Pc Building Simulator

Pc Building Simulator is a simulation title that tasks players with assembling and troubleshooting virtual PCs, making it a unique benchmark target. The measured performance of the Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics component, particularly as resolution increases. This combination ranks 2650th out of 3002 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower percentile of systems. The data indicates a playable experience at lower resolutions and settings, but the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck when scaling to higher visual fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The performance trajectory from 1080p to 4K is a textbook demonstration of GPU-bound scaling. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 125 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset, the average frame rate drops to 79 FPS, a significant 36.8% reduction. At 4K (3840x2160) Low, the system produces 41 FPS, which is another 48.1% decrease from the 1440p result. This steep decline as pixel count increases points directly to the Intel Arc B390 as the limiting component; the CPU has enough headroom to feed frames at 1080p, but the GPU cannot maintain that throughput as the rendering load expands.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. With High settings, the frame rate falls from 62 FPS at 1080p to 39 FPS at 1440p, a 37.1% drop, and then to 21 FPS at 4K, a further 46.2% reduction. The gap between 1440p and 4K remains consistently severe, indicating that the GPU's rendering capabilities are overwhelmed by the pixel count at the highest resolution. Even the transition from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings, where the average drops from 88 FPS to 56 FPS, confirms that the B390’s fill rate and shading power are insufficient for higher resolutions when the game’s visual load is moderate.

The 4K Ultra result of 20 FPS is effectively unplayable, while 4K High at 21 FPS offers no practical improvement. The data suggests that this combo is not intended for 4K gaming in this title, as even the lowest settings cannot push past 41 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay on many displays. The scaling behavior shows that every step up in resolution incurs a disproportionate cost in frame rate, a clear indicator that the GPU’s memory interface (System Shared) and compute resources are the decisive factors. The CPU’s role is secondary here; it is not the cause of the performance cliff between 1440p and 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 10283 and a single-core score of 1451, place it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. This is a capable mid-range processor from its generation, but in Pc Building Simulator, its influence on the measured frame rates is largely masked by the GPU. The game’s simulation logic is not heavily threaded; it relies on a modest number of cores for physics and system state calculations, which the i5-10400F handles with ease.

The 3DMark results show a 16-thread score of 4748 and a max-thread score of 4735, which are nearly identical, suggesting that the CPU’s scaling plateaus after a certain core count. This is typical for simulation games that do not utilize all available threads efficiently. In this context, the CPU is far from being a bottleneck. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system reaches 125 FPS, which is a high frame rate that a weaker CPU might struggle to support. The fact that the i5-10400F can drive such high frame rates at low settings indicates that its single-thread performance (Passmark single-thread score of 2541) and multi-core throughput are sufficient for the game’s demands.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Xeon 6756E (0.2% higher) and the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.5% higher), while the Intel Core 7 160UL and AMD Ryzen 3 7320C are slightly lower. These scores are all within a 1% margin, meaning the i5-10400F’s compute performance is average for its class. However, the game’s frame rate is not dictated by these aggregate scores. Instead, the 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth and DDR4 support are more relevant, but even these are not the limiting factor. The bottleneck is unequivocally the Intel Arc B390, which has a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This GPU is closer in performance to legacy parts like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% higher) and GT 625 OEM (2.5% higher) than to any modern gaming card, making it the clear constraint on frame rate.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Pc Building Simulator at 1080p High settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 62 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This is a playable frame rate, though it is not exceptionally high. The system has more headroom, as Low settings produce 125 FPS at the same resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system if I want to stay above 60 FPS?

A: The only resolution where every preset except Ultra stays above 60 FPS is 1920x1080. At 1080p, High (62 FPS) and Medium (88 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS, while Low reaches 125 FPS. At 1440p, only Low achieves above 60 FPS with 79 FPS.

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

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM. It also sits 1.5% above the NVIDIA GeForce 800M and 2.7% above the GT 710. These are all very old, low-end parts, indicating the B390’s performance class.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 4K?

A: The GPU is the definitive limiting factor at 4K. The frame rates drop to 41 FPS at Low and 20 FPS at Ultra, which are far below playable levels. The CPU’s benchmark scores are sufficient to handle the game’s logic, but the Arc B390 cannot render the higher pixel count in time.

Q: Are the benchmark results measured or estimated?

A: The data is measured. The JSON indicates `dataIsMeasured: true`, meaning the frame rates are from actual testing rather than simulations or projections.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2650th out of 3002 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 12% of systems, which aligns with the GPU’s low percentile ranking.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. Low settings produce an average of 125 FPS, making the game very fluid. Medium settings reduce this to 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 102 FPS, showing consistent frame pacing. High settings bring the average down to 62 FPS, which is still smooth for a simulation. Ultra settings are the most demanding at 1080p, yielding an average of 59 FPS, which is just on the edge of the 60 FPS target.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are substantial. Low settings still manage 79 FPS, which is good, but the margin for error is thinner. Medium settings average 56 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS that could be noticeable during heavy scenes. High settings fall to 39 FPS, which is starting to feel stuttery, and Ultra settings only achieve 38 FPS. The 1440p results show that only Low settings provide a consistently smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings yield 41 FPS, which is marginal. Medium settings drop to 29 FPS, with a minimum of 25 FPS, making the game feel sluggish. High settings manage only 21 FPS, and Ultra settings are essentially unplayable at 20 FPS. The 4K data confirms that this combo is not suited for this resolution in Pc Building Simulator, regardless of the graphics preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2650 out of 3002 places this system in the bottom 11.7% of all tested configurations for Pc Building Simulator. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the Intel Arc B390, which holds a 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The CPU’s 68th percentile ranking is comparatively strong, but it is wasted in this pairing. The system’s performance is so heavily GPU-limited that the CPU’s capabilities are never fully exercised.

For context, the GPU’s nearest rivals are all over a decade old, with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 and GT 625 OEM being entry-level parts from the early 2010s. The B390’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 is a modern metric, but its relative performance is on par with those legacy cards. This means that in a game like Pc Building Simulator, which is not graphically demanding, the combo still only manages to scrape by at lower resolutions. The ranking is a direct reflection of this hardware mismatch, where a mid-range CPU is paired with a very low-end integrated GPU. The data suggests that swapping the B390 for a more capable discrete GPU would dramatically improve the frame rates, but as tested, the system is firmly in the lower tier.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with High settings, which produces an average of 62 FPS. This strikes a balance between visual quality and smoothness, as the game’s simulation elements are more important than graphical fidelity. While Low settings offer a much higher 125 FPS, the visual sacrifice is not necessary for a game that is primarily about menus and system monitoring. High settings at 1080p provide a stable and enjoyable experience without the risk of frame drops.

If the user prefers a higher frame rate, Medium settings at 1080p are also viable, offering 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS, which is very smooth. This preset is recommended for those who want a fluid interface and don’t mind slightly reduced textures. For 1440p, the only recommended preset is Low, which yields 79 FPS. However, the improvement in resolution may not be worth the significant drop in graphical detail. At 4K, no settings are recommended, as even Low at 41 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold for a good experience, and the higher presets are unplayable.

In summary, the data supports using 1080p High as the default, with 1080p Medium as a faster alternative. The system is not capable of delivering a good experience at higher resolutions, so users should prioritize resolution over settings. The 62 FPS at 1080p High is the sweet spot for this hardware combination, providing a responsive and visually acceptable representation of the game.