Pc Building Simulator

# Pc Building Simulator — Intel Core i5-14600K + Intel Arc B390

This combination pairs a high-end 14-core desktop processor with an integrated graphics solution that sits near the bottom of the GPU performance distribution. The benchmark data shows a system that is heavily limited by its graphics component in every resolution tested, with the CPU's substantial multi-threaded capacity never approaching a bottleneck in this simulation title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 125 FPS at 1080p to 79 FPS at 1440p, a 36.8% reduction, and further to 41 FPS at 4K, which is a 67.2% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the Intel Arc B390's rendering throughput is the dominant constraint, as pixel count increases by 2.25x from 1080p to 1440p and by 4x from 1080p to 4K, yet the FPS does not scale proportionally to the pixel workload alone.

At Medium settings, the pattern continues with 88 FPS at 1080p, 56 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings results in a 67% FPS loss, nearly identical to the Low settings drop. High settings show 62 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K, representing a 66.1% reduction from 1080p to 4K. Ultra settings produce 59 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K, a 66.1% decline as well. The consistency of this ~66-67% drop across all settings presets strongly suggests that the GPU's pixel fill rate and shading capacity are saturated even at the lowest quality settings, and raising resolution compounds that limitation.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, Ultra is 66 FPS slower than Low (59 vs 125 FPS), while at 4K the difference shrinks to 21 FPS (20 vs 41 FPS). This convergence indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes so constrained by pixel throughput that quality preset adjustments have diminishing impact on the final frame rate. The data suggests that the limiting component is unambiguously the graphics processor, not the CPU, memory subsystem, or any other system component.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its clock speeds are listed at a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz, with memory being system shared rather than dedicated VRAM. The GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its theoretical pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 7.680 TFLOPS.

The GPU's benchmark presence in the database is minimal, with only a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. This places the Arc B390 at the 9th percentile of all GPUs, indicating that it outperforms only 9% of the tested graphics hardware. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463 (1.3% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% slower). These competitors are all entry-level or legacy mobile/desktop parts, which contextualizes the Arc B390's position as a basic integrated solution rather than a discrete gaming GPU.

Given the 80 W TDP and the "IGP" slot width designation, the Arc B390 is clearly designed for low-power integrated use, likely in a mobile or compact platform. The system shared memory configuration means the GPU relies on main system RAM for its framebuffer, which can introduce additional latency and bandwidth constraints in memory-intensive scenarios. In Pc Building Simulator, the measured FPS values confirm that this GPU is the primary bottleneck. Even at 1080p Low settings, the 125 FPS average is achievable, but the GPU's limited shading and rasterization resources cause rapid degradation as quality settings and resolution increase. The data shows that at Ultra settings and 4K resolution, the system only manages 20 FPS, which is below playable thresholds for most users.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It operates at a base clock of 3.50 GHz with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, and has a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and features PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes available from the CPU.

The CPU's benchmark results indicate substantial processing capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 24491 in multi-core and 2064 in single-core. Geekbench results show 16673 multi-core and 2491 single-core scores. PassMark tests reveal strong integer math performance at 125737, floating point math at 92794, and data compression at 482020. The average benchmark score across all tests is 48618, placing the i5-14600K at the 90th percentile of all CPUs.

Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H with an average score of 48698 (0.2% faster), the AMD EPYC 4345P at 48470 (0.3% slower), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX at 48287 (0.7% slower), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 at 48995 (0.8% faster). These deltas are all within 1% of each other, indicating that the i5-14600K sits in a tightly contested performance band among modern processors.

In the context of Pc Building Simulator, the CPU's role is largely secondary given the GPU bottleneck demonstrated by the FPS data. The game is a simulation title that involves building and managing PCs, which can be CPU-intensive in certain scenarios involving system simulation and physics calculations. However, the measured frame rates show that even at 1080p Low settings, where the CPU would have the most headroom to become a limiting factor, the system achieves 125 FPS. This is well within the range where the GPU is still the constraint. The fact that FPS scales almost identically across quality presets at each resolution, regardless of the CPU's capabilities, indicates that the processor is never the limiting component in this configuration.

The i5-14600K's 20 threads and 5.30 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom for the simulation's logic and update loops, but the data does not show any scenario where CPU performance differentiates the results. The 90th percentile CPU ranking versus the 9th percentile GPU ranking creates an extreme imbalance, where the graphics solution is roughly 10x less capable relative to its peers than the processor.

FAQ

Q: Why does the FPS drop so significantly from 1080p to 4K across all settings?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has only 24 ROPs and a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s, which becomes saturated as pixel count increases. The data shows a consistent 66-67% FPS reduction from 1080p to 4K regardless of quality preset, confirming that the GPU's rasterization throughput is the binding constraint rather than any other system component.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600K powerful enough for this game?

A: Yes, the i5-14600K's benchmark scores place it at the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with a multi-core Cinebench R23 score of 24491. The measured FPS data shows no scenario where the CPU limits performance, as frame rates are entirely governed by the GPU's capabilities.

