Overpower

Overpower, the 2023 action title, proves to be a demanding showcase for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the Intel Arc B370 integrated graphics. The measured data reveals a configuration that is strictly bound by its GPU, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and settings. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results to determine the optimal playable settings, the role of the processor and graphics solution, and how this specific combination ranks against other tested hardware.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for this system in Overpower paints a clear picture: the Intel Arc B370 is the definitive bottleneck, and the choice of settings is a direct trade-off between visual fidelity and playable frame rates. Across all three tested resolutions (1080p, 1440p, and 4K), the "Low" preset consistently delivers the highest average FPS, offering the only path to a fluid experience. The "Medium" and "High" presets provide marginal visual improvements but at a significant cost to performance, often dipping below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the "Low" preset achieves an average of 65 FPS, which is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth and responsive experience. The "Medium" preset drops to 41 FPS, a 24 FPS reduction that will be noticeable in fast-paced action sequences, while "High" falls to 38 FPS and "Ultra" to 31 FPS. For competitive or action-oriented play, the "Low" preset at 1080p is the clear recommendation, as the frame rate is paramount for maintaining fluidity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance gap widens. The "Low" preset maintains an average of 58 FPS, which remains playable, though less headroom exists for demanding scenes. The "Medium" settings average 36 FPS, a significant drop that makes the game feel stuttery and less responsive. "High" and "Ultra" settings yield 34 FPS and 28 FPS respectively, which are not recommended for a satisfactory experience. At this resolution, "Low" is the only viable option for maintaining a stable frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the integrated GPU is clearly overwhelmed. The "Low" preset averages 49 FPS, which is borderline playable but will suffer in intense moments. The "Medium" preset falls to an average of 31 FPS, with minimums as low as 26 FPS, making it a poor choice for any action-oriented gameplay. "High" and "Ultra" settings produce averages of 28 FPS and 24 FPS, respectively, rendering the game nearly unplayable. Consequently, the data suggests that 4K gaming is not a practical option for this combination, even on the lowest settings, if a consistent frame rate is desired. The best experience, balancing frame rate and visual quality, is unequivocally the "Low" preset at 1080p, as it is the only configuration that consistently breaks the 60 FPS barrier.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Overpower at 4K resolution?*

A: Technically yes, but not at a playable frame rate. The data shows that at 3840x2160, the "Low" preset averages 49 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset averages only 24 FPS. For a smoother experience, the "Low" preset at 1080p, which averages 65 FPS, is the recommended configuration.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this CPU/GPU combination?

A: The "Low" preset is the best choice for a fluid experience across all resolutions. At 1080p, it is the only setting that achieves an average above 60 FPS (65 FPS). At 1440p, it maintains a playable 58 FPS average, and at 4K, it is the only preset that stays above 45 FPS (49 FPS).

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the "Low" and "Ultra" presets?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 65 on "Low" to 31 on "Ultra," a reduction of 34 FPS. At 2560x1440, it drops from 58 FPS to 28 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it drops from 49 FPS to 24 FPS. The visual gains from "Ultra" do not justify the severe performance penalty.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 bottlenecking the Intel Arc B370 in this game?

A: No, benchmark results indicate the opposite. The GPU is the clear limiting factor. The performance scales dramatically with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's high benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32924, suggest it has ample headroom to feed the integrated GPU.

Q: What kind of frame rate can be expected on the "Medium" preset at 1440p?

A: The average FPS on "Medium" at 2560x1440 is 36 FPS, with minimum and maximum readings of 31 and 42 FPS respectively. This indicates an inconsistent and often choppy experience that is not ideal for an action game.

Q: Is the integrated Arc B370 faster or slower than its direct rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B370's average benchmark score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, has an average score of 1186, which is 0.2% higher. This indicates the Arc B370 performs at a comparable level to a legacy entry-level discrete GPU.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) that is fundamentally the limiting component in this system for Overpower. Its performance profile, characterized by a 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 compute rate and a 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate, is modest and geared towards basic graphical tasks rather than high-end gaming. The data confirms this, as the GPU sits in the 5th percentile of all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184. This places it in the company of legacy entry-level discrete cards like the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1190, a mere 0.5% higher.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This is a critical factor, as the "memory bandwidth" is listed as "System Dependent." This shared memory architecture, coupled with a 25 W TDP, severely constrains the GPU's ability to handle high-resolution textures and complex scenes. The measured frame rates in Overpower directly reflect this limitation. At 1080p "Low," the GPU manages an average of 65 FPS, but as the resolution and settings increase, demanding more memory bandwidth and processing power, the frame rate plummets to 24 FPS at 4K "Ultra."

