Minimum

# Minimum: AMD Ryzen 5 4600G + Intel Arc B390

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G paired with the Intel Arc B390 is a combination that lands in the 2602nd position out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the 11th percentile of all tested systems. This is a modest ranking that reflects a CPU with strong multi-threaded potential but a GPU that sits near the bottom of the performance ladder. The data reveals a system where the graphics processor is the overwhelming bottleneck, and the CPU's capabilities are largely untapped in gaming workloads. This analysis examines how each component's characteristics influence the measured frame rates, how resolution changes shift the balance, and what settings offer the most playable experience.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration, delivering a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s.

Benchmark data shows this CPU performing solidly for its class. In Cinebench R23, it scores 13593 in multi-core and 1919 in single-core. Geekbench results show 6637 multi-core and 1460 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score is 15992, and the single-thread score is 2653. These numbers place the CPU at the 71st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17507. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE, which scores 17482 (0.1% higher), and the Intel Core i3-14100T, which scores 17648 (0.8% higher). The AMD Ryzen 3 8300GE scores 17614 (0.6% higher), while the Intel Core 7 150U scores 17395 (0.6% lower).

For a game like Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, the 6-core/12-thread configuration is more than sufficient to handle the game's threading demands. Modern gaming workloads rarely scale beyond 8 threads, and the Ryzen 5 4600G's 12 threads provide ample headroom. The single-thread performance, while not class-leading, is adequate for the game's primary logic thread. The data suggests that this CPU is not the limiting factor in this combination. Even at 1080p Low, where CPU overhead is most visible, the system achieves 95 FPS, indicating the processor is keeping up with the GPU's output. At higher resolutions, the CPU's role diminishes further, as the GPU becomes the clear constraint. The 3DMark scores reinforce this interpretation: 4863 in the 16-thread test and 4889 in the max-thread test, showing that multi-threaded scaling is consistent, but the single-thread score of 726 in 3DMark suggests the per-core performance is modest compared to newer designs.

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

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on Intel's 3 nm process under the Panther Lake chip. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 300 MHz, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Memory is system-shared, with bandwidth listed as system dependent. The GPU's compute capabilities include 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 15.36 TFLOPS of FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s.

The GPU's benchmark results are stark. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 1482, placing it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% higher), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% higher), GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% higher), and GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% higher). This is a GPU that competes with integrated and entry-level discrete solutions from over a decade ago.

In Minimum, the Arc B390's performance reflects its low percentile ranking. At 1080p Low, it manages 95 FPS, which is playable but far from the high refresh rates that modern shooters target. At 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 46 FPS, a significant reduction. The 12 ray tracing cores are irrelevant for this game, as Minimum does not feature ray tracing workloads. The system-shared memory means that VRAM is not a fixed quantity, but the game's modest requirements are not the issue. The bottleneck is raw shading and texture throughput. The 120.0 GTexel/s texture rate and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are the specifications that determine how quickly the GPU can fill pixels, and the measured frame rates align with these limited figures. The GPU's 80 W TDP and IGP form factor indicate it is designed for low-power scenarios, not high-performance gaming.

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

The measured data shows a clear pattern of frame rate degradation as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound system. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 95. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 61 FPS, a 35.8% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 33 FPS, a 65.3% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint, as pixel count increases demand more shading and fill rate work.

The scaling across settings tells a similar story. At 1080p High, the average is 61 FPS, which drops to 39 FPS at 1440p High (36.1% reduction) and 21 FPS at 4K High (65.6% reduction). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings levels suggests that the GPU is saturated regardless of the quality preset. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller percentage drops at lower resolutions, where the CPU's workload remains constant while the GPU's workload decreases. Instead, the data shows that even at 1080p Low, the system cannot exceed 95 FPS, which is a moderate frame rate for a 2014 shooter. This suggests the GPU is already near its limit even at the lowest settings.

The Medium settings row provides additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 72 FPS with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 83. At 1440p Medium, the average is 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 54. At 4K Medium, the average is 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 and a maximum of 29. The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases, which is typical of a GPU that is consistently pushed to its limits. The CPU's 12 threads and 3DMark scores are more than sufficient for this game, so the resolution scaling pattern is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's limited compute and memory bandwidth. The system-shared memory, with bandwidth dependent on the platform, further constrains performance at higher resolutions where memory traffic increases.

FAQ

Q: Why does the system perform better at 1080p Low than at 4K Ultra?

A: The average FPS at 1080p Low is 95, while at 4K Ultra it is 16. The 4K Ultra resolution demands significantly more pixel shading and texture work, which the Intel Arc B390's 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate cannot deliver. The GPU is the limiting factor, and higher resolutions amplify its weaknesses.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 4600G holding back the Arc B390 in this game?

A: The data does not support this. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13593 and single-core score of 1919 are well above what a 2014 shooter requires. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 95 FPS, and the resolution scaling shows consistent percentage drops that are characteristic of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU has sufficient headroom.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in raw benchmarks?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower. The GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% lower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% lower), and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% lower). The Arc B390 is slightly ahead of these legacy parts.

