Fivem

Fivem is a multiplayer modification platform that stresses both CPU and GPU heavily depending on the populated server and scene complexity. This analysis covers the Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the Intel Arc B390, a combination that produces playable frame rates only at lower resolutions and settings. The measured data shows a system where the integrated-class GPU is the primary constraint, while the 24-core processor provides enough headroom to avoid being the main bottleneck in most tested scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows for Fivem reveal a clear hierarchy across the four available presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 88 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo at any resolution. This is the only setting that approaches the smooth 60+ FPS zone that most multiplayer games demand, given the fast-paced interactions typical of Fivem servers. The Medium preset at 1080p drops to 70 FPS average, still playable but with a noticeable 18 FPS penalty compared to Low. High at 1080p yields 56 FPS, which dips below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra at the same resolution falls to 43 FPS, which begins to feel sluggish for competitive play.

Given these numbers, the recommended preset for the best experience is Low at 1920x1080. The 88 FPS average provides the smoothest motion and lowest input latency, which matters in a multiplayer environment where reaction times are critical. The Medium preset at 1080p is a secondary option for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, but the 70 FPS average is still acceptable. However, the step from Low to Medium costs 18 FPS, a 20% reduction, which is substantial for a game where player density and script-heavy servers can cause additional frame drops beyond the measured averages.

At 2560x1440, the situation worsens significantly. Low delivers 58 FPS, which is borderline playable but not ideal for a game that can have sudden frame hitches when new players or vehicles load in. Medium at 1440p averages 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS, indicating noticeable variance that could lead to stutter during intense moments. High at 1440p drops to 37 FPS, and Ultra falls to 29 FPS, both of which are below the threshold for comfortable multiplayer gameplay. For 1440p users, Low is the only viable option, and even then, the 58 FPS average leaves little margin for server-side performance dips.

At 3840x2160, no preset is truly playable. Low averages 32 FPS, Medium averages 25 FPS with a minimum of 22 FPS, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. These figures are all below 60 FPS, and even the lowest preset fails to maintain a consistent 30 FPS in demanding scenes. The data suggests that 4K resolution should be avoided entirely with this combo for Fivem, as the frame rates are too low for a responsive multiplayer experience. The measured rows show a monotonic decline from Low to Ultra at every resolution, confirming that the preset slider has a predictable impact on performance.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process node. Its memory is designated as "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which implies that performance scales with the speed and configuration of the host system's memory, but no specific bandwidth figure is provided in the data. The GPU's base clock is 300 MHz, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. These clocks are relatively modest for gaming, and the GPU's benchmark score reflects its entry-level positioning: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

The nearest rivals for the Arc B390 in the benchmark database are all older, low-end NVIDIA parts. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower than the Arc B390. The GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower, and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. This clustering indicates that the Arc B390 performs in the same league as decade-old entry-level discrete GPUs, which explains its difficulty running Fivem at higher settings. In Fivem specifically, the GPU's limited shading units (1536) and texture mapping units (48) are insufficient to handle the game's draw calls and shader complexity at higher resolutions.

The frame rate data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 88 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed frames quickly, but the GPU struggles to keep up as settings increase. Moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p cuts the frame rate by more than half, from 88 FPS to 43 FPS, a 51% drop. This scaling is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload, where the graphics processor's fill rate and shader throughput are overwhelmed by increased visual effects. The Arc B390's pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are simply too low for Fivem's open-world rendering at higher presets.

The shared memory architecture also plays a role. Since the GPU has no dedicated VRAM, it competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth. In a game like Fivem, which can be CPU-intensive due to multiplayer scripting, this competition can cause hitches. However, the measured data does not include frame time variance beyond the min/max values for Medium settings, so the extent of this effect is not directly quantified. What is clear is that the Arc B390's overall performance profile, as evidenced by its 9th percentile ranking and its rival scores, makes it unsuitable for demanding gaming workloads.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2656 out of 3005 tested combos in Fivem. This places it in the bottom 12% of all configurations, a poor showing that reflects the GPU's limitations rather than the CPU's capabilities. The rank is determined by the measured FPS across all tested resolutions and settings, and the Arc B390's low scores drag the combo down despite the i9-14900K's high computational power.

To contextualize this rank, consider the CPU's standalone performance. The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79097 and sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 79371 (0.3% higher), the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus at 79574 (0.6% higher), and the AMD EPYC 7413 at 80041 (1.2% higher). The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7% lower than the i9-14900K. This CPU is a top-tier part that should excel in Fivem's CPU-heavy multiplayer logic, but the GPU's 9th percentile performance means the combo cannot translate that CPU strength into high frame rates.

In Fivem specifically, the combo rank of 2656 out of 3005 means that 349 tested combinations perform worse, while 2655 perform better. This is a stark contrast to the CPU's individual ranking, where only 5% of CPUs outperform it. The data indicates that if the same CPU were paired with a more capable GPU, the combo's rank would improve dramatically. The GPU's nearest rivals, all scoring within 1.3% to 2.7% of the Arc B390, would likely produce similar combo ranks if paired with the same CPU, confirming that the GPU is the weak link.

