High On Life

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a system that is fundamentally constrained by its graphics solution in High On Life, resulting in a combo ranking of 2608 out of 2958 tested configurations. The benchmark data indicates that this pairing sits in the lower percentile for playability, with the Arc B390's performance profile limiting the experience to low settings for acceptable frame rates. The following analysis breaks down the specific roles of the CPU and GPU, the impact of resolution scaling, and provides precise settings recommendations based on measured data.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 20 MB L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the processor achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and a single-core score of 3055, alongside a Geekbench multi-core score of 11268 and a single-core score of 2058. The Passmark multithread score stands at 25470, with a single-thread score of 3701. On the data compression test, the CPU scores 315521, and for floating-point math, it reaches 61319.

Within its performance tier, the i5-14400F sits at the 83rd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32279. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U with an average score of 32233 (0.1% slower), the Intel Core i9-11900 at 32226 (0.2% slower), the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS at 32354 (0.2% faster), and the Intel Core i7-12800H at 32121 (0.5% slower). These deltas are marginal, indicating that the i5-14400F's compute potential is well within a narrow band of comparable mobile and desktop parts.

In the context of High On Life, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. Given that the game is an FPS title with a release date of 2022-12-12, it does not appear to be heavily multi-threaded in a way that would saturate a 10-core, 16-thread part. The measured FPS data across all resolutions shows a pattern where frame rates are generally low, even at 1080p with Low settings. Specifically, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 78. This figure, while the highest in the dataset, suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect the FPS to scale more dramatically with resolution changes, but the data shows a consistent drop from 1080p to 1440p and 4K, which is characteristic of GPU limitation. The processor's strong single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1283 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3701, should be sufficient for the game's threading demands. The data implies that the i5-14400F is providing adequate headroom, and the frame rate ceiling is being set by the graphics card rather than the processor.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory for both capacity and bandwidth, with the bus width also listed as "System Shared." This architecture results in a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The B390 has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 raster output units, and 12 ray tracing cores. Its FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS, and FP16 at 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1). The TDP is listed at 80 W, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, the Arc B390 scores 1482, placing it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. This is a very low standing, and the nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463 (1.3% lower), the GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% lower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% lower), and the GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% lower). These comparisons highlight that the Arc B390's raw graphics compute is in the same league as entry-level discrete GPUs from over a decade ago, which is a critical factor in its performance in High On Life.

The GPU's role in this game is the dominant limiting factor. The measured FPS data confirms this unequivocally. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 78, but this drops to 50 at High settings and 38 at Ultra. The system shared memory configuration means that the GPU's performance is also dependent on the system's memory bandwidth, which is listed as "System Dependent." This creates a scenario where the GPU cannot handle the texture and geometry loads of a modern FPS title at higher settings. The low average scores in the Steel Nomad test (1482) directly correlate with the low FPS observed in-game. For instance, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 16, which is essentially unplayable. The data suggests that the Arc B390 is only capable of providing a playable experience at the lowest settings and resolutions, and even then, the frame rates are marginal for a fast-paced FPS where fluidity is critical.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound system. Starting at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 78. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low settings, the average FPS drops to 55, a reduction of roughly 30%. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS further drops to 33, which is about 58% lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline with resolution scaling confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU would not exhibit such a dramatic FPS loss from simply increasing the pixel count.

The same trend is observable across all settings presets. For High settings, the average FPS falls from 50 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p, and finally to 21 at 4K. At Medium settings, the progression is from 61 FPS at 1080p to 43 FPS at 1440p and 26 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings yield 38 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K. The relative drop between resolutions is consistent, which further supports the conclusion that the Arc B390's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being saturated. The data also includes minimum and maximum FPS for the Medium setting at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 52 and the maximum is 70. At 1440p Medium, the range is 36 to 49, and at 4K Medium, it is 22 to 30. These ranges show that the frame time consistency degrades as resolution increases, with the gap between minimum and maximum FPS narrowing but the absolute values dropping significantly, indicating that the GPU is struggling to maintain stable output.

