Assetto Corsa

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a unique profile in Assetto Corsa. The data reveals a configuration where the integrated-class GPU is the dominant performance limiter, with the capable six-core CPU providing ample headroom. The measured results show a system that can deliver playable frame rates at lower resolutions and settings, but which struggles under the combined load of high pixel counts and demanding graphics presets.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression across resolutions clearly illustrates the GPU-bound nature of this setup. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 118 FPS, but this drops to 82 FPS at 1440p and further to 50 FPS at 4K. This represents a 31% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 39% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling pattern indicates that the Arc B390's rendering pipeline is saturated as pixel count increases.

The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 83 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops here are 30% and 40% respectively, showing a consistent performance penalty per resolution step. This consistency suggests that the GPU is operating at its efficiency limit across all tested resolutions, with no sudden bottlenecks appearing at specific pixel densities.

High settings reveal an interesting divergence. The drop from 1080p (62 FPS) to 1440p (44 FPS) is 29%, but the drop from 1440p to 4K (26 FPS) is only 41%. While the absolute numbers are lower, the relative scaling is similar to other presets. The 4K High result of 26 FPS sits just above the playability threshold, indicating that the GPU is struggling with the combined memory and shading demands of this configuration.

Ultra settings present the most demanding scenario. The system manages 51 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p, and only 22 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 29%, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 39%. These figures show that the Arc B390 cannot maintain fluid motion at 4K even with the lowest settings, as the 50 FPS Low result is the only 4K configuration that approaches acceptable smoothness.

The data suggests that the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU. The i5-12400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has enough processing headroom to feed the Arc B390 at all tested resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see diminishing FPS differences as resolution increases, since higher resolutions shift more work onto the GPU. Instead, the consistent 30-40% performance drops per resolution step indicate that the GPU's fill rate and shading throughput are the constraining factors.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. This clock range is modest by modern discrete GPU standards, and the 80 W TDP reflects an integrated-class design. The memory configuration is System Shared, meaning the GPU relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory architecture is a critical factor in Assetto Corsa's performance, as the game's texture streaming and geometry processing compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth.

The GPU's specifications include 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. These figures position the Arc B390 in the entry-level segment, which is corroborated by its 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s provide theoretical ceilings that align with the measured FPS drops at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the 22 FPS average suggests the GPU is hitting its rendering limits.

The memory bandwidth is listed as System Dependent, which means performance varies based on the platform's memory configuration. In this case, the i5-12400F supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, but the actual bandwidth available to the GPU is determined by the memory bus and configuration. This shared memory approach can lead to performance degradation in memory-intensive scenarios, such as high-detail racing simulations with many cars on track.

The GPU's benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 places it in the bottom percentile, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% faster) and GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% faster). These comparisons highlight that the Arc B390 is positioned at the very bottom of the discrete GPU hierarchy, despite being a newer product. The 12 RT cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) mean the hardware is feature-complete, but the raw throughput is insufficient for demanding loads.

In the context of Assetto Corsa, a game released in 2014, the GPU's capabilities are enough for older, lower-fidelity rendering paths. The game's graphics engine is not particularly demanding by modern standards, which explains why the system can reach 118 FPS at 1080p Low. However, the shared memory architecture and low fill rate become evident as settings and resolution increase, leading to the pronounced FPS drops observed in the data.

FAQ

Q: Why does the FPS drop so significantly when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: The average FPS across all settings drops by approximately 30% when moving from 1080p to 1440p. For example, High settings go from 62 FPS at 1080p to 44 FPS at 1440p. This consistent reduction indicates the GPU's fill rate is the limiting factor, as the Arc B390's 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate is overwhelmed by the 78% increase in pixel count.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The data shows the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The i5-12400F has a 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile. The consistent FPS drops across resolutions, despite the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, confirm that the GPU cannot keep up with the rendering demands as resolution increases.

Q: Can this system run Assetto Corsa at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K Low the system averages 50 FPS, while Medium drops to 35 FPS, High to 26 FPS, and Ultra to 22 FPS. Only the Low preset provides a playable experience at 4K, and even that is borderline for a racing simulation where consistent frame times are important.

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

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% slower than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% slower than the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% slower than the GeForce GT 710 (1443). These are all entry-level or legacy GPUs, confirming the B390's low performance tier.

Q: What is the best resolution for this setup?

A: The data indicates 1080p is the optimal resolution. At 1080p, the system achieves 118 FPS at Low, 83 FPS at Medium, 62 FPS at High, and 51 FPS at Ultra. All four presets clear the 30 FPS threshold, and the Medium and Low presets provide smooth gameplay suitable for racing.

Q: Does the shared memory configuration affect performance?