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

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% faster than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% faster than the GT 710. It sits at the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Can this system play Pc Building Simulator at 4K?

A: At 4K resolution, the highest average FPS achieved is 41 at Low settings, dropping to 20 FPS at Ultra settings. While the Low preset is technically playable, the Ultra preset's 20 FPS average falls below commonly accepted playability thresholds for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combination?

A: The 1920x1080 resolution provides the most usable frame rates, with 125 FPS at Low, 88 FPS at Medium, 62 FPS at High, and 59 FPS at Ultra. This is the only resolution where even the Ultra preset maintains an average above 60 FPS.

Q: Does increasing quality settings have the same impact at all resolutions?

A: No. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces FPS by 66 FPS (from 125 to 59). At 1440p, the same transition reduces FPS by 41 FPS (from 79 to 38). At 4K, the reduction is only 21 FPS (from 41 to 20). This indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU is so pixel-bound that quality settings have less relative impact.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3310 out of 3723 tested combinations in Pc Building Simulator, placing it in the bottom 11.1% of all configurations. This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's low performance percentile, as the processor is in the top 10% of CPUs. The massive disparity between the CPU's 90th percentile ranking and the GPU's 9th percentile ranking creates a system where the graphics component drags the overall combination down significantly.

The rank position suggests that among the 3723 tested combos, only 413 perform worse in this game. Given that the Arc B390's nearest GPU rivals are all entry-level parts from previous generations, the combo rank reflects the integrated graphics' limited ability to handle the game's rendering demands, particularly at higher resolutions and quality settings. The 3310 rank is consistent with a system that can handle 1080p gaming at playable frame rates on lower presets but struggles beyond that.

The data indicates that the CPU is not contributing to the low rank; rather, it is the GPU's 9th percentile standing that defines the combo's position. This is a case where upgrading the graphics solution would yield dramatic improvements, while the processor would remain relevant for years given its strong benchmark scores and 90th percentile ranking.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the system achieves its best performance across all settings. The Low preset delivers an average of 125 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 and maximum of 102 FPS. High settings yield 62 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 59 FPS average. The range from Low to Ultra at 1080p spans 66 FPS, showing that quality presets have a substantial impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440 resolution, performance degrades notably. Low settings average 79 FPS, which is 46 FPS lower than at 1080p. Medium settings average 56 FPS with a minimum of 47 and maximum of 64 FPS. High settings produce 39 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 38 FPS average. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 1 FPS at this resolution, indicating that the GPU is becoming more constrained. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 41 FPS, compared to 66 FPS at 1080p.

At 3840x2160 resolution, the system's limitations become most apparent. Low settings average 41 FPS, which is the only preset at 4K that exceeds 30 FPS. Medium settings average 29 FPS with a minimum of 25 and maximum of 34 FPS. High settings produce 21 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 20 FPS average. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is just 1 FPS, and the gap between Low and Ultra is only 21 FPS. All 4K presets except Low fall below 30 FPS, making them largely unplayable for smooth gameplay.

The Medium settings row is the only one in the dataset that includes min and max FPS values, showing 75-102 FPS at 1080p, 47-64 FPS at 1440p, and 25-34 FPS at 4K. These ranges indicate moderate frame time variance, with the spread becoming proportionally larger at lower resolutions where the average FPS is higher. Across all resolutions, the FPS scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, as the CPU's strong performance does not prevent the frame rate from dropping as pixel workload increases.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080 resolution, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice for users who prioritize visual quality, as it maintains an average of 59 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target. The High preset at 62 FPS offers a marginal 3 FPS improvement over Ultra, making it a reasonable alternative if slightly higher frame rates are desired. However, the Medium preset at 88 FPS provides a much larger performance buffer at 29 FPS above Ultra, making it the best balance for users who want smooth gameplay with reduced visual fidelity. The Low preset at 125 FPS is only recommended for competitive play or extremely high refresh rate displays, as the visual quality trade-off is substantial.

At 2560x1440 resolution, the Low preset at 79 FPS is the only option that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 56 FPS is playable but falls below the 60 FPS threshold, and the High and Ultra presets at 39 and 38 FPS respectively are marginal for smooth gameplay. For this resolution, the Low preset is the recommended choice to ensure consistent frame rates, with Medium as a fallback for users who accept slightly lower performance for better visuals.

At 3840x2160 resolution, the Low preset at 41 FPS is the only option that exceeds 30 FPS, making it the sole viable choice for playable performance. The Medium preset at 29 FPS is borderline, and the High and Ultra presets at 21 and 20 FPS respectively are not recommended for any gameplay scenario. Users at 4K should either reduce resolution to 1440p or 1080p, or significantly lower quality settings to achieve acceptable frame rates.

Across all resolutions, the data pattern suggests that the Medium preset at 1080p provides the best overall experience, offering 88 FPS average with a minimum of 75 FPS, which ensures smooth gameplay with reasonable visual quality. The 1440p Low preset at 79 FPS is the best high-resolution option, while 4K should be avoided unless using the Low preset at 41 FPS is acceptable for the user's tolerance for lower frame rates.