Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is a demanding Action RPG that punishes weak graphics hardware, and the data for the Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the Intel Arc B370 confirms this brutally. The combination of a high-end 20-core CPU with an integrated-class GPU creates a massive bottleneck that is entirely one-sided. The benchmark results show a system that is functionally incapable of providing a playable experience at any resolution above 1080p Low, making the CPU's theoretical power largely irrelevant in this specific configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a severe and linear collapse in performance as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 45 FPS. This is the only playable result in the entire dataset. Moving to 1440p Low drops the average to 33 FPS, a significant 26.7% reduction. At 4K Low, the average plummets to 22 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p Low score. This pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B370, with its System Shared memory and low shader count, is completely overwhelmed by the pixel throughput required at higher resolutions.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is not just steep; it is catastrophic for the playability threshold. At 1440p High, the average FPS is 18, which is a 25% drop from the 1080p High result of 24 FPS. At 4K High, the system manages only 12 FPS. This shows that even a modest increase in resolution from 1080p to 1440p cuts the frame rate by roughly a quarter, making the game feel like a slideshow. The limiting component here is unambiguously the GPU; the CPU's 5.40 GHz boost clock and 20 cores are never the constraint when the GPU cannot even produce 30 FPS at 1080p High.

The data suggests that the system's performance ceiling is defined by the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The 4K Medium result (16 FPS average) is only slightly better than the 4K High result (12 FPS), indicating that the GPU is running out of raw compute and memory throughput rather than being limited by specific settings like shadows or reflections. The 1080p Medium result of 33 FPS versus the 1080p Low result of 45 FPS shows a 26.7% performance penalty for moving from Low to Medium, which is a typical cost for graphical fidelity, but the absolute numbers are so low that the game remains unplayable regardless.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. Its specifications paint a clear picture of a chip designed for low-power, portable devices, not for a demanding AAA title like Cyberpunk 2077. The GPU features 1280 shading units and a peak FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS. For context, this puts it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it is slower than 95% of the hardware in the database. The nearest rivals, such as the ATI Radeon HD 5770 and AMD Radeon HD 7650M, are over a decade old, highlighting just how far behind modern desktop gaming hardware this chip is.

Memory is another critical issue. The GPU has "System Shared" memory with "System Dependent" bandwidth. This means it relies on the system's DDR4 or DDR5 RAM, which is far slower than dedicated GDDR6 memory found on discrete graphics cards. This shared memory architecture is a major reason why the 4K results are so poor; the GPU cannot access texture data quickly enough to keep up with even Low settings. The 10 RT cores are present, but with only 12 FPS at 4K High, enabling any form of ray tracing would likely make the game unplayable, rendering the feature moot in practice.

The core clock behavior also shows its limitations. The base clock is 300 MHz and the boost clock is 2400 MHz. While the boost clock is respectable for an integrated part, the GPU's thermal and power constraints (25 W TDP) likely prevent it from sustaining that boost under sustained gaming load. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in a class with integrated graphics from a decade ago, confirming that this is not a gaming chip. When paired with the CPU, the GPU is the sole reason for the low FPS numbers; the CPU's data shows it can handle far more demanding workloads, but the GPU is a hard wall.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core i7-14700F and Arc B370 ranks 2685 out of 2920 tested combos for Cyberpunk 2077. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested, which is a poor result for a combination that includes a top-tier CPU. The percentile ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's weak performance, as the CPU's own percentile of 91 indicates it is a high-performing part in isolation. This creates a massive mismatch; the system is held back entirely by the weakest link.

The combo's rank is not an anomaly; it reflects the GPU's place in the performance hierarchy. The Arc B370's nearest rivals in the GPU database are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the AMD FirePro M2000, both of which are ancient parts. In the game, this translates to the system being unable to leverage the CPU's power at all. The CPU's 33 MB of L3 cache and 20 cores are irrelevant when the GPU is producing 12 FPS at 4K. The data indicates that this combo is effectively a low-end office PC that happens to have a very fast processor, which is a terrible pairing for a game like Cyberpunk 2077.

