Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 is an unusual combination, pitting one of the strongest desktop CPUs on the market against an integrated graphics solution that is not designed for high-end gaming. The data shows that this combo ranks 2602 out of 2939 tested combinations for Minimum, placing it in the bottom tier of systems. The CPU is a powerhouse with 8 cores, 16 threads, and a 96 MB shared L3 cache, but the GPU’s performance is severely limited, as indicated by its 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The measured FPS across resolutions and settings confirms that this system is only viable at lower resolutions and settings, making it a poor choice for a demanding third-person shooter.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall performance rank of this combo in Minimum?*

A: The combo ranks 2602 out of 2939 tested combinations, placing it in the 12th percentile of all tested systems. This puts it well below the median, indicating that most other configurations will deliver better performance in this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 39768, which is 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS (39603) and 0.7% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 (39485). It is 0.7% slower than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (40048) and 0.8% slower than the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (40081). The differences are minimal, all within 1% of each other.

Q: What is the GPU’s performance percentile, and what does that mean?

A: The Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it outperforms only 9% of the graphics cards in the database. Its average benchmark score is 1482, which is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 1.5% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), but those are all very low-end parts.

*Q: Can this system run Minimum at 1920x1080 with playable framerates?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 95 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 72 FPS, and at High settings, it falls to 61 FPS. Ultra settings produce an average of 46 FPS, which may feel less smooth for fast-paced gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in terms of playability?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings is the only configuration that provides a clear margin above 60 FPS average, with 95 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset hits above 60 FPS (61 FPS), while 3840x2160 never reaches playable levels, with the best average being 33 FPS at Low.

*Q: How much VRAM does the Intel Arc B390 have, and how does that affect Minimum?*

A: The GPU uses System Shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM and instead shares system memory. The memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent," which means performance is heavily influenced by the CPU’s memory configuration. In this case, the CPU supports DDR5 dual-channel memory with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, but the GPU’s access to that memory is a bottleneck for high-resolution textures.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2602 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems, a position that reflects the GPU’s severe limitations rather than the CPU’s strengths. The rank is particularly low when considering that the CPU alone sits in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, showing that the processor is capable of far more than the graphics solution can deliver.

In practical terms, this rank means that the vast majority of tested systems will outperform this combo. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as its 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs is far below what is needed for smooth gameplay in a third-person shooter. The CPU’s high benchmark scores, such as 23230 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2080 in single-core, are effectively wasted in this configuration because the GPU cannot translate that processing power into higher FPS.

The gap between the CPU and GPU performance is stark. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 39768 places it within 1% of several strong rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365. Meanwhile, the GPU’s average score of 1482 is within 3% of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710, all of which are entry-level parts from previous generations. This disparity explains why the combo ranks so low: the system is only as strong as its weakest link, and the GPU is a very weak link.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and the Panther Lake chip, manufactured on Intel’s 3 nm process. It has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operations pipelines, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU’s base clock is 300 MHz, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz, and it operates within a 80 W TDP. These specifications are modest for gaming, and the 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms that it is not meant for demanding workloads.

The GPU relies entirely on System Shared memory, with no dedicated VRAM. The memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent," meaning the GPU borrows from the CPU’s DDR5 memory. In this system, the CPU supports dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, but the shared memory architecture introduces latency and bandwidth contention that hampers performance, especially at higher resolutions where more data needs to be processed.

The measured FPS in Minimum reflects these limitations. At 3840x2160, the GPU manages an average of 21 FPS at High settings, 25 FPS at Medium, and 33 FPS at Low, with Ultra dropping to just 16 FPS. These numbers are uniformly low, indicating that the GPU cannot handle the pixel throughput required at 4K. Even at 2560x1440, the best result is 61 FPS at Low settings, while High yields 39 FPS and Ultra drops to 30 FPS. The GPU only becomes somewhat playable at 1920x1080, where Low settings produce 95 FPS, but Ultra still only reaches 46 FPS.

The GPU’s compute capabilities are also modest. It delivers 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 15.36 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1), with a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. These numbers are far below what modern discrete GPUs offer, and they explain why the system struggles to maintain high frame rates even at lower settings. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so it is feature-complete, but raw performance is the limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Minimum covers three resolutions—3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080—across four settings presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. The results show a clear pattern: performance scales with lower resolutions and lower settings, but never reaches ideal levels except at the most modest configuration.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 33 at Low, 25 at Medium, 21 at High, and 16 at Ultra. The Medium preset includes a minimum FPS of 21 and a maximum of 29, showing significant frame time variance. None of these averages reach 60 FPS, and even the best case (Low at 33 FPS) is well below the threshold for smooth gameplay. This resolution is effectively unplayable for this game with this hardware.

