Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is a demanding Action RPG that stresses both the CPU and GPU, but the data for this combination of an AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and an Intel Arc B390 paints a very clear picture of where the bottleneck lies. The benchmark results show a system that is fundamentally limited by its graphics processor, with frame rates that struggle to reach playable levels even at lower resolutions and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and presets, compares it to other tested combos, and offers practical guidance based strictly on the numbers.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, which is a classic sign that the graphics card is the limiting component. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo averages 49 FPS. Moving up to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 37 FPS, a reduction of roughly 24%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 24 FPS, which is about 35% lower than the 1440p result and only half of the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is working progressively harder at each higher resolution, and its performance ceiling is being hit well before the CPU can become a factor.

The same trend is visible across all settings presets. For High settings, the average FPS goes from 27 at 1080p to 20 at 1440p, then down to 13 at 4K. That is a drop of 26% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 35% from 1440p to 4K. Medium settings show 36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset follows suit: 25 FPS at 1080p, 19 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K. In every case, the gap between 1440p and 4K is proportionally larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p, which is typical for a GPU that is running out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth at higher resolutions.

The fact that the 4K results cluster tightly between 13 and 24 FPS depending on settings, while the 1080p results range from 25 to 49 FPS, suggests the graphics solution is the primary constraint. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller differences between resolutions, particularly at lower settings where the GPU has less work to do. Instead, the data shows that lowering the resolution consistently raises frame rates, which means the GPU is being fed more frames than it can render. The Ryzen 5 8400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is not the limiting factor here; the Intel Arc B390’s compute and memory subsystem is.

Another way to read the scaling is to look at the ratio between 1080p and 4K performance. At Low settings, 1080p produces 49 FPS while 4K produces 24 FPS, which is a 2.04x difference. At High settings, the ratio is 27 to 13, or about 2.08x. At Medium, it is 36 to 18, exactly 2x. At Ultra, it is 25 to 13, roughly 1.92x. These ratios are all close to 2x, which aligns with the theoretical pixel count difference between 1080p and 4K (four times as many pixels). The fact that the scaling is not worse than 2x suggests the GPU is not entirely overwhelmed by raw pixel count, but the absolute frame rates are so low that the experience is compromised at every resolution above 1080p Low. The data indicates that this is a graphics-bound scenario, and no amount of CPU headroom can compensate for the Arc B390’s limited rasterization performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve in Cyberpunk 2077?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 49, which occurs at 1920x1080 with Low settings. No other resolution or settings combination exceeds this value in the data.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F holding back the Intel Arc B390 in this game?

A: No, the data does not show CPU limitation. The FPS scales consistently with resolution changes, which points to the GPU as the bottleneck. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20851 and a single-core score of 2943, indicate it has ample processing power for the frame rates observed.

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

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, which places it just 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443). These are all very close scores, indicating the Arc B390 sits at the very bottom of the GPU performance spectrum.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The only rows with min FPS data are the Medium settings presets. At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 31 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, it is 23 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, it is 15 FPS. Other settings presets in the data do not list a minimum FPS.

Q: What percentile does the Ryzen 5 8400F rank among all CPUs?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F has a percentile of 77, meaning it performs better than 77% of all CPUs in the benchmark database. Its average benchmark score is 25005.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combos in Cyberpunk 2077?

A: The combo ranks 2576 out of 2920 tested combinations for this game. This places it in the bottom tier of systems for Cyberpunk 2077 performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame data places this system at 2576 out of 2920 tested combos, which means it falls in the 12th percentile of all combinations tested for Cyberpunk 2077. Only 344 combos perform worse, and the overwhelming majority of systems deliver higher frame rates. This ranking is not surprising given the GPU’s benchmark position: the Intel Arc B390 scores in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rivals are all legacy or entry-level parts like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), the GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and the GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). The Arc B390 is barely faster than these decade-old parts, which explains why it struggles to produce playable frame rates in a modern title like Cyberpunk 2077.

The CPU, by contrast, is a strong performer. The Ryzen 5 8400F has an average benchmark score of 25005, which puts it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24964, 0.2% slower), Intel Core i7-11850H (24935, 0.3% slower), Intel Core i7-13620H (24911, 0.4% slower), and AMD EPYC 9474F (25103, 0.4% faster). These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning the 8400F is essentially on par with a range of other mid-range and high-end processors. In Cyberpunk 2077, however, the CPU’s capability is wasted because the GPU cannot keep up. The combo rank reflects the weakest link in the chain, and here that is clearly the graphics solution.