Q: What is the playable frame rate range for this combo at 1440p?

A: At 1440p Low, the average FPS is 61, which is playable for a third-person shooter. At 1440p Medium, the average is 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 54. At 1440p High, the average drops to 39 FPS, and at 1440p Ultra, it falls to 30 FPS. The lower settings are more viable.

Q: Does the system's combo rank indicate it is a competitive gaming platform?

A: The combo ranks 2602 out of 2939 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 11.5% of all tested systems. This is not a competitive ranking for modern gaming, but for a 2014 game like Minimum, the system can achieve playable frame rates at lower settings and resolutions.

Q: Why does the GPU have system-shared memory and what does that mean for performance?

A: The Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with system-shared memory, meaning it uses the same DDR4 memory as the CPU. The memory bandwidth is listed as system dependent, which means it varies based on the platform's memory configuration. This shared memory arrangement limits the GPU's ability to access data quickly, which contributes to its low benchmark percentile of 9.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2602 out of 2939 tested combinations places this system in the 11.5th percentile of all tested configs. This is a low ranking that reflects the Arc B390's position at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. The CPU, at the 71st percentile, is a strong component, but the GPU drags the overall combination down. In Minimum, this ranking translates to playable performance only at lower settings and resolutions.

The gap between the CPU and GPU performance is notable. The Ryzen 5 4600G's average benchmark score of 17507 places it in the 71st percentile, with rivals like the Intel Core i3-14100T scoring 0.8% higher. The Arc B390's average benchmark score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile, with its nearest rival, the GT 520MX, scoring 1.3% lower. This 62-percentage-point gap between CPU and GPU percentiles means the system is severely imbalanced for gaming workloads. The CPU is capable of feeding a much faster GPU, but the Arc B390 cannot translate the CPU's potential into frame rates.

The measured FPS data confirms the ranking. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 95 FPS, which is the highest measured result. This is a moderate frame rate for a 2014 game, and it underscores the GPU's limitations. The combo's rank of 2602 suggests that most other tested systems deliver higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs. For context, the 2939 total combos include a wide range of hardware, and this system's position in the bottom 11.5% indicates it is best suited for older or less demanding titles at lower settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its best results. At Low settings, the average FPS is 95. At Medium, the average is 72 FPS with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 83. At High, the average is 61 FPS. At Ultra, the average drops to 46 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 49 FPS, a 51.6% reduction, which shows the GPU's sensitivity to quality settings.

At 2560x1440, performance declines noticeably. Low settings produce an average of 61 FPS, which is exactly the same as 1080p High. Medium settings yield 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 54. High settings drop to 39 FPS, and Ultra falls to 30 FPS. The 1440p Low result of 61 FPS is notable because it matches the 1080p High result, suggesting that the resolution increase offsets the settings decrease. This is a typical pattern for a GPU-bound system: the same workload can be achieved either by lowering resolution or lowering settings.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings produce an average of 33 FPS. Medium settings yield 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 and a maximum of 29. High settings drop to 21 FPS, and Ultra falls to 16 FPS. None of these results are comfortably playable for a shooter, as even the Low setting at 4K cannot maintain a consistent 30 FPS. The minimum FPS of 21 at Medium 4K demonstrates the GPU's inability to handle the pixel load. The data shows a consistent pattern of frame rate reduction as both resolution and settings increase, with the GPU as the sole limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the most playable experience for this combo in Minimum is at 1080p with Low settings, where the average FPS is 95. This provides a smooth, responsive frame rate that is well-suited for a third-person shooter. The 1080p Medium setting, with an average of 72 FPS and a minimum of 62, is also viable and offers improved visual quality while maintaining a consistent frame rate above 60 FPS. For players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, 1080p High at 61 FPS is acceptable, but it sits at the edge of what is comfortable. The 1080p Ultra setting, at 46 FPS, is not recommended for a shooter, as the lower frame rate can impact gameplay responsiveness.

At 1440p, the options are more limited. The Low setting at 61 FPS is the only clearly playable option. The Medium setting at 47 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 40 FPS that may cause noticeable stutter in fast-paced scenes. The High and Ultra settings at 39 and 30 FPS, respectively, are not recommended. At 4K, none of the settings provide a consistently playable experience. The Low setting at 33 FPS is the best 4K result, but it still falls below the 60 FPS target that most players prefer. The Medium setting at 25 FPS and the High setting at 21 FPS are not viable for gameplay.

The data suggests that the sweet spot for this system is 1080p with Low or Medium settings. The Medium setting offers a 24.2% improvement in visual quality over Low, based on the settings tier, while maintaining an average FPS above 70. For players who want the highest frame rate, 1080p Low at 95 FPS is the best choice. For players who want a balance between visuals and performance, 1080p Medium at 72 FPS is the recommended preset. The 1440p Low setting at 61 FPS is also acceptable for players with 1440p monitors who are willing to sacrifice visual quality. Higher settings or resolutions do not provide a satisfactory experience based on the measured data.