Overpower

Overpower is a demanding action title that stresses the GPU far more than the CPU, and the data for this combination of an AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and an Intel Arc B390 makes that bottleneck painfully clear. Across all resolutions, the frame rates are consistently low, hovering between the mid-20s and low-70s depending on settings. The Arc B390, which sits at the 9th percentile of all GPUs, is the clear limiting factor here, while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D, a 12-core Zen 5 processor, has ample headroom that goes largely unused. The benchmark results paint a picture of a system where the processor is waiting on the graphics card at every turn, and the practical advice is to treat this as an integrated-graphics-class experience rather than a high-refresh-rate gaming rig.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K follows a predictable pattern that confirms the GPU is the primary constraint. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 72 FPS at 1920x1080 to 64 FPS at 2560x1440, and then down to 54 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 25% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a relatively mild scaling curve for a game that is typically GPU-bound, but the absolute numbers are the real story. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Low settings only costs 10 FPS, from 64 to 54, which suggests the card is already hitting a performance ceiling that is not strictly tied to pixel count alone.

At High settings, the scaling is steeper in percentage terms but shallower in raw FPS. The average goes from 42 FPS at 1080p to 37 FPS at 1440p, and then to 32 FPS at 4K. That is a 24% drop from 1080p to 4K, nearly identical to the Low preset, but the absolute spread is just 10 FPS across all three resolutions. This indicates that the Arc B390 is so weak that even dropping the resolution does not unlock meaningful headroom; the card is saturated at 1080p, and the extra pixels at 1440p and 4K only add a modest load. The Ultra preset shows the same trend, with 35 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K, a 26% reduction overall.

What this scaling tells us is that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution. If the Ryzen 9 9900X3D were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a larger gap between 1080p and 4K, as the CPU would struggle to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. Instead, the frame rates stay low and tightly clustered, which is the signature of a GPU that is running at its maximum capacity regardless of the resolution. The data suggests that lowering the resolution from 4K to 1080p will not turn this into a playable experience; it only moves the needle from unplayable to barely tolerable.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 128 MB L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this processor is a heavyweight, scoring 47,737 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6,739 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 22,884 and a single-core score of 3,041. Its average benchmark score of 54,762 places it at the 91st percentile of all CPUs, and it trades blows with the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which scores 55,093, a difference of just -0.6%.

In Overpower, however, the CPU’s role is minimal. The measured FPS data shows no scenario where the frame rate is limited by the processor’s capabilities. Even at the highest settings and lowest resolution, where CPU load is typically highest, the system only manages 35 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is far below what a processor of this caliber could feed to a more capable GPU. The 12 cores and 24 threads are simply idle, as the game’s action-oriented workload does not appear to be heavily threaded, and the single-core performance is more than sufficient for the task.

The processor’s memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s over dual-channel DDR5 is also not a limiting factor here, as the GPU’s memory is "System Shared," meaning it draws from the same pool. This shared memory setup is a double-edged sword: it simplifies the system design, but it also means the GPU is competing with the CPU for bandwidth, and the Arc B390’s memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent." In practice, this creates a scenario where the CPU’s fast memory controller is wasted on a GPU that cannot take advantage of it. The benchmark results indicate that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is not the bottleneck, and upgrading it would yield zero performance gains in Overpower.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the exact opposite of the CPU in terms of performance class. It is a 3 nm part from Intel with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, featuring 1,536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. It has 12 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), but its raw compute is limited to 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The GPU’s memory is "System Shared," with no dedicated VRAM, which means its bandwidth and capacity are entirely dependent on the system’s DDR5 memory. This is a significant handicap for a game like Overpower, which likely requires fast access to textures and geometry.

The GPU’s benchmark results are stark. Its only recorded 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1,482, which places it at the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are ancient and low-end parts: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1,463 (1.3% slower), the GeForce 800M scores 1,460 (1.5% slower), and the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1,446 (2.5% slower). This is not a competitive gaming GPU by any stretch; it is an integrated graphics solution that happens to be paired with a high-end desktop processor. The 80 W TDP and IGP form factor confirm that this is not designed for discrete gaming workloads.

