Cyberpunk 2077

# Cyberpunk 2077 with Intel Core i7-14700KF + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 represents one of the most extreme CPU/GPU performance imbalances in the tested database for Cyberpunk 2077. The processor is a 20-core, 28-thread Raptor Lake-R part with a 3.40 GHz base clock and 5.60 GHz boost clock, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs tested. The graphics side, however, is an integrated-class solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture with a 300 MHz base and 2500 MHz boost clock, sitting at just the 9th percentile of all GPUs. In a game as demanding as Cyberpunk 2077 — released in December 2020 — this combination produces playable frame rates only at the lowest settings and resolutions, and the data shows the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck in every measured scenario.

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

The Core i7-14700KF is a desktop-class processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake-R architecture using a 10 nm process. Its 20 cores and 28 threads are split between performance and efficiency cores, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The processor carries a 33 MB shared L3 cache, 2 MB L2 per core, and 80 KB L1 per core, with memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 across a dual-channel bus. Its 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate a part designed for heavy sustained workloads. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167, a single-core score of 6235, a Geekbench multi-core score of 21462, and a single-core score of 2578. Its average benchmark score of 70163 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the 14700KF is effectively tied at the top of its immediate comparison group. It scores 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. The only tested CPU that beats it is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, which leads by 1% (a deltaPct of -1 from the 14700KF's perspective). These are margins well within measurement noise, meaning the 14700KF is a top-tier gaming CPU by any standard.

However, in the Cyberpunk 2077 test results, the CPU's capabilities are almost entirely irrelevant. The measured frame rates at 1080p Low — the least GPU-heavy configuration tested — reach only 49 FPS average. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 25 FPS. These numbers are far below what a CPU of this caliber would be capable of feeding to a discrete graphics card. The PassMark multi-thread score of 52425 and data compression score of 694963 confirm the processor can handle massive parallel workloads, yet the game's performance is constrained elsewhere. The CPU's role in this combo is to never be the limiting factor, and the data suggests it fulfills that role completely — the bottleneck sits squarely on the graphics side.

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

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Panther Lake chip and Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process. It operates with a 300 MHz base clock and 2500 MHz boost clock, with memory classified as "System Shared" — meaning it draws from the host system's RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 render output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its compute capabilities are rated at 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), with pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The TDP is 80 W, and the bus interface is IGP (integrated graphics processor), meaning it lacks a discrete PCIe connection. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The GPU's single benchmark entry is a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1.5% slower), GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% slower), and GeForce GT 710 (2.7% slower). This places the Arc B390 in a performance tier that is several generations behind modern discrete gaming GPUs. In Cyberpunk 2077, the GPU's limitations are immediately visible: even at 1080p Low, the average frame rate is 49 FPS, and every increase in settings or resolution brings a substantial penalty.

The ray tracing hardware, while present with 12 RT cores, does not translate into playable ray-traced performance in this title based on the measured data. The game's High, Medium, and Ultra presets all produce sub-40 FPS averages at 1080p, and the GPU's shared memory architecture means bandwidth is "System Dependent" — a factor that likely exacerbates performance drops in a game known for heavy texture streaming and large open-world assets.

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

The resolution scaling pattern in the measured data is a textbook example of GPU-bound performance. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 49 at 1080p to 37 at 1440p (a 24.5% reduction) and then to 24 at 4K (a 35.1% reduction from 1440p). At Medium settings, the averages are 36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. High settings produce 27, 20, and 13 FPS respectively. Ultra settings yield 25, 19, and 13 FPS. The consistency of these drops — roughly 25-30% per resolution step — indicates that the GPU is saturated at every configuration, and pixel throughput scales directly with the workload.

If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect frame rates to remain relatively flat across resolutions, since the CPU workload does not change significantly with pixel count. Instead, the data shows a near-linear relationship between resolution and frame rate, confirming the Arc B390 is the limiting component. The gap between Low and Ultra settings also shrinks as resolution increases: at 1080p, Low (49 FPS) is nearly double Ultra (25 FPS), but at 4K, the difference is just 11 FPS (24 vs 13). This convergence at high resolution indicates the GPU is spending most of its time on pixel shading, leaving little headroom for quality improvements. The measured fps range at Medium settings — 31 to 42 FPS at 1080p, 23 to 31 at 1440p, and 15 to 21 at 4K — shows that even the minimum frame rates are above half the average, suggesting relatively stable frame pacing despite the low overall performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K?

