Minimum

# Minimum — AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + Intel Arc B390

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a fundamentally GPU-limited experience in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released in 2014. Across all four tested quality presets, the combination ranks 2602nd out of 2939 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations. The Arc B390, an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, produces frame rates that range from a 4K Ultra average of 16 FPS to a 1080p Low average of 95 FPS. The CPU, by contrast, is a high-end 8-core Zen 5 part that sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, so no benchmark result here can be attributed to processor limitations. The data consistently shows the GPU as the binding constraint, with every resolution and preset change producing frame rate shifts that track the integrated graphics unit’s modest compute and shared-memory bandwidth rather than the Ryzen 7 9700F’s capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

Resolution scaling in Minimum reveals a steep performance cliff that becomes more pronounced as settings increase. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Low settings drops the average frame rate from 95 FPS to 61 FPS, a 35.8% reduction. At High settings, the same resolution step reduces averages from 61 FPS to 39 FPS, a 36.1% decline. The 1440p to 4K transition is even harsher: Low settings fall from 61 FPS to 33 FPS (45.9% lower), and High settings drop from 39 FPS to 21 FPS (46.2% lower). These percentages far exceed the pixel-count ratios — 1440p has 1.78x the pixels of 1080p, and 4K has 2.25x the pixels of 1440p — which indicates that the Arc B390 is not bandwidth or fill-rate limited in a linear fashion. Instead, the integrated GPU’s shared-memory architecture (memory type and bandwidth are both “System Shared” and “System Dependent”) means that higher resolutions exponentially increase pressure on the same memory subsystem, causing disproportionate frame rate losses.

Ultra settings amplify this effect. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 46 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it falls to 30 FPS (34.8% lower); at 4K Ultra, it collapses to 16 FPS (46.7% lower than 1440p). Medium settings show the same pattern with measured minimums and maximums: at 1080p Medium, the average is 72 FPS with a min of 62 and max of 83; at 1440p Medium, the average drops to 47 FPS with a min of 40 and max of 54; at 4K Medium, the average is 25 FPS with a min of 21 and max of 29. The spread between minimum and maximum narrows as resolution increases — from 21 FPS at 1080p Medium to 8 FPS at 4K Medium — which suggests the GPU is hitting a hard compute ceiling at higher resolutions, leaving less headroom for frame time variation.

The limiting component is unambiguous. The Ryzen 7 9700F’s PassMark single-thread score of 4691 and multithread score of 36470 place it far above what a 2014 title requires, and its nearest rivals — the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% faster), Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% slower), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% faster), and Intel Core i7-14700K (0.9% faster) — are all top-tier desktop or mobile processors. The Arc B390, meanwhile, scores just 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% faster), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1.5% faster), NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% faster), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (2.7% faster) — all entry-level parts from a decade or more ago. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K therefore track the GPU’s known performance tier, not any CPU bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 2602nd out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum, putting it in the bottom 11.5% of all configurations. This is a poor result for a game from 2014, and the ranking reflects the Arc B390’s integrated nature rather than the Ryzen 7 9700F’s capabilities. The GPU’s 9th percentile standing among all GPUs (based on its 1482 Steel Nomad score) aligns closely with the combo’s overall ranking — the CPU’s 94th percentile standing does not lift the pairing because the game’s frame rates are entirely GPU-bound.

To contextualize the CPU’s contribution, the Ryzen 7 9700F’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all within 1% of its average score of 69996. The Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875 (0.2% faster), the Core i7-14700KF scores 70163 (0.2% slower), the Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515 (0.7% faster), and the Core i7-14700K scores 69355 (0.9% faster). These deltas are trivial in gaming terms, meaning that swapping the 9700F for any of these CPUs would produce no measurable change in Minimum’s frame rates — the GPU would still cap performance at the same levels. The combo’s rank is therefore effectively the Arc B390’s rank, with the CPU contributing nothing to boost it.

