Pc Building Simulator

# Pc Building Simulator: Intel Core i7-14700F + Intel Arc B390

This combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and the Intel Arc B390 sits at rank 2650 out of 3002 tested combos in Pc Building Simulator, placing it in the bottom 12% of the database. The pairing exhibits a severe bottleneck imbalance: the 20-core CPU is a top-tier performer for simulation workloads, while the integrated GPU ranks in the 9th percentile among all graphics cards. Benchmark results across all resolutions and settings consistently show the Arc B390 as the limiting factor, with frame rates that range from playable at 1080p Low to essentially slideshow territory at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2650 out of 3002 tested combinations reflects the stark performance ceiling imposed by the graphics solution. This is not a mid-pack result; it is a bottom-decile outcome driven almost entirely by GPU limitations. In Pc Building Simulator, a simulation title that is not typically demanding on graphics hardware, this combo still manages to land below roughly 88% of all tested pairings. The data indicates that the CPU is dramatically overqualified for the workload, while the GPU is underqualified even for a modest simulation game.

Comparing the individual components’ benchmark standings reveals the imbalance. The i7-14700F holds the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53,620. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6505P (average score 53,701, delta -0.2%), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53,469, +0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (53,288, +0.6%), and the AMD EPYC 7313P (53,206, +0.8%). The CPU is within 1% of these high-end server and desktop parts, confirming its position as a strong processor. In contrast, the Arc B390’s average benchmark score of 1,482 places it in the 9th percentile among GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463, delta 1.3%), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1,460, +1.5%), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1,446, +2.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1,443, +2.7%). The GPU is within 3% of these ancient entry-level parts, which are typically found in decade-old laptops or office desktops.

The practical consequence of this pairing is that the combo rank is nearly entirely determined by the GPU. If the CPU were swapped for a much weaker processor, the frame rates in Pc Building Simulator would likely remain similar, as the GPU is already saturated. Conversely, upgrading the GPU would yield dramatic improvements, as the CPU has ample headroom.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake-R architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process node. It operates at a base clock of 2.10 GHz and boosts to 5.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support includes both DDR4 and DDR5 across a dual-channel bus, with ECC support enabled. The CPU connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only) on the Intel Socket 1700 platform.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-14700F demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 35,122, while the single-core score is 4,958. Cinebench R20 scores are 14,751 (multicore) and 2,082 (single-core). Geekbench results show 19,620 multicore and 2,429 single-core. Passmark tests further illustrate the processor’s capabilities: integer math at 155,808, floating-point math at 107,005, and data compression at 505,885. The multithread score of 41,317 confirms that this is a high-throughput part.

For Pc Building Simulator, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, component simulation, and UI responsiveness. The benchmark results indicate that the i7-14700F is far more capable than required. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 125 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed frames well beyond what the GPU can render. The single-core performance (4,958 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is particularly relevant for simulation games, which often rely on one or two threads for the main loop. The 28 threads are abundant for background tasks, but the game likely doesn’t utilize them fully.

The i7-14700F’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, a 12-core part, and the EPYC 7313P, a server chip. The performance deltas among these are all under 1%, meaning that in CPU-bound scenarios, any of these processors would yield nearly identical results. In this combo, however, the CPU never becomes the bottleneck; the GPU does, so the processor’s theoretical advantages remain untapped.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, part of the Arc Graphics-M (Panther Lake) generation. It is fabricated on Intel’s 3 nm process node and features 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. The GPU has 12 ray tracing cores and operates at a base clock of 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2,500 MHz. Memory is system-shared, with bandwidth described as "system dependent." The GPU’s pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS.

The Arc B390’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This score is within 3% of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710, GT 625 OEM, 800M, and GT 520MX — all of which are entry-level parts from a decade ago. The GPU’s TDP is 80 W, and it uses no power connectors, as it is an integrated solution with a slot width of IGP. Display outputs are described as "portable device dependent," and the bus interface is IGP, meaning it shares system memory and bandwidth.

In Pc Building Simulator, the GPU is the dominant constraint across all measured scenarios. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 125 FPS, which is the highest recorded frame rate. At the same resolution on Ultra, it drops to 59 FPS. This 53% reduction from Low to Ultra at 1080p highlights the GPU’s limited shading and fill-rate capabilities. At 4K, the GPU’s deficiencies become severe: 41 FPS on Low, 29 FPS on Medium, 21 FPS on High, and 20 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Low result is still below the 1080p Ultra result, showing that resolution scaling has a profound impact on this GPU.

The GPU’s 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs are modest figures that limit pixel throughput and texture filtering. The system-shared memory architecture means that bandwidth is dependent on the CPU’s memory subsystem, which can further constrain performance in high-resolution scenarios. The boost clock of 2,500 MHz helps the GPU somewhat, but the underlying hardware is simply too weak for modern gaming demands, even in a light simulation title.

FAQ

Q: Why does this combo rank so low (2650 out of 3002) despite having a top-tier CPU?

