Minimum

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Minimum shows a wide spread of performance across the three tested resolutions and four quality presets. At 3840x2160 (4K), the combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B390 struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset averages 33 FPS, Medium averages 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 and maximum of 29, High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra drops to 16 FPS. None of these 4K results come close to the 60 FPS playable threshold, so this resolution is effectively out of reach for smooth gameplay.

Dropping to 2560x1440 (QHD) improves the situation considerably. The Low preset reaches an average of 61 FPS, which just clears the 60 FPS line. Medium averages 47 FPS with a recorded range of 40 to 54, High averages 39 FPS, and Ultra falls to 30 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 14 FPS, indicating that the extra quality settings at QHD impose a significant load on the Intel Arc B390. Only the Low preset at QHD is playable by the database's threshold.

At 1920x1080 (Full HD), the results are much more encouraging. The Low preset delivers an average of 95 FPS, Medium averages 72 FPS with a minimum of 62 and maximum of 83, High averages 61 FPS, and Ultra averages 46 FPS. Three presets at 1080p clear the 60 FPS mark: Low, Medium, and High. The step from Medium to High costs 11 FPS on average, while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 15 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset is disproportionately demanding on this GPU.

The scaling behavior is telling. From 1080p High to 1440p High, the average FPS drops from 61 to 39, a 22 FPS loss. From 1440p High to 4K High, it falls further to 21 FPS, another 18 FPS loss. Similarly, at Low settings, 1080p yields 95 FPS, 1440p yields 61 FPS, and 4K yields 33 FPS. The resolution scaling is roughly linear in this range, which points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck at higher pixel counts.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database, the Intel Core i5-14600KF sits in a tight cluster of CPUs with nearly identical average benchmark scores. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 is a mere 0.3% ahead, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G is 0.4% ahead, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% ahead. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 is 0.8% behind. In practical terms, any of these processors would deliver essentially the same frame rates in Minimum when paired with the same GPU, so the CPU choice among this group is not a meaningful differentiator for this game.

The GPU side tells a very different story. The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, and its nearest rivals are all older, low-end NVIDIA parts. The GeForce GT 520MX is 1.3% behind, the GeForce 800M is 1.5% behind, the GeForce GT 625 OEM is 2.5% behind, and the GeForce GT 710 is 2.7% behind. These deltas are small, meaning the Arc B390 performs at a level comparable to those legacy entry-level GPUs. That context explains why 4K is not viable and why only the lowest QHD preset barely hits 60 FPS. Anyone considering a system with this GPU should expect performance in the range of those older NVIDIA parts, not modern midrange hardware.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting component in this pairing, and the CPU is largely irrelevant for Minimum at these settings. The evidence is in the resolution and preset scaling. When moving from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS at High drops from 61 to 39, a 36% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High drops it further to 21 FPS, another 46% reduction. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would stay relatively flat across resolutions because the CPU workload would not change much. Instead, the steep drops with resolution strongly suggest that pixel throughput and fill rate are the constraints, both of which are GPU properties.

The preset scaling reinforces this. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 49 FPS (95 to 46). At 1440p, it is 31 FPS (61 to 30). At 4K, it is 17 FPS (33 to 16). The absolute gap shrinks as resolution rises, which is typical of a GPU-limited scenario: at higher resolutions, even the Low preset pushes the GPU to its limits, leaving less headroom for preset changes to matter. The CPU, with its 14 cores, 20 threads, and strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594), is far more capable than this game needs. Its 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms that it is not the source of the low frame rates.

In short, the data shows that the GPU dictates the playable experience. At 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at all presets, but the GPU cannot handle Ultra. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU is overwhelmed even at Low, and no amount of CPU headroom can compensate.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings. Every preset averages between 16 and 33 FPS, far below the 60 FPS threshold. This PC cannot run Minimum at 4K with any acceptable smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the only playable setting is Low, which averages 61 FPS. That is a marginal pass, with just 1 FPS of headroom above the threshold. Medium averages 47 FPS, High 39 FPS, and Ultra 30 FPS, all of which fail the 60 FPS requirement. So at QHD, the system can run the game, but only at the lowest quality preset and with no real margin for performance dips.

At 1920x1080, the system is genuinely playable across three presets. Low averages 95 FPS, Medium averages 72 FPS with a minimum of 62, and High averages 61 FPS. The High preset at 1080p is the best playable setting, as it matches the 60 FPS threshold exactly. Ultra at 46 FPS is not playable. For a smooth experience with some visual quality, 1080p Medium is the safer choice, since its minimum of 62 FPS stays above the threshold even in demanding scenes.

The practical takeaway is that this combination is a 1080p gaming setup for Minimum, with QHD only possible at the lowest settings. Users with a 4K display will need to lower the resolution or upgrade the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's ranking of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Minimum, this pairing sits at rank 3299 out of 3712 combos. That places it in the lower 11th percentile of all tested systems. The low rank is driven almost entirely by the Intel Arc B390, which itself sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs in the database. The CPU, by contrast, is at the 90th percentile among all CPUs, so the pairing is a high-end processor with a very low-end graphics solution.

In practical terms, this rank means that most other tested combinations deliver higher frame rates in Minimum. The near-identical CPU rivals (Ryzen 9 7900, Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, Core Ultra 5 245, Ryzen AI Max+ 388) would all produce the same rank if paired with the same GPU, since their performance deltas are within 0.8%. The GPU rivals, such as the GeForce GT 710 or GT 625 OEM, would also produce similar results, confirming that this combo is at the entry level for this game.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 1080p with High settings?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 61 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, which exactly meets the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: Low is the only playable preset at 2560x1440, averaging 61 FPS. Medium averages 47 FPS, which does not meet the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 33 on Low, and all other presets average between 16 and 25 FPS. None of them approach 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600KF compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 is 0.3% faster, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G is 0.4% faster, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% faster. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 is 0.8% slower. All are effectively equal for this game.

Q: Which GPU is the Intel Arc B390 comparable to?

A: The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% faster), GeForce 800M (1.5% faster), GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% faster), and GeForce GT 710 (2.7% faster). These are all legacy entry-level parts.

Q: What average FPS does the Medium preset achieve at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 averages 72 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS, making it a stable choice above the 60 FPS threshold.