Overpower

Overpower, an Action title from August 2023, presents a demanding workload where the balance between processor and graphics is critical. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B390, a combination that ranks 2638th out of 2980 tested configurations in this game. The data indicates a system where the integrated graphics component is the clear performance bottleneck, with the CPU providing a stable but constrained foundation for the GPU's output.

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

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and can boost up to 4.40 GHz, which are the frequencies that determine its responsiveness in game logic and physics calculations. The CPU has a 65 W TDP and uses the Intel Socket 1200 interface. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a shared 12 MB L3 cache, which helps feed the cores with data for the game's simulation threads.

In synthetic benchmarks, the processor shows a balanced profile that supports its role in gaming. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14340 and single-core score of 2024 indicate solid multi-threaded capability and adequate single-thread performance for older game engines. The 3DMark test suite shows a scaling pattern from 1691 for 2 threads to 5652 for max threads, suggesting the processor can effectively utilize its 12 threads when the game presents parallel workloads. The Geekbench multicore score of 7737 and single-core score of 1777 reinforce this picture of a capable mid-range CPU. The PassMark single-thread score of 2981 is particularly relevant for games that rely on a few fast cores for main loop logic, while the multithread score of 16908 shows headroom for background tasks.

For Overpower, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to avoid being the primary limitation at the tested settings. The data shows that as resolution increases, the FPS drops, which indicates the GPU is the limiting factor rather than the CPU. The CPU's percentile ranking of 71 among all tested CPUs means it performs better than most processors in the database, and its average benchmark score of 17177 places it near rivals like the AMD EPYC 7H12 (deltaPct 0.3) and the Intel Core i5-12450H (deltaPct -0.4). The processor's boost clock of 4.40 GHz provides the single-thread speed necessary to keep the frame pacing stable, allowing the Arc B390 to work at its maximum potential without waiting on the CPU between frames. Given the measured FPS data, the CPU role is to maintain a consistent frame delivery rate, which it does effectively, as the FPS variations between settings are more attributable to GPU load than CPU stalls.

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

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process as part of the Panther Lake chip. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, which are the frequencies that dictate its raw processing throughput. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its compute capabilities are rated at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16 (2:1 ratio), with a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The TDP is 80 W, and it has no dedicated power connectors, indicating it draws power from the system's main supply.

The memory configuration is critical: the Arc B390 uses System Shared memory, meaning its VRAM size, type, bus width, and bandwidth are all dependent on the system's main memory. This is a significant factor in Overpower, as the game must share the system's DDR4 memory bandwidth for both CPU and GPU operations. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, which is very low. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (deltaPct 1.3) and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (deltaPct 1.5), both of which are older entry-level parts. This indicates the Arc B390's raw graphics performance is minimal, and the shared memory architecture further limits its ability to handle high-resolution textures and effects.

In Overpower, the GPU's role is to render the scene, and the data shows it is the dominant constraint. The boost clock of 2500 MHz is high for an integrated part, but the limited number of shading units and the system memory bottleneck prevent it from achieving playable frame rates at higher settings. The 'System Shared' memory means there is no dedicated VRAM to cache textures, forcing the GPU to fetch data from the main memory bus, which is shared with the CPU. This explains why the FPS drops significantly when moving from Low to Ultra settings, as the GPU struggles with increased pixel and texture workloads. The GPU's performance is so constrained that even at 1080p Low, the maximum average FPS is just 72, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 26, confirming that the Arc B390 is the primary factor limiting the gaming experience.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions provides a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p Low, the system achieves an average of 72 FPS, which drops to 64 FPS at 1440p Low, and further to 54 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 25% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. At High settings, the progression is from 42 FPS at 1080p to 37 FPS at 1440p to 32 FPS at 4K, a 24% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, the FPS goes from 45 at 1080p to 40 at 1440p to 34 at 4K, a 24% drop. For Ultra, the numbers go from 35 at 1080p to 31 at 1440p to 26 at 4K, a 26% reduction.