A: Yes, but not comfortably. The measured average FPS at 4K ranges from 13 FPS at High and Ultra settings to 24 FPS at Low settings. Medium settings at 4K produce 18 FPS average with a minimum of 15 FPS, which is well below playable thresholds for most users.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where any preset reaches 30 FPS or higher. At 1080p Low, the average is 49 FPS, and at Medium it drops to 36 FPS. Higher resolutions consistently fall below 30 FPS at every preset.

Q: How does the Intel 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, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GT 710. All of these are legacy entry-level parts.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF a strong CPU for gaming?

A: Yes, by every CPU benchmark metric. It sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235. It leads or matches its nearest rivals — the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, Ryzen 9 7940HX, and Ryzen 9 7950X — within 0.9%, and trails the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K by only 1%.

Q: Why is performance so low despite having a high-end CPU?

A: The GPU is the limiting component. The Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution with shared system memory, rated in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are over a decade old. The CPU's performance is never the bottleneck; the GPU cannot feed frames fast enough at any resolution.

Q: What settings should be used for the most consistent experience?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p Low provides the highest average FPS at 49, with no minimum FPS recorded. 1080p Medium offers 36 FPS average with a minimum of 31 FPS, which is a more stable experience relative to its average. Higher presets drop below 30 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2576th out of 2920 tested combos in Cyberpunk 2077. This places it in the bottom 11.8% of all tested systems, which is consistent with the GPU's 9th percentile standing. The CPU's top-tier performance (94th percentile) does nothing to lift the overall ranking because the GPU is so severely underpowered for this title. In practical terms, this combo ranks in the same vicinity as systems built with decade-old entry-level discrete GPUs, since the Arc B390's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710.

The ranking also highlights a critical mismatch: the 14700KF is a processor that, in a balanced system, would be paired with a high-end discrete GPU capable of 100+ FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p or 4K. Instead, the integrated Arc B390 caps the experience at 49 FPS absolute maximum (1080p Low). The data suggests that upgrading the GPU alone would transform this system's Cyberpunk 2077 performance dramatically, while upgrading the CPU would yield no measurable benefit. The combo rank of 2576 out of 2920 reflects the GPU's dominance in determining this game's performance, with the CPU contributing almost nothing to the final result.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 49 FPS, 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, representing a 49% reduction in average FPS when maxing out settings. At 2560x1440, the averages drop to 37 FPS at Low, 27 FPS at Medium (with a minimum of 23 and maximum of 31), 20 FPS at High, and 19 FPS at Ultra. The Low-to-Ultra spread narrows to 18 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages are 24 FPS at Low, 18 FPS at Medium (minimum 15, maximum 21), 13 FPS at High, and 13 FPS at Ultra. The Low-to-Ultra spread further narrows to 11 FPS.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones that include minimum and maximum FPS values, providing a window into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the range is 31-42 FPS, a spread of 11 FPS around the 36 FPS average. At 1440p Medium, the range is 23-31 FPS, an 8 FPS spread around 27 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 15-21 FPS, a 6 FPS spread around 18 FPS. This tightening of the frame range as resolution increases further confirms GPU saturation — at higher pixel counts, the GPU has less idle time, reducing variance. The absence of min/max data for Low, High, and Ultra presets means those rows should be treated as average-only measurements.

Settings Recommendations

Based solely on the measured FPS data, the recommended configuration for this combo is 1080p Low, which delivers 49 FPS average — the only preset across all resolutions that approaches standard playability for an action RPG. However, the 1080p Medium row provides a more nuanced picture: 36 FPS average with a minimum of 31 FPS, meaning the frame rate never dips below 31 FPS in the measurement window. This is a more consistent experience than the Low preset, which has no recorded minimum but likely fluctuates more given it is not GPU-saturated at the same level.

For users prioritizing smoothness over visual quality, 1080p Low is the safest choice, as it provides the highest headroom above 30 FPS. For those wanting a marginally better visual experience, 1080p Medium offers a playable average with a documented floor of 31 FPS. The jump to High at 1080p costs 9 FPS on average (36 to 27) and drops below the 30 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for consistent play. Ultra at 1080p yields 25 FPS, which is borderline at best. All presets at 1440p and 4K fall below 30 FPS except for 1440p Low (37 FPS), but the step down from 1080p Low to 1440p Low costs 12 FPS — a 24% reduction — making the lower resolution the better trade-off. Ultimately, the data indicates that 1080p Medium is the best balance of visual fidelity and playability, with 1080p Low serving as the fallback for users who need maximum frame rate.