Doom

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the Intel Arc B390 occupies a position near the bottom of the database's tested combinations for Doom, ranking 2580th out of 2930 combos. This places the system in the 12th percentile of tested hardware, indicating that while it can run the game, it does so with significant compromises. The data reveals a configuration where the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck, particularly at higher resolutions, while the CPU demonstrates sufficient headroom to handle the game's demands.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2580 out of 2930 tested configurations places it firmly in the lower quartile of performance for Doom. This is not a surprising result given the components involved, but the data reveals a nuanced story. The Intel Arc B390's individual benchmark percentile sits at just 9% of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. This score places it in the company of much older, entry-level discrete graphics cards, with its nearest rivals being the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (scoring 1463, 1.3% behind), the GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% behind), the GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% behind), and the GT 710 (1443, 2.7% behind).

The CPU, in contrast, is a much more capable component. The Intel Core i3-12100F ranks in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355 (scoring 13492, a 0% delta), the Intel Core i5-9500 (13452, 0.3% ahead), the Intel Core 5 120UL (13594, 0.7% behind), and the Intel Core i7-1250U (13351, 1.1% ahead). The performance delta between these CPUs is negligible, all within 1.1% of each other.

The stark contrast between the CPU's respectable standing and the GPU's lowly position explains the overall combo rank. The system's performance in Doom is being dictated almost entirely by the graphics solution. The data suggests that this is a pairing where the processor has significant untapped potential, waiting for a more powerful GPU to unlock it. The Arc B390, with only a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, is clearly the limiting factor in this equation.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10nm process node. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a TDP of 58W. The cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 12 MB L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, its multithreaded performance shows a score of 4,051 in 3DMark's 16-thread test and 4,026 in its 8-thread test, which is nearly identical. This indicates that the processor's 8 threads are fully utilized, but adding more threads beyond that point yields no additional benefit, as evidenced by the 4,023 score in the max-threads test.

For Doom, a game from 2016, the CPU's capabilities are more than adequate. The single-threaded performance is strong, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1,932. The processor's Cinebench R23 scores of 1,674 (single-core) and 11,860 (multi-core) further demonstrate its solid performance. The data suggests that the i3-12100F is not the bottleneck in this system for Doom. The frame rates are limited by the GPU, not the CPU.

The processor's memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5, along with its dual-channel memory bus, provides a flexible platform. Its PCIe Gen 5 interface with 16 lanes ensures that data can be fed to a discrete GPU without issue, although in this case, the GPU is integrated into the processor package. The 4-core, 8-thread configuration is sufficient for Doom's engine, which was designed for the multi-core processors of its era. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU has enough headroom to deliver its maximum potential performance to the GPU, but the GPU is unable to translate that into high frame rates.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, part of the Panther Lake chip, built on Intel's 3nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses a portion of the system's main memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This is a critical factor in its performance, as shared memory bandwidth is often a limiting factor for integrated graphics solutions.

The GPU specs show 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 raster output units (ROPs). It also includes 12 ray tracing cores. Its theoretical pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS. Despite these figures, the GPU's real-world performance in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test is a score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

The data reveals a significant disconnect between the GPU's theoretical specifications and its actual performance. The nearest rivals for the Arc B390 are all older, low-end discrete GPUs like the GT 710 and GT 520MX, which are products from a much earlier era. This indicates that while the architecture is modern, the implementation as an IGP with shared system memory severely hampers its ability to deliver playable frame rates in demanding scenarios. For Doom, the GPU's limited memory bandwidth and raw compute power become the primary constraint, preventing the system from achieving higher performance even when the CPU is capable of providing more data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates show a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution and settings increase. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its best results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 107, with Medium settings at 93 FPS, High settings at 78 FPS, and Ultra settings at 64 FPS. The Medium settings row shows a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS, indicating some variance but generally playable performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low settings yield an average of 69 FPS, Medium settings drop to 60 FPS (with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69), High settings fall to 51 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 41 FPS. At this resolution, the system is still able to maintain playable frame rates at lower settings, but the gap between settings levels is narrowing.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings average 37 FPS, Medium settings average 33 FPS (with a minimum of 28 and maximum of 37), High settings average 28 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to just 22 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is not a viable option for this combination, as even the lowest settings fail to reach a stable 60 FPS. The data shows a consistent pattern where the GPU's performance is heavily influenced by both resolution and settings, with the integrated graphics solution unable to keep up with the demands of higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best performance this combo can achieve in Doom?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 107, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that approaches a high refresh rate experience, though most settings at 1080p are playable.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in Doom?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the maximum average FPS is 37 (with Low settings), and the minimum average is 22 FPS (with Ultra settings). All 4K results are below 60 FPS, indicating a poor experience.

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

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, scores 13492 (a 0% difference), and the Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452 (0.3% higher). The performance is effectively identical among these processors.

Q: How does the GPU performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower. The GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, which is 2.7% lower, indicating the Arc B390 is only slightly faster than these legacy parts.

Q: At what settings and resolution is the frame rate most consistent?

A: The data shows the most consistent frame rate at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, where the average is 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS. This represents a stable experience without major dips.

Q: What is the limiting component for this combo in Doom?

A: The benchmark data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's performance percentile (68%) is significantly higher than the GPU's (9%), and frame rates drop dramatically as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience, the data points to 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This configuration delivers an average of 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without significant stuttering. The jump from Low (107 FPS) to Medium (93 FPS) costs 14 FPS but provides a visual quality improvement. The jump from Medium to High (78 FPS) costs another 15 FPS, and the jump to Ultra (64 FPS) costs an additional 14 FPS. The Medium preset offers the best balance between visual fidelity and performance, as it remains well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Low setting (69 FPS) is the only one that consistently stays above 60 FPS, with Medium (60 FPS) being borderline. For users at this resolution, Low is the recommended setting, as it provides a playable experience. High (51 FPS) and Ultra (41 FPS) fall below the ideal threshold. At 3840x2160, no setting provides a playable experience, as even Low (37 FPS) is well below 60 FPS. Users should avoid this resolution entirely for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a dramatic drop as resolution increases, which is a clear indicator of a GPU-bound system. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 78 to 51, a reduction of 27 FPS or roughly 35%. From 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 51 to 28, a reduction of 23 FPS or about 45%. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is from 78 FPS down to 28 FPS, a 64% decrease.

This pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the drop is from 107 FPS (1080p) to 69 FPS (1440p) to 37 FPS (4K). At Ultra settings, the drop is from 64 FPS to 41 FPS to 22 FPS. The scaling is not linear, with the biggest percentage drops occurring at the highest resolutions. This behavior is characteristic of a system where the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient for the increased pixel count. The CPU's performance, which is relatively strong, does not change with resolution, so the entire burden of resolution scaling falls on the GPU. The data strongly suggests that this Intel Arc B390 is a low-power integrated solution that is only suitable for 1080p gaming at medium-to-low settings in Doom, and its performance degrades rapidly as resolution demands increase.