Assetto Corsa

Assetto Corsa, a racing simulation from 2014, is often used as a benchmark for lower-end and mid-range hardware due to its age and optimization. In this analysis, we examine the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F processor paired with the Intel Arc B580 graphics card. The data provided offers a clear picture of how this combo handles the game across various resolutions and settings. The benchmark results are measured, not estimated, providing a reliable basis for understanding the system's capabilities. This particular combination ranks 2791 out of 3712 tested combos for Assetto Corsa, placing it in the lower half of all tested systems. This ranking suggests that while the system is functional, it does not deliver top-tier performance in this specific title, and the following sections will break down exactly why that is the case.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a significant and predictable impact as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 109 FPS at 1080p to 76 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 46 FPS at 4K. This represents a 57.8% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, with the largest absolute drop occurring between 1440p and 4K, a 30 FPS decrease. This pattern suggests that the system becomes increasingly constrained by the graphics processing unit as the pixel count rises.

The Low settings preset shows a similar trend but with higher absolute values. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 205 FPS, which drops to 143 FPS at 1440p, and further to 87 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is even steeper here, at 57.6%, but the absolute numbers remain high enough for smooth gameplay even at 4K. This indicates that when the graphical load is light, the Intel Arc B580 can still push a substantial number of frames, but the scaling pattern remains consistent.

For the Medium preset, the average FPS at 1080p is 144, at 1440p it is 101, and at 4K it is 61. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 43 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is another 40 FPS. This more uniform scaling suggests a balanced load between the CPU and GPU at these settings. The Ultra preset shows the lowest performance, with 89 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 51 FPS, a 57.3% reduction, which is consistent with the other presets.

The data indicates that the limiting component in this system for Assetto Corsa is predominantly the GPU. At 1080p with Low settings, the CPU is likely able to feed the GPU enough data to reach 205 FPS, but as resolution and graphical fidelity increase, the GPU's workload expands, causing the frame rate to decline. The fact that the FPS drops by roughly half from 1080p to 4K across all settings is a classic indicator of GPU-bound performance. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU's workload is largely independent of resolution. This is not the case here, confirming that the Intel Arc B580 is the primary factor limiting performance at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is substantial for a card in this class and is more than sufficient for Assetto Corsa, a game from 2014 that does not have demanding VRAM requirements. The 12 GB capacity ensures that even at 4K resolution with High or Ultra settings, the game's textures and assets will fit comfortably within the VRAM, preventing any potential stuttering or texture pop-in that could occur from memory swapping.

The GPU's clocks are listed as a base and boost of 2670 MHz, which is a relatively high clock speed for a graphics card. The memory operates at 2375 MHz, or 19 Gbps effective. These clock speeds, combined with the 2560 shading units, contribute to the card's overall compute performance of 13.67 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. This raw compute power is what drives the frame rates seen in the benchmark data.

Looking at the GPU's synthetic benchmark scores, it achieves a Passmark G3D score of 15748 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068. These scores place the Arc B580 at the 68th percentile when compared to all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which is 0.2% faster, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which the Arc B580 is 0.6% faster than. This context is important; the Arc B580 is performing at a level comparable to much older, high-end cards from previous generations.

In the context of Assetto Corsa, the GPU's role is clear. At 1080p Medium, the card delivers 144 FPS, but this drops to 89 FPS at Ultra. The difference between Medium and Ultra at 1080p is 55 FPS, which is a substantial 38.2% reduction in performance. This indicates that the Ultra preset introduces graphical effects that heavily tax the GPU. The transition from Low to Medium at 1080p results in a drop from 205 FPS to 144 FPS, a 61 FPS decrease, showing that even modest increases in graphical fidelity have a notable impact. The measured data shows that the Arc B580 is capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p with lower settings, but it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K with the High or Ultra presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this CPU and GPU combo in Assetto Corsa?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 205 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system run Assetto Corsa at 4K resolution with the Ultra preset?

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the system achieves an average of 38 FPS. This is below the standard 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, but it is still playable.

Q: How does the performance at 1440p High compare to 1080p High?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 76. This is a 33 FPS drop compared to the 109 FPS average achieved at 1920x1080 with the same High settings.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 143 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields an average of 62 FPS. This represents an 81 FPS difference between the two presets.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B580's 12 GB of VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes, Assetto Corsa is a 2014 title with modest VRAM requirements. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on the Arc B580 is more than enough to handle the game's textures and assets at any resolution and settings combination tested.

Q: How does this combo's performance in Assetto Corsa compare to its overall benchmark ranking?