The average benchmark score for the Arc B390 is 1482, which is the same as its 3DMark Steel Nomad score, suggesting that this single benchmark is the only data point for GPU performance. This low score, combined with the measured FPS, paints a clear picture: the combo is ranked poorly because the GPU cannot deliver playable frame rates at higher settings or resolutions. The i9-14900K's 24 cores and 32 threads are overkill for a GPU that performs at the level of a GT 710, and the combo rank reflects this mismatch.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS for this combo shows a clear progression across settings. Low averages 88 FPS, which is the highest recorded value for any resolution or setting in the dataset. Medium averages 70 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, indicating that frame times are not entirely consistent but remain within a playable range. High averages 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra averages 43 FPS, which is the lowest at this resolution. The step from Low to Medium is 18 FPS, from Medium to High is 14 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 13 FPS, showing a relatively even degradation as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly. Low averages 58 FPS, which is exactly 30 FPS lower than at 1080p Low, a 34% reduction. Medium averages 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS, showing a wider variance than at 1080p. High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 29 FPS, which is a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p (45 FPS), but the percentages are similar. The data shows that 1440p Low is the only preset that comes close to 60 FPS, but it still falls short by 2 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are uniformly low. Low averages 32 FPS, Medium averages 25 FPS with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 16 FPS, which is a 50% reduction from Low to Ultra. None of these averages reach 60 FPS, and even the minimum FPS at Medium (22) is below what most players would consider acceptable. The 4K data suggests that this combo is not viable at this resolution for Fivem, regardless of settings.

Comparing the same settings across resolutions provides additional insight. For Low settings, the frame rates are 88 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. For Medium, they are 70 FPS, 46 FPS, and 25 FPS, respectively. For High, they are 56 FPS, 37 FPS, and 20 FPS. For Ultra, they are 43 FPS, 29 FPS, and 16 FPS. At every settings level, the frame rate roughly halves when moving from 1080p to 4K, which is expected given the fourfold increase in pixel count. However, the absolute values are so low at 4K that even the relative consistency does not make the experience playable.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals the extent to which the GPU is the bottleneck. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 increases the pixel count by 78%, and the measured FPS drops by approximately 30-35% for each settings level. For example, at Low, the drop is from 88 FPS to 58 FPS, a 34% reduction. At Medium, it is from 70 FPS to 46 FPS, a 34% reduction. At High, it is from 56 FPS to 37 FPS, a 34% reduction. At Ultra, it is from 43 FPS to 29 FPS, a 33% reduction. This consistent scaling suggests that the GPU is operating at its limits, and the increased pixel count directly translates to lower frame rates.

Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 increases the pixel count by 125%, and the frame rate drops are even steeper in percentage terms. At Low, the drop is from 58 FPS to 32 FPS, a 45% reduction. At Medium, it is from 46 FPS to 25 FPS, a 46% reduction. At High, it is from 37 FPS to 20 FPS, a 46% reduction. At Ultra, it is from 29 FPS to 16 FPS, a 45% reduction. The larger percentage drop from 1440p to 4K compared to 1080p to 1440p indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and fill rate are being exhausted more severely at higher resolutions.

The pattern of scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rates to remain relatively flat across resolutions, since the CPU workload does not increase with pixel count. Instead, the FPS drops sharply with each resolution increase, confirming that the Arc B390 is the primary constraint. The system shared memory and system dependent bandwidth mean that the GPU's performance is also tied to the memory subsystem, which can exacerbate the scaling at 4K where the demand for memory bandwidth is highest.

The data also shows diminishing returns at lower settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 88 FPS, which is close to what a 60 Hz display would need. At 1440p Low, it achieves 58 FPS, which is just below 60. At 4K Low, it achieves 32 FPS, which is half of 60. This suggests that even at the lowest settings, the GPU cannot maintain a 60 FPS experience at 1440p or higher. For players targeting 60 FPS, the only option is 1080p Low, and even that leaves only 28 FPS of headroom above the target.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process node. Its base clock is 3.20 GHz, and its boost clock is 6.00 GHz. It has 36 MB of shared L3 cache, with 2 MB of L2 cache per core and 80 KB of L1 cache per core. This is an extremely powerful CPU for gaming, as evidenced by its benchmark scores: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5, a Geekbench multi-core score of 21697 and a single-core score of 2655, and a PassMark multi-thread score of 58674 with a single-thread score of 4697.

In Fivem, the CPU's role is to handle the game's simulation logic, including player positions, vehicle physics, and server-side scripts. The i9-14900K's high single-core performance, as shown by its boost clock of 6.00 GHz and its Cinebench R15 single-core score of 324.5, is particularly important for this type of workload, where many operations are single-threaded. The measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in most cases, because the frame rates scale so strongly with resolution and settings, which are GPU-dependent variables.

However, the CPU's performance does set an upper bound on frame rates. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 88 FPS, which is likely close to the CPU's maximum frame rate in Fivem given the game's multiplayer overhead. If the GPU were more powerful, the CPU might be able to push higher frame rates, but the Arc B390 prevents the system from reaching that limit. The CPU's 24 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for Fivem, which typically benefits from a few fast cores rather than many slower ones. The i9-14900K's nearest rival, the i9-14900KF, scores 0.3% higher on average, and the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 0.6% higher, indicating that the i9-14900K is already at the top of the CPU performance curve.

The CPU's TDP is 125 W, and it uses the Intel Socket 1700 with support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its integrated graphics, UHD Graphics 770, are present but not used for rendering in this combo, as the Arc B390 is the active GPU. The CPU's 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs contrasts sharply with the GPU's 9th percentile ranking, highlighting the imbalance in this pairing. For Fivem, the CPU provides ample headroom, and the data indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield significant frame rate improvements, while upgrading the CPU would have minimal impact on the measured FPS at the current GPU's performance level.