High On Life

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a specific performance profile in High On Life, a game that scales heavily with resolution and graphical settings. The data indicates a combination that is capable of delivering smooth frame rates at 1080p, but which becomes increasingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, where the Arc B570’s limitations become the primary constraint. The measured FPS across resolutions shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as pixel count increases, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings widening substantially at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data for this combination reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling curve as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 119 FPS, which drops to 77 FPS on High settings. Moving to 2560x1440, these figures fall to 84 FPS and 54 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, the performance hits a wall: Low settings produce 51 FPS, and High settings drop to just 33 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p represents a roughly 29% performance loss on Low settings (119 to 84 FPS), while the jump to 4K from 1440p costs another 39% (84 to 51 FPS). This pattern strongly indicates that the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s performance headroom is not being fully utilized when pixel throughput demands increase.

The delta between Low and Ultra settings also expands dramatically with resolution. At 1080p, the gap between Low (119 FPS) and Ultra (58 FPS) is 61 FPS, a 51% reduction. At 1440p, the gap narrows to 43 FPS (84 to 41 FPS), and at 4K, it shrinks to 26 FPS (51 to 25 FPS). This compression of the settings range at higher resolutions is a strong indicator of GPU saturation. When the graphics card is fully occupied with pixel shading and memory bandwidth, the additional load from higher-quality textures and effects has less relative impact because the card is already near its throughput ceiling. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU can still keep the GPU fed, allowing Ultra settings to extract more visual fidelity without collapsing the frame rate entirely. At 4K, however, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even dropping to Low settings only recovers a modest 26 FPS over Ultra.

The 2560x1440 Medium setting row provides the only complete min/max data in the pack, with an average of 66 FPS, a minimum of 56 FPS, and a maximum of 75 FPS. This 19 FPS spread between minimum and maximum indicates some frame time variance, but it is not extreme. The 4K Medium row shows a tighter spread of 12 FPS (34 to 46 FPS), which suggests that at higher resolutions, the frame pacing becomes more consistent because the workload is more uniform and less dependent on CPU-side scene complexity. Overall, the resolution scaling analysis points to a system that is well-balanced at 1080p, but which will require significant settings reductions to maintain playable frame rates at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 93, with a minimum of 79 and a maximum of 107. This represents a solid, playable experience for most users.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: The 4K Ultra average of 25 FPS is less than half of the 1080p Ultra average of 58 FPS. This represents a 57% performance drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at the highest settings.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-13400F a bottleneck at 1440p High settings?

A: The data does not suggest a CPU bottleneck at this resolution. The 1440p High average of 54 FPS is consistent with GPU-limited scaling from 1080p High (77 FPS). The CPU’s multi-threaded benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604, far exceed what is needed for this frame rate.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 60 FPS target?

A: According to the measured data, 1080p Medium (93 FPS) and 1080p High (77 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (84 FPS) and Medium (66 FPS) meet the 60 FPS threshold, while High (54 FPS) falls short.

Q: How does the Arc B570's VRAM capacity affect 4K performance?

A: The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 380.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 4K, the average FPS drops to 33 on High settings, which suggests that the memory subsystem and compute units are saturated. The VRAM capacity is likely sufficient for the game’s assets, but the overall throughput is not enough for high-refresh 4K play.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: The average FPS goes from 84 on Low to 41 on Ultra, a difference of 43 FPS. This represents a 51% reduction in performance, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant load on the GPU.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the dominant component in determining this game’s performance, particularly at resolutions above 1080p. Built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and a 5 nm process, the GPU features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines. Its 10 GB of GDDR6 memory operates on a 160-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz, which is a modest clock speed for a modern discrete GPU. The benchmark data shows a PassMark G3D score of 14195 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

In the context of High On Life, the GPU’s raw compute and memory bandwidth are the primary drivers of frame rate at 1440p and 4K. The 4K High average of 33 FPS is a strong indicator that the card is working near its maximum capacity. The fact that 4K Low (51 FPS) is only 18 FPS higher than 4K High (33 FPS) suggests that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is still heavily loaded by the sheer pixel count. The 1440p results reinforce this: the progression from Low (84 FPS) to Ultra (41 FPS) shows a clear linear scaling, with each settings tier costing approximately 10-15 FPS. This is characteristic of a GPU that has ample compute resources but is constrained by fill rate and memory bandwidth.

The GPU’s FP32 throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s provide the theoretical foundation for these results. The 4K Ultra average of 25 FPS aligns well with the card’s overall performance class, as indicated by its nearest rivals. The Arc B570’s average benchmark score of 20556 is within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534) and within 0.1% of the Intel Arc A750 (20582). This suggests that in High On Life, the B570 behaves similarly to those cards, which are also mid-range performers. The VRAM size of 10 GB is not a limiting factor at 1080p or 1440p, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s becomes a bottleneck, preventing the card from delivering the frame rates that its compute units might otherwise achieve.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2356 out of 2958 tested combos in High On Life. This places it in the bottom 20% of all combinations tested, which is a notable finding given the individual component specifications. The CPU alone is a strong performer, sitting in the 77th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 25292. The GPU, however, is in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 20556. The fact that the combo ranks so low in this specific game suggests that High On Life is particularly demanding on the GPU, and the Arc B570’s mid-range performance is not sufficient to boost the overall experience.

