with Intel Core i5-10400F + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070

This combo delivers a fundamentally different experience depending on your target resolution. At 1080p, the GTX 1070 and Core i5-10400F produce highly playable frame rates across all settings, but the picture changes dramatically as you move to 1440p and especially 4K. The data shows a system that is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU has enough headroom to keep up at lower settings where frame rates climb well past 100 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across every settings preset. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 94.2 at 1080p to 61 at 1440p, then collapses to 28 at 4K. That represents a 70% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The pattern repeats at Ultra settings, where 86.9 FPS at 1080p becomes 57.9 at 1440p and just 27.1 at 4K. Even at Low settings, where the GPU has the least work to do, the scaling is severe: 181.6 FPS at 1080p drops to 119.1 at 1440p and 63.2 at 4K.

These numbers tell a clear story: the GTX 1070 is the limiting component at 1440p and 4K. The 1080p results, particularly the 181.6 FPS at Low settings, indicate the CPU can feed frames quickly, but the GPU cannot maintain that throughput when pixel count rises. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is only 36.1 FPS (63.2 vs 27.1), which is narrow compared to the 94.7 FPS gap at 1080p (181.6 vs 86.9). This compression at 4K is a classic sign of a GPU that has hit its rendering ceiling.

GPU Role

The GTX 1070 features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. With 1920 shading units and 64 ROPs, the card is built around a 1506 MHz base clock and 1683 MHz boost clock. The 8 GB frame buffer is sufficient for this simulation game at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results suggest that both raw compute and memory bandwidth are stretched thin.

The GPU's benchmark profile places it in the middle of the pack. It scores 13498 in Passmark G3D and 47490 in Geekbench OpenCL, with a Passmark DirectX 11 score of 100. Its 51st percentile ranking among all GPUs means half of tested cards are faster, but the nearest rivals show how tight the competition is. The NVIDIA Quadro K4200 trails by just 0.7% in average score, while the GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER is only 1.4% behind. The GTX 1070 sits within a 1.7% band of these three competitors, which explains why the 4K Ultra result of 27.1 FPS is borderline unplayable while the 1080p Ultra result of 86.9 FPS is smooth.

The card's 150 W TDP and suggested 450 W PSU make it a practical fit for the 65 W TDP Core i5-10400F. The launch MSRP is 379 USD. As an end-of-life product, it remains viable for 1080p gaming but shows its age at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

This pairing ranks 1483 out of 1769 tested combos in Pc Building Simulator, placing it in the bottom 16% of configurations. That ranking reflects the GTX 1070's age more than the CPU's capability. The Core i5-10400F alone sits in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, but the GPU's 51st percentile drags the combined score down.

The rank matters because it shows what this combo is not: it is not a high-end pairing. However, the measured FPS data reveals that the ranking understates real-world performance at 1080p. A combo ranked 1483rd still produces 94.2 FPS at High settings and 86.9 FPS at Ultra at 1080p. The ranking is more indicative of 4K capabilities, where the combo lands in the 27-28 FPS range at High and Ultra, which is below the 30 FPS threshold many consider the minimum for playability.

The delta between the CPU and GPU percentiles (73 vs 51) suggests an unbalanced pairing. The i5-10400F is capable of driving faster GPUs, so the GTX 1070 is the bottleneck in this system. Upgrading the GPU would likely improve the combo's rank more than any CPU change.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong results across all settings. Low settings produce 181.6 FPS average, Medium hits 129.8 FPS, High reaches 94.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 86.9 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is just 7.3 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns from the highest preset. All four settings are comfortably above 60 FPS, making 1080p the sweet spot for this hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers remain playable but show clear GPU strain. Low settings average 119.1 FPS, Medium drops to 81 FPS, High falls to 61 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 57.9 FPS. The 60 FPS threshold is crossed between High and Ultra settings. For a 1440p monitor, Medium or High settings would be the practical choice, with Ultra requiring a tolerance for sub-60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal. Low settings average 63.2 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 46.1 FPS, High falls to 28 FPS, and Ultra reaches just 27.1 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 17.1 FPS, while High and Ultra are nearly identical. At 4K, this combo is limited to Low settings for smooth gameplay, and even then, the margin above 60 FPS is slim.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle 1080p gaming?

A: Yes, comfortably. Measured results show 86.9 FPS at Ultra settings and 181.6 FPS at Low settings at 1920x1080. All four settings presets exceed 60 FPS.

Q: Is 1440p viable with this hardware?

A: Yes, with caveats. At 2560x1440, Low settings average 119.1 FPS, Medium hits 81 FPS, and High reaches 61 FPS. Ultra drops to 57.9 FPS, so users should stick to High or below for a smooth experience.

Q: What about 4K performance?

A: Limited. At 3840x2160, only Low settings (63.2 FPS) exceed 60 FPS. Medium averages 46.1 FPS, while High (28 FPS) and Ultra (27.1 FPS) fall below playable thresholds.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1070 scores 12331 on average, which is 0.7% higher than the Quadro K4200 but 1.4% lower than the GTX 1650 SUPER. It sits within a 1.7% performance band of three competing cards.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU?

A: The data suggests no. The Core i5-10400F ranks in the 73rd percentile among CPUs, while the GTX 1070 ranks in the 51st percentile among GPUs. The GPU is the limiting component, especially at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo?

A: At 1080p, High (94.2 FPS) offers a good balance, with Ultra (86.9 FPS) costing only 7.3 FPS. At 1440p, Medium (81 FPS) or High (61 FPS) are recommended. At 4K, only Low (63.2 FPS) is playable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F brings six cores and twelve threads to this pairing, with a 2.90 GHz base clock and 4.30 GHz boost clock. The 12 MB shared L3 cache and 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth are modest by modern standards but sufficient for a simulation title like Pc Building Simulator. The CPU's benchmark results show balanced performance: Cinebench R23 scores 10297 multi-core and 1453 single-core, while Geekbench scores 5783 multi-core and 1454 single-core.

The CPU's percentile rank of 73 among all processors indicates it outperforms the GPU relative to their respective product stacks. The nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.4% ahead), AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (0.8% behind), and Intel Core i5-8500 (1.1% behind). This tight grouping means the i5-10400F's performance is well understood and consistent.

In Pc Building Simulator specifically, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and settings where frame rates exceed 100 FPS. The 181.6 FPS result at 1080p Low suggests the CPU can push frame rates well beyond what the GPU can sustain at higher settings. The 65 W TDP makes it an efficient partner for the 150 W GPU, and the LGA 1200 socket with PCIe Gen 3 support is adequate for the GTX 1070's PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.

The key observation is that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this system. Even at 4K, where the GPU is clearly overwhelmed, the CPU has enough headroom to avoid limiting performance. For users considering upgrades, replacing the GPU would yield far greater gains than replacing the i5-10400F. The CPU's 12 threads and 4.30 GHz boost clock are sufficient to keep up with more powerful GPUs if the user chooses to upgrade later.