Minimum

# Minimum — Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers playable frame rates in Minimum only at 1080p with lower settings, while 1440p and 4K remain largely out of reach for smooth gameplay. The Arc B390, scoring in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, is the clear performance bottleneck in this configuration, as the CPU’s 89th-percentile standing among all processors indicates substantial headroom that the integrated graphics cannot exploit. This combination ranks 2602nd out of 2939 tested combos in this game, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems evaluated.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, confirming that the Intel Arc B390’s rendering throughput is the limiting factor across all tested settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 95 FPS, which drops to 61 FPS at 1440p Low and further to 33 FPS at 4K Low. That represents a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 65% reduction from 1080p to 4K at the lowest settings.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced at higher quality presets. At High settings, the system delivers 61 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at High is 36%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 46%. These percentages indicate that the GPU is being progressively overwhelmed as pixel count increases, with the gap between resolutions widening at higher settings.

At Ultra settings, the situation is more severe. The combo manages 46 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and just 16 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p reduction is 35%, and the 1440p-to-4K reduction is 47%. The fact that the percentage drops remain relatively consistent across settings suggests that the Arc B390’s fill rate and shading capacity are saturated even at 1080p with higher presets, and every additional pixel has a nearly linear cost.

The data shows that 4K gaming is not viable with this combination under any tested setting. Even at Low, the 33 FPS average falls below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider smooth, and the 16 FPS at Ultra is effectively unplayable. The 1440p results are borderline: Low settings yield 61 FPS, which is acceptable, but Medium drops to 47 FPS and High to 39 FPS, both below ideal smoothness. At 1080p, the system can reach 95 FPS on Low and 72 FPS on Medium, making this the only resolution where the combo offers a genuinely playable experience across multiple settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2602nd out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the 11.5th percentile of all systems evaluated for this game. This ranking reflects the GPU’s severe performance limitation: the Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, while the CPU sits in the 89th percentile among all processors with an average benchmark score of 46062 across multiple tests.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database illustrate its modest capability. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower than the Arc B390. The GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% lower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% lower), and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% lower). These are all entry-level GPUs from previous generations, confirming that the Arc B390’s performance class is far below what modern gaming typically requires.

On the CPU side, the Core Ultra 5 235’s nearest rivals show that the processor itself is competitive with high-end mobile and server parts. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46030 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098 (0.1% higher), the AMD EPYC 4364P scores 45970 (0.2% lower), and the AMD EPYC 7303 scores 45960 (0.2% lower). This grouping indicates that the CPU is performing at a level comparable to flagship laptop processors and mainstream server chips, making it an unusual pairing with a GPU that ranks among the weakest in the database.

The rank of 2602 out of 2939 means that roughly 337 other tested combinations perform worse than this system in Minimum. Given the CPU’s strength, the ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU. If the Arc B390 were replaced with even a mid-range discrete GPU, the combo’s rank would likely improve dramatically, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed a more capable graphics solution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that the optimal experience with this combination is at 1080p with Medium settings, which delivers 72 FPS average with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS. This preset offers the best balance between visual quality and smoothness, as the minimum frame rate stays above 60 FPS, ensuring consistent gameplay without noticeable stutter.

For players who prioritize frame rate above all else, 1080p Low delivers 95 FPS, which is the highest measured average across any resolution and setting combination. However, the visual fidelity reduction from Low to Medium is substantial, and the 23 FPS gain (95 vs 72) may not justify the graphical downgrade for most users. The Medium preset also provides a tighter frame time distribution, as evidenced by the 62-83 FPS range, compared to the Low preset’s single average value without min/max data.

At 1440p, the only setting that achieves 60 FPS or above is Low at 61 FPS, but the margin is thin. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS, which will produce noticeable judder during fast-paced third-person shooter gameplay. The High preset at 1440p (39 FPS) and Ultra preset at 1440p (30 FPS) are both below playable thresholds for this genre.

4K should be avoided entirely with this combination. Even the best 4K result (Low at 33 FPS) is less than half the 60 FPS target, and the Ultra preset at 16 FPS is closer to a slideshow than a game. The data strongly suggests that users should either lower resolution to 1080p or accept that 4K is not feasible with the Arc B390 in this title.

