Pc Building Simulator

# Pc Building Simulator — Intel Core i5-11400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060

Pc Building Simulator, a simulation title from 2019, presents an unusual workload: it is a game about building PCs, yet its own performance characteristics reveal a heavy dependence on both CPU and GPU depending on resolution. The measured data for the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 shows a system that scales predictably across settings, with frame rates ranging from a highly playable 284 FPS at 1080p Low down to a demanding 45 FPS at 4K Ultra. This analysis walks through the measured results to explain what they mean for the limiting component, the role of each part, and which settings provide the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 142 at 1920x1080 to 90 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 52 FPS, then further down to 47 at 3840x2160 — a total drop of 95 FPS from 1080p to 4K. This pattern is nearly identical across all quality presets. At Low settings, the system delivers 284 FPS at 1080p, 179 FPS at 1440p, and 94 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low is a 105 FPS decrease, while the move from 1440p to 4K costs another 85 FPS.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is still contributing meaningfully to the frame rate, as the RTX 5060 is capable of very high output — 284 FPS at Low is far above what most displays can show. As resolution increases, the GPU's rendering workload grows, and the average FPS drops nearly proportionally to the pixel count increase. Going from 1080p to 4K quadruples the pixels, and the High preset's 142 FPS at 1080p becomes 47 FPS at 4K, which is roughly a third of the original value. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The fact that even at 4K Low the system still reaches 94 FPS indicates that the RTX 5060 has ample headroom when settings are reduced, but the CPU is likely not the limiting factor at that point — the GPU is doing the heavy lifting.

The Medium preset provides the only complete min/max data in the measured set, offering a closer look at frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the average is 201 FPS with a minimum of 171 and a maximum of 232 — a 61 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 127 FPS, with min/max of 108 and 146, respectively. At 4K Medium, the average is 66 FPS, with a tight min/max range of 56 to 76. The narrowing spread at higher resolutions suggests that frame pacing becomes more stable when the GPU is fully saturated, whereas at 1080p, CPU-driven fluctuations can cause larger swings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Pc Building Simulator?

A: The highest measured average is 284 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 201 FPS at Medium and 142 FPS at High at the same resolution.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Pc Building Simulator?

A: Yes, but only at lower presets. At 4K Low the average is 94 FPS, while at 4K Medium it falls to 66 FPS. At 4K High and Ultra, the averages are 47 FPS and 45 FPS respectively, which are borderline for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At High settings, the average drops from 142 FPS to 90 FPS, a loss of 52 FPS. At Low settings, the drop is from 284 FPS to 179 FPS, a loss of 105 FPS, showing that lower settings make the resolution scaling more pronounced.

Q: What is the difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: High averages 90 FPS, while Ultra averages 85 FPS, a difference of only 5 FPS. This suggests that the visual improvement from High to Ultra comes at a minimal performance cost at this resolution.

Q: Is the RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The measured data shows no VRAM-related stutters or failures across any resolution or preset, indicating that 8 GB of GDDR7 memory is adequate for Pc Building Simulator's demands, even at 4K Ultra.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1648 out of 3723 tested combinations, placing it in the upper half of all systems tested for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (51.2 GB/s bandwidth) are typical for its generation. In Pc Building Simulator, the CPU's influence is most evident at 1080p Low, where the system reaches 284 FPS — a figure that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at high rates. The processor's single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 868, is critical for a simulation game that often relies on a few primary threads for game logic and component interaction.

The i5-11400F's multi-threaded capabilities, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340, provide headroom for background tasks and any simulation overhead the game may generate. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1440p Ultra, the system still achieves 85 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it drops to 45 FPS — both scenarios where the GPU's rendering load dominates. The fact that the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is nearly linear with pixel count indicates that the CPU can keep up with the game's logic even at lower resolutions, and the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution rises.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-11400F sits in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 17177 is nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 7H12 (17120, a 0.3% difference) and the Intel Core i5-12450H (17239, a -0.4% difference). This places the i5-11400F in a competitive position for its generation, though it is an end-of-life product. The CPU's 65W TDP and 14 nm process node are modest by modern standards, but the benchmark results show it delivers performance that remains relevant for this simulation title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 142 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play, and only 7 FPS less than Ultra's 135 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is negligible in terms of playability, so High is the recommended choice for most users — it offers near-maximum visual fidelity without the slight performance penalty of Ultra. For those with high-refresh-rate displays, the Medium preset at 201 FPS is a strong option, though the 61 FPS spread between min and max (171 to 232) suggests some frame pacing variability.