The pattern is consistent: increasing resolution causes a relatively small proportional drop in FPS, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the CPU workload does not change with resolution. Here, the FPS drops by roughly a quarter from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU is working harder as pixel count increases, but the absolute FPS numbers are low across all resolutions. The fact that even at 1080p Low the maximum average is only 72 FPS suggests the GPU's raw throughput is insufficient to fully utilize the CPU's capabilities. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a predictable degradation, confirming that the Arc B390's rendering capacity is the limiting component, not the Core i5-11400F.

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

At 1920x1080, the system produces a range of results depending on the quality preset. The Low setting achieves an average of 72 FPS, which is the highest measured in this configuration. Medium reduces this to 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. High drops to 42 FPS, and Ultra is the lowest at 35 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 37 FPS, showing a steep performance cost for higher visual fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the FPS values decrease across all settings. Low delivers 64 FPS, while Medium averages 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 46. High produces 37 FPS, and Ultra falls to 31 FPS. The relative ranking of settings remains the same, but the gap between Low and Medium narrows slightly, suggesting that the GPU is becoming more of a constraint at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops further. Low is the only setting that remains above 50 FPS, averaging 54 FPS. Medium achieves 34 FPS with a minimum of 29 and a maximum of 39. High drops to 32 FPS, and Ultra is the worst at 26 FPS. The data across all resolutions shows a consistent hierarchy: Low is always the fastest, followed by Medium, then High, and Ultra is always the slowest. The Medium setting is the only one with measured minimum and maximum values, indicating that the frame pacing at this setting is more variable than at other presets.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2638th out of 2980 tested configurations in Overpower. This places it in the 11.5th percentile of all combos, meaning that roughly 88.5% of the tested systems perform better than this one. The rank reflects the severe limitation imposed by the GPU, as the CPU is a mid-range part that ranks in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. The disparity between the CPU's percentile ranking and the combo's overall rank highlights the extent to which the Arc B390 drags down the system's gaming performance.

The combo's rank is determined by the measured FPS data, which shows that even at the lowest settings and resolution, the system cannot achieve a consistently high frame rate. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 7H12 (deltaPct 0.3) and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (deltaPct 0.6), have similar average scores, but they would likely be paired with more capable GPUs to yield better game performance. Conversely, the GPU's nearest rivals, like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (deltaPct 1.3) and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (deltaPct 1.5), are also low-end parts, but the Arc B390's performance is so poor that it becomes the determining factor for the combo's low ranking. The data is measured, not estimated, so this rank reflects actual observed performance, which is consistently below playable thresholds for modern action games at higher settings.

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 the Low settings preset, which delivers an average of 72 FPS. This is the only configuration in the entire dataset that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, and it provides the smoothest gameplay. The 1440p Low setting offers 64 FPS, which is also above 60 FPS and may be acceptable if the user prefers higher resolution, but the 1080p Low setting maximizes frame rate. At 4K Low, the average drops to 54 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold but still playable for some users.

For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, the Medium preset at 1080p provides an average of 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS, which is within the range of playability for less demanding action games. However, the data shows that the jump from Low to Medium incurs a 27 FPS drop at 1080p, which is a significant trade-off. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended, as they produce average FPS values below 42 at any resolution, and at 4K Ultra, the system only manages 26 FPS, which is likely to feel sluggish. The data suggests that if the user wants to play Overpower with this hardware, the Low preset at 1080p is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience, and any other choice requires accepting substantial performance degradation.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Overpower?

A: The highest average FPS is 72, measured at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems in this game?

A: The combo ranks 2638th out of 2980 tested configurations, placing it in the lower 11.5% of all systems.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck for this combo?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the main bottleneck, as FPS drops consistently with increasing resolution, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low delivers 64 FPS, while Ultra delivers 31 FPS, a difference of 33 FPS.

Q: Does the Medium preset have a stable frame rate at any resolution?

A: The Medium preset has measured minimum and maximum values at all three resolutions; at 1080p it ranges from 38 to 52 FPS, at 1440p from 34 to 46 FPS, and at 4K from 29 to 39 FPS.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 26, measured at 3840x2160 with the Ultra settings preset.