RealBottleneckCalculator

Core i3-5157U

Model frame rate limit of 47 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 i3-5157U is one of the slowest gaming processor in our database, with a model frame rate limit of 47 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 i3-5157U can feed
Cyberpunk 2077 (High, no ray tracing) ~40
Fortnite (High, DirectX 12) ~60
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (High) ~50
Counter-Strike 2 (High) ~105

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 GTX 1650 Super 39
1440p GeForce RTX 2060 43
4K GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 47

"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 5050 47 cpu 47 cpu 32 gpu
Radeon RX 6600 XT 47 cpu 47 cpu 32 gpu
Radeon RX 5700 47 cpu 47 cpu 32 gpu
Intel Arc B570 47 cpu 47 cpu 32 gpu
Intel Arc A770 8GB 47 cpu 47 cpu 32 gpu
GeForce RTX 2070 47 cpu 47 cpu 31 gpu
GeForce RTX 3060 47 cpu 47 cpu 30 gpu
Radeon RX Vega 64 47 cpu 47 cpu 30 gpu
Intel Arc A750 47 cpu 47 cpu 30 gpu
GeForce RTX 2060 Super 47 cpu 47 cpu 29 gpu
GeForce GTX 1080 47 cpu 47 cpu 28 gpu
Radeon RX 6600 47 cpu 47 cpu 27 gpu
GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 47 cpu 47 even 26 gpu
Radeon RX Vega 56 47 cpu 47 even 26 gpu
GeForce RTX 2060 47 cpu 43 gpu 23 gpu
Intel Arc A580 47 cpu 45 even 24 gpu
GeForce GTX 1070 47 cpu 43 gpu 23 gpu
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 47 cpu 38 gpu 20 gpu
GeForce GTX 1660 Super 47 cpu 37 gpu 19 gpu
GeForce RTX 3050 8GB 47 cpu 39 gpu 21 gpu
GeForce GTX 1660 47 even 34 gpu 19 gpu
Radeon RX 590 47 cpu 37 gpu 20 gpu
GeForce GTX 1650 Super 39 gpu 28 gpu 15 gpu
Radeon RX 580 8GB 47 even 34 gpu 18 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 i3-5157U good for an RTX 5070?

It holds the card back at 1440p. In our model the Core i3-5157U tops out near 47 FPS while the RTX 5070 could reach about 106, leaving roughly 56% 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 i3-5157U?

At 1440p, the GeForce RTX 2060 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 i3-5157U still good for gaming?

For older or lighter games, yes. Its 47 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 i3-5157U bottleneck an RTX 5080?

Yes, at 1440p. It leaves about 69% of the RTX 5080 unused in our model (47 FPS from the processor against 149 from the card). At 4K the gap shrinks a lot.