Minimum

FAQ

Q: What is the Intel Core i7-12700K's position relative to other CPUs in the database?

A: The i7-12700K sits at the 84th percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287. Its nearest rivals are extremely close: the Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365 (0.2% lower), the Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403 (0.3% lower), and the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428 (0.4% lower). Essentially, these four processors are statistically indistinguishable in aggregate performance.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 GPU compare to its closest competitors?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, placing it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA parts with lower scores: the GeForce GT 520MX at 1463 (1.3% slower), the GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% slower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% slower), and the GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% slower). The Arc B390 leads this immediate group, but the margins are narrow.

Q: What are the key specifications of the Intel Core i7-12700K?

A: This is a 12-core, 20-thread Alder Lake-S desktop processor with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It has a 125 W TDP, uses the Intel Socket 1700, and contains 25 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode, and includes Intel UHD Graphics 770 as integrated graphics.

Q: What are the key specifications of the Intel Arc B390?

A: The Arc B390 is an integrated GPU (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The GPU contains 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 raster output units, and 12 ray tracing cores. It uses system-shared memory, with bandwidth dependent on the host system. Its FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS.

Q: What is the playable threshold and what does it mean for this combo?

A: The database defines playable as 60 FPS or higher. At 1920x1080, this combo achieves 61 FPS on High settings, 72 FPS on Medium, and 95 FPS on Low. At 2560x1440, only Low settings reach 61 FPS. At 3840x2160, no settings preset reaches 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combination rank among all tested combos in Minimum?

A: The combo ranks 3299 out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the database (roughly the 11th percentile of combos). This is a low ranking, driven primarily by the GPU's weak performance relative to other graphics cards.

Best Settings per Resolution

1920x1080: The most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS average is High, which delivers 61 FPS average. Medium runs at 72 FPS and Low at 95 FPS, but these are less demanding. Ultra drops to 46 FPS, below the playable threshold.

2560x1440: The only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low, which achieves 61 FPS average. Medium falls to 47 FPS, High to 39 FPS, and Ultra to 30 FPS, all below the playable threshold.

3840x2160: No preset reaches 60 FPS. The highest average FPS is Low at 33 FPS, followed by Medium at 25 FPS, High at 21 FPS, and Ultra at 16 FPS. Even the least demanding preset cannot reach playable levels at this resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

CPU side: The Intel Core i7-12700K's nearest rivals are all within 0.4% of its average score. The Intel Core i5-13600T (0.1% lower), Intel Core i7-12700KF (0.2% lower), Intel Core i7-13700T (0.3% lower), and Intel Core 5 213PE (0.4% lower) would all deliver essentially identical CPU-bound performance in Minimum. For practical purposes, any of these processors would produce the same frame rates when paired with the same GPU, since the game at these settings is heavily GPU-limited.

GPU side: The Intel Arc B390's nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA parts with slightly lower scores. The GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1.5% slower), GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% slower), and GeForce GT 710 (2.7% slower) would all produce slightly lower frame rates. Given the small deltas (under 3%), users with these GPUs would see nearly identical performance, typically one or two frames per second lower than the Arc B390 at the same settings. The performance gap is small enough that all five GPUs would be playable or unplayable at the same resolution and preset combinations.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum at 1920x1080 with playable performance on High, Medium, and Low presets. The best playable preset at this resolution is High, with an average of 61 FPS, just barely clearing the 60 FPS threshold. Medium is more comfortable at 72 FPS, and Low at 95 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the system is only playable on Low settings, achieving exactly 61 FPS. This is a marginal result, and any increase in visual quality drops below 60 FPS. Medium runs at 47 FPS, High at 39 FPS, and Ultra at 30 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot reach playable performance at any preset. The best result is Low at 33 FPS, which is well below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium runs at 25 FPS, High at 21 FPS, and Ultra at 16 FPS.

The verdict is clear: this combo is suitable for 1080p gaming with moderate settings, barely capable of 1440p at the lowest settings, and not viable for 4K gaming in Minimum.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear pattern: the GPU is the dominant bottleneck across all resolutions and presets. The Intel Arc B390 ranks at the 9th percentile among GPUs, while the Intel Core i7-12700K ranks at the 84th percentile among CPUs. This massive disparity means the CPU is never the limiting factor in this game.

At 1920x1080, the frame rate drops from 95 FPS at Low to 46 FPS at Ultra, a reduction of 49 FPS (roughly 52%) as settings increase. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where increased shading, texture, and post-processing loads overwhelm the graphics hardware.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues: 61 FPS at Low drops to 30 FPS at Ultra, a 31 FPS decline (roughly 51%). The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings shows the GPU's resolution sensitivity: High drops from 61 FPS at 1080p to 39 FPS at 1440p (a 36% reduction), and Low drops from 95 FPS to 61 FPS (a 36% reduction). These are substantial resolution penalties, further confirming the GPU-bound nature.

At 3840x2160, performance collapses: High drops to 21 FPS (a 66% reduction from 1080p's 61 FPS), and Low drops to 33 FPS (a 65% reduction from 1080p's 95 FPS). The 4x pixel count from 1080p to 4K overwhelms the GPU's limited fill rate (60.00 GPixel/s) and texture rate (120.0 GTexel/s).

The CPU's role is minimal here. Even at 1080p Low, where the frame rate reaches 95 FPS, the i7-12700K's 12 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient. The CPU's single-threaded performance (1043 in 3dmark single thread, 4013 in passmark single thread) and multi-threaded capability (9979 in 3dmark max threads) far exceed what Minimum requires. In short, the CPU is never the constraint; the GPU determines playability at every resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's ranking of tested CPU-GPU combinations for Minimum, this combo ranks 3299 out of 3712. That places it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems. This low rank is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's weak absolute performance (9th percentile among GPUs), despite the CPU's strong showing (84th percentile among CPUs).

The rank of 3299 means that 413 other combinations (3712 minus 3299) perform worse in this game. While the combo is not the absolute worst, it is clearly in the lower tier. The practical implications match the rank: this is a 1080p-oriented system that struggles at higher resolutions. For Minimum specifically, the combo delivers playable results only at 1080p (High and below) and 1440p (Low only).

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 95 FPS average
• Medium: 72 FPS average, minimum 62 FPS, maximum 83 FPS
• High: 61 FPS average
• Ultra: 46 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 61 FPS average
• Medium: 47 FPS average, minimum 40 FPS, maximum 54 FPS
• High: 39 FPS average
• Ultra: 30 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 33 FPS average
• Medium: 25 FPS average, minimum 21 FPS, maximum 29 FPS
• High: 21 FPS average
• Ultra: 16 FPS average

The frame time consistency data is only available for Medium settings across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 62 FPS never dips below the playable threshold, indicating smooth performance. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 40 FPS shows significant dips below the average of 47 FPS, suggesting stutter during intense scenes. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 21 FPS and maximum of 29 FPS show a narrow range, but the entire range is far below playable levels.

The overall pattern is consistent: this system delivers smooth 60+ FPS gameplay only at 1080p with medium-to-high settings, and at 1440p only with the lowest settings. Higher resolutions and presets rapidly degrade into unplayable territory.