Overpower

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

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 sits in an unusual position for a game like Overpower. It is a 10-core, 10-thread desktop processor built on Intel's Arrow Lake architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 3 nm process. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz give it solid single-thread headroom, which is reflected in its benchmark scores: a Cinebench R23 single-core result of 3655 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4412. In multi-threaded workloads, the chip delivers a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a Passmark multithread score of 30459, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs tested.

The CPU's role in Overpower's measured results is best understood by looking at what it is not doing. The Intel Arc B390 GPU paired with it is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, with 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output pipelines. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, which is dramatically lower than the CPU's 85th percentile standing. This massive gap between CPU capability and GPU capability means the Arc B390 is the overwhelming bottleneck in every single measured frame rate.

The CPU's 65-watt TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth are more than adequate for feeding this GPU. The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data locality for game logic and physics calculations. The Passmark physics score of 2342 and the Passmark find prime numbers score of 358 indicate that the CPU can handle the computational overhead of Overpower's action-game systems without breaking a sweat.

What the data shows is a system where the CPU is effectively idle-adjacent in terms of performance ceiling. The measured FPS numbers across all resolutions are consistently low — ranging from 26 FPS at 4K Ultra to 72 FPS at 1080p Low — and these numbers track much more closely with the GPU's 9th percentile ranking than with the CPU's 85th percentile ranking. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with an average benchmark score of 36945 (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D at 37018 (-0.2% delta), showing that the Core Ultra 5 225 is competitively positioned in the CPU market. But in this specific combo, the CPU's headroom is never exercised because the integrated GPU cannot generate enough frames to stress it.

The architecture choices matter here. Arrow Lake-S with 10 cores and 10 threads (no hyperthreading) is a design that favors efficiency and single-thread performance over raw multi-thread throughput. For Overpower, an action game that likely relies on game logic and AI processing, this CPU would normally be a strong choice. The 4.90 GHz boost clock ensures that any single-threaded game loop runs quickly. The L1 cache of 192 KB per core and the L2 of 3 MB per core provide low-latency access to frequently used data structures.

However, the measured results tell a story of constraint. The GPU's integrated nature — with system-shared memory and system-dependent bandwidth — means that every frame rendered must travel through the same memory subsystem that the CPU uses. This creates a scenario where the CPU's 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth is shared rather than dedicated, potentially adding latency that would not exist with a discrete GPU. The Arc B390's base clock of 300 MHz and boost clock of 2500 MHz, combined with its 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, simply cannot produce high frame rates in Overpower at any resolution.

The CPU's production status is Active, and it was released on January 6, 2025, with a launch MSRP of $246. The GPU was released later, on January 26, 2026. This timeline suggests the combo represents a modern CPU paired with a contemporary integrated GPU, likely in a compact or portable system given the GPU's IGP slot width and "Portable Device Dependent" display outputs.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 or the Intel Arc B390 the limiting factor in Overpower?

A: The data clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting factor. The CPU sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs while the GPU sits in the 9th percentile. The measured FPS numbers, which never exceed 72 FPS even at 1080p Low, are consistent with the GPU's low ranking and not the CPU's high ranking.

Q: How does this combo's CPU compare to its nearest rivals in raw processing power?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, scores 36945, a delta of 0%. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018 (-0.2%), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093 (-0.4%), and the Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112 (-0.5%). These differences are all within 0.5%, indicating near-identical CPU performance across these models.

Q: What is the best settings preset for playing Overpower with this hardware?

A: Based on the measured data, Low settings at 1080p provides the only consistently playable experience with an average of 72 FPS. Medium settings at 1080p drops to 45 FPS, and High settings at 1080p yields 42 FPS. At 1440p, Low settings averages 64 FPS, which is also playable but less fluid. All Ultra settings produce averages below 36 FPS at every resolution.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 (1.3% higher for the Arc), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% higher). This places the Arc B390 at the very bottom of the GPU performance spectrum, just barely ahead of decade-old entry-level discrete cards.

Q: What resolutions and settings produce frame rates above 60 FPS?

A: Only one measured configuration exceeds 60 FPS: 1080p Low at 72 FPS. The next closest is 1440p Low at 64 FPS, which also clears 60 FPS but with less margin. No Medium, High, or Ultra setting at any resolution reaches 60 FPS, and no 4K setting exceeds 54 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU's multi-threading capability help in Overpower?