Given the GPU’s 9th percentile standing, the 2576th rank out of 2920 combos is consistent with what the hardware would predict. This is not a case where a powerful GPU is being held back by a weak CPU; rather, a reasonably capable CPU is paired with a very weak GPU. The result is a system that can only run Cyberpunk 2077 at low resolutions and low settings, and even then, the frame rates are marginal. For comparison, the CPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database all have similar average scores, but the combo ranking shows that in this specific game, the paired GPU dominates the outcome.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only configuration that approaches a playable experience is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which delivers an average of 49 FPS. This is the single row in the data that exceeds 30 FPS, and it is the only one that could be considered acceptable for a smooth gameplay experience, though it still falls short of the 60 FPS target many players prefer. At 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 37 FPS, which is playable but with noticeable stutter in demanding scenes. At 3840x2160 Low, the average is 24 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play.

For Medium settings, the data shows 36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. The 1080p Medium result is close to the Low preset’s 49 FPS but still lower, and the minimum FPS is recorded at 31. This suggests that Medium at 1080p is a viable alternative if you want better visuals, but it will not be as smooth as Low. High settings produce 27 FPS at 1080p, 20 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K. These numbers are all below 30 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for a playable frame rate in an action RPG. Ultra settings are the worst, with 25 FPS at 1080p, 19 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K.

The practical recommendation from this data is straightforward: if you want to play Cyberpunk 2077 with this hardware, you must use 1920x1080 and Low settings. That gives you the highest average FPS (49) and the best chance of maintaining a consistent frame rate. Moving to Medium at 1080p sacrifices about 13 FPS on average (36 vs 49) for better visuals, which might be worth it if you prioritize image quality over smoothness. However, any resolution above 1080p, or any preset above Medium at 1080p, will result in average FPS below 30, which will feel sluggish in combat and exploration. The data is clear: this is a 1080p Low/Medium system for Cyberpunk 2077, and nothing more.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 49 FPS with no minimum or maximum listed. Medium at 1080p averages 36 FPS, with a minimum of 31 and a maximum of 42. High averages 27 FPS, and Ultra averages 25 FPS, neither with min/max data. At 2560x1440, Low averages 37 FPS, Medium averages 27 FPS (min 23, max 31), High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low averages 24 FPS, Medium averages 18 FPS (min 15, max 21), High averages 13 FPS, and Ultra averages 13 FPS.

These numbers reveal a few patterns beyond the resolution scaling. First, the difference between Low and Ultra at any given resolution is significant but not enormous. At 1080p, Low is 49 FPS and Ultra is 25 FPS, a 24 FPS gap. At 1440p, the gap is 18 FPS (37 to 19). At 4K, the gap is 11 FPS (24 to 13). This suggests that the GPU is so limited that even dropping from Ultra to Low only recovers a modest number of frames, because the baseline performance is already very low. The minimum FPS data for Medium presets shows that frame pacing is an issue: at 1080p Medium, the minimum is 31 FPS, which is only 5 FPS below the average. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 23 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it is 15 FPS. These minimums are close to the averages, indicating relatively stable frame delivery, but at such low absolute values, any dip is noticeable.

The max FPS values for Medium settings are 42 at 1080p, 31 at 1440p, and 21 at 4K. These maximums are still below 60 FPS, so there is no headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. The data shows that no settings combination reaches an average of 50 FPS or higher, and only the 1080p Low preset exceeds 40 FPS. For a game like Cyberpunk 2077, which is known for heavy GPU load due to its detailed environments and lighting, these results are consistent with a graphics card that has only 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, 24 ROPs, and 12 RT cores, operating at a boost clock of 2500 MHz with system-shared memory. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, which is low by modern standards, and its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, which explains the poor high-resolution performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Phoenix, built on TSMC’s 4 nm process. It has a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. Its cache layout includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. The CPU’s benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20851 and a single-core score of 2943. In PassMark, it scores 24389 for multithread and 3685 for single thread. These numbers place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25005.

In Cyberpunk 2077, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, AI, physics, and draw calls, while the GPU renders frames. The measured FPS data shows that this combo is not CPU-bound at any resolution. If the CPU were the constraint, we would see similar FPS across different resolutions, because the CPU would be the limiting factor regardless of pixel count. Instead, the FPS drops consistently as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU bottleneck. The 8400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient for this game at the frame rates observed. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would have the most work to do relative to the GPU, the system only reaches 49 FPS, which is well within the capability of this processor.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database — the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (0.2% slower), Intel Core i7-11850H (0.3% slower), Intel Core i7-13620H (0.4% slower), and AMD EPYC 9474F (0.4% faster) — all have nearly identical average scores, confirming that the 8400F is a solid mid-range performer. However, this performance is irrelevant to the gaming experience here because the GPU cannot translate CPU headroom into higher frame rates. The data suggests that if you were to pair this CPU with a more powerful GPU, you would see significantly better results in Cyberpunk 2077, but with the Intel Arc B390, the CPU is effectively idle waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame. The CPU’s 4 nm process and 25,000 million transistors give it plenty of compute capacity, but that capacity is not utilized in this configuration due to the graphics bottleneck. In summary, the Ryzen 5 8400F is not the problem; the Intel Arc B390 is.