The GPU's boost clock of 2400 MHz and 1280 shading units are simply not sufficient for the demands of a modern action game at higher fidelity levels. While the CPU, with its 14 cores and 24 MB of shared L3 cache, is a strong performer, its capabilities are entirely wasted in this configuration. The system's performance is a direct reflection of the Arc B370's limits, and the benchmark data shows a clear and consistent GPU-bound scenario across all tested settings. The near-linear scaling of frame rates with resolution and settings is a definitive indicator that the CPU is not a bottleneck; the Arc B370 is the sole arbiter of performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested hardware combinations for Overpower, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and Intel Arc B370 performs poorly. The data shows a combo rank of 2742 out of 2980 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the integrated graphics solution, which severely limits the system's gaming potential despite the capable processor.

The disparity between the CPU and GPU performance is stark. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a high-performing processor, sitting in the 90th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 48995. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which scores 49228 (0.5% higher), and the Intel Core i5-14600K, which scores 48618 (0.8% lower). This indicates the CPU is a top-tier component in a vacuum. However, the Intel Arc B370 is in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 1184. This massive mismatch means the CPU's potential is left untapped, and the system's overall gaming performance is dragged down to the level of the GPU.

Consequently, the system's rank of 2742 out of 2980 reflects a configuration that is fundamentally unbalanced for gaming. While the CPU could easily support a high-end discrete graphics card, it is paired with an IGP that is only comparable to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186 (0.2% higher). The combination's overall rank is thus a direct consequence of the GPU's low performance ceiling. In essence, this combo ranks poorly not because the CPU is weak, but because the GPU is one of the weakest components in the database, making the system unsuitable for the performance demands of Overpower at any respectable setting.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, strongly indicating a GPU-bound system. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, with the most significant absolute losses occurring on the "Low" preset, where the average FPS falls from 65 at 1920x1080 to 49 at 3840x2160, a 16 FPS reduction. This scaling is a classic symptom of the GPU being the primary limiting factor.

On the "High" preset, the average FPS drops from 38 at 1080p to 34 at 1440p, and further to 28 at 4K. The "Medium" preset shows a similar trend, with averages of 41, 36, and 31 FPS across the three resolutions. The "Ultra" preset sees the steepest relative decline, starting at 31 FPS at 1080p and falling to 28 FPS at 1440p and 24 FPS at 4K. In every case, the frame rate decreases as the pixel count increases, which is the expected behavior when the rendering workload outpaces the GPU's processing capabilities and memory bandwidth.

The relationship between resolution and frame rate confirms that the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU's workload (game logic, physics, draw calls) is largely independent of resolution. Instead, the consistent drop in FPS with every increase in resolution points directly to the Intel Arc B370's inability to handle the increased pixel fill rate and memory traffic. The GPU's low 6.144 TFLOPS compute rate and "System Dependent" memory bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of 1440p and 4K rendering, making 1080p the only resolution where the system can approach a playable frame rate on the "Low" preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the measured average FPS, along with minimum and maximum values where available, for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and Intel Arc B370 combination in Overpower.

1920x1080:

• Low: The average FPS is 65. This is the highest performance point for this system and the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience.
• Medium: The average FPS is 41, with a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 47. This represents a significant 24 FPS drop from "Low" and introduces noticeable stuttering.
• High: The average FPS is 38. This setting offers a marginal visual improvement over "Medium" but at a further cost to fluidity.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 31. This is the most demanding setting and results in a choppy, often unresponsive experience.

2560x1440:

• Low: The average FPS is 58. This remains a playable frame rate, though with less headroom than at 1080p.
• Medium: The average FPS is 36, with a minimum of 31 and a maximum of 42. The frame pacing is poor, making the game feel stuttery.
• High: The average FPS is 34. This setting is not recommended for action gameplay due to the low and likely inconsistent frame rate.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 28. This is near the threshold of unplayability, with severe performance dips expected.

3840x2160:

• Low: The average FPS is 49. This is the only 4K setting that approaches a playable level, but it will struggle in busy scenes.
• Medium: The average FPS is 31, with a minimum of 26 and a maximum of 35. This is a poor experience, with frequent frame drops.
• High: The average FPS is 28. This setting is not suitable for gameplay.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 24. This is a slideshow-like experience and is not viable for playing the game.