Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Arc B390 combination presents one of the most lopsided pairings in the database. The CPU is a flagship desktop part, while the GPU is an integrated-class solution from Intel's Panther Lake generation. For Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014, the recorded data shows that the GPU is the decisive constraint at every resolution and preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 3299th out of 3712 tested combos for Minimum. That places it near the bottom of the database, and the reason is not hard to find. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D sits in the 87th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39768. Its nearest rivals are all tightly clustered: the Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS scores 39603 (0.4% lower), the Ryzen AI 9 365 scores 40048 (0.7% higher), the Ryzen AI 7 450 scores 39485 (0.7% lower), and the Ryzen 7 7700 scores 40081 (0.8% higher). All four are within 0.8 percentage points of the 9800X3D, which tells you the CPU is in elite company.

The Intel Arc B390, however, sits in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. Its nearest rivals are the GeForce GT 520MX at 1463 (1.3% lower), the GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% lower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% lower), and the GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% lower). These are all legacy parts. The Arc B390 is only slightly faster than them, which puts the GPU's performance in perspective.

The combo rank of 3299 out of 3712 is therefore a GPU-limited result. The CPU is not the reason this system ranks so low; the GPU is the anchor.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, none of the four presets reaches 60 FPS. Low averages 33 FPS, Medium averages 25 FPS (with a minimum of 21 and maximum of 29), High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. There is no playable setting at 4K.

At 2560x1440, Low is the only preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 61 FPS. Medium averages 47 FPS (minimum 40, maximum 54), High averages 39 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The best playable setting at 1440p is Low, and it barely clears the threshold.

At 1920x1080, three presets are playable. Low averages 95 FPS, Medium averages 72 FPS (minimum 62, maximum 83), and High averages 61 FPS. Ultra averages 46 FPS and is not playable. The best playable preset at 1080p is High, with an average of 61 FPS.

The pattern across resolutions is consistent: 1080p handles up to High, 1440p handles only Low, and 4K handles nothing.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the GPU is the dominant constraint in every scenario. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a desktop flagship: 8 cores, 16 threads, a 4.70 GHz base clock, a 5.20 GHz boost clock, 96 MB of L3 cache, DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth, and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23230 with a single-core score of 2080. Its Geekbench scores are 18696 multi-core and 2964 single-core. The CPU carries a launch MSRP of $479. It is in the 87th percentile of all CPUs.

The Intel Arc B390, by contrast, has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the GT 710 and GT 625 OEM, which are ancient parts. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 raster output units, and 12 ray tracing cores, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz and a base clock of 300 MHz. Its FP32 throughput is 7.680 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. These are modest figures for a modern GPU, and the benchmark results reflect that.

The resolution scaling confirms the GPU bottleneck. At Low settings, average FPS falls from 95 at 1080p to 61 at 1440p, and then to 33 at 4K. If the CPU were the limiting factor, FPS would remain roughly flat across resolutions, because the CPU workload in a game does not scale strongly with resolution. Instead, the steep decline with resolution is the classic signature of a GPU that is maxed out.

The CPU's headroom is visible at 1080p Low, where the combo reaches 95 FPS, but even that is not a CPU limit. The GPU is still the constraint. A stronger GPU paired with this CPU would produce far higher frame rates, while a weaker CPU paired with this GPU would produce nearly identical results in Minimum.

At 4K, the GPU is completely overwhelmed. Even Low settings only produce 33 FPS, and Ultra produces 16 FPS. The CPU is effectively waiting on the GPU for every frame. The recorded data indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield massive gains at every resolution, while upgrading the CPU would yield almost nothing in this game.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 1080p?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, Low averages 95 FPS, Medium averages 72 FPS, and High averages 61 FPS. All three exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold. Ultra averages 46 FPS and is not playable.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: Low is the only preset at 2560x1440 that stays at or above 60 FPS, with an average of 61 FPS. Medium averages 47 FPS, High averages 39 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS.

Q: Is 4K playable with this combo?

A: No. At 3840x2160, Low averages 33 FPS, Medium averages 25 FPS, High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. None reach the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. It is 1.3% ahead of the GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M, 2.5% ahead of the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% ahead of the GT 710.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D the bottleneck?

A: No. The CPU is in the 87th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 39768, while the GPU is in the 9th percentile. The FPS scaling with resolution indicates the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank for this game?

A: The combo ranks 3299th out of 3712 tested combos, placing it near the bottom of the database for Minimum.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the recorded averages are: Low 33 FPS, Medium 25 FPS (minimum 21, maximum 29), High 21 FPS, and Ultra 16 FPS. No preset reaches 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the recorded averages are: Low 61 FPS, Medium 47 FPS (minimum 40, maximum 54), High 39 FPS, and Ultra 30 FPS. Low is the only playable preset.

At 1920x1080, the recorded averages are: Low 95 FPS, Medium 72 FPS (minimum 62, maximum 83), High 61 FPS, and Ultra 46 FPS. Low, Medium, and High are all playable.

The minimum and maximum values were only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. The frame time range at 1080p Medium is 62 to 83 FPS, which is a stable band. At 1440p Medium, the range is 40 to 54 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 21 to 29 FPS.

The Verdict

The data shows that this combo can run Minimum at 1080p and 1440p, but with significant caveats. At 1920x1080, the best playable preset is High with an average of 61 FPS; Low and Medium also clear 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low is the only playable preset, averaging 61 FPS. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS, so 4K is not playable.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p is playable up to High, 1440p is playable only at Low, and 4K is not playable at any setting. The bottleneck is unambiguously the GPU. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a flagship CPU with an 87th percentile ranking, while the Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile, comparable to a GeForce GT 710. For anyone using this CPU, the GPU should be the first upgrade; the CPU is not the constraint in Minimum.