In Overpower, the GPU’s limitations are the sole reason for the low frame rates. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are far too low to push modern action games at playable speeds. The 25 FPS to 72 FPS range across all settings and resolutions is consistent with a GPU that is bottlenecked by its own compute and memory throughput, not by the CPU or system memory. The fact that the GPU’s memory is "System Shared" means that its effective bandwidth is capped by the CPU’s dual-channel DDR5, which further restricts its ability to handle high-resolution textures. The data shows that this GPU is the weak link, and no amount of CPU headroom can compensate for its lack of raw performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of what to expect from this combo, and it is not encouraging. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the average frame rates are 72 FPS on Low, 45 FPS on Medium, 42 FPS on High, and 35 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS, which indicates some variance but no severe stuttering. The jump from Low to Medium is a 27 FPS drop, which is substantial, while the drop from Medium to High is only 3 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 7 FPS. This suggests that the Medium preset is closer to the GPU’s sweet spot, while Low is the only setting that approaches a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the numbers fall across the board. Low averages 64 FPS, Medium averages 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS, High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages 31 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 24 FPS, which is similar to the 1080p gap, but the absolute values are lower. The High and Medium presets are nearly identical, with only a 3 FPS difference, which indicates that the GPU is hitting a performance wall that is not easily overcome by adjusting settings. Ultra at 1440p is just 31 FPS, which is borderline unplayable for an action game.

At 3840x2160, the results are grim. Low averages 54 FPS, which is the only playable option at this resolution, while Medium averages 34 FPS with a minimum of 29 FPS and a maximum of 39 FPS. High averages 32 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 28 FPS, which is the largest of any resolution, but even the best case at 4K is barely above 60 FPS, and that is only on the lowest settings. The data indicates that 4K is only viable on Low, and even then, the 54 FPS average will feel inconsistent in fast-paced action scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this pairing in Overpower is 2,638 out of 2,980 tested combinations. That places it in the bottom 11% of all systems, which is a poor showing for a processor that sits at the 91st percentile of all CPUs. The ranking is entirely dragged down by the GPU, which is at the 9th percentile. The data shows that this is a mismatched pairing: the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a top-tier processor, while the Arc B390 is an entry-level integrated solution. The result is a system that underperforms in Overpower, and the rank reflects that.

Relative to other combos, this pairing is closer to the bottom than the top. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce 800M, are from a bygone era, and the measured FPS in Overpower aligns with that performance class. The CPU’s nearest rivals, like the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, would perform identically in this game because the GPU is the limiting factor. The combo rank is a direct consequence of the GPU’s low percentile, and any analysis of this system must start and end with the fact that the Arc B390 is not a gaming GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the only settings that provide a remotely playable experience are on the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system averages 72 FPS, which is smooth enough for action gameplay, though it will not look particularly good. At 1440p Low, the average drops to 64 FPS, which is still playable but with more visual compromises. At 4K Low, the average is 54 FPS, which is borderline; it may be acceptable for slower moments but will likely dip in combat.

The Medium preset is a trap. At 1080p, it averages 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth action, and at 1440p it drops to 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 FPS. The visual quality improvement from Low to Medium is not worth the FPS loss, especially since the game’s action will suffer from the lower frame rate. High and Ultra are not viable at any resolution, with averages ranging from 26 FPS to 42 FPS, which is too low for a game that demands quick reactions.

The best experience per the measured rows is to play at 1080p with the Low preset. This gives the highest average frame rate of 72 FPS and avoids the dips seen at higher settings. If you have a 1440p monitor, the Low preset at 64 FPS is acceptable, but you will need to accept a softer image. The data does not support using Medium or higher at any resolution, as the FPS cost is too steep. In short, this is a system for 1080p Low gaming, and pushing beyond that will result in a subpar experience.