Pc Building Simulator

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Pc Building Simulator, but the data reveals a clear shift in system bottleneck as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the combo is overwhelmingly CPU-limited; at 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint. The measured results show that this pairing is far more capable than necessary for the game's demands, providing a wide margin of performance across all tested presets.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is significant but not linear, revealing how the workload transitions from CPU-bound to GPU-bound. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 256.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 133 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 123.6 FPS. This 48% performance loss indicates that while the GPU is being taxed more heavily at 4K, the CPU still has headroom to push frames at lower resolutions. The frame rate at 4K Low remains far above the 60 FPS threshold, demonstrating the RTX 4070 SUPER's raw capability even at the highest pixel count.

At Medium settings, the scaling is steeper: 225.8 FPS at 1080p drops to 96 FPS at 4K, a 129.8 FPS difference. The High preset shows a similar pattern, with 200.5 FPS at 1080p falling to 69 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, sees the largest absolute drop: 194.5 FPS at 1080p to 63.1 FPS at 4K, a 131.4 FPS decline. This consistent ~130 FPS drop across Medium, High, and Ultra suggests that the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor at 4K, while at 1080p the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are holding back the GPU from reaching even higher frame rates.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the i5-10400F's single-thread performance becomes the ceiling. The CPU's 3dmark_single_thread score of 688 and passmark_singlethread score of 2541 place it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, which is adequate for this simulation title but not exceptional. The GPU's 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs is notably higher, confirming that the processor is the weaker link at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The i5-10400F + RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 484th out of 1769 tested combos in Pc Building Simulator, placing it in the top 27% of all configurations. This is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU, but the ranking suggests that many other combos achieve higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful processors that can better feed the GPU at 1080p.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its performance tier. The i5-10400F's average benchmark score of 14168 is nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 7552's 14115, a delta of just 0.4%. It also sits close to the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277, delta -0.8%) and the Intel Core i5-8500 (14332, delta -1.1%). This clustering indicates that the i5-10400F's processing power is squarely in the mid-range category, which explains why the combo's rank is not higher despite the GPU's strength.

The GPU's rivals tell a similar story of performance parity at the top end. The RTX 4070 SUPER's average score of 42576 is nearly tied with the NVIDIA RTX A6000's 42653 (delta -0.2%) and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE's 42723 (delta -0.3%). This means the GPU is performing at a professional-grade level, but the CPU's mid-range standing drags the overall combo rank down. In a simulation game like Pc Building Simulator, where CPU logic dominates at lower resolutions, the processor's 12 threads and 2.90 GHz base clock (4.30 GHz boost) become the deciding factor for top-tier rankings.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K displays, the Ultra preset is the only option that dips below 60 FPS, averaging 63.1 FPS, which is still playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 4K, delivering 69 FPS, is the recommended choice for a smooth experience with visual fidelity. It provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS baseline while maintaining better image quality than Medium's 96 FPS or Low's 133 FPS.

At 1440p, all presets easily exceed 120 FPS, making the choice more about visual preference than performance. The Ultra preset at 122.6 FPS is the best option for maximizing quality on a 144Hz monitor, while High at 126.9 FPS offers nearly identical performance with slightly less demanding settings. Users with 240Hz displays can drop to Medium at 182.9 FPS or Low at 217.5 FPS to fully utilize the refresh rate.

For 1080p, the data shows that even the Ultra preset at 194.5 FPS is far beyond what most monitors can display. The Medium preset at 225.8 FPS and Low at 256.6 FPS are excessive for standard 60Hz or 144Hz displays. The recommendation is to use Ultra for maximum visual quality, as the CPU bottleneck at this resolution means higher frame rates do not translate to a better visual experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show a tight band of performance across all settings. Low settings produce 256.6 FPS, Medium 225.8 FPS, High 200.5 FPS, and Ultra 194.5 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is only 62.1 FPS, confirming that the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, as the GPU's rendering load changes minimally with settings.

