Pc Building Simulator

Pc Building Simulator, a simulation title from 2019, presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and Intel Arc B390 combination. The benchmark data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics solution, with the CPU's substantial capabilities largely left untapped. This pairing produces a playable experience only at lower resolutions and settings, with the Arc B390's integrated-class performance acting as the primary bottleneck across all tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K in Pc Building Simulator is dramatic and tells a clear story about where the performance ceiling lies. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 62 FPS at 1920x1080 to 39 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 23 FPS. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average plummets to just 21 FPS, meaning the 4K result is roughly one-third of the 1080p figure. This steep, non-linear decline strongly suggests the Intel Arc B390 is overwhelmed by the pixel throughput demands as resolution increases.

Looking at the Low settings preset, the scaling pattern is even more pronounced. The system delivers 125 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 79 FPS at 1440p, and then falls to 41 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K here is a 38 FPS loss, which is proportionally larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p. This accelerating degradation as resolution climbs is a hallmark of a GPU that has run out of raw fillrate and memory bandwidth, especially considering the B390 uses System Shared memory, making its performance heavily dependent on the system's memory subsystem.

The data implies that the limiting component in this combo is unambiguously the graphics processor. The Ryzen 7 9700F, with its high multithreaded score of 36470 in Passmark, is more than capable of feeding frames in a simulation game, but it is being starved by the B390. The difference between the 1080p and 4K results at any given setting is so large that it cannot be attributed to CPU overhead; it is purely a function of the GPU's rendering capacity. The game's simulation logic might be CPU-bound at times, but the frame rate itself is dictated by the graphics card's ability to output pixels.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a Zen 5 architecture processor (Granite Ridge) built on a 4 nm process, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it has a 65 W TDP. In the Passmark benchmarks, it scores 4691 for single-thread performance and 36470 for multithreaded performance. These figures place it in the 94th percentile against all CPUs, indicating a very strong processor. Its nearest rivals, according to the data, are the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, which it outperforms by 0.2%, and the Intel Core i7-14700KF, which outperforms it by 0.2%.

For a simulation game like Pc Building Simulator, CPU performance is often crucial for calculating physics, AI, and the complex systems that simulate a PC building environment. The 9700F's high single-thread score suggests it can handle the game's main logic thread with ease. However, the measured FPS data shows that this strength is irrelevant when the GPU is the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the 125 FPS average is likely near the practical limit for the B390, and the CPU is probably not the limiting factor even there.

The benchmark results raise a question: is the 9700F's power being wasted in this pairing? In scenarios where the GPU is far weaker than the CPU, the CPU will spend most of its time idle, waiting for the graphics card to finish rendering a frame. The data suggests this is exactly what is happening. The 0.2% delta between the 9700F and its closest rivals in synthetic tests is a negligible difference that would never be noticed in a GPU-bound game like this. The CPU is a high-end component, but its contribution to the final frame rate in this specific configuration is minimal beyond ensuring that the game logic doesn't stall.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 59 FPS. This is the highest quality preset tested at that resolution, and it produces a marginally lower frame rate than the High preset, which achieves 62 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest performance rivals?

A: The Arc B390's average benchmark score is 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower. The data shows the B390 is also 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M and 2.7% faster than the GT 710.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this system?

A: The benchmark data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The FPS drops significantly as resolution increases (e.g., from 125 FPS at 1080p Low to 41 FPS at 4K Low), which is characteristic of a graphics-limited scenario. The Ryzen 7 9700F has a high Passmark score (36470 multithreaded), suggesting it is not the limiting factor.

