Assetto Corsa

Assetto Corsa, a racing simulation from 2014, remains a demanding title for lower-tier hardware due to its physics and rendering loads. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B390, an integrated graphics solution. The data set provides a clear picture of how this combination handles the game across common resolutions and quality presets. The benchmark results show a system that can deliver playable frame rates at lower settings, but struggles to maintain smooth performance under heavier graphical loads.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable but steep performance drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low settings preset, the system achieves 118 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 82 FPS at 1440p and further to 50 FPS at 4K. This represents a 31% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 39% decrease from 1440p to 4K, showing that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The trend is consistent across all settings presets, with the Ultra preset showing the most dramatic scaling: 51 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K.

The scaling pattern indicates that this combo is heavily GPU-limited, as the frame rate drops almost linearly with the increase in pixel count. The Arc B390, with its 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs, simply cannot maintain throughput when the render target expands. At 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU, but at 4K, the GPU's compute capacity is fully saturated. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens at higher resolutions, suggesting that the GPU's fixed-function units (TMUs and ROPs) are overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and complex shaders.

Interestingly, the Medium preset shows a more moderate scaling pattern, with 83 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K. This preset appears to balance the load between the CPU and GPU better than High or Ultra, which are clearly GPU-bound. The data suggests that users seeking higher resolutions should stick to Low or Medium presets, as the jump to High or Ultra at 4K results in sub-30 FPS averages, which is generally considered unplayable for a racing sim where smooth frame pacing is critical.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its specifications are modest: 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, 24 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores. The clock speeds range from a 300 MHz base to a 2500 MHz boost, which allows for reasonable performance when the thermal and power budgets permit. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's DDR4 memory rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This shared memory arrangement can become a bottleneck in texture-heavy scenes, especially at higher resolutions where memory pressure increases.

In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, the Arc B390 scores 1482 points, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, according to the data, are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463 points, 1.3% slower) and the GeForce 800M (1460 points, 1.5% slower). These are entry-level mobile GPUs from over a decade ago, which contextualizes the Arc B390's position. The performance in Assetto Corsa reflects this: at 1080p Low, it achieves 118 FPS, which is playable, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 22 FPS.

The GPU's boost clock of 2500 MHz is relatively high for an integrated part, but the 80 W TDP and the "System Shared" memory limit its sustained performance. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums that are rarely achieved in real-world gaming. The FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS is respectable on paper, but the memory bandwidth bottleneck reduces effective performance. The data shows that the GPU's role in this combo is the limiting factor at 1440p and above, while at 1080p, it can keep up with the CPU's output at lower settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Assetto Corsa?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 118, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system run Assetto Corsa at 4K resolution with playable frame rates?

A: At 4K, the best result is 50 FPS on Low settings. Medium settings yield 35 FPS (with a minimum of 30), while High and Ultra drop to 26 and 22 FPS respectively, which are generally not considered smooth.

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

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Arc B390 scores 1482. This is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460).

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 82 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 36 FPS. This represents a 56% reduction in average frame rate from Low to Ultra.

Q: Does increasing resolution from 1080p to 1440p have a more significant impact than from 1440p to 4K?

A: Yes, at Low settings, the drop from 118 FPS to 82 FPS (31% decrease) is more significant than the drop from 82 FPS to 50 FPS (39% decrease), but the absolute FPS loss is higher at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested configurations for this game?

A: This combo ranks 2566 out of 2897 tested combinations for Assetto Corsa, placing it in the lower 12% of all tested systems.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides twelve distinct data points across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system shows a wide range of performance: Low averages 118 FPS, Medium averages 83 FPS (with a range of 70 to 95), High averages 62 FPS, and Ultra averages 51 FPS. The Medium preset shows the only recorded minimum and maximum values at this resolution, indicating a more variable frame pacing than other presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly. Low averages 82 FPS, Medium averages 58 FPS (min 49, max 67), High averages 44 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 46 FPS, which is a substantial gap that highlights the GPU's limited headroom. The Medium preset's minimum of 49 FPS suggests that even at this mid-range setting, there are occasional dips that could be noticeable during intense race moments.

At 3840x2160, the results are more challenging. Low averages 50 FPS, Medium averages 35 FPS (min 30, max 40), High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. The 4K Medium preset is the only one at this resolution with recorded minimum and maximum values, showing a tight range of 30 to 40 FPS. The Low preset at 4K is the only playable option, while High and Ultra fall below the 30 FPS threshold that most players consider the minimum for a smooth experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It has a 65 W TDP and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 6629 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 935 in single-core, placing it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259 avg score, 0.2% faster) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246 avg score, 0.4% slower).

In Assetto Corsa, the CPU's role is more prominent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the 118 FPS average suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding frames faster than the GPU can render them at higher settings. However, the 6-core/6-thread configuration without hyper-threading means that the CPU can become a bottleneck in physics-heavy scenarios, such as when multiple cars are on track with complex tire models. The single-core score of 935 in Cinebench R23 indicates adequate per-core performance for the game's main simulation thread.

The CPU's 9 MB of shared L3 cache is sufficient for the game's data needs, but the 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth could limit performance when the GPU uses system memory as its frame buffer. The data shows that at 1080p Ultra (51 FPS) and 1440p Low (82 FPS), the CPU is still providing enough throughput, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The Core i5-9400's 4.10 GHz boost clock helps maintain consistent frame delivery in scenarios where the CPU is not fully saturated.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution and performance priorities. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset (83 FPS average) offers the best balance between visual quality and smoothness, with the Low preset (118 FPS) providing a significant headroom for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset (62 FPS) is still playable, but the Ultra preset (51 FPS) may cause noticeable dips during races with many cars or complex weather effects.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset (82 FPS) is the safest choice for maintaining a fluid experience, while the Medium preset (58 FPS) is acceptable for most players. The High preset (44 FPS) is borderline, and the Ultra preset (36 FPS) should be avoided if consistent frame pacing is required. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset (50 FPS) provides a playable experience, with Medium (35 FPS) being marginal and High/Ultra (26/22 FPS) being unsuitable for competitive racing.

The data suggests that for this combo, prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity is the correct approach. The Medium preset at 1080p offers the best compromise, as it maintains an average above 80 FPS while providing better texture filtering and shadow quality than Low. For 1440p users, sticking to Low is recommended, as the jump to Medium only adds 6 FPS on average but requires more GPU resources. The Ultra preset offers no tangible benefit at any resolution, as the GPU's 24 ROPs cannot handle the additional post-processing and draw distance that Ultra enables.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2566 out of 2897 tested combos for Assetto Corsa, placing it in the 12th percentile of all configurations. This low ranking is primarily due to the GPU's position in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 47th percentile. The combo's ranking suggests that while the CPU is adequate for the game, the GPU severely limits overall performance.

The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the GeForce GT 520MX and GT 625 OEM, are similarly low-performing parts, and the combo's rank reflects this. The data shows that this configuration is best suited for 1080p gaming at lower settings, where it can achieve 118 FPS on Low. For users with this hardware, the expectation should be set to medium-quality 1080p or low-quality 1440p gaming, with 4K resolutions being largely impractical for smooth gameplay.

The combo's rank of 2566 out of 2897 indicates that there are only 331 tested combinations that perform worse. This places it in the bottom tier of systems, but not the absolute worst. The CPU's 6-core design and 4.10 GHz boost clock provide a solid foundation, but the GPU's integrated nature and shared memory architecture prevent it from competing with even entry-level discrete graphics solutions. For Assetto Corsa specifically, this combo is a marginal performer that requires careful settings management to achieve a playable experience.