Pc Building Simulator

# Pc Building Simulator — Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER to deliver a simulation experience that is heavily resolution-dependent, with the GPU clearly acting as the primary constraint at higher resolutions while the CPU provides ample headroom at lower settings. The measured frames per second across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions, combined with four quality presets, reveal a system that can handle the game smoothly at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain playable rates at 4K Ultra. This combo ranks 2098th out of 3002 tested combinations, placing it in the lower third of all tested systems, which aligns with the mid-range positioning of both components based on their benchmark percentiles.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and non-linear, indicating that the GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor as pixel count increases. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 112 at 1920x1080 to 71 at 2560x1440 — a 37% reduction — and then to 37 at 3840x2160, which is a further 48% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline at 4K suggests the GPU’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being overwhelmed by the pixel throughput required at that resolution.

The scaling pattern under Low settings tells a similar story but with more headroom. At 1080p Low, the system produces 225 FPS, which drops to 142 at 1440p (37% lower) and then to 74 at 4K (48% lower than 1440p). The fact that 4K Low still manages 74 FPS indicates that even when the visual load is minimized, the GPU cannot maintain the same proportional performance as lower resolutions — the pixel count alone creates a bottleneck that the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 64 ROPs and 105.6 GPixel/s pixel rate cannot fully overcome.

Medium settings show the most consistent scaling data, with minimum and maximum frame times captured at all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average is 159 FPS with a range of 135 to 183 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Medium yields 100 FPS (37% lower) with a range of 85 to 116, and 4K Medium averages 53 FPS with a range of 45 to 60. The 4K Medium range is notably tight, suggesting the system is hitting a hard performance wall rather than experiencing variance.

Ultra settings produce the lowest absolute numbers, with 107 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra figure is below the commonly accepted 40 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the 1080p Ultra number, while playable, shows that the GPU is already being taxed at the lowest resolution when all effects are enabled.

The resolution scaling reveals that this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K viable only at Low or Medium settings. The consistent ~37% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~48% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings indicates a GPU-bound scenario where the CPU’s capabilities are not the constraining factor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process node, provides the graphical horsepower for this combination. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes a limiting factor at 4K, especially with higher quality presets that demand more memory for textures and effects.

The GPU’s clock speeds are modest by modern standards — a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz — but the 2176 shading units and 136 texture mapping units provide solid raw compute. The FP32 performance of 7.181 TFLOPS places this card in the mid-range tier, which aligns with its 62nd percentile ranking among all GPUs in the benchmark database. Its average benchmark score of 18093 is closely matched by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which scores 18159 (0.4% higher), and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 at 18189 (0.5% higher). The RTX 2060 SUPER trails the AMD Radeon RX 460 by 1.5% and the Intel Arc A770M by 1.6% in average score, placing it at the bottom of its nearest rival group.

In Pc Building Simulator, the GPU’s role is evident in the frame rate scaling. The 4K results — 37 FPS High, 53 FPS Medium, 74 FPS Low — show that the card has enough raw power to run the game at reduced settings, but the 35 FPS Ultra result indicates that maxing out all visual features at 4K exceeds its capabilities. The GPU’s 64 ROPs, which handle pixel output, are a likely bottleneck at high resolutions, as the pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s cannot keep up with the demands of 3840x2160 output.

The DirectX 12 Ultimate support and 12_2 feature level mean the card can handle modern rendering techniques, but the Pascal-era predecessor and Turing architecture are showing their age in a simulation game that may not heavily utilize ray tracing or DLSS. The 272 tensor cores and 34 RT cores are present, but Pc Building Simulator’s performance profile suggests it does not rely on these specialized units, making the traditional rasterization performance the primary determinant of frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, built on Arrow Lake architecture with a 3 nm process, provides the processing foundation for this combo. With 10 cores and 10 threads, a base clock of 3.30 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, this CPU is a capable mid-range desktop processor. Its 65 W TDP and L3 cache of 20 MB shared across cores make it well-suited for simulation games that may involve physics calculations or complex logic.

The CPU’s benchmark scores indicate strong single-thread and multi-thread performance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 place it in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, which is notably higher than the GPU’s 62nd percentile. This disparity suggests the CPU has more headroom than the GPU in this pairing, which is consistent with the frame rate scaling that shows GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.

The Passmark multi-thread score of 30459 and single-thread score of 4412 reinforce the CPU’s solid performance. Its average benchmark score of 36938 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36945 (0% difference), and it slightly trails the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D by 0.2%, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 by 0.4%, and the Intel Core i9-12900T by 0.5%. This tight grouping means the Core Ultra 5 225 is performance-equivalent to several popular mid-range options.

In Pc Building Simulator, the CPU’s role appears secondary to the GPU. The frame rate differences between 1080p and 4K are substantial, and the fact that Low settings at 1080p produce 225 FPS — far above any display refresh rate — indicates the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at lower resolutions. The 10 threads, while not as numerous as higher-end chips, are sufficient for this simulation game, which likely does not scale heavily with core count. The 3.30 GHz base clock and 4.90 GHz boost clock provide strong single-threaded performance, which is often more important in simulation titles that rely on game logic updates.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR5 interface is adequate for feeding the GPU, and the 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes provide ample bandwidth for the GPU’s PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 16EU is present but not relevant for gaming when a discrete GPU is installed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce the highest average at 225 FPS, which drops to 159 FPS at Medium (with a measured range of 135 to 183), 112 FPS at High, and 107 FPS at Ultra. The gap between High and Ultra is only 5 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds minimal visual benefit at 1080p while still costing some performance.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain respectable but show clear scaling. Low settings average 142 FPS, Medium averages 100 FPS (range 85 to 116), High averages 71 FPS, and Ultra averages 68 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra narrows to just 3 FPS, indicating that at 1440p, the Ultra preset’s additional effects are not heavily taxing the GPU beyond what High already demands.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain smooth gameplay. Low settings average 74 FPS, which is playable but not high-refresh-rate territory. Medium averages 53 FPS (range 45 to 60), High drops to 37 FPS, and Ultra falls to 35 FPS. The 4K High and Ultra results are both below the 40 FPS threshold for comfortable play, making these presets effectively unplayable at that resolution.

