Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces benchmark results that are firmly at the lower end of the database for the game Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released on 2014-06-25. The data shows a combo that can handle the game at 1080p with playable frame rates on lower settings, but which struggles significantly as resolution and graphical demands increase.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2602 out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum, placing it in the bottom percentile of systems measured. This rank is heavily influenced by the GPU, which itself sits at the 9th percentile versus all GPUs, indicating that the Intel Arc B390 is a major limiting factor in this pairing. The CPU, by contrast, is a high-performing component; the Ryzen 5 7600X holds the 79th percentile versus all CPUs, showing that the processor is capable of far more demanding workloads than what this GPU can deliver.

The data suggests a massive imbalance within this combo. The Ryzen 5 7600X’s average benchmark score is 27636, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. For instance, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X scores 27578, a delta of just 0.2%, and the Intel Core i5-12600K also scores 27578, another 0.2% delta. Even the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 is only 0.4% behind, and the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE is a mere 0.3% ahead. This places the 7600X in a tightly contested group of mid-range processors, all performing within a fraction of a percent of each other.

Meanwhile, the Intel Arc B390’s average benchmark score is 1482, with its nearest rivals being ancient, low-end GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, a 1.3% delta, while the NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, a 1.5% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, a 2.5% delta, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, a 2.7% delta. The Arc B390 is only slightly faster than these decade-old parts, which explains why the combo rank is so low. The CPU is essentially wasted in this pairing, as the GPU cannot translate the processor’s compute potential into meaningful frame rates.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel’s 3 nm process node. Its base clock is 300 MHz, and it boosts to 2500 MHz. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 15.36 TFLOPS using a 2:1 ratio.

Critically, the memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning the GPU relies on the system’s DDR5 RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is "System Dependent," which is a significant bottleneck for gaming. In Minimum, this shared memory setup shows its weaknesses clearly. At 4K Ultra settings, the GPU only manages an average of 16 FPS, and even at 1080p Low, it reaches 95 FPS, which is passable but far from smooth for a fast-paced shooter.

The GPU’s thermal design power is 80 W, and it uses no power connectors, as it is an IGP (integrated graphics processor). The data indicates that the Arc B390 is not designed for high-end gaming, but rather for basic graphical tasks. In Minimum, the GPU’s limited memory bandwidth and modest compute power directly impact the frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions where the demand on the memory subsystem increases.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Minimum with this combo?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the highest frame rates across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS is 95, and at High settings, it is 61. Moving to 2560x1440 drops the Low setting average to 61 FPS, and at 3840x2160, the Low setting average falls to 33 FPS.

Q: How does this combo compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390’s average benchmark score is 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443). This indicates the B390 is only marginally faster than these older, low-end GPUs.

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

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting component. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 27636, while the GPU’s is 1482. The CPU ranks in the 79th percentile versus all CPUs, whereas the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile versus all GPUs. The frame rates in Minimum are consistently low, which points to the GPU being unable to keep up.

Q: What settings are playable at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 95 FPS, Medium settings produce 72 FPS, and High settings produce 61 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 46 FPS. For a smoother experience, Low or Medium settings are recommended based on the measured data.

Q: Does the CPU’s high performance translate to better gaming results?

A: No, the data shows that despite the Ryzen 5 7600X’s strong benchmark scores, the gaming performance is constrained by the GPU. The combo rank of 2602 out of 2939 is primarily due to the GPU’s low percentile ranking, not the CPU.

Q: How does the 7600X perform against its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The 7600X has an average score of 27636, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600K, 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800, and 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE. These deltas are minimal, showing all four CPUs perform nearly identically.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which yields an average of 95 FPS. This is the only setting and resolution combination that approaches a high refresh rate. Medium settings at 1080p produce 72 FPS, which is still playable, but the drop from Low to Medium is significant. High settings at 1080p yield 61 FPS, which is at the edge of acceptable for a shooter, but the risk of frame drops is higher.

