Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B390 combination delivers a fundamentally GPU-bound experience in Minimum, a 2014 Third-Person Shooter. The processor is a flagship 24-core, 24-thread part with a 3.70 GHz base clock and a 5.80 GHz boost clock, placing it in the 96th percentile of all tested CPUs. However, the integrated Arc B390 GPU, which operates with system-shared memory and a 2500 MHz boost clock, becomes the decisive constraint at every resolution tested. The data indicates a classic imbalance: the CPU has overwhelming headroom, while the GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates beyond 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, contextualizes the combo’s rank, and explains the underlying hardware dynamics.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is built on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture using a 3 nm process from TSMC. It offers 24 cores and 24 threads, a configuration that prioritizes parallel throughput over simultaneous multithreading. The base clock of 3.70 GHz can scale up to 5.80 GHz under boost conditions, giving the CPU substantial single-thread capability when needed. Its cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3, which provides ample bandwidth for feeding the GPU in a title like Minimum.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU posts strong numbers: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. The Passmark single-thread score of 4823 and multi-thread score of 60860 further confirm its high-end positioning. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus sits within 0.2% of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (avg score 83807 vs 84003) and is 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX. These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning the CPU is not the limiting factor in Minimum.

For a game released in 2014, the 290K Plus is massively over-provisioned. Minimum likely relies on a few cores for its game logic and physics, which the 290K Plus can handle with ease given its high boost clock and modern IPC. The 24 threads are irrelevant for this workload; the game cannot utilize them. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 95 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 16 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions. Instead, the FPS plummets as resolution increases, which is a signature of GPU limitation. The CPU is effectively parked, waiting for the GPU to render frames.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2602 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the bottom 11.5% of all configurations tested for this game. The rank reflects the GPU’s severe constraint, not the CPU’s capability. The 290K Plus alone would rank near the top of any CPU-only list, but the Arc B390 drags the overall system performance down.

The Arc B390’s own benchmark score reinforces this. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, 1.3% slower) and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (score 1460, 1.5% slower). These are ancient, entry-level mobile parts from a decade ago. The Arc B390 is nominally newer, but its performance class is similar. In Minimum, this means the combo can only achieve playable frame rates at the lowest settings and lowest resolutions, and even then, it barely crosses the 60 FPS threshold.

The gap between the CPU and GPU is stark. The 290K Plus sits at the 96th percentile of CPUs, while the Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile of GPUs. The combo rank of 2602 out of 2939 is a direct result of this mismatch. Any system pairing this CPU with a discrete GPU from the last decade would likely score far higher. The data shows that the combo is severely unbalanced for Minimum, with the GPU acting as a hard ceiling on performance.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across resolutions clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 95 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 61 FPS, a 35.8% decrease. At 4K Low, the average falls to 33 FPS, a 65.3% decrease from 1080p. This steep decline with increasing pixel count is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck. A CPU-bound scenario would show much smaller FPS deltas across resolutions, as the CPU would be the same work regardless of resolution.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. At High settings, the combo goes from 61 FPS at 1080p to 39 FPS at 1440p (36.1% drop) and then to 21 FPS at 4K (65.6% drop from 1080p). At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 72 at 1080p to 47 at 1440p (34.7% drop) and then to 25 at 4K (65.3% drop). At Ultra settings, the drop is from 46 at 1080p to 30 at 1440p (34.8% drop) and then to 16 at 4K (65.2% drop). The uniformity of these percentage drops—around 35% from 1080p to 1440p and around 65% from 1080p to 4K—indicates that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints.

The Arc B390’s memory is system-shared, meaning it uses the CPU’s DDR5 memory bandwidth, which is rated at 115.2 GB/s for the 290K Plus. However, the GPU’s effective bandwidth is "System Dependent," and for an integrated part, it is typically much lower than the CPU’s theoretical peak. At 4K, the GPU must move far more pixels and texture data, and the shared memory bus becomes a significant bottleneck. The FPS numbers at 4K (16-33 FPS depending on settings) are below playable thresholds for a third-person shooter, confirming that the GPU cannot handle the resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a full picture of the combo’s performance in Minimum. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo performs best. At Low settings, it averages 95 FPS, which is smooth and playable. At Medium settings, it drops to 72 FPS, with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 83. At High settings, it averages 61 FPS, still playable but close to the 60 FPS threshold. At Ultra settings, it drops to 46 FPS, which is noticeably less smooth and may introduce stutter in action sequences.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades significantly. Low settings produce an average of 61 FPS, which is exactly at the playability threshold but with no headroom for dips. Medium settings average 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 54, indicating that frame times may be inconsistent. High settings drop to 39 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 30 FPS. The latter two are below the 60 FPS standard and would likely feel sluggish in a fast-paced third-person shooter.