A: The combo ranks 2791 out of 3712 tested combinations for this game. This places it in the 25th percentile of all tested combos, indicating that while it is not a top performer, it is also not among the worst.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the system shows a wide range of performance depending on the settings preset. With Low settings, the average FPS is 205, which is exceptionally high and indicates that the CPU is capable of delivering a large number of frames when the GPU load is minimal. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 144 FPS, with a minimum of 122 FPS and a maximum of 166 FPS. This shows that the Medium preset still allows for a very smooth experience on high refresh rate monitors. The High preset at 1080p yields an average of 109 FPS, which is still excellent for most displays. The most demanding preset at this resolution, Ultra, produces an average of 89 FPS, which is also quite playable.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset delivers an average of 143 FPS, which is a 62 FPS drop from 1080p. This is a significant reduction but still results in a very playable frame rate. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 101 FPS, with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS. This is a solid performance for 1440p gaming. The High preset averages 76 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but leaves less headroom. Finally, the Ultra preset at 1440p averages 62 FPS, which is right at the edge of what is considered smooth for most players.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become more apparent. The Low preset averages 87 FPS, which is still quite good for 4K. The Medium preset averages 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. This is at the boundary of playability, with occasional dips below 60 FPS. The High preset averages 46 FPS, which is not ideal for a fast-paced racing game where smoothness is critical. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 38 FPS, which is the lowest recorded performance and may result in a less responsive experience.

The data shows a clear and consistent pattern: the system is capable of high frame rates at 1080p across all settings, good frame rates at 1440p with lower settings, and only low-to-medium settings are viable at 4K for a smooth experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. It has a 16 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20851 and a single-core score of 2943. These scores place the Ryzen 5 8400F at the 77th percentile when compared to all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, which has an average score 0.2% higher, and the Intel Core i7-13620H, which is 0.4% lower.

In the context of Assetto Corsa, the CPU's role is to handle the game's physics, AI, and other simulation tasks. The data suggests that the Ryzen 5 8400F is more than capable of handling these tasks, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p Low. At this setting, the GPU is not heavily taxed, and the CPU is able to process the game's logic and send frames to the GPU at a rate of 205 FPS. This is a strong indicator that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions and settings.

However, the CPU's performance becomes less relevant as the resolution increases. The fact that the FPS drops significantly when moving from 1080p to 4K, even at the same settings preset, confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU is able to maintain a consistent level of performance, but the GPU's workload increases, causing the overall frame rate to drop. The 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for this game, as Assetto Corsa is not known for being heavily multithreaded. The high single-core performance, as indicated by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943, is likely more important for this title, as racing simulations often rely on a single main thread for physics calculations.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s is also adequate for this game. The data shows that the system does not experience any obvious CPU-related stuttering or frame drops, as evidenced by the minimum FPS values for the Medium presets. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 122, and at 1440p Medium, it is 86. These minimum values are relatively close to the averages, suggesting a stable frame time delivery from the CPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the user's display resolution and performance targets. For users with a 1920x1080 display, the High preset is the recommended choice. It delivers an average of 109 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and provides a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 1080p offers 89 FPS, which is also good, but the 20 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not justify the potential visual improvements for all users. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 144 FPS, is ideal for users with high refresh rate monitors (144Hz or higher), as it provides a frame rate that can fully utilize such displays.

For users with a 2560x1440 display, the Medium preset is the best balance of performance and visual quality. It achieves an average of 101 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. The High preset at 1440p, with an average of 76 FPS, is also viable, but the 25 FPS drop from Medium to High is significant. The Ultra preset at 1440p, at 62 FPS, is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding sections of the track. The Low preset at 1440p, at 143 FPS, is the best choice for competitive play or for users who prioritize maximum frame rate over visual fidelity.

For users with a 3840x2160 display, the options are more limited. The Low preset, with an average of 87 FPS, provides the smoothest experience at 4K and is the recommended setting. The Medium preset, at 61 FPS, is also playable, but the minimum FPS of 52 suggests that there may be occasional dips below 60 FPS. The High and Ultra presets at 4K, at 46 FPS and 38 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a game like Assetto Corsa, where consistent frame rates are important for precise driving. In summary, the best experience is achieved by targeting the highest settings preset that maintains an average FPS of at least 60, which means High at 1080p, Medium at 1440p, and Low at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and Intel Arc B580 combination holds a rank of 2791 out of 3712 tested combos for Assetto Corsa. This places the combo in the lower 25% of all tested systems, indicating that it is not a high-performance pairing for this specific game. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual components' performance in synthetic benchmarks. The CPU is at the 77th percentile, and the GPU is at the 68th percentile, which would suggest a mid-range to upper-mid-range system. However, the in-game ranking suggests that this combination does not translate its synthetic benchmark strength into top-tier gaming performance in Assetto Corsa.

The combo's ranking is likely influenced by the GPU's performance in this specific title. While the Arc B580 is a capable card, its drivers or architecture may not be fully optimized for a 2014 game like Assetto Corsa. The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which the Arc B580 is 0.6% faster than, and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which is 0.2% faster. These are all older cards, and the fact that the Arc B580 is only marginally faster than them in synthetic tests suggests that its real-world gaming performance may vary significantly by title.

The data shows that the combo is capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p, but its performance drops off considerably at higher resolutions. This pattern is typical of a GPU-bound system. The rank of 2791 suggests that there are many other CPU and GPU combinations that perform better in this game. These would likely include systems with more powerful GPUs, such as those in the high-end range, or systems with CPUs that have higher single-thread performance. The ranking provides a useful reference point, but it is important to consider the specific resolution and settings that a user intends to play at. For a 1080p gamer, this combo performs well, but for a 4K gamer, it may not meet expectations. The data indicates that this is a mid-range system that is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming with adjusted settings, rather than a high-end 4K gaming rig.