Cyberpunk 2077

# Cyberpunk 2077 with Intel Core i7-12700KF + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 is a combination that produces extremely low frame rates in Cyberpunk 2077 across all tested resolutions and settings. With a combo rank of 2576 out of 2920 tested combinations, this setup sits in the bottom 12% of all hardware pairings for this game. The data indicates a severe bottleneck that makes the game effectively unplayable at any resolution above 1080p Low, and even the most favorable settings yield average frame rates below 50 FPS. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data, component roles, and what the numbers reveal about this pairing's limitations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a GPU-bound scenario at every resolution. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 49 FPS at 1920x1080 to 37 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 24 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 24.5% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 35.1% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent with a graphics card that has extremely limited rendering throughput, as the Arc B390's 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply insufficient for the demands of Cyberpunk 2077 at higher resolutions.

At Medium settings, the frame rate progression is 36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 25.0% from 1080p to 1440p and 33.3% from 1440p to 4K. This near-linear scaling with pixel count indicates that the GPU is the limiting component throughout, with no evidence of CPU constraints appearing as resolution increases. The i7-12700KF, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, is not the bottleneck here; the Arc B390's limited pixel fill rate and shader throughput dominate the performance profile.

High settings tell a similar story: 27 FPS at 1080p, 20 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 25.9%, and from 1440p to 4K is 35.0%. Ultra settings produce 25 FPS at 1080p, 19 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K, with drops of 24.0% and 31.6% respectively. The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings presets strongly suggests that the limiting factor is the GPU's raw compute and memory bandwidth, not any architectural quirk of the CPU.

The measured minimum FPS values at Medium settings further illustrate the performance collapse. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 15 FPS with a maximum of 21 FPS, showing very little headroom above the average of 18 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 23 FPS and maximum 31 FPS around a 27 FPS average. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 31 FPS and maximum 42 FPS around a 36 FPS average. These narrow ranges indicate that the GPU is consistently saturated, with no bursts of spare capacity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and it carries 25 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 28838, Geekbench multi-core scores 14367, and 3DMark max threads scores 9983. Single-thread performance is also respectable, with Cinebench R23 single-core at 4071 and 3DMark single thread at 1043.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 85 against all CPUs indicates it is in the top 15% of processors. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403 avg score, -0.1% delta), Intel Core i5-13600T (35305, +0.2%), Intel Core 5 213PE (35428, -0.2%), and Intel Core i7-12700K (35287, +0.2%). The i7-12700KF's average benchmark score of 35365 places it essentially at parity with these alternatives, all within a 0.2% margin.

For Cyberpunk 2077 specifically, the CPU is not the performance limiter. The game's heavy use of crowd simulation and physics can stress processors, but the measured FPS data shows that resolution scaling produces consistent drops that track pixel count, which is the signature of GPU-bound performance. The i7-12700KF's 20 threads provide ample parallel processing headroom, and its 5.00 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-thread responsiveness for game logic. The PassMark physics score of 1780 and floating point math score of 87449 further indicate the CPU has substantial compute capacity that remains underutilized in this pairing.

The CPU's memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5, with a dual-channel bus, means it can feed data to the GPU efficiently, but the Arc B390's "System Shared" memory configuration creates a fundamental bottleneck. The GPU has no dedicated VRAM; it relies on system memory with bandwidth that is "System Dependent." This architecture severely limits texture streaming and frame buffer operations, which is particularly problematic for a game like Cyberpunk 2077 with its dense, detailed environments.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, with 12 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, with a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s. The GPU has no dedicated memory; instead, it uses "System Shared" memory with bandwidth that depends on the system configuration.

The Arc B390's benchmark results are extremely modest. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 1482, which places it at the 9th percentile against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463 avg score, +1.3% delta), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460, +1.5%), NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, +2.5%), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443, +2.7%). These rivals are all legacy or entry-level GPUs from years past, underscoring how far behind modern discrete graphics the Arc B390 sits.

In Cyberpunk 2077, the GPU's limitations are stark. Even at 1080p Low, the average frame rate of 49 FPS is barely playable, and every other configuration falls below 40 FPS. The 12 ray tracing cores are present but provide no practical benefit at these performance levels; enabling ray tracing would likely crush the frame rate below any playable threshold. The GPU's 80 W TDP and IGP slot width indicate it is designed for low-power portable devices, not desktop gaming.

The "System Shared" memory configuration is a critical weakness. With no dedicated VRAM, the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, and the measured FPS data shows this competition results in severe performance degradation. The memory bandwidth being "System Dependent" means the actual performance can vary based on the system's RAM configuration, but the measured results suggest the effective bandwidth is insufficient for Cyberpunk 2077's requirements. The texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s is grossly inadequate for a game known for its high-resolution textures.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination run Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p with playable frame rates?

A: At 1080p Low settings, the average FPS is 49, which is technically playable but marginal. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 36 FPS, and at High it falls to 27 FPS. Only the Low preset at 1080p exceeds 45 FPS average.

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% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the GT 710 (1443). These are all entry-level or legacy GPUs.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware?

