Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 a discrete graphics card or an integrated processor?

A: The Intel Arc B390 is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a slot width of "IGP" and no power connectors. It uses system-shared memory with a bus interface of "IGP," meaning it relies on the host system's RAM for both capacity and bandwidth.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-13400F compare to its closest rivals in synthetic CPU benchmarks?

A: The i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25292, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, scores 25284, a delta of 0%. The Intel Core 5 120 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D both score slightly higher at 25362 and 25365 respectively, each showing a -0.3% delta. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H trails at 25201 with a +0.4% delta.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all graphics cards?

A: The Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, scores 1463 (1.3% higher), while the GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% higher).

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 303 average FPS. This is the peak measured performance across all tested resolutions and settings.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 77. This is the lowest average across all resolution and settings combinations.

Q: Does the CPU have integrated graphics?

A: No, the Intel Core i5-13400F has no integrated graphics. The "F" suffix indicates that the chip lacks an iGPU, so the system relies entirely on the Intel Arc B390 for display output.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is built on Intel's Xe3-LPG architecture using a 3 nm process node. Its base clock runs at 300 MHz, boosting up to 2500 MHz, with a TDP of 80 W. The GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 raster operation units, and 12 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The GPU's memory configuration is entirely system-shared, meaning there is no dedicated VRAM. Memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent." This architecture is unusual for a gaming-focused benchmark, as it means the GPU competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth. For a game like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which is generally light on GPU demands, this shared-memory arrangement can still produce playable results, but the data suggests it is a limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, indicating very low absolute performance. Its nearest rivals — the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 — are all entry-level or legacy parts. This context is crucial: the B390's raw compute capability is far below what typical discrete gaming GPUs offer. Yet in CS:GO, the measured FPS ranges from 77 (4K Ultra) to 303 (1080p Low), which shows that the game's engine is forgiving enough to run well even on a GPU at the 9th percentile.

The boost clock of 2500 MHz is high for an integrated part, and the 12 RT cores suggest modern feature support, but in this title, the limiting factor appears to be memory bandwidth — since bandwidth is system-dependent, the shared-memory design likely throttles performance as resolution increases.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a Raptor Lake-S desktop processor with 10 cores and 16 threads. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode, and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only). Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 20 MB shared L3.

Synthetic benchmarks show strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 22604, while single-core scores 3191. Geekbench multicore is 11068 and single-core is 1996. Passmark multithread scores 25032, and single-thread scores 3634. The CPU's average benchmark score of 25292 puts it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals being the Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284, 0% delta), Core 5 120 (25362, -0.3%), Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365, -0.3%), and Ryzen 7 6800H (25201, +0.4%).

In the context of CS:GO, the CPU is the dominant component. The game's Source engine is notoriously CPU-bound, especially at lower resolutions. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 303 FPS, which is far above what the GPU's 9th percentile score would suggest. The i5-13400F's high single-thread score (3191 in Cinebench R23) is critical here, as CS:GO relies heavily on a single main thread for game logic and draw calls.

The boost clock of 4.60 GHz and the 20 MB L3 cache are particularly relevant. High clock speeds reduce frame time variance in CPU-bound scenarios, and the large cache helps keep frequently accessed game data close to the cores. The fact that the CPU has no integrated graphics (the "F" suffix) means all rendering load falls on the Arc B390, but in this title, the CPU's headroom is sufficient to push high FPS even at 4K with lower settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. Low settings produce 303 average FPS. Medium settings yield 258 average FPS with a min of 219 and max of 296. High settings drop to 223 average FPS. Ultra settings bring the average down to 190 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 113 FPS, indicating that settings scaling has a significant impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong. Low settings average 208 FPS. Medium settings average 177 FPS with a min of 151 and max of 204. High settings average 154 FPS. Ultra settings average 131 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 95 FPS on Low (303 to 208) and 59 FPS on Ultra (190 to 131). The medium settings min FPS of 151 is still well above typical 60 Hz refresh rates, suggesting smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. Low settings average 123 FPS. Medium settings average 105 FPS with a min of 89 and max of 120. High settings average 91 FPS. Ultra settings average 77 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is substantial: 85 FPS on Low (208 to 123) and 54 FPS on Ultra (131 to 77). The 4K Medium min FPS of 89 is the lowest recorded minimum in the dataset, indicating potential frame drops under load.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings always provide the highest FPS, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra is roughly 37-40% at each resolution, which suggests the game's preset levels affect both GPU and CPU load in a predictable manner.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core i5-13400F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2510 out of 2848 tested combinations in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This places it in the bottom 12% of all combos in the database. The rank is surprising given the CPU's strong performance — the i5-13400F sits in the 77th percentile of CPUs — but the GPU's 9th percentile ranking drags the overall position down.

