Minimum

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a distinctly GPU-limited experience in Minimum, with resolution scaling following the expected curve for a modern discrete graphics card. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 103 FPS, but this drops to 68.4 FPS at 1440p and further to 35.4 FPS at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 1440p represents a 33.6% reduction in frame rate, while moving from 1440p to 4K cuts performance by 48.2%. These are substantial declines that point squarely at the graphics card as the bottleneck, as the frame rate falls nearly linearly with the pixel count increase.

Low settings at 4K yield 54.5 FPS, which is 54% higher than High settings at the same resolution. This indicates that the Arc B580 has enough raw throughput to handle the game at 4K, but the higher preset levels introduce overhead that the GPU cannot sustain. The data shows the card is not completely overwhelmed at 4K, as the Low preset still achieves playable frame rates. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 23.7 FPS, or 43.5%, which is a wider relative spread than at lower resolutions, reinforcing that the GPU is the primary constraint when pixel count rises.

The 1080p results are notably strong, with Low settings reaching 160.8 FPS and Medium hitting 125.8 FPS. Even Ultra at 1080p maintains 82.1 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra settings shows a 38.5% drop (from 82.1 to 50.5 FPS), which is steeper than the High preset's 33.6% drop over the same resolution change. This suggests that Ultra settings place additional stress on the GPU's shading and memory subsystems, making the card work harder as resolution climbs.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580's specifications align with the measured performance patterns. The GPU runs at a boost clock of 2670 MHz across both base and boost states, which is unusual and indicates the card maintains a consistent frequency under load. With 2560 shading units and 80 ROPs, the card delivers a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s, figures that explain why the card handles 1080p so effortlessly but struggles at 4K with higher presets.

Memory bandwidth is a critical factor here. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory operates on a 192-bit bus, providing 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K Ultra, the game likely exceeds the card's effective memory throughput, as evidenced by the 30.8 FPS result. The 19 Gbps effective memory speed is competitive for the class, but the data shows that the card's memory subsystem becomes a limiting factor when both resolution and settings are maximized. The measured FPS at 4K High (35.4) versus 4K Medium (43.8) shows a 19.2% improvement when reducing settings, which aligns with lower memory pressure from reduced texture detail.

The GPU's FP32 throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS provides ample compute for a game released in 2014, even at elevated settings. The card's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures full compatibility with modern rendering paths, though Minimum likely relies on older APIs given its 2014-06-25 release date. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 128 suggests the card excels in that API, which is relevant for this title. The Arc B580's 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it sits above the median, and the benchmark results confirm this is a capable card for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being possible only at reduced settings.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, the data supports using High settings as the optimal balance. The measured 103 FPS at High provides a smooth experience with headroom for demanding scenes, and the jump to Ultra only costs 20.9 FPS (down to 82.1), which may be acceptable for users prioritizing visual fidelity. However, the Medium preset at 125.8 FPS offers a 22.1% improvement over High while likely maintaining most visual quality, making it a strong alternative for competitive play.

At 1440p, Medium settings deliver 80.1 FPS, which is the best combination of visual quality and performance among the measured presets. High settings drop to 68.4 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less margin for frame time spikes. Ultra at 1440p falls to 50.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and not recommended for a consistently smooth experience. Low settings at 1440p reach 105 FPS, but the visual compromise is significant.

For 4K, the only viable options are Low (54.5 FPS) or Medium (43.8 FPS). The Low preset achieves a near-60 FPS experience, while Medium dips below the 45 FPS threshold that many players find acceptable. High (35.4 FPS) and Ultra (30.8 FPS) are not recommended for 4K play, as the frame rates fall into the territory where input latency and motion smoothness degrade noticeably. The data clearly indicates that 4K gaming requires dropping to Low settings to maintain a playable frame rate with this combo.

FAQ

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

A: 1080p at High settings provides 103 FPS, which is the strongest balance of visual quality and performance. For 1440p, Medium settings at 80.1 FPS is the recommended choice, while 4K should be limited to Low settings at 54.5 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the frame rate drops from 103 FPS at 1080p to 35.4 FPS at 4K, a 65.6% reduction. The loss is consistent across presets, with Ultra dropping from 82.1 to 30.8 FPS (62.5% reduction).

Q: Is the Intel Arc B580 sufficient for 4K gaming in this title?

A: Only at Low settings, which achieves 54.5 FPS at 3840x2160. Medium settings drop to 43.8 FPS, and High/Ultra fall below 36 FPS, making them unsuitable for smooth 4K play.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Radeon 760M (22999) and 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA P106-100 (22950). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 by 0.7% (23181) but leads the RTX 4060 Mobile by 1.3% (22729).

Q: What CPU performance level does the i5-11400F provide?

A: The CPU scores 14372 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2029 in single-core, placing it in the 75th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, scores 17189, a negligible 0% difference.

Q: Does the combo perform well in this game relative to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1348 out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This suggests that while the individual components are competent, other pairings deliver higher frame rates in Minimum.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 1348 out of 1733 tested combos, placing it in the 22.2nd percentile of all configurations. This is a below-median result for this specific game, indicating that many other CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher frame rates. The ranking is surprising given the individual component scores: the CPU sits in the 75th percentile among all processors, and the GPU is in the 66th percentile among all graphics cards. The combination of two above-average parts yielding a below-average game-specific rank points to a potential bottleneck or suboptimal pairing for Minimum's engine.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700U matches the i5-11400F almost exactly (17189 vs 17181 average score, 0% difference), while the Intel Core i7-1260P is 0.2% slower and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U is also 0.2% slower. The Intel Core i5-1240U is 0.2% faster. These differences are within measurement noise, meaning the i5-11400F offers typical mid-range CPU performance for this generation.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a tighter cluster. The AMD Radeon 760M is 0.1% faster, the NVIDIA P106-100 is 0.3% faster, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile is 1.3% slower. The desktop RTX 4060 is 0.7% faster. The Arc B580's position within this group is competitive, yet the overall combo rank remains low, suggesting that Minimum may favor NVIDIA or AMD GPU architectures in ways that the synthetic benchmarks do not capture.

The low combo rank could stem from the GPU's PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, which halves the lane count compared to a full x16 connection. While this rarely impacts performance at 1080p, the high frame rates measured (up to 160.8 FPS at Low settings) may expose bandwidth limitations in CPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, should be sufficient for a 2014 title, but the game's threading model may not fully utilize the available threads, leaving the GPU waiting on CPU-side frame preparation. The data shows the combo is capable of high frame rates at lower settings, but the rank indicates that other configurations, likely with higher-clocked CPUs or different GPU architectures, achieve better results in this specific game.