A: The best measured configuration is 1080p Low, which produces an average of 49 FPS. This is the only configuration that exceeds 40 FPS average. All other settings at 1080p produce averages between 25 and 36 FPS.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. FPS drops from 1080p to 4K track pixel count scaling closely, with consistent percentage drops of approximately 24-26% from 1080p to 1440p and 31-35% from 1440p to 4K across all settings. The i7-12700KF, with its 85th percentile ranking, has ample headroom.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for Cyberpunk 2077?

A: This combo ranks 2576 out of 2920 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 11.8% of all hardware pairings for this game.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 31 with a maximum of 42. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 23 with a maximum of 31. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 15 with a maximum of 21.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values across settings are as follows: Low settings produce 49 FPS average, Medium produces 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 and maximum of 42, High produces 27 FPS, and Ultra produces 25 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 24 FPS, showing that even dropping to the lowest quality preset cannot overcome the GPU's fundamental limitations. The jump from Low to Medium costs 13 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs 9 FPS, and High to Ultra costs only 2 FPS, indicating diminishing returns as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values drop considerably. Low settings produce 37 FPS, Medium produces 27 FPS with a minimum of 23 and maximum of 31, High produces 20 FPS, and Ultra produces 19 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 18 FPS, narrower than at 1080p. Notably, the difference between High and Ultra at 1440p is only 1 FPS, suggesting that Ultra settings impose nearly identical GPU load to High at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become critically low. Low settings produce 24 FPS, Medium produces 18 FPS with a minimum of 15 and maximum of 21, High produces 13 FPS, and Ultra produces 13 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 11 FPS, and High and Ultra are identical at 13 FPS average. At 4K, the GPU is so overwhelmed that the difference between quality presets becomes almost immaterial; even the lowest settings cannot achieve 25 FPS average.

The overall pattern across all resolutions shows that Low settings always provide the highest frame rates, with Medium offering a moderate step down, and High and Ultra clustering together with minimal differences. This suggests that the Arc B390's rendering pipeline saturates quickly as shader and texture complexity increases, with Ultra settings providing no meaningful visual benefit at these performance levels.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only configuration that approaches smooth gameplay is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which achieves an average of 49 FPS. This is the recommended preset for any user attempting to play Cyberpunk 2077 with this hardware. The 1080p Low preset is the sole configuration above 40 FPS average, and it provides the least demanding workload for the Arc B390.

For users who prefer Medium settings, the 1080p Medium preset delivers 36 FPS average with a minimum of 31 FPS, which may be tolerable for slower-paced exploration but will struggle during combat or dense crowd scenes. The minimum FPS of 31 indicates occasional dips below 30 FPS, which can feel stuttery.

At 1440p, even Low settings only produce 37 FPS average, which is below the 1080p Medium result. The 1440p Medium preset drops to 27 FPS with a minimum of 23 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. At 4K, all settings produce averages between 13 and 24 FPS, which is entirely unplayable for an action RPG requiring responsive input.

The High and Ultra presets offer no meaningful advantage in this pairing. At 1080p, the difference between High (27 FPS) and Ultra (25 FPS) is only 2 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 1 FPS (20 vs 19). At 4K, they are identical at 13 FPS. Users should avoid these presets entirely, as they provide negligible visual improvements while imposing significant frame rate penalties compared to Medium.

The data shows that the Arc B390's performance ceiling in Cyberpunk 2077 is approximately 49 FPS at 1080p Low. Any attempt to increase visual quality or resolution results in frame rates below 40 FPS, with most configurations falling below 30 FPS. For a game that requires precise timing and quick reactions, this hardware combination is only viable at the absolute lowest settings and resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This Intel Core i7-12700KF + Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2576 out of 2920 tested combos for Cyberpunk 2077. This places it in the bottom 11.8% of all hardware pairings tested for this game. The rank reflects the severe GPU bottleneck created by the Arc B390's integrated graphics solution, which simply lacks the compute and memory bandwidth necessary for a demanding title like Cyberpunk 2077.

The CPU component of this combo is not the issue. The i7-12700KF ranks in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403, -0.1% delta) and Intel Core i5-13600T (35305, +0.2%), perform nearly identically. The CPU's 12 cores, 20 threads, and 5.00 GHz boost clock provide more than enough processing power for the game's logic and simulation systems.

The GPU, however, ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rivals are all legacy or entry-level parts: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, +1.3% delta), GeForce 800M (1460, +1.5%), GT 625 OEM (1446, +2.5%), and GT 710 (1443, +2.7%). These comparisons illustrate the Arc B390's position at the very bottom of the GPU performance hierarchy.

The disparity between the CPU's 85th percentile ranking and the GPU's 9th percentile ranking is extreme. This combo represents a maximal mismatch, where a high-end desktop processor is paired with an integrated mobile-class GPU. The result is that the i7-12700KF's capabilities are almost entirely wasted in Cyberpunk 2077, as the game never comes close to stressing the CPU's 20 threads or 5.00 GHz boost clock.

Within the context of all 2920 tested combos, this pairing's 2576 rank places it alongside systems with much older or lower-tier components. The measured FPS data confirms that the Arc B390 is the sole determinant of performance in this game, and its limitations are severe enough to make the entire system unsuitable for Cyberpunk 2077 at any quality level above 1080p Low. Users seeking to play this game would need to replace the GPU with a discrete solution to achieve playable frame rates.