Downfall

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a fascinating case study in hardware bottlenecks. The CPU is a high-end desktop processor, while the GPU is an integrated graphics solution that ranks in the 9th percentile of all tested GPUs. The measured frame rates in Downfall illustrate a system almost entirely constrained by its graphics solution, creating a unique scaling pattern that prioritizes settings adjustments over resolution changes to achieve playable performance.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a stark reality: resolution scaling has a dramatic impact on performance, but the pattern is not uniform across all settings. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 106 FPS at 1920x1080 to 76 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 30 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average falls further to 47 FPS. This represents a 55.7% drop in performance from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the GPU is being pushed to its limits as pixel count increases.

The High settings preset tells a similar story but with a less severe absolute decline. At 1920x1080, the average is 71 FPS. This drops to 51 FPS at 2560x1440 and then to 32 FPS at 3840x2160. The jump from 1440p to 4K at High settings is a 19 FPS loss, which is proportionally larger than the 20 FPS loss seen when moving from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that the GPU's rendering resources are becoming exhausted more quickly at higher resolutions when more complex effects are enabled.

The Ultra preset shows the most extreme scaling. Performance starts at a modest 44 FPS average at 1080p, which is already below the 60 FPS threshold many users consider playable. At 1440p, it drops to 32 FPS, and at 4K, it plummets to just 20 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is a 54.5% reduction from the 1080p Ultra score. This severe drop indicates that the combination of high resolution and maximum graphical fidelity overwhelms the Intel Arc B390's capabilities, rendering the Ultra preset at 4K virtually unplayable.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. The Intel Core i5-14600K, with its 14 cores and boost clock of 5.30 GHz, is a processor that ranks in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. It is highly unlikely that this CPU is the bottleneck at any resolution, especially at 4K where the GPU is struggling to maintain even 32 FPS on High settings. The data implies that the CPU has significant headroom, and the performance ceiling is set almost entirely by the integrated graphics solution's ability to process pixels and execute shader instructions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the primary determinant of performance in this configuration. Its benchmark score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This is a very low score, and the nearest rivals confirm its position: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 (1.3% slower), the GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% slower), and the GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% slower). The Arc B390 is only slightly faster than these legacy mobile and OEM parts, which contextualizes its performance as being in the entry-level or integrated graphics tier.

The GPU's architecture is Xe3-LPG, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The memory configuration is entirely system-shared, meaning it uses a portion of the main system RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which is a crucial detail. This means the GPU's effective memory bandwidth is tied to the speed and configuration of the system's DDR4 or DDR5 memory, rather than a fixed, dedicated bus. This can introduce additional latency and bandwidth limitations, particularly at higher resolutions where the demand for texture data and framebuffer space increases.

The GPU includes 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. It also has 12 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. These specifications are modest, and the FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS confirms its position as a low-power part (80 W TDP). In Downfall, the GPU's lack of dedicated VRAM likely contributes to the significant performance drops at 4K. The system-shared memory must be accessed through the same bus as the CPU, and the "System Dependent" bandwidth means that at higher resolutions, the GPU may be starved for data, further limiting its already low throughput.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2589 out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the bottom 11.6% of all configurations. The rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's limited capabilities. While the CPU is a top-tier performer, its contribution to gaming frame rates is secondary to the GPU. The data shows that this combo is outperformed by the vast majority of systems, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor holding back an otherwise powerful processor.

This ranking is consistent with the GPU's own percentile ranking. The Arc B390 is in the 9th percentile of GPUs, and the combo's rank in the 11.6th percentile of combos is slightly better, likely due to the CPU's strong performance in specific tasks that can offload some work from the GPU. However, the overall picture is clear: this is not a gaming-oriented configuration. The CPU's high average benchmark score of 48618 is irrelevant to the gaming experience when the GPU cannot keep up with the rendering demands. The combo's rank confirms the importance of balance in a system; a powerful CPU cannot compensate for a weak GPU in a graphically intensive title like Downfall.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience in Downfall with this hardware depends heavily on the user's target resolution and tolerance for frame rate fluctuations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 106 FPS, which is excellent for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset still provides a very playable 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS, suggesting that it is a viable option for users who want better visual quality without sacrificing responsiveness. High at 1080p yields 71 FPS, which is acceptable, but Ultra drops to 44 FPS, which may feel less fluid.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only setting that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, with an average of 76 FPS. Medium drops to 62 FPS, which is still playable, but High at 51 FPS and Ultra at 32 FPS fall below the preferred threshold for smooth action. The data suggests that at 1440p, users should stick to Low or Medium settings to maintain a good balance between visual quality and performance. Pushing to High or Ultra will result in a noticeably less responsive experience.

