Minecraft

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a distinctive profile in Minecraft, a game that is often more demanding on the CPU than the GPU due to its single-threaded physics and world-generation logic. The measured FPS data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics processor at higher resolutions, but which can achieve high frame rates at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, focusing on resolution scaling, comparative ranking, and the specific roles of the CPU and GPU in shaping the final experience.

Resolution Scaling

The most immediate observation from the measured data is the dramatic impact of resolution on frame rates. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 216 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings drops that average to 136 FPS, a reduction of 80 FPS. At 4K, the Low preset yields an average of just 71 FPS, which is a substantial 145 FPS lower than the 1080p result. This pattern indicates that the graphics processor is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a less severe drop in performance than the scaling from 1440p to 4K. For instance, at High settings, the average FPS goes from 136 at 1080p to 86 at 1440p, a 50 FPS drop. However, moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings sees the average fall from 86 FPS to 45 FPS, a 41 FPS drop. This suggests that while the GPU is heavily taxed at 1440p, the transition to 4K places an even greater strain on its processing capabilities, likely due to the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth limits of the Arc B390, which uses System Shared memory.

The data points to a clear bottleneck shift. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU's performance in handling the game's logic is likely the limiting factor, especially at lower graphics settings. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 131 FPS (216 vs 85), showing that the GPU still has a significant role. However, at 4K, the GPU is overwhelmingly the bottleneck, as evidenced by the fact that even the Low preset cannot break past 71 FPS average. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to a 28 FPS average, which is borderline unplayable for a smooth experience, highlighting the GPU's inability to handle the pixel throughput required at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Minecraft, this pairing ranks 984th out of 1176 combos. This places it in the lower percentile of systems, indicating that while it can run the game, it does not deliver top-tier performance compared to other possible CPU-GPU pairings. The ranking is a composite measure, and the data suggests that the GPU is the primary reason for this lower standing.

The GPU's individual benchmark percentile is 9, meaning it performs better than only 9% of all tested GPUs. This is a very low position and directly correlates with the combo's overall rank. The CPU, in contrast, sits at the 68th percentile compared to all CPUs, which is a much stronger position. The disparity between the CPU's relative strength and the GPU's relative weakness is the defining characteristic of this combo. The CPU is capable of feeding frames, but the GPU is not capable of rendering them quickly enough to achieve high rankings, particularly at higher resolutions.

The nearest rivals for the GPU, according to the data, are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710. The Arc B390's average score is 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the GT 520MX and 2.7% higher than the GT 710. This suggests that in terms of raw 3DMark performance, the Arc B390 is only marginally faster than these older, low-end dedicated graphics solutions. This context reinforces the idea that the GPU is a significant limiting factor for this system, especially in a game like Minecraft where draw distance and shader effects can be demanding on the graphics hardware.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on a 3nm process. Its performance characteristics are defined by its specifications and its shared memory architecture. The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. These clocks are unusual in that the base clock is very low, but the boost clock is reasonably high, suggesting that performance can vary significantly based on thermal and power headroom.

A critical specification is the memory configuration. The Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. Instead, it uses a portion of the system's DDR4 RAM, and its bandwidth is "System Dependent." This is a major factor in its performance, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth. In a game like Minecraft, which can have large texture and chunk data requirements, limited memory bandwidth can cause stuttering and lower average frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions where the framebuffer is larger.

The GPU's raw compute capabilities are relatively modest. It has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS. These figures, while not negligible, place the GPU firmly in the entry-level segment. The low ROP count of 24 is particularly relevant for 4K gaming, as ROPs handle pixel output. The data confirms this, as the 4K performance is the weakest area, with the Ultra preset managing only 28 FPS. The GPU's performance relative to its rivals, which are all older and much less capable parts, highlights its limitations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the user must be selective with settings. At 4K, the "High" preset averages 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The "Low" preset at 4K averages 71 FPS, making it the only 4K option that consistently breaks 60 FPS. Therefore, for 4K gaming, the Low preset is the recommended choice, as it provides a playable frame rate, though it will sacrifice visual quality.

At 1440p, the situation is more favorable. The "Medium" preset averages 108 FPS, which is excellent for a high refresh rate monitor. The "High" preset averages 86 FPS, which is also very playable. The "Ultra" preset drops to 54 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS mark. For 1440p, the Medium preset offers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The data shows a clear progression where the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this resolution.

At 1080p, the GPU has less of a bottleneck, and higher settings become viable. The "High" preset averages 136 FPS, and the "Medium" preset averages 171 FPS. The "Ultra" preset averages 85 FPS, which is still very playable. For 1080p, the Ultra preset is a viable option for users who prioritize visual quality, as it maintains an average above 60 FPS. However, for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, the Medium or High presets would be preferred to maximize frame rates. The Low preset at 1080p yields an average of 216 FPS, which is only useful for users with a 200Hz+ monitor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 3840x2160 (4K), the Ultra preset delivers an average of 28 FPS. The High preset improves this to 45 FPS. The Medium preset, which has min/max data, shows an average of 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. The Low preset is the most playable at 4K, with an average of 71 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), the Ultra preset averages 54 FPS. The High preset jumps to an average of 86 FPS. The Medium preset shows a strong average of 108 FPS, with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 124 FPS. The Low preset is the fastest at 1440p, achieving an average of 136 FPS.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), performance is the highest. The Ultra preset averages 85 FPS. The High preset significantly improves this to an average of 136 FPS. The Medium preset is even faster, with an average of 171 FPS, a minimum of 146 FPS, and a maximum of 197 FPS. The Low preset leads the pack with an average of 216 FPS. The data shows a consistent pattern where the Medium preset offers a significant performance boost over High, and the Low preset provides another substantial jump, indicating that the graphics settings have a linear impact on the GPU load.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, manufactured on a 14nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. With a TDP of 65W, it is a mainstream part. Its cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. This CPU supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s.

In the context of Minecraft, the CPU's single-thread performance is crucial. The CPU's benchmark scores reflect a decent level of single-core capability. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score is 1451, and its Geekbench single-core score is 1420. These scores indicate that the CPU is capable of handling the game's main logic thread. The Passmark single-thread score is 2541. In the benchmark for 3DMark with 2 threads, it scores 1350, which is a representative metric for lightly-threaded workloads.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance is also adequate. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 10283, and the Geekbench multi-core score is 6257. In a game like Minecraft, which can use multiple threads for chunk generation and rendering preparation, having 6 cores and 12 threads is beneficial. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 4748 and the max-thread score of 4735 show that the CPU scales reasonably well with additional threads.

However, the CPU's performance is likely not the primary bottleneck in this combo at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is able to feed the GPU with enough data to achieve 216 FPS on Low settings. This suggests that the CPU is not severely limiting performance at lower resolutions. At 4K, the frame rates are so low that the GPU is unequivocally the limiting factor. The CPU's role is to provide a stable frame pacing, and its 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it performs adequately in this capacity. The main constraint is the GPU's inability to process frames fast enough, especially at higher resolutions and settings.