A: Yes. The GPU's System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth means the Arc B390 competes with the CPU for memory access. This is evident in the FPS scaling, where the 4K Ultra result of 22 FPS suggests that both memory bandwidth and fill rate are constrained simultaneously.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2566 out of 2897 tested combos in Assetto Corsa. This places the configuration in the bottom 11% of all tested systems, which aligns with the GPU's 9th percentile ranking. The high rank number indicates that the vast majority of other CPU-GPU combinations deliver better performance in this game.

The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking (among all CPUs) is offset by the GPU's 9th percentile ranking (among all GPUs), resulting in a combo that is heavily unbalanced toward the CPU side. In a game like Assetto Corsa, which is not particularly CPU-intensive due to its 2014 release date, this imbalance means the GPU is the clear performance limiter. The i5-12400F could easily drive a much more powerful GPU, but the Arc B390 holds the system back.

The nearest CPU rivals for the i5-12400F include the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (0% difference), Intel Core 3 201E (-0.1%), Intel Core i5-1335U (0.3%), and AMD EPYC 7773X (0.3%). These comparisons show that the CPU is competitive with modern mid-range processors, but the GPU's low standing drags the overall combo rank down. The data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield a disproportionate improvement in Assetto Corsa performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with 18 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores show strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance: a Geekbench single-core score of 1964 and multi-core score of 9472, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380.

In Assetto Corsa, the CPU's role is to handle physics calculations, AI logic, and game logic, which are typically more dependent on single-threaded performance. The i5-12400F's single-thread scores (909 in 3DMark single-thread, 1680 in Cinebench R23 single-core, 3481 in PassMark single-thread) are more than sufficient for a game from 2014. The 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms that this processor outperforms the majority of installed CPUs.

The 65 W TDP and 10 nm process node indicate an efficient design that won't throttle under sustained load. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, which allows for flexible platform configurations. However, since the Arc B390 uses System Shared memory, the CPU's memory controller is also responsible for feeding the GPU, which can create a shared resource bottleneck in memory-intensive scenes.

The data shows no evidence of CPU limitation in the measured FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS across different resolutions at the same settings, since the CPU workload doesn't scale with resolution. Instead, the FPS drops consistently with each resolution increase, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU has significant headroom, as evidenced by its ability to reach 118 FPS at 1080p Low, which is well above the GPU's capability at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. Low settings produce an average of 118 FPS, providing a very smooth experience. Medium settings drop to 83 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS and maximum of 95 FPS, indicating stable frame pacing. High settings average 62 FPS, which is still playable for a racing simulation. Ultra settings bring the average down to 51 FPS, which is playable but may show occasional stutters in dense scenes.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 82 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium settings average 58 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS and maximum of 67 FPS, providing a mostly consistent experience. High settings drop to 44 FPS, which is at the edge of playability for a racing game where smoothness is critical. Ultra settings average 36 FPS, which may be too low for competitive driving.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 50 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that provides a reasonable experience. Medium settings drop to 35 FPS with a minimum of 30 FPS and maximum of 40 FPS, dipping below the 30 FPS threshold at times. High settings average 26 FPS, which is noticeably choppy. Ultra settings average 22 FPS, making the game nearly unplayable at this configuration.

The data shows a clear trend: the system performs best at 1080p with Low or Medium settings, where it can maintain frame rates well above 60 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings provide a smooth experience. At 4K, no preset achieves a consistent 60 FPS, and only Low settings approach playability. The Medium preset at 1440p (58 FPS average) offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for users who want a playable experience with moderate graphical fidelity.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal configuration for this system is 1080p with Medium settings, which delivers an average of 83 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS. This preset provides a fluid racing experience while maintaining acceptable visual quality. The 1080p Low preset achieves 118 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays, but sacrifices visual fidelity.

For users with 1440p monitors, the Low preset at 82 FPS is the only option that provides smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 58 FPS is playable but may show frame drops in heavy traffic scenarios, as indicated by the 49 FPS minimum. The High preset at 44 FPS is borderline, while Ultra at 36 FPS is not recommended for serious racing.

At 4K, the data suggests that this system is not well-suited for the resolution. The Low preset at 50 FPS is the only playable option, but even this may be insufficient for simulation enthusiasts who require consistent frame times. The Medium preset at 35 FPS with a 30 FPS minimum is at the edge of playability, while High (26 FPS) and Ultra (22 FPS) are not recommended.

The best experience per the measured rows is achieved at 1080p with Medium settings, which offers 83 FPS average and a narrow frame time range (70-95 FPS). This configuration provides the most consistent performance while maintaining enough visual detail to enjoy the game's graphics. For users who prioritize frame rate above all else, the 1080p Low preset at 118 FPS is the best choice. The data does not support using any preset above Medium at 1440p, or any preset above Low at 4K, for a satisfactory experience.