The measured FPS data reinforces this. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 95 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional for a 2014 shooter. At 1080p High, it drops to 61 FPS — still smooth for many players. But at 1440p, even Low settings only reach 61 FPS, and at 4K, the best case is 33 FPS on Low. These numbers place the combo below what a discrete GPU from the same era would achieve, and the bottom-decile ranking confirms that this pairing is not competitive for the game. The only positive takeaway is that the game is old enough that even this modest integrated GPU can produce 60+ FPS at 1080p on Low, but that is the ceiling of the combination’s utility.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 3 nm process node, fabricated by Intel. Its chip is codenamed Panther Lake, and it belongs to the Arc Graphics-M generation. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 compute is 7.680 TFLOPS (with FP16 at 15.36 TFLOPS via 2:1 ratio). These specifications are modest by modern discrete GPU standards, and the 9th percentile standing among all GPUs (based on the 1482 Steel Nomad DX12 score) confirms its low-end positioning.

Clock behavior is unusual for an IGP. The base clock is 300 MHz, and the boost clock is 2500 MHz — a wide dynamic range that allows the GPU to idle at very low power (the TDP is 80 W) but scale up under load. The boost clock of 2500 MHz is respectable, but the architecture’s limited shading units and ROPs cap what that clock can deliver. The memory configuration is the critical weakness: the Arc B390 uses “System Shared” memory, with a “System Shared” bus width and “System Dependent” bandwidth. This means the GPU shares the system’s DDR5 memory (the Ryzen 7 9700F supports DDR5 with dual-channel memory and a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s), but the actual bandwidth available to the GPU depends on the system configuration and is not fixed by the GPU itself. This shared-memory design explains the steep resolution scaling penalties — as resolution increases, the GPU must access more memory per frame, and the shared bus becomes a bottleneck.

In Minimum, the GPU’s role is decisive. At 1080p Low, the 95 FPS average shows the GPU can handle a light workload. At 1080p Ultra, the 46 FPS average shows it struggles with higher settings even at the lowest resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 16 FPS is effectively unplayable. The GPU’s 24 ROPs limit fill-rate-heavy scenarios, and the 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 compute is the ceiling for shader complexity. The DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) API support and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility are modern, but they do not compensate for the raw throughput deficit. The GPU’s nearest rivals — the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 — are all ancient entry-level parts, and the Arc B390 only edges them by 1.3% to 2.7% in Steel Nomad. This places the integrated GPU squarely in the “legacy low-end” tier, which is exactly what the measured FPS demonstrates.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo consistently exceeds 60 FPS. At 1080p Low, the average is 95 FPS; at 1080p Medium, it is 72 FPS; at 1080p High, it is 61 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings reach 61 FPS, and at 4K, no preset exceeds 33 FPS.

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K?*

A: Technically yes, but only at Low settings with a 33 FPS average, which is below smooth-playable thresholds. Medium settings at 4K average 25 FPS (min 21, max 29), High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. None of these are recommended for actual play.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The Ryzen 7 9700F has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and its PassMark multithread score is 36470 with a single-thread score of 4691. Its nearest rivals are all within 1% in average score, and the game’s frame rates track GPU settings changes far more than CPU capability. The GPU is the limiting factor.

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

A: In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the Arc B390 scores 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 (1.3% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% faster). The Arc B390 is essentially tied with these decade-old entry-level parts.

Q: What settings give the best experience?

A: For 1080p, Low settings provide the highest average FPS at 95, but Medium at 72 FPS (min 62, max 83) offers a better balance of visual quality and smoothness. High at 61 FPS is also viable. At 1440p, only Low is playable at 61 FPS. At 4K, no preset is recommended, but Low at 33 FPS is the least bad option.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking in this game?

A: The combo ranks 2602nd out of 2939 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 11.5%. This rank is consistent with the Arc B390’s 9th percentile standing among all GPUs, while the CPU’s 94th percentile standing does not improve the outcome because the game is GPU-bound.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 95 FPS average, which is the highest measured result across all resolutions and presets. Medium settings at 1080p yield 72 FPS with a minimum of 62 and maximum of 83, which is smooth and provides a measurable visual upgrade over Low. High settings at 1080p produce 61 FPS, which is still playable but offers diminishing returns relative to the 11 FPS drop from Medium. Ultra at 1080p drops to 46 FPS, which introduces noticeable stutter in a third-person shooter, so it is not recommended. For 1080p, Medium is the sweet spot: it keeps the average above 70 FPS, maintains a minimum above 60 FPS, and avoids the Ultra preset’s steep performance penalty.

