High On Life

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a performance profile in High On Life that is heavily constrained by the graphics solution. The data indicates a system where the GPU is the definitive bottleneck across all tested resolutions, with the CPU’s capabilities remaining largely untapped. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, scaling behavior, and component roles based solely on the provided benchmark data.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a steep and consistent decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system produces an average of 50 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same preset drops the average to 35 FPS, a reduction of 15 frames. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 21 FPS. This pattern, where doubling the pixel count from 1080p to 4K roughly halves the frame rate, is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario.

The scaling is even more pronounced at the Ultra preset. The system manages 38 FPS at 1080p, but this drops to 26 FPS at 1440p and plummets to 16 FPS at 4K. The incremental penalties from 1080p to 1440p and then to 2160p are 12 and 10 frames respectively, showing that the graphics processor is saturated and cannot maintain performance as the rendering load increases. The fact that the frame rate drops by more than half from 1080p to 4K at the highest settings suggests the GPU is running out of compute resources, not that the CPU is limiting the system.

The data for the Low preset reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p Low, the average is 78 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 55 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 33 FPS. While the absolute numbers are higher than at High or Ultra settings, the relative drop-off is similar. The 23-frame difference between 1080p and 1440p Low, and the 22-frame difference between 1440p and 4K Low, indicate that the GPU’s fill rate and shading capacity are the primary constraints. A CPU bottleneck would typically show a plateau or a much smaller performance gap at lower resolutions where the CPU has to feed more frames per second.

The Medium preset provides the only complete min/max data in the pack. At 1080p Medium, the average is 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 and a maximum of 70. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 43 FPS, with a minimum of 36 and a maximum of 49. At 4K Medium, the average is 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 30. The consistent spread between minimum and maximum frames at each resolution suggests a stable workload for the GPU, with no stuttering that would point to CPU-side frame pacing issues. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is a 35 FPS loss, which is proportional to the increase in pixel count.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience for playable frame rates is achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This combination yields an average of 78 FPS, which is the highest average recorded for any configuration in this dataset. The next best option at 1080p is Medium, which produces an average of 61 FPS, still a playable level but with a significant 17 FPS penalty compared to Low. High settings at 1080p drop to 50 FPS, and Ultra falls to 38 FPS.

For users targeting 2560x1440, the data suggests that Low settings are the only viable option for smooth gameplay, with an average of 55 FPS. Medium at 1440p drops to 43 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but the margin for error is thinner. High and Ultra at 1440p are not recommended based on the data, as they produce averages of 35 FPS and 26 FPS respectively, which are likely to feel sluggish in a fast-paced FPS title.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that no preset achieves a desirable frame rate. Low settings produce an average of 33 FPS, which is the best result at 4K but still below the threshold for a fluid experience. Medium, High, and Ultra at 4K produce averages of 26, 21, and 16 FPS respectively. The data indicates that 4K gaming is not a practical target for this combo in High On Life.

The choice between Low and Medium at 1080p is the central decision. Low offers the highest frame rate and likely the most responsive feel for competitive play, while Medium provides a 61 FPS average with a minimum of 52 FPS, which might be preferable for visual fidelity if the user can tolerate the lower headroom. The minimum FPS data for Medium suggests it maintains a more consistent floor than High or Ultra, which lack min/max data in the pack. Given that the game is a single-player FPS, the 78 FPS at Low is the strongest measured performance, but Medium at 1080p represents a balanced compromise between the 33% frame rate increase over High and the 22% decrease from Low.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the clear limiting factor in this configuration. Its benchmark data shows a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This is a very low standing, and the nearest rivals in the data pack are all older, entry-level NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710. The Arc B390’s score is 1.3% higher than the GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GT 710. This places its raw compute performance in the same class as those legacy cards, which explains the difficulty in running a modern title like High On Life at high settings.

The GPU’s architecture is Xe3-LPG, built on a 3 nm process, with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Despite the modern architecture and relatively high boost clock, the shading units count is 1536, with 48 TMUs and 24 ROPs. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. These figures are modest, and the FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS is not sufficient for demanding 4K workloads. The memory configuration is described as "System Shared," with bandwidth that is "System Dependent." This means the GPU relies on the CPU’s DDR4 memory, which is a significant disadvantage for frame rates, as shared memory bandwidth is typically lower than dedicated VRAM.

