High On Life

High On Life, a 2022 FPS, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B370. This combination ranks 2715th out of 2958 tested combos for this specific game, placing it in the lower 8th percentile of all tested systems. The benchmark data indicates that this configuration is primarily limited by the graphics processor, which struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions, although the CPU provides sufficient headroom to support the GPU's output.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's overall rank of 2715 out of 2958 tested combinations places it in the bottom tier of systems capable of running High On Life. This position is heavily influenced by the Intel Arc B370's performance, which sits at the 5th percentile of all tested GPUs. The data suggests that while the CPU is a mid-range performer, the GPU acts as the bottleneck, preventing the system from achieving higher frame rates. The i5-11400F's own benchmark scores are respectable, with an average benchmark score of 17177, placing it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. This disparity between the CPU's and GPU's relative standings explains the combo's overall low rank, as the system's gaming capability is dictated by its weakest link in this context.

The GPU's performance is so constrained that it directly competes with much older, lower-end graphics cards. Its average benchmark score of 1184 is nearly identical to that of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186, a mere 0.2% difference. Similarly, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, placing the Arc B370 just 0.5% behind it. This context is crucial for understanding the system's capabilities; it is not competing with modern discrete GPUs but rather with legacy hardware from over a decade ago. This indicates that the combo's rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's severely limited processing power.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the primary determinant of this combo's performance in High On Life. The data shows it is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and can boost up to 2400 MHz. Critically, its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which implies that its performance is tied to the speed of the host system's DRAM. This shared memory architecture is a significant factor in its low performance, as it lacks the dedicated high-speed memory bandwidth that discrete GPUs use for texture and frame buffer operations.

The GPU's compute capabilities are also modest, with 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units. It has a peak FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. These specifications, while technically present, are far below what is required for demanding modern games at high resolutions. The GPU's low performance is reflected in its benchmark score: it achieves only 1184 points in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. This places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its position as an entry-level or legacy-tier component. The benchmark results in High On Life confirm this, with the GPU unable to push average frame rates above 70 FPS even at the lowest settings and resolution tested.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo are heavily dependent on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the system can achieve a playable experience, but only at lower presets. The Low preset yields an average of 70 FPS, which is the smoothest experience available. The Medium preset drops to 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS, which is still smooth enough for most players. The High preset at 45 FPS is borderline, while the Ultra preset at 34 FPS is not recommended for a fluid experience. For a balance of visual quality and performance, Medium at 1080p is the recommended starting point, as it maintains a playable frame rate while offering a significant visual upgrade over Low.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more challenging. The Low preset is the only option that provides a consistently playable experience, with an average of 49 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 38 FPS (minimum 33 FPS), which may be acceptable for slower-paced moments but could feel less responsive in action. The High preset at 32 FPS and Ultra at 24 FPS are below the threshold for smooth gameplay. For 1440p, the Low preset is the only viable choice for maintaining a stable frame rate. At 3840x2160, the system is not capable of providing a playable experience. The Low preset averages 30 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 23 FPS with a minimum of 20 FPS. The High and Ultra presets are effectively unplayable at 19 and 14 FPS, respectively. The data indicates that 4K gaming is not a realistic option for this combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 70, 55, 45, and 34 FPS for the Low, Medium, High, and Ultra presets, respectively. The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 47 and a maximum of 63, indicating a relatively stable frame time distribution. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop to 49, 38, 32, and 24 FPS for the same preset order. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a wider variance, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance collapses. The average frame rates are 30, 23, 19, and 14 FPS for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra, respectively. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 20 FPS and a maximum of 27 FPS, showcasing the significant strain placed on the GPU. The progression from 1080p to 4K demonstrates that the GPU's performance degrades exponentially with resolution, which is a hallmark of a system that is heavily GPU-bound. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p is 36 FPS, while at 4K, that difference shrinks to 16 FPS, as the GPU is already near its performance ceiling at the lower resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combination in High On Life?

A: The best resolution is 1920x1080. At this resolution, the system can achieve an average of 70 FPS on the Low preset and 55 FPS on the Medium preset, both of which are playable. Higher resolutions result in average frame rates that drop below 50 FPS, making them less suitable for a smooth experience.

Q: Can this system run High On Life at 4K?

A: The data shows that 4K gaming is not viable. At 3840x2160, the highest average frame rate achieved is 30 FPS on the Low preset. The High and Ultra presets average only 19 and 14 FPS, respectively, which is far below the standard for playability.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B370's average 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 is nearly identical to that of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190). It is slightly ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000, which scores 1168, by 1.4%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for this combo?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Core i5-11400F ranks in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, while the Intel Arc B370 ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. The large drop in frame rates as resolution increases points directly to the GPU being the primary bottleneck.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 70 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 34 FPS. This represents a 36 FPS drop in performance when comparing the two extremes of the settings presets.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates for the Medium preset?

A: For the Medium preset, the minimum frame rates are 47 FPS at 1920x1080, 33 FPS at 2560x1440, and 20 FPS at 3840x2160. These figures show that while the preset is playable at 1080p, it becomes increasingly unstable at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F provides the processing foundation for this combo. It is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 and 512 KB of L2 per core, along with a shared 12 MB L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and a single-core score of 2024. Its Geekbench scores are 7737 for multi-core and 1777 for single-core. These results position the CPU as a capable mid-range part, evidenced by its 71st percentile ranking among all CPUs.

The CPU's performance is more than adequate to feed the Arc B370 GPU in High On Life. The benchmark data shows that while the CPU is not the bottleneck, its performance is also not the primary driver of the system's frame rates. The CPU's closest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD EPYC 7H12 (17120, 0.3% slower), the Intel Core i5-12450H (17239, 0.4% faster), and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (17278, 0.6% faster). These comparisons show that the i5-11400F is competitively positioned within its performance class. The CPU's 65W TDP and support for DDR4 memory are consistent with a mainstream desktop processor designed for balanced workloads.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a clear and steep decline as resolution increases. At 1080p, the average frame rate across all settings is roughly 51 FPS. This drops to approximately 35.75 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of about 30%. At 4K, the average frame rate falls to 21.5 FPS, which is a further 40% reduction from 1440p and a 58% reduction from 1080p. This pattern of performance degradation is characteristic of a system that is severely GPU-limited. The GPU is the component responsible for rendering pixels, and as the pixel count increases from 2.07 million (1080p) to 8.29 million (4K), the workload on the GPU increases almost linearly.

The fact that frame rates do not scale proportionally with the pixel count indicates that the GPU is reaching its processing limits. For example, going from 1080p to 4K quadruples the pixel count, but the average frame rate at the Low preset only drops from 70 FPS to 30 FPS, which is a 57% reduction. This suggests that the GPU is not purely pixel-bound and is likely limited by its fill rate and memory bandwidth. The "System Shared" memory configuration further compounds this issue, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory access, which can cause stuttering and frame drops. The data confirms that the Intel Arc B370 is the definitive limiting component, and its performance dictates that this combo is only suitable for 1080p gaming.