High On Life

High On Life, an FPS released on 2022-12-12, presents a demanding workload for the tested combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and Intel Arc B390. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is consistently constrained by its graphics component, with the data indicating a clear performance ceiling that prevents playable frame rates at higher presets. The benchmark results show that while the CPU offers substantial headroom, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at every tested configuration, limiting the overall gaming experience to lower resolutions and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable but steep decline in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the "High" preset, the average frame rate drops from 50 FPS at 1080p to 35 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 21 FPS at 4K. This represents a 30% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 40% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings, indicating that the GPU is the limiting component, as the workload scales directly with pixel count.

The "Low" preset exhibits a similar trend, with average FPS falling from 78 at 1080p to 55 at 1440p and 33 at 4K. The percentage drops are 29% and 40% respectively, mirroring the "High" preset's scaling. This uniformity suggests that the performance penalty is purely resolution-driven, with no indication of a CPU bottleneck that would cause disproportionate drops at lower resolutions. The "Medium" preset shows the same pattern, with averages of 61, 43, and 26 FPS across the three resolutions.

The most significant observation from the resolution scaling data is the harsh penalty incurred at 4K. The average FPS at 3840x2160 never exceeds 33 FPS even at the "Low" preset, and drops to a mere 16 FPS at "Ultra". These figures indicate that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in High On Life, as even the lowest settings fail to provide a fluid experience. The data strongly suggests that the pixel throughput of the Intel Arc B390 is insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in this title, regardless of the graphics settings applied.

At 1440p, the situation is marginally better but still problematic. The "Low" preset achieves 55 FPS, which is approaching playability, but the "Medium" preset falls to 43 FPS, and "High" drops to 35 FPS. The "Ultra" preset at 1440p averages only 26 FPS, which is not suitable for a fast-paced FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where the render resolution is the dominant factor in determining frame rate.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive factor in this combo's performance, and its specifications align with the measured results. The GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The chip is based on the Xe3-LPG architecture on a 3 nm process. Its FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS, which is a modest figure for modern gaming. The GPU's average benchmark score is 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

The VRAM situation is critical to understanding the results. The memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared", with bandwidth noted as "System Dependent". This means the GPU relies on the system's main DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. In High On Life, which has substantial texture and geometry data, this shared memory configuration likely contributes to the low performance, especially at higher resolutions where memory pressure increases. The system shared memory setup is a notable weakness for this title.

The nearest rivals for the Arc B390, based on average benchmark scores, are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710, with delta percentages of 1.3, 1.5, 2.5, and 2.7 respectively. These rivals are all older, low-end mobile or OEM parts, which contextualizes the Arc B390's performance class. The measured FPS in High On Life aligns with this classification, as the card struggles to maintain high frame rates even at 1080p with medium settings. The GPU's 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates that it is in the bottom tier of performance.

The boost clock of 2500 MHz is the highest figure among the clock specifications, but it does not compensate for the limited shading units and memory bandwidth. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums that are not achievable in real-world gaming scenarios due to the memory constraints. The data shows that the GPU's raw compute capability is insufficient for High On Life's demands, and the shared memory architecture further exacerbates the issue.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for High On Life, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2608 out of 2958 total combos. This places it in the bottom 11.8% of all tested systems for this game, confirming that it is a low-performing configuration relative to the broader sample. The rank of 2608 indicates that the vast majority of other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher frame rates in High On Life.

The combo's rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's limitations. The Ryzen 7 9700F is a high-end CPU with an average benchmark score of 69996, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (deltaPct 0.2), Intel Core i7-14700KF (deltaPct -0.2), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (deltaPct 0.7), and Intel Core i7-14700K (deltaPct 0.9). This CPU performance is clearly not the limiting factor in the combo's rank.

