Pc Building Simulator

The benchmark data for Pc Building Simulator with the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 reveals a configuration that scales predictably with resolution, though the performance ceiling at lower resolutions exposes a clear CPU bottleneck. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across three resolutions and four quality presets, interpreting what these numbers indicate about the role of each component and the combo's overall standing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals a shift in the system's limiting factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers an average of 299.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 217.2 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls further to 115.5 FPS. This represents a 61.4% reduction in average FPS from 1080p Low to 4K Low, indicating that at lower resolutions, the GPU has ample headroom and the CPU is the primary constraint.

However, at higher quality settings, the scaling pattern changes. At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 167.4 at 1080p to 104.1 at 1440p and finally to 52.1 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is 68.9%, which is steeper than the Low-setting drop. This suggests that as graphical load increases, the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor, though the CPU still exerts influence.

The data shows a clear inflection point. At Medium settings, the FPS values are 247.7 (1080p), 155.4 (1440p), and 79.5 (4K). The transition from 1080p to 1440p at Medium results in a 37.3% decrease, while the 1440p to 4K transition drops by 48.8%. This non-linear scaling indicates that the system is not purely GPU-bound at any point; rather, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz become increasingly insufficient as resolution scales and the GPU's workload grows.

High settings, which are often the most balanced preset, show average FPS of 171.3 at 1080p, 109.3 at 1440p, and 56.5 at 4K. The 4K High result of 56.5 FPS is just above the 52.1 FPS at 4K Ultra, suggesting that the game's optimization for this simulation genre allows for smooth playability at 4K only with significant compromises on visual quality.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. Its base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz place it in the mid-range for desktop CPUs. The benchmark results show a 3dmark_single_thread score of 868 and a 3dmark_max_threads score of 5652, indicating a moderate single-thread performance that is crucial for game logic in simulation titles.

The CPU's role becomes evident when examining the 1080p Low results. At 299.5 FPS, the GPU is far from saturated, yet the frame rate does not exceed this threshold. This ceiling is characteristic of CPU-bound scenarios. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 5619 and the cinebench_r23_multicore score of 14372 suggest that the processor can handle multi-threaded workloads, but the passmark_single_thread score of 2981 reveals its limitations in single-threaded tasks that dominate game simulation loops.

The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for this workload. However, when compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-11400F shows a deltaPct of 0 against the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, and -0.2 against both the Intel Core i7-1260P and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U. These minimal differences in average benchmark scores (17181 vs 17189, 17212, and 17215 respectively) indicate that the CPU is not a distinguishing factor in this combo's performance; rather, it is a consistent baseline.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting component. The FPS at Low settings (299.5) versus Ultra settings (167.4) shows only a 44.1% drop, which is less than the 61.4% drop seen at 4K. This narrower range at 1080p indicates that the CPU's processing power caps the frame rate, preventing the GPU from fully expressing its potential even at lower graphical loads.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070, based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and Navi 48 chip, is a high-end graphics card with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz are complemented by 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs, making it a formidable performer for rasterization tasks.

The GPU's role is most apparent at 4K resolutions. At 4K Low, the card achieves 115.5 FPS, which is 2.2 times higher than the 4K Ultra result of 52.1 FPS. This 55% reduction from Low to Ultra at 4K demonstrates that the GPU is heavily taxed by higher quality settings, particularly with the 220 W TDP and 2x 8-pin power connectors indicating a power-hungry design.

The passmark_g3d score of 25381 and the 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 6290 place the GPU in the 79th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA A2 with a deltaPct of -0.2 and the AMD Radeon HD 7970 with a deltaPct of 0.7, showing that the RX 9070 is competitive but not dominant. The 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 564.5 GTexel/s texture rate are substantial, yet the data shows that in Pc Building Simulator, the GPU is not the primary bottleneck except at 4K Ultra.

At 1080p, the GPU's role is diminished. The difference between 1080p Low (299.5 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (167.4 FPS) is 132.1 FPS, which is a 44.1% reduction. This is a smaller percentage drop than the 55% seen at 4K, confirming that the GPU has more headroom at lower resolutions. The 16 GB VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor in this simulation game, as the memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s is more than sufficient for the data demands at any tested resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested combos for Pc Building Simulator, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 612th out of 1769 total combinations. This places it in the 65.4th percentile of all tested combos, indicating a solid but not exceptional standing. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, where the CPU's mid-range performance constrains the GPU's high-end capabilities.

The combo's ranking is more a function of the CPU than the GPU. With the GPU in the 79th percentile and the CPU in the 75th percentile, the pairing is well-matched in terms of relative performance tiers. However, the data shows that the CPU's single-thread performance, as evidenced by the 3dmark_single_thread score of 868, is a limiting factor that prevents the combo from ranking higher. The 4K results, where the GPU is more engaged, show better relative performance, but the overall rank is dragged down by the CPU-bound 1080p scenarios.

Compared to other combos in the database, this one sits in the upper third, which is respectable given the CPU's age and end-of-life production status. The i5-11400F was released in March 2021 with a launch MSRP of $157, and its performance has been surpassed by newer architectures. The RX 9070, released in March 2025, is a current-generation part, and the combination of an older CPU with a newer GPU is a common but not optimal pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p High settings for this combo?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 109.3 FPS, which is suitable for smooth gameplay in this simulation title.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance affect the game's frame rates?

A: The CPU's 3dmark_single_thread score is 868, and its passmark_single_thread score is 2981. These scores indicate that at 1080p Low, where the GPU is not stressed, the FPS is capped at 299.5, showing the CPU's limitation in simulation game logic.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations in Pc Building Simulator?

A: The combo ranks 612th out of 1769 total tested combos, placing it in the upper third of all configurations.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 52.1, and the GPU's heavy workload is evident. The GPU's 36.13 TFLOPS and 16 GB VRAM are taxed, but the CPU's performance still influences the result, as the drop from 1440p Ultra (104.1 FPS) to 4K Ultra (52.1 FPS) is 50%, suggesting a balanced limitation.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17181, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189, 0% delta), and slightly lower than the Intel Core i7-1260P (17212, -0.2%) and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (17215, -0.2%).

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achieved by this combo at any tested setting?

A: The highest average FPS is 299.5, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is likely a CPU-bound ceiling for this configuration.