Pc Building Simulator

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, revealing a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 104.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 70.1 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 34.1 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 67.3% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The pattern repeats across all settings: High drops from 108.7 FPS to 71.9 FPS to 38.7 FPS, Medium from 159.6 FPS to 101.3 FPS to 52.5 FPS, and Low from 219.7 FPS to 139.5 FPS to 71 FPS.

The scaling factor between 1440p and 4K is roughly consistent — about half the frame rate — which is typical when pixel count quadruples. The data indicates the Radeon RX 5700 XT becomes the limiting component as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the CPU still has headroom; at 4K, the GPU's 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth are clearly the bottleneck.

The 4K Ultra result of 34.1 FPS is below playable thresholds, while 4K Low at 71 FPS is surprisingly smooth. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 36.9 FPS, nearly double the 15.9 FPS gap at 1440p. This widening delta confirms that the GPU's shading units (2560) and texture units (160) are overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and demanding settings. The game's simulation nature means CPU load is moderate, but the rendering pipeline still scales heavily with resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Base clock is 1605 MHz, with a game clock of 1755 MHz and boost up to 1905 MHz. The 225 W TDP and dual-slot cooler suggest sustained performance, but the data shows the card's limits in this title.

At 1080p Ultra, the card produces 104.2 FPS, which is respectable but not exceptional. The 8 GB frame buffer is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, where the game uses moderate textures. At 4K, the memory capacity and bandwidth become strained; the 52.5 FPS at Medium and 38.7 FPS at High show that even mid-tier settings struggle at that resolution. The pixel rate of 121.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 304.8 GTexel/s are theoretical ceilings, but real-world results indicate the RDNA 1.0 architecture trails newer designs.

Benchmark scores place the GPU in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 24731. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile, scores 24763 (0.1% higher), while the Intel Arc A350M trails by 0.3% and the RTX 5060 Mobile by 0.6%. The RX 5700 XT is an end-of-life product, but its performance in this simulation game remains serviceable at lower resolutions. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed and 2560 shading units are sufficient for 1080p gaming, yet the 4K results confirm this card is not designed for high-resolution, high-settings play.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows show a clear sweet spot at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, delivering 101.3 FPS. This balances visual quality and smoothness, staying well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1080p, Medium hits 159.6 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh displays, while High still manages 108.7 FPS. Ultra at 1080p drops to 104.2 FPS, a 34.6% reduction from Medium.

For 4K users, Low settings are the only viable option at 71 FPS; Medium drops to 52.5 FPS and High to 38.7 FPS. The data suggests that 1440p Medium is the best overall experience, as it offers 101.3 FPS with better visual fidelity than Low. At 1080p, High settings provide 108.7 FPS, which is close to Medium's 159.6 FPS but with improved textures and effects. Ultra delivers diminishing returns: 104.2 FPS at 1080p, 70.1 FPS at 1440p, and an unplayable 34.1 FPS at 4K. The recommendation is to prioritize Medium or High at 1080p/1440p, and only use Low at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 2560x1440 with Medium settings delivers 101.3 FPS, making it the best balance of resolution and playability. 1080p Medium offers 159.6 FPS, but the visual upgrade at 1440p is worth the 36.5% frame rate cost.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 71 FPS. Medium drops to 52.5 FPS, High to 38.7 FPS, and Ultra to 34.1 FPS. The 8 GB frame buffer and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for higher settings at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K scores 47282 on average, sitting 0.1% below the i7-13700KF (47334) and 0.3% above the AMD EPYC 4364P (47131). It also leads the i9-12900F by 0.4% and trails the Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 by 0.5%.

Q: Why is the frame rate so much higher at Low settings?

A: Low settings reduce the load on the GPU's 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs. At 1080p, Low hits 219.7 FPS versus 104.2 FPS at Ultra, a 110.8% improvement, because fewer pixel and texture operations are required.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at resolutions above 1080p. The CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads provide ample headroom — its 3dmark max-thread score of 12412 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000 indicate strong processing power that the game does not fully utilize.

Q: How does the GPU rank among all tested cards?

A: The RX 5700 XT sits in the 68th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 24731. It is statistically tied with the RTX A5000 Mobile (24763) but 0.9% ahead of the Quadro RTX 5000 (24519).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. Base clock is 3.40 GHz, boosting to 5.40 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The 30 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide fast data access for simulation workloads.

In this game, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU, but its single-thread performance matters. The 3dmark single-thread score of 1136 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5505 show strong per-core capability. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 10717 and max-thread score of 12412 indicate robust multi-threading, though Pc Building Simulator does not appear to scale perfectly with all 24 threads. The passmark multithread score of 45887 and integer math score of 154446 further confirm the CPU's capacity.

The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking reflects its high performance, with an average benchmark score of 47282. Its nearest rival, the i7-13700KF, scores 47334 — a negligible 0.1% difference — meaning the K and KF variants perform identically in practical terms. The data suggests the CPU never becomes a bottleneck in this game; at 1080p Low, the 219.7 FPS result is likely near the game engine's limit, not the CPU's. The 16 cores handle background simulation tasks efficiently, leaving the GPU to manage rendering.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low 219.7, Medium 159.6, High 108.7, and Ultra 104.2. The drop from Medium to High is 31.9%, while High to Ultra is only 4.1%, indicating diminishing returns at the highest preset. At 2560x1440, results are: Low 139.5, Medium 101.3, High 71.9, and Ultra 70.1. Here, the High-to-Ultra gap narrows to 2.5%, suggesting Ultra adds minimal visual benefit for a 2.5% performance cost.

At 3840x2160, the numbers are: Low 71, Medium 52.5, High 38.7, and Ultra 34.1. The Low-to-Medium drop is 26.1%, Medium-to-High is 26.3%, and High-to-Ultra is 11.9%. The 4K results show that even Low settings struggle to maintain 60 FPS at this resolution, as the GPU's 9.754 TFLOPS and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are exhausted. Across all resolutions, the 8 GB memory capacity is sufficient for Low and Medium but may cause stuttering at High and Ultra if textures exceed the frame buffer.

The pattern is clear: each resolution step down from 4K to 1080p roughly doubles the frame rate at the same settings. For example, High goes from 38.7 at 4K to 71.9 at 1440p (85.8% increase) to 108.7 at 1080p (51.2% increase from 1440p). Low goes from 71 at 4K to 139.5 at 1440p (96.5% increase) to 219.7 at 1080p (57.5% increase). This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound workload where pixel count is the dominant factor.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT ranks 1337 out of 1769 tested combos in Pc Building Simulator. That places it in the 24.4th percentile, meaning roughly three-quarters of tested configurations outperform it. The low rank is primarily due to the GPU's age and performance ceiling; the CPU is a top-tier component, but the RX 5700 XT's 68th percentile GPU ranking drags the combo down.

The CPU's high benchmark scores (47282 average, 93rd percentile) do not translate to a high combo rank because this game is GPU-limited at most settings. The combo's 1080p Medium result of 159.6 FPS is strong, but many other tested combos likely feature more powerful GPUs that achieve higher frame rates at 4K or Ultra settings. The 1337th rank suggests that for this simulation title, the GPU is the determining factor in overall performance.

The data indicates that users seeking better combo ranks should prioritize a stronger GPU, as the i7-13700K provides ample CPU headroom. The 0.1% performance gap between this CPU and its closest rival, the i7-13700KF, shows that CPU choice has minimal impact on this combo's ranking. Instead, the RX 5700 XT's 8 GB memory and RDNA 1.0 architecture limit the combo to mid-tier performance in this game, despite the CPU's excellent single- and multi-threaded scores.