Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the Intel Arc B370 delivers a playable experience only at 1080p with lower settings in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. The data shows a stark performance ceiling imposed by the integrated graphics solution, with the CPU’s substantial compute power left largely untapped at higher resolutions. This combination ranks near the bottom of the tested database, and benchmark results indicate that users should target 1080p Low or Medium settings for a consistent frame rate, while 1440p and 4K are only viable at the lowest preset.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this CPU and GPU pairing?

A: The measured data shows the highest average frame rate of 85 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. For a smoother visual experience, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 delivers 65 FPS, while High at the same resolution drops to 55 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low settings achieve 55 FPS, and at 3840x2160, even Low settings only reach 30 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank against all other tested combinations in the database?

A: The combo ranks 2703 out of 2939 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 8% of all pairings. This indicates that the Intel Arc B370 is a severe bottleneck, as the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X alone sits in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 5th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X the limiting factor in this build?

A: No, the data points to the opposite. The CPU has a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, 12 cores, and 24 threads, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32172. The GPU, however, has only 1280 shading units and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184. The FPS drops across resolutions indicate the GPU saturates well before the CPU’s capabilities are reached.

Q: What kind of frame rate can I expect at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows 15 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is not a playable experience for a third-person shooter. Dropping to High settings at the same resolution only improves this to 19 FPS, which remains below the threshold for fluid gameplay.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B370 have dedicated VRAM?

A: No, the memory configuration is listed as "System Shared" for size, type, bus width, and bandwidth. The GPU’s clock speed boosts to 2400 MHz, but it relies on system memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This shared memory architecture contributes to the performance limitations seen in the measured FPS data.

Q: How does the GPU’s performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B370’s average benchmark score is 1184. Its nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, which is 0.2% higher. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% higher, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% higher. Only the AMD FirePro M2000 scores lower, at 1168, which is 1.4% below the Arc B370.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 functions as an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 25 W TDP, a base clock of 300 MHz, and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. It uses the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process by Intel, and is part of the Arc Graphics-M generation for Panther Lake. Its shading units number 1280, with 40 texture mapping units and 20 raster output pipelines. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, which are modest figures that align with its low percentile ranking.

Crucially, the GPU’s memory is "System Shared" with a "System Dependent" bandwidth. This means the Arc B370 has no dedicated VRAM of its own; it draws from the system’s DDR5 memory via the CPU’s dual-channel memory bus, which has a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The lack of dedicated memory is a fundamental constraint, as the GPU must compete with CPU tasks for the same memory bandwidth, and the shared nature of this resource becomes a bottleneck in demanding scenes. The FP32 compute rating is 6.144 TFLOPS, which is low by modern standards, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs.

In the context of Minimum, this GPU is the primary limiting factor. The game, released in 2014, is not particularly demanding by modern standards, yet the Arc B370 still struggles to maintain high frame rates. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 85, which is acceptable. However, at 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 42 FPS. This demonstrates that the GPU’s compute and memory limitations directly cap performance, regardless of the CPU’s strength. The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 5.60 GHz boost, is more than capable of feeding frames to a stronger GPU, but the Arc B370 cannot keep pace.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 85. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset, the average drops to 55 FPS, a reduction of 30 FPS. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 30 FPS, representing a 55 FPS drop from 1080p. This scaling is steep, indicating that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count.

The trend persists across all settings. For Medium settings, 1080p averages 65 FPS, 1440p averages 42 FPS, and 4K averages 23 FPS. The High preset shows 55 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 42 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 15 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K for each preset is substantial: 55 FPS for Low, 42 FPS for Medium, 36 FPS for High, and 27 FPS for Ultra. This consistent drop suggests that the limiting component is the GPU, as a CPU bottleneck would show less variation across resolutions.

The fact that the Ryzen 9 9900X’s performance is far above what this game needs—evidenced by its 3DMark 16-thread score of 12552 and single-thread score of 1286—reinforces the GPU-bound nature. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2253 and multicore score of 32172 indicate it can handle the game’s logic and draw calls with ease. The resolution scaling therefore directly reflects the Arc B370’s inability to process pixels fast enough. For a 1080p target, the GPU can deliver playable frame rates at Low and Medium settings, but at 1440p, only Low settings approach a playable threshold, and at 4K, all settings produce averages below 30 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Minimum, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2703 out of 2939 combos. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested configurations. The rank is a direct consequence of the GPU’s low performance, as the CPU is among the top performers in its class. The Ryzen 9 9900X’s percentile vs all CPUs is 92, meaning it outperforms 92% of CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 57498, with nearest rivals including the AMD EPYC 9015 at 57555 (a delta of -0.1%), the AMD EPYC 7313 at 57399 (a delta of 0.2%), the Intel Core i9-14900 at 58115 (a delta of -1.1%), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M at 58323 (a delta of -1.4%). These deltas are all within 1.4%, indicating the CPU is on par with high-end server and desktop parts.