At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 90 FPS, which is excellent for a simulation game. Ultra drops to 85 FPS, and while the difference is only 5 FPS, the High preset is still the better pick for maintaining headroom above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 127 FPS is ideal for users who prioritize frame rate over visual detail, but the min/max range of 108 to 146 FPS is wider than at High, indicating less consistency. At 4K, the situation changes: High averages 47 FPS and Ultra averages 45 FPS, both below the 60 FPS ideal. The Medium preset at 66 FPS is the only 4K option that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, making it the recommended choice for 4K displays. Low at 4K reaches 94 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial.

Overall, the data suggests that High settings at 1080p or 1440p provide the best experience, while Medium is the sweet spot for 4K. Pushing to Ultra yields minimal gains — at most 7 FPS at 1080p — and is not worth the performance cost. For users with variable refresh rate monitors, the Medium preset at 1440p (127 FPS) offers the highest frame rate while staying within the measured min/max range for consistent pacing.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination ranks 1648 out of 3723 tested combos in Pc Building Simulator, placing it in the 55.7th percentile of all systems tested. This is a mid-pack ranking, which is somewhat surprising given the strong absolute FPS numbers — the system achieves over 100 FPS at 1080p on all presets except Ultra (135 FPS) and over 60 FPS at 1440p on all presets. The ranking suggests that many other combinations, likely featuring more powerful CPUs or GPUs, achieve even higher frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU plays a larger role.

The GPU's overall benchmark percentile is 72, and its average score of 26331 is within 1.2% of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (26011) and -0.8% of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (26553). This indicates that the RTX 5060 is a strong performer in its class. The CPU's 71st percentile ranking is similarly solid. The combination of two above-average components yields a mid-pack combo ranking, which likely reflects that Pc Building Simulator rewards higher-end CPUs more than GPUs at lower resolutions — the game's simulation nature means that many combos with faster processors can outpace this one at 1080p, even if they have weaker GPUs.

The rank of 1648 out of 3723 is not a poor showing — it means this combo outperforms roughly 56% of all tested systems. For a game that is not graphically intensive at lower settings, this is a reasonable result. The system's ability to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 4K Medium suggests it is well-balanced for modern displays, even if it does not top the charts among all possible configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings, providing a complete picture of performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves the highest average at 284 FPS. The Medium preset averages 201 FPS, with a minimum of 171 and a maximum of 232. High settings drop to 142 FPS, and Ultra settles at 135 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 149 FPS, showing that settings have a dramatic impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 179 FPS, still very high. Medium averages 127 FPS, with a min/max of 108 and 146. High settings average 90 FPS, and Ultra averages 85 FPS. The resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 40-50% of the frame rate at each preset, which is consistent with the 1.78x pixel count increase. The 1440p Medium min/max range (108 to 146) shows a 38 FPS spread, tighter than at 1080p, indicating better frame consistency when the GPU is more loaded.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 94 FPS, which is still playable. Medium averages 66 FPS, with a narrow min/max of 56 to 76 — the tightest range in the entire dataset, suggesting the GPU is fully saturated and producing stable frames. High settings drop to 47 FPS, and Ultra averages 45 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 2 FPS, making them nearly identical in practice. The 4K Low result of 94 FPS shows that the RTX 5060 has significant headroom even at this resolution when settings are reduced, but the High and Ultra presets push the GPU to its limits.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node, featuring 3840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operation units. Its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for a simulation game like Pc Building Simulator. The GPU's boost clock of 2497 MHz and base clock of 2280 MHz contribute to its FP32 performance of 19.18 TFLOPS. With a 145W TDP and a suggested 300W PSU, it is a power-efficient card that fits in a dual-slot form factor.

In Pc Building Simulator, the GPU's role becomes dominant as resolution increases. The measured FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a clear GPU-bound pattern: at High settings, the frame rate drops from 142 to 47 FPS across the three resolutions, a 67% reduction. The RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM is never a limiting factor in the measured data, as even at 4K Ultra the system maintains a playable (if not ideal) 45 FPS without any reported stutter or texture pop-in. The GPU's benchmark scores, including a PassMark G3D score of 20891 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3628, indicate solid performance for its class.

The RTX 5060's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the AMD Radeon 860M (26401, -0.3% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (26421, -0.3% delta), with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary slightly ahead at 26553 (+0.8% delta). This places the RTX 5060 in a competitive middle ground — it outperforms some older high-end cards but is not at the top of the stack. In Pc Building Simulator specifically, the GPU's 72nd percentile ranking and the measured FPS data show that it is more than sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, and capable of 4K at medium settings. The GPU's 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores are not heavily utilized in this simulation title, but they provide future-proofing for other games.