At 3840x2160, the combo is largely unplayable. Low settings average 33 FPS, which is below 60 FPS and would be a poor experience. Medium settings average 25 FPS, with a minimum of 21 and a maximum of 29, showing severe frame pacing issues. High settings drop to 21 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 16 FPS. These numbers are cinematic at best and unplayable at worst. The data shows that 4K is entirely out of reach for this combo in Minimum, regardless of settings.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, fabricated on Intel’s 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, which is high for an iGPU but still insufficient for demanding gaming. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units. It also includes 12 ray tracing cores, which are irrelevant for a 2014 title like Minimum that does not use ray tracing.

The GPU’s memory is system-shared, meaning it uses the CPU’s DDR5 memory. The bus width and bandwidth are listed as "System Shared" and "System Dependent," respectively. In practice, this means the GPU is limited by the CPU’s memory controller and the available system RAM speed. The 290K Plus has a memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s, but the iGPU cannot fully utilize this due to its smaller memory interface and shared access. This is a major reason why the GPU performs so poorly at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s compute capabilities are modest: 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS FP16. These numbers are far below what a discrete gaming GPU offers. In Minimum, the GPU’s pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits, but the actual performance is much lower due to memory bandwidth constraints. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile, alongside GPUs like the GT 710 (which is 2.7% slower). This context is crucial: the Arc B390 is not a gaming GPU in any meaningful sense.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience is achieved at 1080p with Low settings, where the combo averages 95 FPS. This is the only configuration that provides both high frame rates and a smooth experience. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 72 FPS, which is still playable, but the minimum of 62 FPS indicates that the GPU is nearing its limit. For players who prefer higher visual fidelity, 1080p High at 61 FPS is acceptable, but it leaves no headroom for demanding scenes.

At 1440p, the only viable option is Low settings, which averages 61 FPS. This is exactly at the 60 FPS threshold, so any complex scene could push it below playable levels. Medium settings at 1440p average 47 FPS, which is not smooth enough for a competitive shooter. High and Ultra settings at 1440p are not recommended, as they produce averages of 39 and 30 FPS, respectively.

At 4K, no settings are recommended. The highest average is 33 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS target. The data suggests that 4K is simply not feasible for this combo. The best overall experience, balancing visual quality and frame rate, is 1080p Medium. It provides 72 FPS average with a minimum of 62 FPS, which is sufficient for the game’s fast-paced action. For players who prioritize frame rate above all, 1080p Low at 95 FPS is the superior choice.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo in Minimum?*

A: The measured data shows that 1080p Low provides the highest average FPS at 95, while 1080p Medium offers the best balance at 72 FPS average with a 62 FPS minimum. 4K is not recommended, as even Low settings only achieve 33 FPS.

Q: Why does the combo rank so low (2602 out of 2939) despite having a flagship CPU?

A: The rank is driven by the Intel Arc B390 GPU, which scores in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU is in the 96th percentile, but the GPU is the bottleneck, limiting the entire system’s performance in Minimum.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest rival GPUs?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, which is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 2.7% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443). These are all low-end parts with similar performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. Evidence comes from resolution scaling: FPS drops by roughly 35% from 1080p to 1440p and 65% from 1080p to 4K, which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU has ample headroom, as shown by its high Cinebench scores.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p Low and 4K Ultra?

A: The combo achieves 95 FPS average at 1080p Low, but only 16 FPS average at 4K Ultra. This is a 79 FPS difference, or an 83.2% reduction in frame rate.

Q: Does the Arc B390 have dedicated VRAM?

A: No, the GPU uses system-shared memory. The memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared," and bandwidth is "System Dependent," meaning it relies on the CPU’s DDR5 memory.