A: The combo rank is driven by the GPU, which scores in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. The CPU holds the 91st percentile, but in Pc Building Simulator, the GPU becomes the limiting factor at all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: What is the best frame rate this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 125, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only setting where the combo exceeds 100 FPS.

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

A: The Arc B390 scores 1,482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1,460, 1.5% slower), GeForce GT 625 OEM (1,446, 2.5% slower), and GeForce GT 710 (1,443, 2.7% slower). All are within 3% of the Arc B390.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: Benchmark data shows the GPU is the bottleneck. For example, at 1080p, dropping from Low to Ultra reduces FPS from 125 to 59, a 53% decrease. The CPU’s performance is nearly identical to rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (within 0.6%), yet frame rates are still low, confirming GPU limitation.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: At 3840x2160, the combo achieves 41 FPS on Low, 29 FPS on Medium, 21 FPS on High, and 20 FPS on Ultra. These results are below playable thresholds for most users, indicating that 4K is not a viable option for this pairing.

Q: What settings provide the smoothest experience?

A: The only setting with an average FPS above 60 at 1080p is Low (125 FPS). At 1440p, Low yields 79 FPS. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience, 1080p Low is the recommended setting.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a consistent and predictable drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, with the GPU being the sole limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 125 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, FPS falls to 79, a 37% reduction. At 4K Low, FPS drops to 41, which is 67% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where rendering resolution directly impacts the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth demands.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar: 1080p yields 88 FPS, 1440p yields 56 FPS (36% drop), and 4K yields 29 FPS (67% drop). High settings show 62 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p (37% drop), and 21 FPS at 4K (66% drop). Ultra settings follow the same trend: 59 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p (36% drop), and 20 FPS at 4K (66% drop).

The consistent ~36% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~66% drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings indicates that the GPU’s rendering pipeline is the bottleneck. If the CPU were limiting, the frame rate drops would be less severe at higher resolutions, as the CPU would have more time to compute frames. Instead, the near-linear scaling with pixel count suggests that the Arc B390’s 24 ROPs and 60 GPixel/s pixel rate are overwhelmed at higher resolutions.

The 4K results are particularly telling: the difference between Low (41 FPS) and Ultra (20 FPS) is only 21 FPS, whereas at 1080p, the same settings span 66 FPS (from 125 to 59). This compression of the settings range at 4K indicates that even the lowest settings cannot fully compensate for the GPU’s lack of raw throughput at high resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user’s target frame rate and resolution. At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver the only frame rate above 100 FPS (125 FPS), which would be ideal for smooth, high-refresh-rate gameplay. Medium settings at 1080p yield 88 FPS, which is still playable and offers better visual quality. High settings at 1080p drop to 62 FPS, and Ultra falls to 59 FPS — both are near the 60 FPS threshold but may experience minor stutters.

At 2560x1440, Low settings provide 79 FPS, which is acceptable for most players. Medium drops to 56 FPS, which is marginally playable but may feel less smooth. High (39 FPS) and Ultra (38 FPS) are not recommended at 1440p, as they fall below the generally accepted 40 FPS minimum for playable simulation games.

At 3840x2160, no setting achieves a playable frame rate. The best result is Low at 41 FPS, with Medium at 29 FPS, High at 21 FPS, and Ultra at 20 FPS. For this combo, 4K is not a viable option for Pc Building Simulator.

The data suggests that 1080p Low is the best experience, as it provides the highest frame rate (125 FPS) and ensures smooth gameplay. For users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, 1080p High (62 FPS) is a reasonable compromise, as it stays above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a balanced middle ground at 88 FPS. Given the GPU’s limitations, there is no scenario where Ultra settings provide a meaningful advantage without sacrificing playability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table summarizes all measured average frame rates across resolutions and settings:

1920x1080:

• Low: 125 FPS
• Medium: 88 FPS (min 75, max 102)
• High: 62 FPS
• Ultra: 59 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 79 FPS
• Medium: 56 FPS (min 47, max 64)
• High: 39 FPS
• Ultra: 38 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 41 FPS
• Medium: 29 FPS (min 25, max 34)
• High: 21 FPS
• Ultra: 20 FPS

The data shows that the frame rate drop from Low to Ultra is consistent at each resolution: at 1080p, the drop is 66 FPS (125 to 59); at 1440p, the drop is 41 FPS (79 to 38); at 4K, the drop is 21 FPS (41 to 20). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is already saturated at 4K, leaving little headroom for settings adjustments.

The Medium settings at each resolution show the only available min/max data: at 1080p, the range is 75-102 FPS (average 88); at 1440p, the range is 47-64 FPS (average 56); at 4K, the range is 25-34 FPS (average 29). These ranges suggest that even at Medium settings, the GPU’s frame time variance increases at higher resolutions, likely due to memory bandwidth limitations from the system-shared memory architecture.

Overall, the measured FPS breakdown demonstrates that this combo is only suitable for 1080p gaming at Low or Medium settings, with 1440p Low being the maximum viable option. Any attempt to push higher resolutions or settings results in sub-60 FPS performance, making the Intel Arc B390 the definitive bottleneck in this pairing.