The data suggests that CS:GO's engine is capable of running on very weak GPUs, as evidenced by the playable FPS numbers, but the combo's relative standing is hurt by the fact that many other tested systems likely pair similar or better CPUs with far stronger GPUs. The 2848 total combos represent a wide range of hardware, and this particular pairing is clearly GPU-limited in most scenarios, especially at higher resolutions.

However, the rank should be interpreted with nuance. A rank of 2510 out of 2848 means that 338 combos perform worse. Given that the Arc B390 is an integrated GPU, this rank reflects the reality that most discrete GPUs, even older ones, will outperform it. The CPU's contribution is strong, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's low absolute performance in a game that does scale with resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p users with high refresh rate monitors (144 Hz or above), Low settings at 303 FPS provide the best experience, as the high frame rate minimizes input latency and ensures the display is fully utilized. Medium settings at 258 FPS still exceed 240 Hz refresh rates and offer improved visuals, making this the best balance for most players.

For 1440p, Low settings at 208 FPS are ideal for 165 Hz or 200 Hz monitors. Medium settings at 177 FPS still clear 144 Hz, and the visual improvement may be worth the 31 FPS loss. High settings at 154 FPS are acceptable for 144 Hz displays but leave little headroom. Ultra at 131 FPS is only suitable for 120 Hz monitors.

For 4K, the situation is more constrained. Low settings at 123 FPS are the only option that clears 120 Hz. Medium settings at 105 FPS are suitable for 100 Hz displays. High settings at 91 FPS and Ultra at 77 FPS are playable on 60 Hz monitors but do not offer the high refresh rates that competitive CS:GO players typically seek.

The data indicates that Medium settings provide the most balanced experience across all resolutions, offering a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining FPS well above 100 at 1080p and 1440p. For players prioritizing competitive performance, Low settings are recommended, as the FPS gains are substantial (roughly 17-30% over Medium).

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the system's bottleneck characteristics. At Low settings, the progression is 303 FPS (1080p) → 208 FPS (1440p) → 123 FPS (4K). This represents a 31% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 41% drop from 1440p to 4K. At Ultra settings, the progression is 190 FPS → 131 FPS → 77 FPS, with drops of 31% and 41% respectively.

The consistent ~31% and ~41% drops across settings suggest that the limiting factor is the GPU's memory bandwidth, which is system-dependent. As resolution increases, the pixel count rises significantly (2.25x from 1080p to 1440p, 4x from 1080p to 4K), but the FPS drops are much smaller than the pixel count increases. This indicates that the game is not purely GPU-bound at these resolutions; the CPU's strong single-thread performance is partially compensating for the GPU's weaknesses.

The 4K Ultra result of 77 FPS is notable because it shows the GPU's absolute floor in this game — even at maximum settings and resolution, the combo remains playable. The scaling pattern also implies that the CPU is still contributing meaningful headroom at 1080p, as evidenced by the 303 FPS Low result, which is far above what a 9th percentile GPU would typically achieve. The data suggests that lowering resolution has diminishing returns below 1080p, as the CPU would likely become the bottleneck around that point.