At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 61 FPS, which is the same as High at 1080p, but the visual quality is lower. If the user prioritizes resolution over settings, 1440p Low is an option, but it does not offer a better experience than 1080p Medium. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only reach 33 FPS, which is not suitable for a fast-paced game.

Therefore, the data strongly suggests that 1920x1080 with Low settings is the optimal configuration for this combo. It provides the highest frame rate with the least risk of stutter. Medium settings at 1080p are a secondary option for those who want slightly better visuals, but the 23 FPS drop from Low to Medium is notable. Ultra settings should be avoided entirely, as they produce unplayable frame rates at all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 16 to 33. Ultra settings average 16 FPS, High averages 21 FPS, Medium averages 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 and a maximum of 29, and Low averages 33 FPS. None of these are playable for a third-person shooter, as even the best case of 33 FPS is well below smooth motion.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates improve but remain modest. Ultra averages 30 FPS, High averages 39 FPS, Medium averages 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 54, and Low averages 61 FPS. The 61 FPS at Low is the only 1440p result that reaches a playable threshold, though it is still not ideal for competitive play.

At 1920x1080, the results are more varied. Ultra averages 46 FPS, High averages 61 FPS, Medium averages 72 FPS with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 83, and Low averages 95 FPS. The jump from Ultra to Low is substantial, with a 49 FPS difference between the lowest and highest settings. The Medium setting’s minimum of 62 FPS suggests that even at this setting, there are occasional dips, but the average remains playable.

Overall, the data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the frame rates drop significantly, and as settings increase, the frame rates also drop. The gap between Low and Ultra is consistent across resolutions, with Ultra always being roughly half the FPS of Low.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael. It has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU’s L3 cache is 32 MB, and it supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. Its TDP is 105 W, and it uses the AMD Socket AM5 interface.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 7600X performs strongly. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 15236, and its single-core score is 1965. Geekbench scores are 13858 for multicore and 2603 for single-core. The Passmark multithread score is 28390, and the single-thread score is 4135. These numbers place the CPU in the 79th percentile versus all CPUs, indicating it is a solid performer for general workloads.

However, in Minimum, the CPU’s performance is largely irrelevant due to the GPU bottleneck. The frame rates are consistent with what one would expect from a GPU that ranks in the 9th percentile. The CPU’s high single-thread score of 4135 in Passmark and 1965 in Cinebench R23 should be more than sufficient for a game from 2014, but the GPU simply cannot deliver the frames. The data implies that the Ryzen 5 7600X is overkill for this combination, and the same game would likely perform identically with a much weaker CPU.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS shows how the game scales with resolution. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 95 at 1920x1080, to 61 at 2560x1440, and finally to 33 at 3840x2160. This is a drop of 34 FPS (or roughly 36%) from 1080p to 1440p, and another 28 FPS (or roughly 46%) from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 62 FPS, which is a 65% reduction.

At High settings, the scaling is similar but with lower absolute numbers. The average FPS is 61 at 1080p, 39 at 1440p, and 21 at 4K. This is a drop of 22 FPS from 1080p to 1440p (36%) and 18 FPS from 1440p to 4K (46%). The percentage drops are nearly identical to Low settings, suggesting that the scaling is consistent regardless of the preset.

At Ultra settings, the average FPS is 46 at 1080p, 30 at 1440p, and 16 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 16 FPS (35%), and from 1440p to 4K is 14 FPS (47%). This pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions, as the frame rate scales roughly with the number of pixels.

The data reveals that the GPU’s performance is heavily constrained by its memory bandwidth, which is "System Dependent." As the resolution increases, the demand on the shared system memory grows, and the GPU cannot keep up. The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that the bottleneck is not related to the GPU’s compute units but rather its memory subsystem. This is a classic sign of an integrated GPU struggling with high-resolution gaming, and it confirms that 1080p is the only viable resolution for this combo.