Assetto Corsa

Assetto Corsa, the 2014 racing simulation, remains a demanding title for modern hardware, particularly when paired with an entry-level integrated GPU. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-12400 processor combined with the Intel Arc B370 graphics solution. The data presents a clear picture of a system where the GPU is the primary constraint, especially at higher resolutions and graphical presets. The benchmark results, derived from direct measurement, illustrate the performance boundaries of this specific configuration across a range of settings.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 106 FPS, which is achieved at the 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-12400 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-14100F?

A: The data shows the Intel Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18683, while the Intel Core i3-14100F has an average score of 18519. This makes the i5-12400 0.9% faster than the i3-14100F.

Q: What is the performance percentile ranking for the Intel Arc B370 GPU?

A: The Intel Arc B370 is in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it performs better than only 5% of the tested graphics cards in the database.

Q: At which settings and resolution does the system achieve a consistent 60 FPS or higher?

A: The system exceeds 60 FPS at 1920x1080 on both Low (106 FPS) and Medium (75 FPS) settings. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset achieves above 60 FPS, with an average of 74 FPS.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 19 FPS, which occurs at the 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset.

Q: How does the combo's performance in Assetto Corsa rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2669th out of 2897 total tested combinations, placing it in the lower percentile of all systems tested for this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware combination depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. The data indicates that for a smooth, playable experience, the Low preset is the most reliable choice across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 106 FPS, offering a significant performance headroom. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 75 FPS and a minimum of 64 FPS, also provides a playable experience and is the highest quality setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance landscape shifts. The Low preset still delivers a playable 74 FPS, but the Medium preset drops to 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS. This suggests that for 1440p gaming, users should stick to the Low preset to avoid significant frame rate dips. The High preset at this resolution falls to 39 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a racing simulation where consistent frame times are crucial.

For 4K resolution (3840x2160), none of the settings provide a playable frame rate. The Low preset achieves 45 FPS, which is marginal, but the Medium preset drops to 32 FPS. Given the demanding nature of the game at this resolution, the data suggests that 4K is not a viable option for this combo, even at the lowest settings, for a consistently smooth experience. The best experience is therefore achieved by prioritizing the Low preset at either 1080p or 1440p, with Medium being a viable option only at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and expected trend: performance degrades as resolution increases. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 106 FPS to 74 FPS, a decrease of 32 FPS. This scaling continues when moving to 3840x2160, where the Low preset yields an average of 45 FPS. This pattern is consistent across all settings, with the High preset dropping from 56 FPS at 1080p to 39 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 24 FPS at 4K.

This significant performance drop indicates that the system is heavily limited by the GPU. The Intel Arc B370, with its system-shared memory and low performance percentile, struggles to fill the increasing number of pixels required by higher resolutions. The frame rate scaling is not linear; for example, doubling the pixel count from 1080p to 4K on Low settings results in a frame rate that is less than half, highlighting the GPU's inability to handle the increased workload. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is likely not the primary bottleneck in this scenario, as the frame rate is being constrained by the graphics rendering pipeline. The data strongly suggests that the Arc B370 is the limiting component, and its performance ceiling is reached very quickly as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured data provides a detailed view of the system's performance. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are the highest. The Low preset leads with an average of 106 FPS. The Medium preset follows with an average of 75 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 86 FPS. The High preset achieves 56 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 46 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy, with a 60 FPS difference between the lowest and highest quality presets.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops across the board. The Low preset remains the most playable at 74 FPS. The Medium preset averages 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS, indicating that it can occasionally hit 60 FPS but is not consistent. The High preset falls to 39 FPS, and the Ultra preset is at 32 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 42 FPS, showing that the GPU is becoming a more significant limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the performance is severely limited. The Low preset is the only option that approaches playability, with an average of 45 FPS. The Medium preset averages 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 36 FPS, which is quite stuttery. The High preset averages 24 FPS, and the Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at 19 FPS. These numbers clearly demonstrate that 4K resolution is beyond the capabilities of this GPU, regardless of the graphical settings used. The data shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation that is directly tied to the increase in resolution and graphical fidelity.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the decisive component in this system's gaming performance. Its benchmark data shows a single score of 1184 in 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This very low percentile is reflected in the measured FPS, where the system struggles to maintain high frame rates even at 1080p. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and ATI Radeon HD 5770, have average scores of 1186 and 1190, respectively, which are within 0.5% of the Arc B370's score, confirming its position in the entry-level segment.

The GPU's architecture is Xe3-LPG, built on a 3 nm process, with 1280 shading units and 40 texture mapping units. Its boost clock is 2400 MHz, and it has a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. However, the most significant detail is that its memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory configuration, with system-dependent bandwidth, is a major factor in its performance limitations. The GPU relies on the CPU's memory controller and system RAM, which is slower than dedicated GDDR memory, and this is likely a contributing factor to the poor scaling at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth demands increase substantially. The data indicates that the GPU's rendering capabilities are simply not sufficient for the demands of Assetto Corsa at high resolutions and settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a capable mid-range processor that, in this configuration, is not the primary bottleneck. It features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores are respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15989 and a single-core score of 2257. The CPU's average benchmark score is 18683, which places it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7643, has an average score of 18697, a delta of -0.1%, showing the i5-12400 is essentially on par with that server-class chip in these aggregate benchmarks.

The CPU's performance in this game is likely sufficient to feed the GPU, as the frame rates are heavily constrained by the graphics card. For instance, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 106 FPS, which suggests the CPU can handle a high number of frames. However, as the resolution increases, the FPS drops not because the CPU is weaker, but because the GPU's rendering workload becomes too heavy. The 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support are adequate for this workload. The CPU's 10 nm process and 65 W TDP are characteristics of a mainstream desktop part, but its performance is not the limiting factor in the measured results. The data implies that even with a more powerful GPU, the i5-12400 would be able to deliver a significant performance uplift, as it is not being fully utilized in the current configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall performance of this Intel Core i5-12400 and Intel Arc B370 combination in Assetto Corsa is ranked 2669th out of 2897 tested combinations. This places the combo in the bottom 8% of all systems tested for this game, confirming that it is a low-performance configuration for this title. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is a relatively strong performer. The rank is a holistic measure of the system's ability to run the game, and the data shows that the GPU drags the overall score down significantly.

This low rank aligns with the measured FPS data, which shows that the system is only capable of providing a smooth experience at 1080p with lower settings. At higher resolutions, the performance falls below playable thresholds. The combo's position in the rankings reflects the fact that the Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution, and its performance is not comparable to dedicated graphics cards that would be found in higher-performing combos. While the i5-12400 is a solid processor, it cannot compensate for the GPU's lack of rendering power in a graphics-intensive game like Assetto Corsa. The ranking serves as a clear indicator that this system is designed for basic computing tasks and light gaming, not for a demanding racing simulation at high fidelity.