The High preset at 1080p (61 FPS) is technically playable but sits right at the edge of the smoothness threshold. Given that Medium at 1080p offers 11 FPS more with a minimum of 62 FPS, the Medium preset is the recommended choice for most users. The Ultra preset at 1080p (46 FPS) does not provide enough visual benefit to justify the 26 FPS reduction from Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + Intel Arc B390 produces the following average frame rates: Low 95 FPS, Medium 72 FPS (minimum 62, maximum 83), High 61 FPS, and Ultra 46 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium represents a 24% reduction, Medium to High a 15% reduction, and High to Ultra a 25% reduction. The Medium preset’s minimum of 62 FPS indicates that even during demanding scenes, the system maintains playable performance.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 61 FPS, Medium 47 FPS (minimum 40, maximum 54), High 39 FPS, and Ultra 30 FPS. The Low-to-Medium reduction is 23%, Medium-to-High is 17%, and High-to-Ultra is 23%. The Medium preset’s minimum of 40 FPS suggests that the system will dip below 45 FPS during intense action sequences, which may cause noticeable input lag in a third-person shooter.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 33 FPS, Medium 25 FPS (minimum 21, maximum 29), High 21 FPS, and Ultra 16 FPS. The Low-to-Medium reduction is 24%, Medium-to-High is 16%, and High-to-Ultra is 24%. The Medium preset’s minimum of 21 FPS and maximum of 29 FPS show that the system is severely constrained, with frame rates fluctuating within a narrow, low band.

Comparing across resolutions at the same setting, 1080p Low (95 FPS) is 56% faster than 1440p Low (61 FPS) and 188% faster than 4K Low (33 FPS). At Medium, 1080p (72 FPS) is 53% faster than 1440p (47 FPS) and 188% faster than 4K (25 FPS). At High, 1080p (61 FPS) is 56% faster than 1440p (39 FPS) and 190% faster than 4K (21 FPS). At Ultra, 1080p (46 FPS) is 53% faster than 1440p (30 FPS) and 188% faster than 4K (16 FPS).

The consistency of these percentage differences across settings indicates that the Arc B390’s performance scales almost linearly with pixel count, with no evidence of CPU bottlenecking at any resolution. The 24% reduction from Low to Medium is consistent across all resolutions (24%, 23%, 24%), suggesting that the Medium preset’s additional graphical effects impose a uniform cost regardless of resolution.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combination run Minimum at 60 FPS?*

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with Low or Medium settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 95 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, it achieves 72 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings reach 61 FPS, while all other 1440p and all 4K settings fall below 60 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with the Intel Arc B390 in this game?

A: No playable 4K performance is measured. The best 4K result is 33 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. At Ultra settings, the system manages only 16 FPS. The Arc B390’s rendering capacity is insufficient for 4K in Minimum.

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

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710 (1443). These are all entry-level GPUs, placing the Arc B390 in the 9th percentile overall.

Q: What is the best resolution-to-setting combination for this system?

A: The data indicates that 1080p Medium is the optimal choice, delivering 72 FPS average with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS. This provides the best balance of visual fidelity and smoothness, with the minimum frame rate remaining above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 5 235’s CPU performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, placing it in the 89th percentile among all CPUs. It is 0.1% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030), 0.1% slower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098), 0.2% faster than the AMD EPYC 4364P (45970), and 0.2% faster than the AMD EPYC 7303 (45960).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this combination?

A: The GPU is overwhelmingly the bottleneck. The Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile among GPUs, while the Core Ultra 5 235 sits in the 89th percentile among CPUs. The measured frame rates scale consistently with pixel count and settings, showing no signs of CPU limitation, and the combo ranks 2602nd out of 2939 due to the GPU’s low performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on TSMC’s 3 nm process node. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 24 MB of shared L3 cache, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 192 KB of L1 cache per core. Its memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Core Ultra 5 235 demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085. The PassMark multithread score of 37816 and single-thread score of 4516 further confirm its capability. The CPU ranks in the 89th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 46062, placing it alongside the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030), Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098), AMD EPYC 4364P (45970), and AMD EPYC 7303 (45960).

Despite this CPU strength, the measured frame rates in Minimum show no evidence of CPU bottlenecking at any resolution or setting. The consistent percentage reductions when moving from Low to Medium (approximately 24% across all resolutions), and the linear scaling with pixel count, indicate that the Intel Arc B390 is the sole limiting factor. The Arc B390 is an integrated GPU (IGP) with 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, 24 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores, running at a base clock of 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, and it delivers a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s.

The CPU’s 14 cores and 14 threads (with no hyperthreading) are more than sufficient for Minimum, a game released in 2014 that is unlikely to utilize more than a few cores effectively. The 5.00 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-threaded performance for game logic and physics, while the 24 MB L3 cache provides ample capacity for game data. However, the Arc B390’s 9th-percentile GPU ranking and its 1482 3DMark Steel Nomad score mean that the CPU’s capabilities are largely wasted in this configuration. The system’s 2602nd-place rank out of 2939 combos in Minimum is a direct consequence of this massive CPU-GPU performance disparity.