In contrast, the Intel Arc B370’s percentile vs all GPUs is 5, meaning it outperforms only 5% of GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 1184, with nearest rivals like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 at 1186 (a delta of -0.2%), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 at 1190 (a delta of -0.5%), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M at 1192 (a delta of -0.7%), and the AMD FirePro M2000 at 1168 (a delta of 1.4%). These are all legacy or low-power mobile parts, underscoring the Arc B370’s position near the bottom of the GPU hierarchy.

The combo rank of 2703 reflects the severe imbalance between the CPU and GPU. The Ryzen 9 9900X could drive a GPU several tiers higher, but the Arc B370’s integrated nature limits the entire system. In the measured data, this translates to frame rates that are often below 60 FPS at 1080p unless settings are lowered. The rank is not a reflection of the game’s optimization but rather the hardware’s capabilities. Users seeking higher performance in Minimum would need to pair the CPU with a discrete GPU, as the current combination’s rank indicates it is among the weakest tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 85 FPS, the highest of any configuration. The Medium preset averages 65 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS, indicating a stable range. High settings average 55 FPS, and Ultra averages 42 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 43 FPS, showing that the GPU’s performance is heavily influenced by graphical load.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 55 FPS, which is a 30 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium averages 42 FPS, with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. High settings average 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 28 FPS, slightly less than at 1080p, but the absolute values are lower. At this resolution, only Low settings approach a playable 60 FPS, while Medium and above fall below that threshold.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 30 FPS, which is a significant 55 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium averages 23 FPS, with a minimum of 19 FPS and a maximum of 26 FPS. High settings average 19 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 15 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is so saturated that even reducing settings has diminishing returns. The minimum FPS values, where available, reinforce the instability: 4K Medium has a minimum of 19 FPS, and 1440p Medium has a minimum of 36 FPS, while 1080p Medium has a minimum of 56 FPS.

The data shows that the Arc B370’s performance scales poorly with resolution. For each settings preset, the FPS roughly halves when moving from 1080p to 4K. For Low, it goes from 85 to 30 (a 64.7% reduction), for Medium from 65 to 23 (a 64.6% reduction), for High from 55 to 19 (a 65.5% reduction), and for Ultra from 42 to 15 (a 64.3% reduction). This consistent pattern indicates a pure pixel-throughput bottleneck, with the GPU’s 20 ROPs and 96.00 GTexel/s texture rate unable to handle the increased workload. The CPU’s role is minimal in this context, as its performance metrics are far superior to what the game requires.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user’s resolution target and frame rate preference. For 1080p, the Low preset provides the best performance at 85 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset offers a more balanced experience at 65 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS that stays close to the 60 FPS mark. High settings drop to 55 FPS, which is still playable but may feel less fluid in fast-paced scenes. Ultra at 42 FPS is playable but not recommended for competitive play, as the lower frame rate can impact responsiveness.

At 1440p, the Low preset is the only viable option for a consistently playable experience, averaging 55 FPS. Medium settings average 42 FPS, which may be acceptable for single-player, but the minimum of 36 FPS could lead to noticeable stutters. High and Ultra settings, at 35 FPS and 27 FPS respectively, are below the playable threshold and should be avoided. For 4K, all settings produce averages below 30 FPS, making the game effectively unplayable at this resolution. The Low preset at 30 FPS is the only configuration that approaches a playable state, but it is marginal.

For the best experience, the data suggests using 1080p with Medium settings. This yields 65 FPS on average, with a minimum of 56 FPS, providing a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. The Low preset at 85 FPS is the choice for maximum performance, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. The High preset at 55 FPS is a middle ground, but the drop from 65 FPS to 55 FPS may not be worth the graphical improvements, given the game’s 2014 release date. Ultra settings at 42 FPS are the least recommended, as the frame rate is too low for a third-person shooter where timing and reaction matter.

The measured rows also show that the Medium preset has the only complete min/max data across resolutions, indicating a slightly more stable experience. At 1080p Medium, the range is 56 to 75 FPS, a 19 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 36 to 48 FPS, a 12 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 19 to 26 FPS, a 7 FPS spread. This tighter range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is consistently hitting its limits, rather than experiencing intermittent spikes. For users who prioritize frame rate stability, the Medium preset at 1080p is the best choice, as it provides a high average with a minimum that stays above 55 FPS. For users who must play at 1440p, the Low preset is the only sensible option, with 55 FPS average and no reported minimum below that, implying a relatively stable experience. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely, as it fails to reach 60 FPS at any resolution, and at 4K it dips to 15 FPS, which is unplayable. The data is clear: this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with modest settings, and any attempt to push higher resolutions will result in a subpar experience.