Does the Core i5-10400F Bottleneck the GTX 1660 Super?

Short answer: No. The Core i5-10400F and GTX 1660 Super are well matched: the bottleneck is 1% at 1080p, 19% at 1440p and 37% at 4K, all in the balanced range. Both parts are well used, and the graphics card sets the frame rate in most games.

Best resolution for this pair: 1080p
Bottleneck: 1% GPU at 1080p, 19% GPU at 1440p, 37% GPU at 4K
Average FPS (9 demanding games, High): 46 at 1080p, 29 at 1440p, 16 at 4K
Recommended power supply: 450 W or more

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Core i5-10400F + GTX 1660 Super bottleneck at 1080p, 1440p and 4K

Resolution	Bottleneck	Limiting part	What it means
1080p	1%	GPU (balanced)	Balanced. The graphics card sets the frame rate.
1440p	19%	GPU (mild)	The graphics card is fully used. This is the normal, healthy kind of limit.
4K	37%	GPU (severe)	The graphics card is fully used. This is the normal, healthy kind of limit.

From our bottleneck calculator with its default settings: Battle Royale game type, 16 GB RAM, High detail, typical background load. How we calculate.

Check this pair with your own settings

Core i5-10400F + GTX 1660 Super: bottleneck by type of game

The same pair can be balanced in one game and CPU-bound in another, because some games lean much harder on the processor. For this build the CPU is felt most in strategy and simulation games, at 32% at 1080p.

Game type	1080p	1440p	4K
Esports (CS2, Valorant)	26% CPU	10% CPU	19% GPU
Battle royale (Fortnite, Warzone)	1% GPU	19% GPU	37% GPU
Open world (Cyberpunk, RDR2)	20% GPU	33% GPU	45% GPU
Strategy and simulation (Flight Sim, Cities)	32% CPU	19% CPU	11% GPU
Racing (Forza, F1)	11% GPU	26% GPU	41% GPU

Bottleneck from our calculator for each game type, 16 GB RAM, High detail.

Core i5-10400F + GTX 1660 Super FPS in popular games

Estimated average FPS and 1% lows on the High preset, native resolution, no ray tracing, with 16 GB of RAM. Across nine demanding games the GTX 1660 Super with the Core i5-10400F averages about 46 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p and 16 FPS at 4K. At 1440p the graphics card sets the limit in every game listed.

Game	1080p High	1440p High	4K High
Counter-Strike 2	160 (125 low)	115 (89 low)	67 (52 low)
Valorant	219 (171 low)	156 (122 low)	91 (71 low)
Fortnite	68 (53 low)	49 (38 low)	28 (22 low)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7	39 (21 low)	21 (12 low)	12 (7 low)
Battlefield 6	44 (24 low)	31 (17 low)	14 (8 low)
ARC Raiders	58 (45 low)	34 (19 low)	20 (11 low)
Marvel Rivals	41 (32 low)	24 (13 low)	14 (8 low)
Cyberpunk 2077	38 (21 low)	27 (15 low)	12 (7 low)
Black Myth: Wukong	32 (25 low)	19 (10 low)	11 (6 low)
Hogwarts Legacy	36 (20 low)	26 (14 low)	11 (6 low)
Baldur's Gate 3	58 (42 low)	34 (19 low)	20 (11 low)
Elden Ring	46 (36 low)	33 (26 low)	16 (9 low)

Estimates from our FPS calculator model, which is calibrated against published review results. Expect real results within about ±12%. Elden Ring is locked to 60 FPS by the game.

Calculate FPS for any game with this pair

Core i5-10400F + GTX 1660 Super: specs at a glance

Part	Key specs	Platform	Power
Core i5-10400F	6 cores / 12 threads, Comet Lake (2020)	LGA1200, DDR4	65 W rated, up to about 134 W
GTX 1660 Super	6 GB GDDR6, Turing (2019)	FSR and XeSS only (no DLSS, no hardware ray tracing)	About 125 W board power

Manufacturer specifications. Maximum CPU power is AMD’s package power limit or Intel’s maximum turbo power.

