RealBottleneckCalculator

Core i3-5010

Model frame rate limit of 55 FPS. That is roughly the fastest this processor can feed a graphics card in a modern AAA title, no matter which card you fit.

The Core i3-5010 is one of the slowest gaming processor in our database, with a model frame rate limit of 55 FPS.

With 2 cores and 4 threads it is below what modern games expect, so busy scenes stutter before the average frame rate shows a problem.

Frame Rate Limit in Popular Games

Game (settings)Most FPS the Core i3-5010 can feed
Cyberpunk 2077 (High, no ray tracing) ~45
Fortnite (High, DirectX 12) ~70
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (High) ~60
Counter-Strike 2 (High) ~120

Modelled estimates with an unlimited graphics card, rounded to the nearest 5 FPS. Your real frame rate is the lower of this and what your card can render. See the methodology.

Best match at each resolution

ResolutionClosest matched cardEstimated FPS
1080p GeForce RTX 3050 8GB 55
1440p GeForce RTX 3060 55
4K GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB 54

"Closest matched" means the two parts run out of headroom at about the same frame rate, so neither is obviously wasted. A faster card is still worth buying if you plan to raise the resolution later.

The cards it lands closest to

The 24 graphics cards whose frame rate limit sits nearest this processor's, fastest first. Anything faster than the top of this table is wasted on it at 1080p, and anything slower is a card it will never trouble. For any other combination, use the calculator.

Graphics card 1080p1440p4K
GeForce RTX 2070 Super 55 cpu 55 cpu 36 gpu
GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 55 cpu 55 cpu 36 gpu
Radeon RX 7600 XT 55 cpu 55 cpu 36 gpu
Radeon RX 6700 55 cpu 55 cpu 36 gpu
Radeon RX 5700 XT 55 cpu 55 cpu 36 gpu
Radeon VII 55 cpu 55 cpu 36 gpu
Radeon RX 7600 55 cpu 55 cpu 35 gpu
Radeon RX 6650 XT 55 cpu 55 cpu 34 gpu
Intel Arc A770 16GB 55 cpu 55 cpu 34 gpu
GeForce RTX 5050 55 cpu 55 cpu 32 gpu
Radeon RX 6600 XT 55 cpu 55 cpu 32 gpu
Radeon RX 5700 55 cpu 55 cpu 32 gpu
Intel Arc B570 55 cpu 55 cpu 32 gpu
Intel Arc A770 8GB 55 cpu 55 cpu 32 gpu
GeForce RTX 2070 55 cpu 55 even 31 gpu
GeForce RTX 3060 55 cpu 55 even 30 gpu
Radeon RX Vega 64 55 cpu 55 even 30 gpu
Intel Arc A750 55 cpu 55 even 30 gpu
GeForce RTX 2060 Super 55 cpu 53 even 29 gpu
GeForce GTX 1080 55 cpu 51 gpu 28 gpu
Radeon RX 6600 55 cpu 50 gpu 27 gpu
GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 55 cpu 48 gpu 26 gpu
Radeon RX Vega 56 55 cpu 48 gpu 26 gpu
GeForce RTX 2060 55 cpu 43 gpu 23 gpu

The tag after each number says which part hits its limit first.

Specifications

ManufacturerIntel
GenerationIntel 5th Gen (Broadwell)
Cores2
Threads4
Released2015

Common Questions

Is the Core i3-5010 good for an RTX 5070?

It holds the card back at 1440p. In our model the Core i3-5010 tops out near 55 FPS while the RTX 5070 could reach about 106, leaving roughly 48% of the card unused. It is a reasonable pairing at 4K, where the card does more work per frame.

What is the best GPU for the Core i3-5010?

At 1440p, the GeForce RTX 3060 is the closest match: the two run out of headroom at about the same frame rate, so neither is wasted. A faster card still makes sense if you play at 4K, where the processor matters less.

Is the Core i3-5010 still good for gaming?

For older or lighter games, yes. Its 55 FPS frame rate limit and 4 threads mean modern AAA games run, but it will limit any recent mid-range or better card.

Will the Core i3-5010 bottleneck an RTX 5080?

Yes, at 1440p. It leaves about 63% of the RTX 5080 unused in our model (55 FPS from the processor against 149 from the card). At 4K the gap shrinks a lot.