The VRAM situation is a major factor. Since the memory size is "System Shared," there is no dedicated video memory. In a game like High On Life, which has detailed environments, the lack of fast, dedicated VRAM likely causes the GPU to struggle with texture loading and frame buffering at higher resolutions. This is consistent with the steep performance drop from 1080p to 4K, where the demand for memory bandwidth increases dramatically. The GPU’s TDP is 80 W, and it is an integrated graphics part (IGP), which further limits its thermal and power headroom compared to discrete solutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset for this combo in High On Life is as follows. At 1920x1080 (1080p), the Low preset averages 78 FPS. Medium averages 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. High averages 50 FPS. Ultra averages 38 FPS.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the Low preset averages 55 FPS. Medium averages 43 FPS, with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 49 FPS. High averages 35 FPS. Ultra averages 26 FPS.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the Low preset averages 33 FPS. Medium averages 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS. High averages 21 FPS. Ultra averages 16 FPS.

Interpreting these numbers, the 1080p Low result is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS. The 1080p Medium result is just above 60 FPS on average, but the minimum of 52 FPS indicates occasional dips. All other configurations fall below 60 FPS. The 1440p Low result at 55 FPS is the best 1440p outcome, but it is still under the 60 FPS mark. The 4K results are uniformly low, with the best being 33 FPS at Low settings. The data shows a linear relationship between settings and resolution, with no anomalies suggesting that the CPU is causing frame drops; the decreases are consistent with GPU load increases.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and setting for this combo in High On Life?*

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 with Low settings provides the highest average frame rate at 78 FPS. This is the only tested configuration that surpasses the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The data indicates it cannot run 4K smoothly. The highest 4K average is 33 FPS at Low settings, which is below typical playable standards. Ultra at 4K averages only 16 FPS.

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

A: The benchmark results strongly suggest the GPU is the bottleneck. The frame rate scales consistently with resolution, which is a hallmark of GPU limitation. The CPU’s high multi-threaded scores are not reflected in better performance at lower resolutions.

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

A: The Arc B390’s 3DMark score of 1482 is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GT 710. It is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 50 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 38 FPS. This is a 12 FPS difference, or a 24% drop in performance when moving from High to Ultra.

Q: Does the Medium preset offer consistent frame times?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data. At 1080p, it ranges from 52 to 70 FPS; at 1440p, from 36 to 49 FPS; and at 4K, from 22 to 30 FPS. The range is relatively narrow, suggesting stable frame pacing without severe stutters.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F 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 benchmark scores are robust: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and a single-core score of 2024. It also scores 7737 in Geekbench multi-core and 1777 in single-core. The Passmark multi-thread score is 16908, and the single-thread score is 2981. This places the CPU in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, indicating solid mainstream performance.

In the context of High On Life, the CPU’s role appears to be secondary. The measured FPS data shows that performance is limited by the GPU, as the frame rates do not improve dramatically at lower resolutions where the CPU would have to feed more frames. For example, at 1080p Low, the system averages 78 FPS, which is the highest in the dataset. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect similar frame rates across different resolutions, but instead we see a clear decline from 1080p to 4K. This indicates the CPU has ample headroom to compute game logic and physics, but the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to utilize that headroom.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, using dual-channel DDR4, is a factor. The GPU’s memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses the same DDR4 memory. This shared bandwidth could be a limiting factor for the GPU, but it also means the CPU’s memory controller is handling both game data and graphics data. Despite this, the CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 6022) suggests it is not the source of the low frame rates. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-12450H (with a delta of -0.4%) and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (delta of -0.6%), perform similarly in synthetic benchmarks, but the game’s frame rates are still dictated by the Arc B390.

Furthermore, the CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 512 KB per-core L2 cache are adequate for gaming. The fact that the CPU is end-of-life and was released in 2021 does not detract from its ability to handle this game’s CPU demands. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 78 FPS, which is a reasonable frame rate for a modern FPS, and the CPU’s single-thread performance (Cinebench R15 single-core score of 204) is sufficient for the game’s main thread. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall benchmark database for High On Life, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2608 out of 2958 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested with this game. The rank is a direct consequence of the GPU’s low performance, as the CPU’s individual standing is much higher. The combo’s poor ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows sub-60 FPS performance at most settings and resolutions.

The GPU’s 9th percentile ranking is the primary driver of this poor combo rank. The i5-11400F, on the other hand, sits in the 71st percentile, meaning it is a capable processor by itself. However, when paired with the Arc B390, the system’s overall capability is dragged down. The data from the nearest rivals for the GPU—all of which are low-end NVIDIA parts—confirms that this GPU is not designed for high-performance gaming. The 3DMark score of 1482 is a very low bar, and the game’s frame rates reflect that.

The combo rank of 2608 out of 2958 means there are 350 combos that perform worse in this game. This places it in a group of systems that are likely considered entry-level or for basic tasks, not for gaming at high settings. The measured data supports this, as the best case scenario (1080p Low) yields 78 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional. The rank also suggests that users with this combo would need to significantly lower expectations, such as using 1080p Low settings, to get a playable experience. The data does not indicate any hidden potential in this pairing; the GPU is the limiting factor, and the combo’s rank is a clear reflection of that physical constraint.