The Medium preset at each resolution provides the only complete FPS data with minimum and maximum values. At 1080p, the 135 to 183 FPS range shows a 48 FPS spread, indicating some scene complexity variation. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 31 FPS (85 to 116), and at 4K, it narrows further to 15 FPS (45 to 60). This tightening range at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU becomes the consistent bottleneck, reducing frame time variance as it operates at full capacity.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play this game with this hardware combination?

A: Based on the measured results, 1920x1080 provides the most comfortable experience, with all four presets averaging above 100 FPS. At 2560x1440, High and Ultra settings still manage 68-71 FPS, which is playable, but 3840x2160 only works well at Low (74 FPS) or Medium (53 FPS) settings.

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

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K Low, the system averages 74 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it averages 53 FPS with a minimum of 45 FPS. However, 4K High (37 FPS) and 4K Ultra (35 FPS) fall below comfortable playability thresholds, so users should stick to Low or Medium presets at this resolution.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested combinations in the database?

A: This combo ranks 2098th out of 3002 tested combinations, placing it in the lower third of all tested systems. The CPU ranks in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 62nd percentile among all GPUs, indicating the GPU is the weaker component in this pairing.

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

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rate drops consistently by roughly 37% from 1080p to 1440p and another 48% from 1440p to 4K across all settings, which is a classic GPU-bound pattern. The CPU’s high percentile ranking and ability to produce 225 FPS at 1080p Low confirm it has significant headroom.

Q: What is the difference between High and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, High averages 112 FPS while Ultra averages 107 FPS, a difference of only 5 FPS. This small gap suggests that the Ultra preset’s additional visual effects have minimal performance impact at this resolution, making either preset viable depending on user preference.

Q: Does the system maintain consistent frame times at 4K?

A: The Medium preset at 4K shows a range of 45 to 60 FPS, a 15 FPS spread. This is the tightest range of any resolution at Medium settings, indicating that the GPU is operating at near-full capacity and frame times are more consistent due to the sustained load.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the recommended configuration. This setting averages 100 FPS with a minimum of 85 FPS, providing smooth gameplay while maintaining a reasonable visual fidelity. The 1440p Medium result offers a 47 FPS improvement over 4K Medium (53 FPS) while still delivering a higher resolution than 1080p.

At 1920x1080, the High preset at 112 FPS is the optimal choice. It provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium (159 FPS) and Low (225 FPS) while still maintaining triple-digit frame rates. The Ultra preset at 107 FPS is only 5 FPS slower than High, so users seeking maximum visual quality can select Ultra without substantial performance loss.

For users with 4K displays, the Low preset at 74 FPS is the only playable option that maintains smooth motion. The Medium preset at 53 FPS is marginal but may be acceptable for slower-paced simulation gameplay, though the 45 FPS minimum could cause noticeable stutter in busy scenes. The High (37 FPS) and Ultra (35 FPS) presets at 4K should be avoided as they fall below playable thresholds.

The data indicates that the system performs best when the GPU is not pushed to its limits. Choosing Medium or High settings rather than Ultra provides a more consistent experience, as the measured ranges at Medium settings show less variance than would be expected at higher presets. For users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, Low settings at 1440p (142 FPS) offer a high-refresh-rate experience that the system can sustain comfortably.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2098th out of 3002 tested combinations in Pc Building Simulator, placing it in the 30th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking is lower than what the individual component percentiles might suggest — the CPU ranks in the 85th percentile and the GPU in the 62nd percentile — indicating that the pairing does not synergize as effectively as some other combinations in this game.

The discrepancy between component and combo rankings suggests that Pc Building Simulator is more sensitive to GPU performance than CPU performance, and the RTX 2060 SUPER’s mid-range positioning drags the overall result down. The GPU’s nearest rivals — the RTX 3060 Mobile, Radeon Pro 5700, Radeon RX 460, and Arc A770M — all have similar average benchmark scores within 1.6% of the RTX 2060 SUPER, yet none of these are paired with the Core Ultra 5 225 in the tested combos, making direct comparisons difficult.

The CPU’s nearest rivals — the Ryzen 5 5600F, Ryzen 5 5500X3D, Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, and Core i9-12900T — all have average scores within 0.5% of the Core Ultra 5 225, indicating the processor is well-matched with other mid-range CPUs. However, the combo ranking of 2098 out of 3002 suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings achieve better frame rates in this specific game, likely due to more balanced GPU selections.

The fact that this combo sits in the lower third of all tested combinations, despite the CPU being in the top 15% of all CPUs, reinforces that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary performance limiter in Pc Building Simulator. Users seeking better performance from this CPU would need to pair it with a more powerful GPU, while users with this GPU could see improved results with a weaker CPU, as the current processor is not the bottleneck at any resolution or setting.