Minecraft

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 984th out of 1176 tested combos in Minecraft, placing it in the 16th percentile of all systems tested. This is a low-ranking combination, but the context matters: Minecraft is an exceptionally lightweight title for modern hardware, and the ranking reflects how this specific combo compares against every other CPU-GPU pairing in the database, including those with far more powerful components. The combo sits in the bottom 20% of tested configurations, which aligns with the Arc B390's position as an integrated graphics solution rather than a discrete GPU.

The CPU component, however, is a mid-range performer. The Core i5-11400F scores at the 71st percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 17177. This places it within 0.6% of the AMD EPYC 7H12 and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U, and within 0.4% of the Intel Core i5-12450H and AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G. The data indicates the processor is not the bottleneck in this pairing, it is the GPU that drags the combination down. The Arc B390's average benchmark score of 1482 puts it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all entry-level NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% ahead), GeForce 800M (1.5% ahead), GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% ahead), and GeForce GT 710 (2.7% ahead). This is a GPU that competes with decade-old integrated-class parts.

The measured FPS data confirms this imbalance. At 1080p with Low settings, this combo achieves 216 FPS, which is far above playable thresholds. Even at 4K with Ultra settings, it maintains 28 FPS, which is borderline but technically playable. The rank of 984 out of 1176 is heavily influenced by the GPU's lack of dedicated memory and low compute throughput. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads with a 4.40 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom for Minecraft's single-threaded physics and world-generation tasks, but the GPU's integrated nature limits the overall system score. The data shows a system that can handle the game at reasonable settings but will not compete with discrete GPU configurations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. At 1080p, all settings presets are playable, but the data reveals a clear sweet spot. The Medium preset delivers 171 FPS average with a minimum of 146 FPS and a maximum of 197 FPS. This provides a consistent frame pacing that exceeds the refresh rate of most standard monitors. High settings at 1080p drop to 136 FPS, which is still excellent, but Medium offers a 26% improvement over High while likely maintaining similar visual fidelity in Minecraft's blocky aesthetic. Ultra at 1080p falls to 85 FPS, which is the first preset where the frame rate approaches the 60 FPS baseline, it remains playable but represents a significant 50% reduction from Medium.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts. Medium settings produce 108 FPS average with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 124 FPS. This is the highest preset that maintains a solid 90+ FPS floor, making it the best choice for smooth gameplay at this resolution. High settings at 1440p drop to 86 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS but offers less headroom for demanding scenes. Low settings at 1440p reach 136 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial. The data suggests Medium at 1440p is the balanced choice, providing nearly double the frame rate of Ultra while keeping the experience fluid.

At 4K, the options narrow considerably. The Medium preset delivers 56 FPS average with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that stays above the 45 FPS threshold for most of the time, though it dips to 48 FPS at the minimum. High settings at 4K produce 45 FPS, which is playable but with occasional stutter. Low settings at 4K reach 71 FPS, which is surprisingly high and indicates that the GPU can handle Minecraft's simple geometry when settings are reduced. Ultra at 4K drops to 28 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for most users. The recommendation for 4K is Medium, as it provides the best balance between visual quality and playability, with the 48 FPS minimum still remaining above the 30 FPS floor.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is primarily GPU-limited, but not in the way one might expect. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 171 to 108, a 37% reduction. This is a substantial decline that indicates the GPU is struggling with the increased pixel count. From 1440p to 4K at Medium, the average drops from 108 to 56, a further 48% reduction. The scaling is roughly linear with pixel count, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.

However, the CPU's influence becomes apparent when examining the Low settings across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 216 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 136 FPS (37% reduction). At 4K Low, it falls to 71 FPS (48% reduction from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest the GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would plateau at higher settings rather than continuing to decline.