At 2560x1440, the results improve but remain limited. Low settings yield an average of 61 FPS, which is the only preset at this resolution to cross the 60 FPS mark. Medium averages 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 54, while High drops to 39 FPS and Ultra to 30 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial, with a 31 FPS difference, indicating that the GPU’s limited shading and texture capabilities are heavily taxed by higher quality presets.

At 1920x1080, the system becomes more usable. Low settings produce an average of 95 FPS, which is the best result across all measurements. Medium averages 72 FPS, with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 83, providing a playable experience with some headroom. High settings average 61 FPS, exactly at the playable threshold, while Ultra drops to 46 FPS, which may cause noticeable stuttering in fast-paced action. The data shows a consistent scaling: dropping from Low to Medium costs about 24% performance, from Medium to High costs about 15%, and from High to Ultra costs about 25%.

The frame time data for Medium presets shows that the GPU can maintain relatively stable performance, with the 1920x1080 Medium preset ranging from 62 to 83 FPS. However, at 3840x2160 Medium, the range of 21 to 29 FPS indicates that the GPU is struggling to keep up, likely due to memory bandwidth limitations from the shared memory architecture.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only configuration that provides a consistently smooth experience is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which averages 95 FPS. This is the clear recommendation for anyone using this combo who wants to play Minimum without significant frame rate drops. The Low preset at 2560x1440 also averages 61 FPS, but the margin above 60 FPS is slim, and any demanding scene could push it below playable levels.

For players who prioritize visual quality over raw frame rate, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is a viable alternative, with an average of 72 FPS and a minimum of 62. This provides a better balance between looks and performance, as the minimum FPS stays above 60, ensuring that the game remains responsive. At 2560x1440, Medium averages 47 FPS, which may be acceptable for less competitive play, but it is not ideal for a third-person shooter where quick reactions matter.

The High preset at 1920x1080 averages 61 FPS, which is right at the edge of playability. While it offers better visual fidelity than Medium, the lack of a recorded minimum FPS means that there is potential for dips below 60 FPS. Ultra settings are not recommended at any resolution, as the highest average is 46 FPS at 1920x1080, and at 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, it drops to 30 FPS and 16 FPS respectively.

In summary, the best experience with this hardware is achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which offers the largest performance margin. If visual quality is important, Medium at 1920x1080 is the highest preset that maintains a minimum FPS above 60. Higher resolutions and settings are not practical for this game with the Intel Arc B390.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a high-end desktop processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), manufactured on TSMC’s 4 nm process. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The CPU includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and a large 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is a key feature for gaming performance. It supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth, and it has 24 PCIe Gen 5 lanes.

In terms of benchmark scores, the 9800X3D is exceptionally strong. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23230 and a single-core score of 2080. Its Geekbench scores are 18696 for multi-core and 2964 for single-core. PassMark results show a multi-thread score of 40009 and a single-thread score of 4430. These numbers place the CPU in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 39768 is within 1% of several top rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS, AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Ryzen AI 7 450, and AMD Ryzen 7 7700.

Despite the CPU’s strength, its role in Minimum is limited by the GPU. The game relies heavily on the graphics card for rendering, and the Intel Arc B390’s low performance means that the CPU often waits for the GPU to finish its work. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by the Cinebench R15 single-core score of 328 and the PassMark single-thread score of 4430, is beneficial for game logic and physics, but those tasks are not the bottleneck in this configuration.

The CPU’s large L3 cache of 96 MB is designed to reduce memory latency and improve gaming performance, but with a GPU that shares system memory, the cache cannot compensate for the graphics bottleneck. The data shows that at 1920x1080 Low, the system achieves 95 FPS, which suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding frames to the GPU at that rate. However, at higher settings and resolutions, the GPU’s limits become apparent, and the CPU’s potential remains untapped.

The CPU’s 120 W TDP and active production status indicate that it is a current-generation part, but its performance is wasted in this combo. For players who already own this CPU, pairing it with a more capable discrete GPU would unlock far better results in Minimum. As it stands, the 9800X3D’s impressive specifications, including its 5.20 GHz boost clock and 8,315 million transistors, do not translate into high FPS because the Intel Arc B390 cannot keep up.