Core i5-10400F + GTX 1660 Super: what to expect at each resolution

1080p

At 1080p the GTX 1660 Super is the limit (1% GPU), which is normal and means you are getting the card’s full speed. Expect about 38 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077, 68 FPS in Fortnite and 160 FPS in Counter-Strike 2 on High. The 6 GB of video memory runs short in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Battlefield 6, Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy at these settings, so drop texture quality one step to avoid stutter.

1440p

At 1440p the GTX 1660 Super is the limit (19% GPU), which is normal and means you are getting the card’s full speed. Expect about 27 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077, 49 FPS in Fortnite and 115 FPS in Counter-Strike 2 on High. The 6 GB of video memory runs short in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Battlefield 6, ARC Raiders, Marvel Rivals, Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong, Hogwarts Legacy, Baldur's Gate 3 at these settings, so drop texture quality one step to avoid stutter.

4K

At 4K the GTX 1660 Super is the limit (37% GPU), which is normal and means you are getting the card’s full speed. Expect about 12 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077, 28 FPS in Fortnite and 67 FPS in Counter-Strike 2 on High. The 6 GB of video memory runs short in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Battlefield 6, ARC Raiders, Marvel Rivals, Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong, Hogwarts Legacy, Baldur's Gate 3, Elden Ring at these settings, so drop texture quality one step to avoid stutter. For 4K, turn on DLSS, FSR or XeSS in Quality or Balanced mode.

Core i5-10400F + GTX 1660 Super: best upgrade for this build

Upgrade the graphics card when you are ready. The Core i5-10400F can feed a faster card: for example the RTX 5050 stays balanced at 1440p (6% CPU) and adds about 85% FPS there. Going much faster than that pushes the bottleneck onto the CPU. See the best GPU for the Core i5-10400F for the full list.

Core i5-10400F + GTX 1660 Super: power supply for this pair

The Core i5-10400F can draw up to about 134 W and the GTX 1660 Super about 125 W. With 100 W for the rest of the system and 25% headroom, a good 450 W power supply (80 Plus Gold or better) is a safe choice. Use the PSU wattage calculator to include your exact drives, fans and overclocking.

Core i5-10400F + GTX 1660 Super: settings tips for this pair

Use DLSS, FSR or XeSS in Quality mode at 1440p and 4K: the CPU has headroom, so upscaling turns into real FPS.
Lower the most expensive GPU settings first: shadows, volumetric fog, reflections and ray tracing.
Cap the frame rate a few FPS below your monitor refresh rate for smoother frame pacing and lower power.
Keep an eye on VRAM use: with 6 GB, texture quality is the setting to lower first if a game stutters.
Turn on XMP or EXPO so the RAM runs at its rated speed.

Core i5-10400F + GTX 1660 Super: frequently asked questions

Does the Core i5-10400F bottleneck the GTX 1660 Super?

No. The Core i5-10400F and GTX 1660 Super are well matched: the bottleneck is 1% at 1080p, 19% at 1440p and 37% at 4K, all in the balanced range. Both parts are well used, and the graphics card sets the frame rate in most games.

Is the Core i5-10400F good enough for the GTX 1660 Super at 1440p?

Yes. At 1440p the bottleneck is 19% GPU, which is in the balanced range, so you get close to the card’s full speed.

How many FPS does the Core i5-10400F with the GTX 1660 Super get?

On High settings we estimate about 46 FPS at 1080p and 29 FPS at 1440p on average across nine demanding games, for example 27 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p and 68 FPS in Fortnite at 1080p.

Should I upgrade the CPU or the GPU first?

The GPU. The processor has headroom, so a faster graphics card turns directly into more FPS.

What power supply do I need for the Core i5-10400F and GTX 1660 Super?

About 450 W from a good brand with an 80 Plus Gold rating. That covers the CPU (up to about 134 W), the graphics card (about 125 W), the rest of the system and some headroom.

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All CPU and GPU pair results

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Sources: Tom’s Hardware GPU hierarchy, Tom’s Hardware CPU hierarchy, TechSpot CPU and GPU scaling tests, TechPowerUp GPU database, and manufacturer specifications from AMD, Intel and NVIDIA. Bottleneck and FPS figures come from our own bottleneck and FPS models.