The discrepancy between the CPU's high percentile (94th) and the combo's low rank (2608th) highlights the severe bottleneck created by the Arc B390. The data suggests that pairing a top-tier CPU with this particular GPU results in a system that performs far below what the CPU alone would suggest. The combo rank is a direct reflection of the GPU's 9th percentile standing, and the measured FPS numbers corroborate this assessment. The system is effectively GPU-bound in all scenarios, and the CPU's potential is left largely untapped.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the "Low" preset delivers the highest average FPS at 78, with "Medium" at 61, "High" at 50, and "Ultra" at 38. The "Medium" preset also records a minimum FPS of 52 and a maximum of 70, indicating some frame time variance. The "Low" preset is the only one that approaches the 60 FPS threshold, while "Ultra" falls well below it. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy at 1080p, with each preset step costing roughly 11-13 FPS on average.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 55 FPS for "Low", 43 FPS for "Medium", 35 FPS for "High", and 26 FPS for "Ultra". The "Medium" preset shows a minimum of 36 and maximum of 49 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, with an average reduction of about 23-24%. The "Low" preset remains the only one that is close to playable, while "High" and "Ultra" are clearly not suitable for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the averages drop to 33 FPS for "Low", 26 FPS for "Medium", 21 FPS for "High", and 16 FPS for "Ultra". The "Medium" preset records a minimum of 22 and maximum of 30 FPS. None of these frame rates are acceptable for a responsive FPS experience. The 4K data shows that the GPU is overwhelmed, and even the "Low" preset cannot maintain a stable 30 FPS, with the average barely exceeding that threshold. The "Ultra" preset at 4K is essentially unplayable.

The complete dataset reveals a consistent pattern: the "Low" preset always provides the highest average FPS, and the "Ultra" preset always provides the lowest. The difference between "Low" and "Ultra" is substantial at every resolution, ranging from a 40 FPS gap at 1080p to a 17 FPS gap at 4K. The "Medium" preset serves as a middle ground, but its performance is still significantly below the "Low" preset's figures.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the "Low" preset is the only viable option for this combo in High On Life. At 1920x1080, the "Low" preset achieves an average of 78 FPS, which is the only configuration that provides a consistently smooth experience. The "Medium" preset at 1080p, with an average of 61 FPS, is also acceptable but offers less headroom and shows a minimum FPS of 52, which could lead to noticeable stutters in demanding scenes.

For users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, the "Low" preset at 1080p is the clear recommendation. The data shows that this configuration delivers the best performance with an average FPS that is 28% higher than "Medium" and 56% higher than "High" at the same resolution. The "Low" preset is the only one that consistently stays above 70 FPS, providing a significant margin for maintaining smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the "Low" preset with an average of 55 FPS is the only playable option, but it is borderline. The "Medium" preset at 43 FPS is not recommended for a fast-paced FPS, as frame rates below 45 FPS can feel sluggish. At 3840x2160, no preset is recommended, as even the "Low" preset averages only 33 FPS, which is below the threshold for acceptable playability.

The "Ultra" preset should be avoided entirely. The data shows that it averages 38 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K. These frame rates are far too low for a responsive gaming experience. The performance cost of "Ultra" over "High" is substantial, with a 24% reduction in average FPS at 1080p, and this cost does not yield a playable result at any resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this CPU-GPU pairing?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with "Low" settings provides the highest average FPS at 78, making it the only configuration that delivers a consistently smooth experience in High On Life.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in High On Life?

A: No. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 16 on "Ultra" to 33 on "Low", none of which are suitable for playable frame rates.

Q: How does the CPU performance compare to the GPU performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is in the 94th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 69996, while the Intel Arc B390 is in the 9th percentile with a score of 1482, indicating a severe GPU bottleneck.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between "Low" and "Ultra" settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the "Low" preset averages 78 FPS, while the "Ultra" preset averages 38 FPS, representing a 40 FPS difference.

Q: Is the "Medium" preset at 1440p a viable option?

A: The "Medium" preset at 2560x1440 averages 43 FPS with a minimum of 36 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a fast-paced FPS, so it is not recommended.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile ranking?

A: The Intel Arc B390 is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It has a 32 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus. The CPU's average benchmark score is 69996, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (deltaPct 0.2), Intel Core i7-14700KF (deltaPct -0.2), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (deltaPct 0.7), and Intel Core i7-14700K (deltaPct 0.9).

In High On Life, the CPU's role is largely secondary to the GPU, as the measured FPS data shows consistent scaling with resolution that indicates a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's high single-thread and multi-thread performance, evidenced by its Passmark scores (4691 single-thread, 36470 multi-thread), is more than sufficient to feed the Arc B390. The data does not show any signs of CPU bottlenecking, as frame rates do not plateau at lower resolutions, which would be indicative of a CPU limitation.

The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are ample for High On Life's threading model, and the high boost clock of 5.50 GHz provides strong per-core performance. The 32 MB L3 cache is also beneficial for gaming workloads. However, these advantages are rendered moot by the GPU's performance ceiling. The combo rank of 2608 out of 2958 is directly attributable to the GPU, as the CPU's percentile ranking would suggest a much higher overall position if paired with a more capable graphics card. The data indicates that the Ryzen 7 9700F is not a limiting factor in this configuration.