Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 presents an extreme challenge for the Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the Intel Arc B370. The measured data reveals a configuration that is heavily constrained, with performance figures that place it in the lowest percentile of tested hardware combinations. This analysis examines the benchmark results to understand the dynamic between the capable six-core processor and the integrated-class graphics solution, and what it means for playability in Night City.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and its 18 MB of shared L3 cache provides a solid foundation for gaming workloads. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates respectable capabilities: its 3DMark single-thread score is 909, and its multi-threaded performance reaches 5,912 in the max-threads test. The Cinebench R23 results show a multicore score of 12,380 and a single-core score of 1,680, indicating that the processor is not the primary bottleneck in this system for a game like Cyberpunk 2077.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 73 among all processors confirms that it is a mid-range performer, but the data suggests it has ample headroom for the game's logic and physics calculations. When examining the measured FPS across all resolutions, the performance is exceptionally low, which points to the GPU as the limiting factor. The game's engine is known for being demanding, but the CPU's 12 threads are more than sufficient to feed frames to a GPU that is clearly struggling. The relationship here is one of imbalance: the processor is waiting for the graphics unit to catch up, and the FPS figures across all settings and resolutions are a direct reflection of the GPU's limitations rather than any CPU deficiency.

The benchmark data for the CPU places it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, which has a nearly identical average score of 19,047 (a delta of 0%). The Intel Core i5-1335U is also a close rival, scoring 18,982 (a delta of 0.3%). This alignment confirms that the 12400F is a competent mid-range CPU, yet the in-game results show that its potential is entirely untapped. For Cyberpunk 2077, the CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame delivery, which it does, but the actual frame rate is dictated by the GPU's inability to render the scene at a usable speed. The data implies that upgrading the graphics solution would unlock the CPU's full potential in this title.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

With the measured FPS data, the choice of settings is a pragmatic decision between visual fidelity and playability. The absolute highest average frame rate achieved is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, yielding 45 FPS. This is the only configuration that approaches a playable 60 FPS target, and it is the only setting that exceeds 30 FPS at that resolution. The Medium preset at 1080p drops to 33 FPS, which is still technically playable but with a noticeable reduction in smoothness. The High and Ultra presets at 1080p fall to 24 FPS and 23 FPS, respectively, which are not recommended for a fluid experience.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset provides an average of 33 FPS, which is the only viable option for a somewhat consistent experience at that resolution. The Medium preset at 1440p yields 24 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets drop to 18 FPS and 17 FPS, respectively. At 3840x2160, all presets are effectively unplayable, with Low averaging just 22 FPS, Medium at 16 FPS, High at 12 FPS, and Ultra at 11 FPS. Based on the data, the recommended configuration is 1080p with Low settings to achieve the highest frame rate possible. If visual quality is prioritized over performance, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a compromise with 33 FPS, but the Low preset is the only one that provides a frame rate above 40 FPS.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 45, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is this combo capable of running the game at 4K resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best average result is 22 FPS on Low settings, with the Ultra preset dropping to just 11 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19,039, which is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS at 19,047 and just 0.1% behind the Intel Core 3 201E at 19,056.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 averages 45 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 23 FPS, representing a 22 FPS difference in favor of Low settings.

Q: What does the combo's rank in-game indicate about its performance?

A: The combo is ranked 2,685 out of 2,920 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 8% of systems tested for Cyberpunk 2077.

Q: Is there a significant difference between 1440p and 1080p performance on Low settings?

A: Yes, at 2560x1440 on Low, the average FPS is 33, whereas at 1920x1080 on Low, it is 45 FPS, a 12 FPS improvement when dropping to the lower resolution.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i5-12400F and Intel Arc B370 combination holds a rank of 2,685 out of 2,920 tested combos for Cyberpunk 2077. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested, which is a clear indicator of its performance class. This ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's low benchmark scores, as the Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,184 puts it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1,186, and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1,190. This positioning suggests that the graphics solution is several generations behind modern discrete GPUs, which is reflected in the in-game FPS.

The CPU, in contrast, ranks in the 73rd percentile, showing a stark mismatch in capability. The data implies that the combo's rank is almost entirely a function of the GPU's performance ceiling. If the CPU were paired with a more capable graphics card, the rank would improve drastically, as the processor is not the limiting factor in this scenario. The in-game rank of 2,685 is a direct consequence of the GPU's inability to render the game's demanding scenes at playable frame rates, confirming that the bottleneck is firmly on the graphics side.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, and it relies on System Shared memory, meaning its performance is heavily dependent on the system's RAM and memory bandwidth. The GPU has 1,280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its theoretical performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, with a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s.

The Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, which is exceptionally low. This score aligns with its measured FPS in Cyberpunk 2077, where the highest average is 45 FPS at 1080p Low. The GPU's power envelope is just 25 W, and it has no dedicated memory, which explains its limited performance. The nearest rivals in the benchmark are legacy cards like the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which is over a decade old, highlighting the Arc B370's position at the very bottom of the performance spectrum. The data shows that this GPU is not designed for demanding modern titles like Cyberpunk 2077, and its role is limited to providing a basic visual output rather than a playable gaming experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 45 FPS, which is the single highest figure recorded. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 33 FPS, with a minimum of 28 FPS and a maximum of 38 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 24 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 23 FPS. Moving up to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 33 FPS, the Medium preset averages 24 FPS (with a range of 21 to 28 FPS), the High preset averages 18 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 17 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance degrades further. The Low preset averages 22 FPS, the Medium preset averages 16 FPS (with a range of 14 to 19 FPS), the High preset averages 12 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 11 FPS. The minimum FPS data is only available for the Medium preset at each resolution, indicating that the other presets may have less stable frame times. The data shows a clear linear scaling: as resolution increases, the average FPS decreases proportionally, and as settings increase, the FPS also drops. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 22 FPS, at 1440p it is 16 FPS, and at 4K it is 11 FPS, showing that the settings have a diminishing impact at higher resolutions as the GPU becomes more saturated.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is a clear diagnostic tool for identifying the system's bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 45 at 1920x1080 to 33 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 12 FPS (approximately 27%). From 1440p to 4K, the average FPS drops from 33 to 22, another 11 FPS reduction. This pattern of consistent, significant FPS loss with each resolution increase is a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario. The pixel count increases dramatically from 1080p to 4K, but the frame rate drops by roughly half, indicating that the GPU is working at its maximum capacity and cannot keep up with the increased rendering load.

For the Medium preset, the scaling is similar: 33 FPS at 1080p drops to 24 FPS at 1440p (a 9 FPS drop) and then to 16 FPS at 4K (an 8 FPS drop). The High and Ultra presets show the same trend, with 4K performance falling to 12 FPS and 11 FPS, respectively. The consistent FPS drop across all resolutions and settings confirms that the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting component. The CPU, with its strong single-threaded performance, is not being taxed by the game's logic at these low frame rates. The data implies that reducing the resolution or lowering settings can only provide marginal improvements, as the GPU's raw compute power is insufficient for the game's demands at any resolution above 1080p Low. This analysis highlights that for this combo, the path to better performance lies entirely in upgrading the graphics solution, not the processor.