Q: What is the 4K performance at Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 29, with a minimum of 25 FPS and a maximum of 34 FPS. This indicates a playable but not smooth experience, as the frame rate can dip below 30 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2650th out of 3002 tested combos in Pc Building Simulator. This places it in the bottom percentile of configurations, reflecting the GPU's low performance class.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 79 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves an average of 38 FPS. This represents a 41 FPS difference, or roughly a 52% reduction in frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested hardware combinations for Pc Building Simulator, this pairing of the Ryzen 7 9700F and Intel Arc B390 sits at rank 2650 out of 3002 combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all tested systems, which is a low position that is almost entirely attributable to the graphics card. The CPU is a top-tier part, but the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the B390's performance, which is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

The data shows a massive imbalance in the capabilities of the two components. The 9700F is in the 94th percentile of CPUs, while the B390 is in the 9th percentile of GPUs. This creates a situation where the combo's rank is much closer to the GPU's percentile than the CPU's. If the goal is to achieve a high rank in the database, this is a poorly balanced pairing. The CPU's potential is largely wasted, and the user would likely get a better overall experience from a cheaper CPU paired with a more powerful GPU.

This ranking has practical implications. With a rank of 2650, the system is not competitive for high-end gaming. The performance is more akin to a basic office PC with gaming aspirations. The fact that the B390 is an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) on the Panther Lake chip, using System Shared memory, confirms that it is not designed for demanding gaming workloads. The combo's rank reflects this, as it is positioned far below systems with dedicated, mid-range or high-end graphics cards.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses the system's DDR5 RAM rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth that is described as "System Dependent." The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs. Its theoretical performance is 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, and it scored 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

The data shows that the B390 is the clear performance ceiling for this system. Even at 1080p Low settings, the average FPS is 125, which is high but not exceptional, and it drops off quickly as settings are increased. At 1080p Ultra, the average falls to 59 FPS, which is just barely playable. The GPU's nearest rivals are all older, low-end NVIDIA parts like the GeForce GT 520MX and the GT 710, which highlights its target market segment. It is not a gaming GPU, and the benchmark results confirm this.

The lack of dedicated VRAM is a critical factor. With System Shared memory, the GPU must compete with the CPU for the same memory bus, which can cause stuttering and performance dips in memory-intensive scenarios. The minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium is 47 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 25 FPS, indicating that the system can hit low points that feel unresponsive. The B390 is suitable for basic tasks and very light gaming, but for a game like Pc Building Simulator, it is only adequate at the lowest settings and resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows its best performance. The Low preset averages 125 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium settings reduce the average to 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 102 FPS. High settings drop the average to 62 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 59 FPS. This progression shows a 66 FPS difference between the lowest and highest quality presets at this resolution, indicating that the GPU is sensitive to the increased shading and texture loads.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance takes a significant hit. The Low preset averages 79 FPS, which is still smooth but a 46 FPS drop from 1080p. Medium settings average 56 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS. High settings drop to 39 FPS, and Ultra settings average 38 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is small here, suggesting that the game becomes less responsive to settings changes at this resolution due to the GPU's memory bandwidth limitations.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset averages 41 FPS, which is a 38 FPS drop from 1440p Low. Medium settings average 29 FPS, with a minimum of 25 FPS. High settings average 21 FPS, and Ultra settings average 20 FPS. The 4K results are consistently below the 30 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, making this resolution impractical for this combo. The data shows a clear pattern: the system is only truly playable at 1080p, and even then, only at Medium settings or lower for a consistent 60+ FPS experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This configuration yields an average FPS of 88, with a minimum of 75 FPS, ensuring that the frame rate rarely dips below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The visual quality is a good middle ground, offering better textures and effects than Low while maintaining a significant performance buffer over High and Ultra, which average 62 and 59 FPS respectively.

For users with a 1080p monitor who prioritize a high refresh rate, the Low preset is the only option that can consistently push above 120 FPS, with an average of 125 FPS. This is the only preset that truly leverages the CPU's potential, as the GPU is still able to keep up. However, the visual trade-off is significant, as Low settings will disable many graphical features that make the simulation more immersive.

At 2560x1440, the recommended preset is also Medium, which averages 56 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS. While this is below the 60 FPS threshold, it is a more stable experience than High or Ultra, which hover around 38-39 FPS and are prone to noticeable stuttering. At 4K, no preset is recommended, as even Low settings only average 41 FPS, and Medium drops to 29 FPS. The data suggests that this combo should be used exclusively at 1080p, with Medium being the best balance of visual fidelity and performance.