For 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. Even the Low preset only manages an average of 47 FPS. Medium achieves 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS, and High drops to 32 FPS. Ultra is effectively unplayable at 20 FPS. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only practical choice, and users must accept that frame rates will hover below 50 FPS. The recommended approach is to prioritize resolution only if a lower frame rate is acceptable, or to prioritize frame rate by playing at 1080p with Medium or High settings, where the data shows a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Downfall with this hardware?*

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 provides the most headroom. At this resolution, Low and Medium settings produce average frame rates of 106 FPS and 87 FPS, respectively. At 2560x1440, performance is more limited, with only Low exceeding 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches an average above 47 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score is 1482. It is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M (1460), and 2.5% faster than the GT 625 OEM (1446). These are all marginal differences, placing the Arc B390 in the same performance tier as these older entry-level parts.

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

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Intel Core i5-14600K ranks in the 90th percentile of CPUs, while the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of GPUs. The severe frame rate drops at higher resolutions and settings are consistent with a GPU that has limited rendering resources, not a CPU that is struggling to feed it.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2589 out of 2928 tested combinations in Downfall. This places it in the bottom 11.6% of all configurations, which is expected given the GPU's low benchmark percentile and the game's dependence on graphics hardware.

Q: Does the GPU have dedicated memory?

A: No. The Intel Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, with a bus width and bandwidth that are also "System Shared" and "System Dependent." This means it relies on the system's main memory, and its bandwidth is tied to the system's memory configuration, which can impact performance at higher resolutions.

Q: What settings should be used for a 60 FPS target?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low (106 FPS) and Medium (87 FPS) presets both exceed this target. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (76 FPS) achieves an average above 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, none of the presets reach an average of 60 FPS, with Low being the highest at 47 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a high-performance desktop processor that plays a secondary, yet supportive, role in this configuration. It features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its architecture is Raptor Lake, built on a 10 nm process. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 24 MB L3 cache. This robust specification allows it to handle complex game logic, physics, and AI tasks without breaking a sweat.

The CPU's benchmark scores confirm its high-end status. It scores 24491 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2064 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 16673 multi-core and 2491 single-core. Its Passmark multithread score is 38682, and its single-thread score is 4270. These figures place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (0.2% slower), the AMD EPYC 4345P (0.3% faster), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (0.7% faster). This level of performance means that the CPU is more than capable of keeping up with the GPU's output.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is to handle the non-rendering aspects of the game. The fact that frame rates scale so dramatically with resolution and settings suggests that the CPU is never the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions, as the CPU would be unable to process frames any faster regardless of the GPU's workload. The data shows the opposite: frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU is effectively providing a high-performance foundation, but the gaming experience is entirely dictated by the Intel Arc B390's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured average FPS data for Downfall with the Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B390.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 106 FPS. The Medium preset averages 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. The High preset averages 71 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 44 FPS. This shows a clear progression, with Low being the only preset that provides a significant margin above 100 FPS, and Ultra falling below 50 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 76 FPS. The Medium preset averages 62 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. The High preset averages 51 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 32 FPS. At this resolution, the gap between Low and Ultra is 44 FPS, highlighting the GPU's struggle with higher pixel counts.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 47 FPS. The Medium preset averages 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS. The High preset averages 32 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 20 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly low, with even the Low preset failing to reach 50 FPS, and the Ultra preset being nearly unplayable.

The data across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern: the performance delta between Low and Ultra is significant, and the impact of resolution is severe. The only preset that provides a consistently smooth experience at 1080p is Low, while at 1440p and 4K, users must make significant compromises on visual quality to maintain playable frame rates. The measured FPS values are the definitive evidence of the GPU's limitations in this title.