The Ultra preset tells a different story. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 85 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 54 FPS (36% reduction). At 4K Ultra, it falls to 28 FPS (48% reduction). The relative consistency of these percentage drops across all settings indicates that the Arc B390's compute throughput is the primary constraint. The GPU's 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply insufficient to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions with demanding settings. The CPU's single-thread score of 868 in 3DMark and 2024 in Cinebench R23 suggest it has enough headroom to feed the GPU in most scenarios, but the GPU's integrated nature with system-shared memory creates a bandwidth bottleneck that becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a wide range of performance across settings. Low settings produce 216 FPS average, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings deliver 171 FPS average with a minimum of 146 and a maximum of 197, providing a consistent experience. High settings drop to 136 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings fall to 85 FPS, which is the first preset where the frame rate approaches the 60-75 FPS range typical of mid-range systems. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 131 FPS, a 61% reduction, indicating the GPU's shading units are heavily taxed by the Ultra preset's effects.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings produce 136 FPS, Medium delivers 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 124, High drops to 86 FPS, and Ultra falls to 54 FPS. The Medium preset's 92 FPS minimum is notable because it keeps the experience above the 90 FPS threshold even during demanding scenes. The 1440p Ultra result of 54 FPS is the first preset in the dataset that dips below the 60 FPS baseline, making it marginal for competitive play but still acceptable for casual sessions.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes constrained. Low settings produce 71 FPS, which is surprising for an integrated GPU. Medium settings deliver 56 FPS with a minimum of 48 and a maximum of 65, making it the only 4K preset that maintains a playable floor. High settings drop to 45 FPS, which is at the edge of playability. Ultra settings fall to 28 FPS, which is below the standard 30 FPS minimum for acceptable gameplay. The 4K data shows a clear pattern: the GPU's 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs are insufficient for the pixel fill requirements at this resolution, even with Minecraft's relatively simple geometry.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor built on the Xe3-LPG architecture with a 3 nm process node. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 raster output units, and 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and boosts to 2500 MHz, producing a peak FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS. The memory configuration is entirely system-shared, meaning the GPU uses the CPU's DDR4 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This is a critical limitation: the memory bandwidth is "System Dependent," which in this case is the Core i5-11400F's 51.2 GB/s dual-channel DDR4-3200 bandwidth.

The GPU's benchmark results are modest. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA integrated and entry-level parts: the GeForce GT 520MX (1463 score, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). This places the Arc B390 at the very bottom of the GPU performance hierarchy, but the measured Minecraft results show it performs better than this ranking suggests.

The GPU's 2500 MHz boost clock is respectable for an integrated part, and its 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate and 120.0 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for Minecraft's blocky textures and simple lighting. The 12 RT cores are unused in this title, as Minecraft does not employ ray tracing in the tested presets. The system-shared memory is the key constraint: at 1080p, the GPU can maintain high frame rates because the texture data fits within the CPU's cache hierarchy, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth bottleneck becomes apparent. The 28 FPS Ultra 4K result is directly attributable to the memory subsystem struggling to feed the GPU's shader units with the increased resolution's texture and geometry data.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo playable at 1080p?

A: Yes, all tested settings at 1080p are playable. Low settings achieve 216 FPS, Medium delivers 171 FPS, High produces 136 FPS, and even Ultra maintains 85 FPS. The minimum FPS for Medium is 146, ensuring smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 1440p provide the best experience, with an average of 108 FPS, a minimum of 92 FPS, and a maximum of 124 FPS. This is the highest preset that maintains a 90+ FPS floor.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: 4K is possible but limited. Medium settings produce 56 FPS average with a 48 FPS minimum, which is playable. Low settings reach 71 FPS, but High (45 FPS) and Ultra (28 FPS) are below ideal thresholds.

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

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, which is 1.3% ahead of the GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M, 2.5% ahead of the GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% ahead of the GeForce GT 710.

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

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. The Core i5-11400F scores at the 71st CPU percentile, while the Arc B390 sits at the 9th GPU percentile. The frame rate scaling across resolutions (37% drop from 1080p to 1440p, 48% drop from 1440p to 4K) indicates GPU limitation.

Q: What is the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, the gap is 131 FPS (216 Low vs 85 Ultra). At 1440p, the gap is 82 FPS (136 Low vs 54 Ultra). At 4K, the gap is 43 FPS (71 Low vs 28 Ultra).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process node. It operates at a base clock of 2.60 GHz and boosts to 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a theoretical bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. It is an end-of-life product that launched in March 2021 with an MSRP of $157.

The CPU's benchmark scores are solid for its class. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14340 and a single-core score of 2024. In Geekbench, it scores 7737 multicore and 1777 single-core. The 3DMark tests show a scaling pattern from 868 (single-thread) to 5652 (max threads), indicating good multithreading efficiency. The PassMark multithread score of 16908 and single-thread score of 2981 further confirm its mid-range positioning.

In Minecraft, the CPU's role is primarily about single-thread performance and memory bandwidth. The game's world generation and entity updates are largely single-threaded, and the i5-11400F's 4.40 GHz boost clock and 868 3DMark single-thread score provide adequate headroom. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to become a bottleneck, the system achieves 216 FPS, indicating the CPU is not limiting the frame rate. The 12 MB of L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed game data close to the cores, reducing memory latency.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s is shared with the GPU, which is a critical interaction. At higher resolutions, the GPU's need for memory bandwidth increases, and the CPU's memory controller must serve both. The 4K results, particularly the 28 FPS Ultra result, suggest that the shared memory bandwidth is a limiting factor. However, the CPU itself is not the constraint: its 71st percentile ranking and 0.4% delta from the Intel Core i5-12450H demonstrate that it is a capable processor that can handle Minecraft's demands. The pairing with the Arc B390 creates a balanced system where the GPU is the weaker link, but the CPU provides enough performance to avoid becoming the bottleneck at any tested resolution or settings preset.