This rank of 2356 out of 2958 indicates that the vast majority of other tested CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher frame rates in this title. The discrepancy between the CPU’s high percentile and the combo’s low rank underscores the GPU-bound nature of the game. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (avg score 25284, deltaPct 0) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (avg score 25365, deltaPct -0.3%), perform nearly identically to the i5-13400F in synthetic benchmarks. This means that swapping the CPU for a comparable model would not meaningfully change the game’s performance, as the frame rates are dictated almost entirely by the GPU.

The GPU’s nearest rivals paint a similar picture for the graphics side. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (avg score 20534, deltaPct 0.1%) and Intel Arc A750 (avg score 20582, deltaPct -0.1%) are within a fraction of a percent of the B570’s synthetic score. In real-world gaming, these cards would likely produce similar frame rates in High On Life, meaning the combo’s low rank is not an anomaly specific to this GPU, but rather a reflection of the game’s high performance requirements. The measured FPS data confirms this: even at 1080p Low, the system only achieves 119 FPS, which is far from the top-tier results that would place the combo higher in the rankings. The 4K Ultra result of 25 FPS is below the 30 FPS threshold often considered the minimum for playability, further cementing the combo’s lower position.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably. Low settings yield an average of 119 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play or high-refresh monitors. Medium settings drop the average to 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 and a maximum of 107. High settings produce 77 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 58 FPS. All four presets at 1080p are playable, with even Ultra exceeding 60 FPS. This resolution is clearly the sweet spot for this combination, offering a wide range of settings that can accommodate both visual quality and frame rate preferences.

At 2560x1440, the performance becomes more constrained. Low settings average 84 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium settings average 66 FPS (min 56, max 75), which remains above the 60 FPS target for most users. High settings drop to 54 FPS, falling below the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings average 41 FPS, which is marginal for a smooth experience. The 1440p resolution is playable on Low and Medium presets, but users seeking 60+ FPS will need to avoid High and Ultra settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overmatched. Low settings average 51 FPS, which is just above the 30 FPS minimum for playability but far from smooth. Medium settings average 40 FPS (min 34, max 46), which is borderline. High settings drop to 33 FPS, and Ultra settings average only 25 FPS. None of the 4K presets deliver a consistently smooth experience, and the data suggests that this resolution is not viable for this combination unless the user is willing to accept significant compromises in visual fidelity.

The settings progression at each resolution follows a similar pattern, with roughly a 20-30% performance penalty for each step from Low to Medium, Medium to High, and High to Ultra. The exception is the 4K Low to Medium transition, which only costs 11 FPS (51 to 40), suggesting that the GPU is already so saturated that the additional settings load has a reduced relative impact.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the ideal settings preset depends on the user’s resolution and frame rate priorities.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 58 FPS is the best choice for users who prioritize visual quality, as it remains above the 60 FPS standard. However, for users with a 144 Hz or higher refresh rate monitor, the Medium preset at 93 FPS provides a much smoother experience while still offering a substantial level of visual detail. The Low preset at 119 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rates are paramount, as the visual quality reduction is significant.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 66 FPS is the recommended choice, as it is the only preset that combines a minimum FPS of 56 with an average above 60. The Low preset at 84 FPS offers a comfortable margin for frame rate stability, but the visual step down from Medium is noticeable. The High preset at 54 FPS is acceptable for users who prefer visual fidelity over frame rate, but the risk of drops below 50 FPS is present. The Ultra preset at 41 FPS is not recommended for general play, as it sacrifices too much performance for marginal visual gains.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that none of the presets provide a satisfactory experience. The Low preset at 51 FPS is the most playable, but it still fails to maintain a consistent 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 40 FPS is playable but requires tolerance for frame rate dips to 34 FPS. The High (33 FPS) and Ultra (25 FPS) presets are not recommended for any serious gameplay. Users with 4K displays should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p or accepting the Low preset with its reduced visual quality. The overall recommendation is to play at 1080p with Medium or High settings for the best balance of visual quality and performance, or at 1440p with Medium settings if the display supports it.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Raptor Lake-S architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a versatile mid-range CPU. In synthetic benchmarks, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and a single-core score of 3191, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. These scores indicate that the CPU has substantial multi-threaded and single-threaded performance, far exceeding the requirements of most modern games.

In High On Life, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 119 FPS, which is a frame rate that would begin to stress most CPUs. However, the fact that the frame rate drops to 84 FPS at 1440p Low (a 29% reduction) and 51 FPS at 4K Low (a 39% reduction from 1440p) indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the CPU’s workload does not increase significantly with resolution. The data shows a clear decline in FPS as resolution increases, which is the hallmark of GPU-bound performance.

The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as the 3DMark max threads score of 7307 and the PassMark multi-thread score of 25032, provide further evidence that it is not a constraint. The nearest CPU rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, have nearly identical average benchmark scores (25284 and 25365 respectively), with deltaPct values of 0% and -0.3%. This suggests that the i5-13400F’s performance is directly comparable to other mid-range CPUs from the same era. In High On Life, the CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient to handle the game’s physics, AI, and scene management, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of frame rate. The lack of integrated graphics on this CPU is irrelevant, as the discrete Arc B570 handles all rendering duties. Ultimately, the CPU is a capable partner that will not hold back the GPU in this title, but it also cannot compensate for the GPU’s mid-range performance ceiling.