A: The CPU's 10-core, 10-thread configuration delivers a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a Passmark multithread score of 30459, which are strong results. However, since the GPU is the bottleneck, the CPU's multi-threading advantage is not reflected in higher frame rates. The game is likely GPU-bound in all measured scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data for this combo presents a clear hierarchy of playability. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 72 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset that approaches a high-refresh experience. Medium at 1080p falls to 45 FPS, High to 42 FPS, and Ultra to 35 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 27 FPS — a 37.5% drop — which is a substantial penalty for what is likely a modest visual improvement on an integrated GPU.

At 1440p, the pattern repeats but with lower overall numbers. Low averages 64 FPS, Medium 40 FPS, High 37 FPS, and Ultra 31 FPS. The 1440p Low result is the second-best measured configuration and remains above the 60 FPS threshold. Players with 1440p displays could reasonably choose this setting, though the 8 FPS gap between 1080p Low and 1440p Low suggests the GPU is already struggling with pixel throughput.

At 4K, no setting is playable. Low averages 54 FPS, Medium 34 FPS, High 32 FPS, and Ultra 26 FPS. The 4K Low result at 54 FPS is borderline but will likely produce noticeable stutter in an action game. The 4K Medium configuration has a measured minimum of 29 FPS and maximum of 39 FPS, indicating significant frame time variance.

The recommendation from the data is unambiguous: 1080p Low is the best experience for this combo. It is the only setting that provides both a high average frame rate and enough headroom for action-game spikes. If a player insists on higher visual quality, 1080p Medium at 45 FPS is the next viable option, though it sacrifices the smoothness that the Low preset provides. The 1440p Low preset at 64 FPS is a reasonable alternative for users with higher-resolution displays who prioritize frame rate over resolution.

For players who want to use this combo at 4K, the data suggests accepting Low settings at 54 FPS as the ceiling, with the understanding that frame pacing may suffer in intense scenes. The Ultra preset is effectively unusable at any resolution, with its best case being 35 FPS at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The Overpower benchmark results place this specific CPU-GPU combination at rank 2638 out of 2980 tested combos. This puts the combo in the bottom 11.5% of all configurations tested for this game. The low ranking is entirely attributable to the Intel Arc B390's 9th percentile GPU performance, as the CPU's 85th percentile ranking would normally suggest a much higher placement.

The data shows that this combo is near the bottom of the distribution but not at the very bottom. With 342 combos ranking below it, there are systems that perform even worse in Overpower. However, the gap between this combo and the median is substantial. The measured FPS numbers, which top out at 72 FPS at 1080p Low, indicate that most other tested combos likely deliver significantly higher frame rates at comparable settings.

The ranking disparity between the CPU and GPU is striking. A CPU in the 85th percentile paired with a GPU in the 9th percentile creates a system where the GPU is the definitive performance ceiling. The combo rank of 2638 out of 2980 reflects this imbalance — the CPU's strength is irrelevant to the final score because the GPU cannot translate CPU capability into frame rate.

For context, the CPU's nearest rivals (AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, Intel Core i9-12900T) all have average benchmark scores within 0.5% of the Core Ultra 5 225. If any of these CPUs were paired with a more capable GPU, the combo ranking would likely improve dramatically. The data indicates that this combo's poor rank is a GPU problem, not a CPU problem.

The GPU's nearest rivals are all NVIDIA entry-level parts from a much older generation: the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710. The Arc B390 outperforms all of these by margins of 1.3% to 2.7% in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, but this is a race to the bottom. Being 2.7% faster than a GT 710 does not position the Arc B390 for competitive gaming performance in a 2023 action title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals how the system scales with pixel count and what that says about the limiting component. Starting from 1080p Low at 72 FPS, moving to 1440p Low drops performance to 64 FPS, a reduction of 11.1%. Moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low drops performance to 54 FPS, a further reduction of 15.6%. The total drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 25%.

These scaling percentages are telling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect frame rates to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU's workload (game logic, physics, AI) does not scale with pixel count. Instead, we see a consistent 11-16% drop at each resolution step, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where the render target size directly impacts fill rate and memory bandwidth demands.