At 2560x1440, the spread widens. Low settings achieve 217.5 FPS, Medium 182.9 FPS, High 126.9 FPS, and Ultra 122.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra grows to 94.9 FPS, indicating that the GPU is beginning to take on more of the workload, but the CPU still provides enough headroom for high frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the performance gap becomes pronounced. Low settings average 133 FPS, Medium 96 FPS, High 69 FPS, and Ultra 63.1 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 69.9 FPS, but the absolute values are much lower, showing that the GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being fully utilized. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 1980 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost clocks are working hard at this resolution, yet the frame rates remain playable across all settings.

FAQ

Q: Is the i5-10400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 SUPER in this game?

A: At 1080p, yes. The measured frame rates across all settings cluster between 194.5 and 256.6 FPS, indicating the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads limit the GPU. At 4K, the GPU becomes the constraint, with frame rates dropping to 63.1-133 FPS depending on settings.

Q: Can this combo run Pc Building Simulator at 4K?

A: Yes, but not at the highest refresh rates. The Ultra preset averages 63.1 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 69 FPS provides a more comfortable margin, while Medium and Low deliver 96 and 133 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the i5-10400F compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 14168 is within 1.2% of the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115), AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277), Intel Core i5-8500 (14332), and AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 (14336). This puts it in a tight performance cluster with no significant advantage or disadvantage.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset at 122.6 FPS is recommended for 144Hz monitors. For 240Hz displays, the Medium preset at 182.9 FPS offers a better balance of frame rate and visual quality, while Low at 217.5 FPS maximizes refresh rate utilization.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER rank against other GPUs?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 42576 places it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. It performs nearly identically to the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42653, delta -0.2%) and AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42723, delta -0.3%), while being 1.4% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro 580X and 1.6% faster than the NVIDIA Tesla M40.

Q: Does the game benefit from the CPU's 12 threads?

A: The data suggests yes, but with diminishing returns. The i5-10400F's 12 threads yield a 3dmark_16_threads score of 4748 and a cinebench r23 multicore score of 10297, which are solid mid-range results. The 1080p frame rates being capped around 256 FPS indicate that additional threads would not significantly improve performance in this simulation title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Comet Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 14 nm process. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz boosts to 4.30 GHz, with a 65 W TDP that keeps thermals manageable. The processor supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth, and its 12 MB shared L3 cache is adequate for the game's simulation logic.

Benchmark results show the CPU's strengths and limitations. The single-thread score of 688 in 3dmark and 2541 in passmark_singlethread place it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, which is respectable but not top-tier. The multicore performance is more impressive: 10297 in cinebench r23 multicore and 12115 in passmark_multithread. These scores indicate that the processor handles multi-threaded workloads well, which benefits simulation games that often use multiple threads for game logic and physics.

In Pc Building Simulator, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p. The frame rates of 194.5-256.6 FPS across all presets suggest that the processor's 4.30 GHz boost clock and 12 threads are sufficient to drive the game at high speed, but the narrow performance gap between Low and Ultra settings reveals that the CPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's PCIe Gen 3 interface with 16 lanes does not appear to hinder the RTX 4070 SUPER, as the GPU's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface is backward compatible and the game's bandwidth requirements are modest.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. It features 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, along with 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory operates on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

Clock speeds are a key strength: the base clock of 1980 MHz boosts to 2475 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz effective 21 Gbps. This translates to 198.0 GPixel/s pixel rate and 554.4 GTexel/s texture rate, with FP32 performance of 35.48 TFLOPS. The GPU's 220 W TDP requires a 550 W suggested PSU and a single 16-pin power connector, making it a power-hungry but manageable component.

In Pc Building Simulator, the GPU's role becomes dominant at 4K resolution. The frame rate drop from 133 FPS at Low to 63.1 FPS at Ultra shows that the GPU's rendering pipeline is the bottleneck at this resolution. The GPU's 84th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 42576 place it near the performance of professional-grade cards like the RTX A6000, which explains its ability to maintain playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra. The 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for the game's textures, and the 504.2 GB/s bandwidth ensures no memory-related stutters at any tested setting.