At 2560x1440, the options narrow significantly. Low settings average 61 FPS, which is playable but only just — any scene complexity could push it below 60. Medium at 1440p averages 47 FPS (min 40, max 54), which is below the smooth threshold and shows frame dips that would be noticeable in combat. High at 1440p averages 39 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The data indicates that 1440p Low is the only viable preset, and even that is marginal. For players with 1440p displays, the recommendation is to use Low settings and accept the 61 FPS average, or alternatively drop to 1080p for a better experience.

At 3840x2160, the combo is effectively non-functional for smooth play. Low settings average 33 FPS, Medium averages 25 FPS (min 21, max 29), High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. None of these meet the 60 FPS standard, and even the 30 FPS console-like bar is only met by Low. The measured minimums on Medium (21 FPS) show the GPU is hitting severe performance walls. The recommendation is to avoid 4K entirely with this combo in Minimum, as even the lowest settings cannot produce a consistently playable experience. If 4K is unavoidable, Low at 33 FPS is the only option, but the data suggests 1080p Medium or 1440p Low are the only presets that balance playability with visual quality.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a Zen 5 architecture processor (codename Granite Ridge) built on a 4 nm TSMC process with 8,315 million transistors on a 70.6 mm² die. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The TDP is 65 W, and it uses the AMD Socket AM5 with dual-channel DDR5 memory support (89.6 GB/s bandwidth, ECC capable). The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 32 MB shared L3. The CPU’s PassMark benchmarks are strong: multithread score of 36470, single-thread score of 4691, integer math 120788, floating point math 77955, extended instructions 33688, data encryption 21488, data compression 421988, physics 2122, and random string sorting 45890. The average benchmark score is 69996, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs.

In Minimum, the CPU’s role is peripheral. The game’s measured frame rates scale almost entirely with GPU settings and resolution, not with CPU workload. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 95 FPS, which is the highest measured value; if the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see the frame rate plateau regardless of GPU settings, but instead we see a monotonic drop from Low to Ultra at every resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 16 FPS is far below any CPU-imposed limit — a Ryzen 7 9700F with a 5.50 GHz boost and 16 threads could easily feed a 4K game at 16 FPS. The bottleneck is the Arc B390’s 24 ROPs and 7.680 TFLOPS compute, not the CPU.

The nearest rival data confirms the CPU’s strength. The Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875 (0.2% faster), the Core i7-14700KF scores 70163 (0.2% slower), the Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515 (0.7% faster), and the Core i7-14700K scores 69355 (0.9% faster). All four rivals are flagship or near-flagship parts, and the 9700F trades blows with them within 1%. If any of these CPUs were paired with the Arc B390, the Minimum results would be identical — the game does not stress the CPU enough to differentiate among these processors. The CPU’s 94th percentile standing is entirely wasted in this pairing because the GPU’s 9th percentile standing caps every frame rate.

The CPU’s memory support is also not a limiting factor. The 9700F supports DDR5 dual-channel at 89.6 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for a 2014 game. The Arc B390 uses system shared memory, so the CPU’s memory controller directly feeds the GPU’s data requests, but even at 4K Ultra (16 FPS), the memory bandwidth demand is trivial. The CPU’s PCIe Gen 5 support (24 lanes) is irrelevant for an IGP, as the Arc B390 uses the system bus rather than a discrete PCIe connection. In summary, the Ryzen 7 9700F is a high-end CPU that provides no bottleneck in Minimum, but it also cannot compensate for the Arc B390’s severe GPU limitations. The combo’s performance is exclusively a function of the integrated GPU’s compute, ROP count, and shared-memory bandwidth.