The rank also highlights that even lower-end CPUs would likely perform similarly in this game when paired with this GPU. Since the GPU is the bottleneck, the CPU's performance is masked. The benchmark results show that the system is not "balanced" in any sense. The CPU could easily drive a GPU that is 10 times faster, but with the Arc B370, it is left waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame. The 2685 rank out of 2920 is a clear warning that this specific combination should be avoided for gaming purposes.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo in Cyberpunk 2077?

A: The only playable configuration in the data is 1080p with Low settings, which yields an average of 45 FPS. All other tested settings at 1080p (Medium, High, Ultra) produce averages of 33 FPS or lower, which is below a smooth playability threshold.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700F the reason for the low FPS?

A: No. The CPU is a high-end 20-core part with a 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs. The GPU is the bottleneck. The Intel Arc B370 is in the 5th percentile of GPUs, and its performance is more than 10 times slower than what the CPU can support.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B370's 3DMark score of 1184 is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186) and ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190). It is slightly faster than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168), but these are all obsolete parts, indicating the B370 is not a modern gaming GPU.

Q: What are the differences between the 1080p Medium and 1080p High results?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 33, with a minimum of 28 and a maximum of 38. At 1080p High, the average drops to 24 FPS. This represents a 27.3% performance decrease when moving from Medium to High, a significant cost for a setting change.

Q: Does the GPU have enough memory for 4K textures?

A: The GPU uses System Shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. The bandwidth is also System Dependent, which is far slower than dedicated memory. The 4K results (11-22 FPS across all settings) show that the GPU cannot handle the texture data required at that resolution.

Q: Would lowering the resolution to 720p help?

A: The data does not include a 720p measurement. However, the trend from 1080p to 1440p shows a massive drop in performance, suggesting that even if 720p were playable, the graphical quality would be severely compromised. The 1080p Low result of 45 FPS is the only viable option.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the only settings that yield a playable experience are 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This produces an average of 45 FPS, which is the highest score in the dataset. The 1080p Medium preset drops to 33 FPS, which is a 26.7% penalty. While some players might find 33 FPS acceptable, the data shows that High and Ultra settings at 1080p result in 24 FPS and 23 FPS respectively, which are too choppy for a fast-paced Action RPG.

For players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, the 1080p Low preset is the only choice. The 1440p Low preset is an option at 33 FPS, but it is not recommended because the resolution increase does not compensate for the significant drop in frame rate. The 4K resolution is not viable at any setting, with the best result being 22 FPS at Low, which is a poor experience. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a slight visual upgrade over Low but at a substantial performance cost.

The data suggests that the system should be kept at 1080p Low for any semblance of playability. The 1080p Medium preset has a min FPS of 28, which means there will be noticeable stutters. The 1080p Low preset has no min FPS data, but the average is 12 FPS higher than Medium. The Ultra preset at 1080p is the worst choice, with an average of 23 FPS, which is only slightly better than the High preset. In summary, the system is only suitable for 1080p Low, and any attempt to increase visual quality will push the frame rate below acceptable levels.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a powerful processor, but its role in this game is almost entirely passive. The CPU has 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2429, place it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and Intel Xeon 6505P, which are all high-end parts. This indicates that the CPU has more than enough processing power for Cyberpunk 2077.

However, in this specific combo, the CPU's power is never utilized. The GPU is the bottleneck, so the CPU is often idle, waiting for the Arc B370 to render a frame. The data shows that the CPU is not limiting performance in any way; the 1080p Low result of 45 FPS is likely the maximum the GPU can output, regardless of the CPU's speed. The 33 MB of L3 cache and high boost clock are irrelevant when the GPU is producing such low frame rates.

The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. In this case, the CPU can do this effortlessly, but the GPU cannot keep up. The result is a system where the CPU's capabilities are completely wasted. The 20 cores and 28 threads are ideal for productivity tasks like video editing or 3D rendering, but for Cyberpunk 2077, they offer no advantage over a much cheaper, lower-core-count CPU when paired with the Arc B370. The system's performance is entirely dictated by the GPU's 5th percentile ranking.