The Medium settings show a similar pattern. At 1080p Medium, the average is 45 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it drops to 40 FPS (-11.1%). At 4K Medium, it drops to 34 FPS (-15.0%). The High settings follow: 42 FPS at 1080p, 37 FPS at 1440p (-11.9%), and 32 FPS at 4K (-13.5%). The Ultra settings show 35 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p (-11.4%), and 26 FPS at 4K (-16.1%).

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings presets is remarkable. Whether at Low or Ultra, the resolution scaling penalty is nearly identical — roughly 11-12% from 1080p to 1440p and 14-16% from 1440p to 4K. This uniformity indicates a single bottleneck that responds predictably to pixel count changes. The integrated GPU's system-shared memory architecture means that higher resolutions require more memory bandwidth, and the system-dependent bandwidth cannot keep up.

The 4K Medium data includes a minimum of 29 FPS and maximum of 39 FPS, showing a 10 FPS range. This variance is notable at such a low average frame rate, suggesting that the GPU's shared memory subsystem is struggling to maintain consistent performance under load. The 1440p Medium range is 34 to 46 FPS (12 FPS variance), and the 1080p Medium range is 38 to 52 FPS (14 FPS variance). The increasing variance at lower resolutions is counterintuitive but may reflect CPU involvement becoming more relevant at higher frame rates.

The data supports the conclusion that the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting component. A CPU-bound system would show flat frame rates across resolutions, but this system shows consistent degradation. The 25% total drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, and similar drops at other presets, is definitive evidence of GPU limitation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for Overpower with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and Intel Arc B390 is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low settings preset delivers an average of 72 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 45 FPS with a measured minimum of 38 and maximum of 52. High settings yield an average of 42 FPS. Ultra settings drop to an average of 35 FPS.

At 2560x1440, Low settings average 64 FPS. Medium settings average 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 and maximum of 46. High settings average 37 FPS. Ultra settings average 31 FPS.

At 3840x2160, Low settings average 54 FPS. Medium settings average 34 FPS with a minimum of 29 and maximum of 39. High settings average 32 FPS. Ultra settings average 26 FPS.

The 1080p Low result of 72 FPS is the single best measured configuration. It is 12.5% faster than the next best (1440p Low at 64 FPS) and 33.3% faster than the 4K Low result of 54 FPS. This makes 1080p Low the only setting that provides a smooth, responsive experience for action gameplay.

The gap between Low and Medium settings is consistent across all resolutions. At 1080p, the drop is 27 FPS (72 to 45). At 1440p, the drop is 24 FPS (64 to 40). At 4K, the drop is 20 FPS (54 to 34). This consistent 20-27 FPS penalty for moving from Low to Medium suggests that the Medium preset enables visual effects that significantly increase the GPU's workload, likely including additional lighting or post-processing that the integrated GPU cannot handle efficiently.

The Medium to High transition is much smaller. At 1080p, it costs 3 FPS (45 to 42). At 1440p, it costs 3 FPS (40 to 37). At 4K, it costs 2 FPS (34 to 32). This small penalty suggests that High settings add relatively little additional GPU load over Medium, making High a more efficient choice than the Low-to-Medium jump would suggest.

The High to Ultra transition costs 7 FPS at 1080p (42 to 35), 6 FPS at 1440p (37 to 31), and 6 FPS at 4K (32 to 26). This is a more significant penalty than the Medium-to-High step, indicating that Ultra settings enable additional effects that disproportionately impact the GPU.

The minimum FPS data, available only for Medium settings, shows that the 4K Medium configuration has a minimum of 29 FPS, which is below the generally accepted threshold for playable frame rates. The 1440p Medium minimum of 34 FPS and the 1080p Medium minimum of 38 FPS are more acceptable but still indicate frame drops below the average that could cause noticeable hitches in an action game.

The data shows a system that is firmly entry-level for gaming. The best case scenario (1080p Low at 72 FPS) is playable, but every other configuration falls below 60 FPS, and most fall below 45 FPS. The Intel Arc B390's 9th percentile GPU ranking is accurately reflected in these results, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 225's 85th percentile CPU ranking provides no benefit to frame rates in this GPU-bound scenario.