Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a dataset that is immediately defined by its GPU limitation. In Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, this combination yields playable frame rates only at lower resolutions and settings, with a steep performance cliff appearing as graphical load increases. The data indicates a system where the powerful CPU is almost entirely sidelined by the integrated graphics solution.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across resolutions reveals a textbook case of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 85 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings drops the average to 55 FPS, a reduction of 30 FPS (or roughly 35%). The jump to 4K at Low settings further collapses performance to just 30 FPS, which is a 55 FPS deficit from the 1080p result. This dramatic scaling curve is the signature of a graphics processor operating far beyond its comfortable envelope.

The scaling pattern becomes even more telling when examining the Medium preset. At 1080p Medium, the average is 65 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it falls to 42 FPS. At 4K Medium, it reaches a barely interactive 23 FPS. The consistent, near-linear drop of approximately 20 FPS for each resolution step indicates that the render pipeline is saturated. The data suggests that the limiting component is unequivocally the Intel Arc B370, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at any of these settings.

The most conclusive evidence for GPU limitation comes from the High preset. The difference between 1080p High (55 FPS) and 1440p High (35 FPS) is 20 FPS, and the drop to 4K High (19 FPS) is another 16 FPS. This pattern holds across all presets, confirming that the bottleneck is not the processor but the graphics subsystem. The 4K results, ranging from 15 FPS at Ultra to 30 FPS at Low, are uniformly below the threshold for smooth gameplay, reinforcing that this configuration is only viable for lower resolution output in this title.

FAQ

*Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combo can achieve in Minimum?*

A: The highest recorded average is 85 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution with the highest settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the average frame rate is 15 FPS, which is the lowest recorded result in the dataset.

Q: Is there a significant performance difference between the Low and High presets at 1440p?

A: Yes. The Low preset averages 55 FPS, while the High preset averages 35 FPS. This represents a 20 FPS drop, or a 36% reduction in average frame rate, when moving to the High preset.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between 1080p and 4K at the Medium preset?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average is 65 FPS, while at 4K Medium, it is 23 FPS. This is a difference of 42 FPS, showing a significant performance penalty for the higher resolution.

Q: Does the data show any instances where the frame rate is stable enough for competitive play?

A: The 1080p Low preset, with an average of 85 FPS, is the only configuration that provides a frame rate high enough for a fluid competitive experience. The 1080p Medium preset at 65 FPS is also viable, though with less headroom.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2703 out of 2939 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom percentile of all systems benchmarked for Minimum.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and can boost up to 5.80 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates exceptional capability, scoring 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,303 in single-core. These figures place the CPU in the 96th percentile of all processors, indicating top-tier performance.

However, this raw processing power is entirely underutilized in Minimum with this GPU configuration. The benchmark results show that the frame rate is dictated by the graphics pipeline, not the CPU. For a 2014 title like Minimum, the single-core performance of the 290K Plus is more than sufficient to handle the game's logic and physics. The data indicates that the CPU is never the limiting factor, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate drops tied directly to resolution and settings changes, which are GPU-centric variables.

The CPU's massive multi-threaded capability, reflected in its 24 cores and 24 threads, is irrelevant to the frame rates observed here. The game's engine from 2014 is unlikely to leverage such a wide array of cores effectively. Instead, the high boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensures that the few threads Minimum does utilize are processed with maximum efficiency. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,823 further supports the notion that the CPU is ready to handle any instruction load the game can present, making the GPU the clear and primary bottleneck in this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear matrix of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. Beginning with the lowest load, 1920x1080 Low produces an average of 85 FPS. This is the only result in the dataset that approaches high-refresh-rate territory. Moving up the settings ladder at 1080p, Medium yields 65 FPS, High yields 55 FPS, and Ultra yields 42 FPS. The step from Low to Ultra at 1080p represents a halving of the frame rate, from 85 to 42 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance ceiling is cut significantly. The Low preset averages 55 FPS, which is a 30 FPS drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium at 1440p averages 42 FPS, and High drops to 35 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution is the first to fall below the 30 FPS playability threshold, with an average of 27 FPS. The consistency of the 1440p results suggests a linear scaling with pixel count, further confirming the GPU bottleneck.

The 4K results are consistently below playable thresholds. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 30 FPS, which is marginal at best. Medium averages 23 FPS, High averages 19 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS. The variance data for the Medium preset at all resolutions shows a narrow band: 19-26 FPS at 4K, 36-48 FPS at 1440p, and 56-75 FPS at 1080p. This tight variance indicates that the frame pacing is consistent, but the overall performance is simply too low for a smooth experience at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the Intel Arc B370 ranks 2703 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum. This places the system in the bottom 8% of all configurations tested for this game. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance class, which is far below the CPU's tier.

The GPU alone holds a percentile ranking of 5 against all GPUs, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,184 places it in the same performance bracket as legacy parts like the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1,190, and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1,186. The deltaPct between the Arc B370 and these rivals is negligible, ranging from -0.2% to -0.7%, indicating near-identical performance. This puts the GPU's capability on par with hardware from over a decade ago, which explains the low ranking in a modern benchmark suite.

The CPU's ranking, by contrast, is stellar. It sits at the 96th percentile of all CPUs and is a direct rival to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, with a deltaPct of just 0.2%. The data shows a massive disparity between the CPU's potential and the GPU's delivery. The combo rank of 2703 is effectively the GPU's rank, as the CPU contributes no meaningful performance advantage in this GPU-bound scenario. The system's overall standing is dragged down entirely by the integrated graphics solution.

Settings Recommendations

Based strictly on the measured FPS data, the only configuration that delivers a consistently smooth experience is 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which averages 85 FPS. This is the sole setting that provides enough headroom for stable gameplay. The 1080p Medium preset, averaging 65 FPS, is also a viable option for users who prioritize visual fidelity over maximum frame rate, as it remains above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more restrictive. The Low preset at 55 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but it is not ideal. The Medium preset at 42 FPS and High at 35 FPS are playable but will feel less responsive. The Ultra preset at 27 FPS is not recommended for any action-oriented gameplay. For 4K, none of the presets provide a satisfactory experience, with even the Low preset struggling to maintain 30 FPS.

The data suggests that the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo is the 1080p Medium preset. While the Low preset offers the highest frame rate, the Medium preset provides a 65 FPS average, which is still well within the playable range, and likely offers a more visually complete representation of the game world. For users with a 1080p display, the Ultra preset at 42 FPS is a reasonable compromise for a slower-paced game, but for any competitive play, the Low preset is the clear choice.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The GPU has 1,280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its compute capabilities are rated at 6.144 TFLOPS for FP32 operations and 12.29 TFLOPS for FP16. The GPU's performance in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test is 1,184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory setup, combined with a TDP of just 25 W, clearly defines the Arc B370 as a low-power, entry-level solution. The bus interface is listed as IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor), confirming that this is not a discrete card but a part of the processor package. This architecture explains the performance limitations seen in the Minimum benchmarks.

The data shows that the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck in this system. Its performance, as measured by the 3DMark score, is comparable to the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (deltaPct of -0.5%) and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (deltaPct of -0.7%). These rivals are from a much older generation, and their performance levels are simply insufficient for modern gaming at high resolutions. The Arc B370's boost clock of 2400 MHz is high for an iGPU, but the low shader count and shared memory bandwidth severely limit its output. In Minimum, the GPU's inability to handle the pixel fill rate demands of 1440p and 4K is the primary reason for the low frame rates and the system's poor overall ranking.