This scaling behavior has a direct implication for the user: the system cannot maintain a playable frame rate at higher resolutions. The difference between 1080p and 4K is not just a matter of visual fidelity; it represents a shift from a technically playable 78 FPS at Low to an unplayable 16 FPS at Ultra. The data indicates that the limiting component is unequivocally the Intel Arc B390, as the CPU's performance metrics suggest it has ample headroom to handle the game's logic at any of these resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings preset for this combination is Low at 1920x1080, yielding an average FPS of 78. This is the only configuration in the dataset that approaches a comfortable frame rate for an FPS title. While 78 FPS is not exceptionally high, it is significantly better than any other option and provides a playable experience. The next best option is Medium at 1920x1080, with an average FPS of 61. This is a 22% drop from Low but still within a range that many players might find acceptable, though the minimum FPS of 52 suggests occasional dips. The data shows that at 1440p, the Low preset delivers 55 FPS, which is still feasible, but the Medium preset at 1440p drops to 43 FPS, which is on the edge of playability for a fast-paced game.

The Ultra preset is not recommended under any resolution. At 1920x1080, Ultra yields an average FPS of 38, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in an FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 26 FPS, and at 4K, it plummets to 16 FPS. The High preset also struggles, with 50 FPS at 1080p being the best case, but this is still 28 FPS lower than the Low preset at the same resolution. The analysis of the measured rows strongly suggests that the visual quality increase from Low to High or Ultra is not worth the substantial FPS penalty. The system's GPU is not capable of handling the additional render load at higher presets.

For players who prioritize a consistent experience, 1920x1080 with Low settings is the clear choice. The 78 FPS average provides a smooth baseline, and the lack of minimum FPS data for this preset suggests it is stable. If a player insists on higher visual fidelity, 1920x1080 with Medium settings is the only viable alternative, offering 61 FPS, but the data shows that the performance margin is thinner. The recommendation is to avoid 1440p and 4K altogether, as the FPS figures at those resolutions, even on Low, are below 60, which is a common standard for playability in competitive shooters.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the comprehensive database of tested configurations for High On Life, the combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2608 out of 2958 total combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all tested systems, indicating that it performs poorly relative to the vast majority of other CPU and GPU pairings tracked in the benchmark database. The rank of 2608 is a stark indicator of the system's overall capability in this specific game. The data shows that this combo is outperformed by 2607 other configurations, which is a substantial majority.

The GPU's low percentile ranking (9th) compared to the CPU's 83rd percentile is the primary reason for this poor overall position. The combo rank reflects the synergistic performance of the two components, and in this case, the GPU's severe limitation drags the entire system down. The nearest rival GPUs, such as the GeForce GT 710, which score similarly in the 3DMark test, are also likely to be paired with much older or weaker CPUs, yet the i5-14400F's strength cannot compensate for the Arc B390's weakness. The data suggests that even a high-end CPU like the i5-14400F cannot boost the gaming experience when paired with an IGP that is in the bottom 10% of all GPUs. This rank is a verdict on the entire build: it is not a viable combination for playing High On Life at any reasonable quality setting. The fact that it is ranked 2608 out of 2958 means that a user would have to accept significant compromises in both resolution and settings to achieve a playable frame rate, as evidenced by the measured FPS breakdown.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following table presents the exact measured average FPS data for each resolution and settings preset, as provided in the fact pack. The data includes minimum and maximum FPS where available, specifically for the Medium preset.

• 3840x2160 (4K)
• Ultra: Average FPS is 16.
• High: Average FPS is 21.
• Medium: Average FPS is 26, with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 30.
• Low: Average FPS is 33.

• 2560x1440 (1440p)
• Ultra: Average FPS is 26.
• High: Average FPS is 35.
• Medium: Average FPS is 43, with a minimum of 36 and a maximum of 49.
• Low: Average FPS is 55.

• 1920x1080 (1080p)
• Ultra: Average FPS is 38.
• High: Average FPS is 50.
• Medium: Average FPS is 61, with a minimum of 52 and a maximum of 70.
• Low: Average FPS is 78.

This breakdown confirms the analysis in the previous sections. The highest measured FPS is 78 at 1080p Low, and the lowest is 16 at 4K Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution is severe. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 40 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 29 FPS. At 4K, the difference is 17 FPS. The absolute numbers show that the system is only capable of producing a frame rate above 60 in a single configuration (1080p Low). The Medium preset at 1080p is the only other configuration that reaches a playable level, with an average of 61 FPS, but the minimum FPS of 52 indicates it can dip below the ideal threshold. The data is consistent and leaves no room for interpretation: the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting factor, and the i5-14400F's processing power is largely wasted in this pairing for High On Life.