Pc Building Simulator

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the Intel Arc B390 in Pc Building Simulator presents a stark example of GPU-bound performance. The processor is a 24-core, 32-thread Raptor Lake part with a 6.00 GHz boost clock, but the Arc B390 is a low-power integrated-class GPU with a 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs. In this simulation title, the data shows that frame rates are dictated almost entirely by the graphics solution, not the CPU. The results are workable at 1080p with lowered settings, but the experience degrades rapidly as resolution increases. The measured FPS data provides a clear picture: this combo is for builders who prioritize CPU horsepower for other tasks and accept modest gaming performance in this specific simulation game.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a clear GPU bottleneck. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces 62 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 39 FPS, a 37% reduction from the 1080p figure. At 4K High, the average falls further to 21 FPS, which represents a 66% decrease from the 1080p High result. This scaling pattern is typical of a system where the GPU is the limiting component; the CPU has ample headroom, but the graphics processor cannot keep up with the increasing pixel count.

The Low settings preset shows the same trend with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 125 FPS average. That falls to 79 FPS at 1440p Low, a 37% drop, and then to 41 FPS at 4K Low, a 67% decline from the 1080p Low baseline. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings presets suggests that resolution is the dominant factor, not the specific graphics quality level. Even at the lowest settings, the 4K resolution overwhelms the Arc B390.

Medium settings offer the only complete data set with min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 88 FPS with a min of 75 and max of 102. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 56 FPS (min 47, max 64). At 4K Medium, the average is 29 FPS (min 25, max 34). The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases, which indicates that the GPU is working closer to its limits at higher resolutions. The 4K Medium result shows only a 9 FPS range between min and max, while the 1080p Medium shows a 27 FPS range.

Ultra settings are the most demanding, and the results show why this combo is not suited for maximum quality. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 59 FPS, which is playable but not smooth by modern standards. At 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 38 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average is just 20 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. The difference between 1080p Ultra (59 FPS) and 4K Ultra (20 FPS) is a 66% reduction, mirroring the scaling seen in other settings presets.

The data indicates that the limiting component in this combo is unequivocally the GPU. The CPU has a 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 9th percentile. When a system has this kind of disparity, the expectation is that resolution scaling will be steep, and the measured FPS confirms it. The 1080p to 4K transition cuts performance by roughly two-thirds across all settings presets, which is a textbook GPU-bound signature.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Panther Lake chip with Xe3-LPG architecture. It has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units. The boost clock is 2500 MHz, with a base clock of 300 MHz. Its memory is system shared, meaning it uses the host system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as system dependent, which means performance can vary based on the CPU's memory configuration. In this case, the i9-14900K supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, but the specific bandwidth is not quantified in the data.

The GPU's compute capabilities are modest: 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16 (2:1). It has 12 ray tracing cores, though the impact of ray tracing on this game is not measured. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. These figures place it in the lower tier of graphics solutions, which is reflected in its 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 1482 points. Its nearest rivals in that benchmark are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, delta 1.3%), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460, delta 1.5%), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, delta 2.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443, delta 2.7%). These are all older or entry-level discrete GPUs, confirming the Arc B390's position at the bottom of the performance spectrum.

The GPU's TDP is 80 W, and it uses no power connectors, functioning as an IGP (integrated graphics processor). This means it shares thermal and power resources with the CPU in a mobile or compact form factor. The display outputs are portable device dependent, which suggests this GPU is intended for laptops or similar devices, not desktop gaming rigs. The combination of a desktop flagship CPU with this mobile-class GPU is unusual, and the benchmark results reflect that mismatch.

In Pc Building Simulator, the GPU's role is to render the simulation's visuals. The game is not a graphically demanding title by modern standards, but the Arc B390 still struggles at higher resolutions. The 4K High average of 21 FPS and 4K Ultra average of 20 FPS show that the GPU cannot handle 4K output regardless of settings. Even at 1080p, the Ultra preset only achieves 59 FPS, which means the GPU is not powerful enough to maintain a 60 FPS lock at maximum quality. The 1080p Low result of 125 FPS shows that the GPU can deliver smooth performance when the rendering load is minimal, but that requires significant visual sacrifices.

FAQ

Q: Is this CPU-GPU combo playable at 1080p in Pc Building Simulator?

A: Yes, at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 125 FPS average. At Medium settings, it drops to 88 FPS with a min of 75 FPS. High settings yield 62 FPS, and Ultra yields 59 FPS. For a simulation game, the Medium preset at 1080p provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, while High and Ultra hover near the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1440p with this combo?

A: At 1440p Low, the average is 79 FPS. Medium settings produce 56 FPS with a min of 47 and max of 64. High settings drop to 39 FPS, and Ultra falls to 38 FPS. The data suggests that 1440p is only viable at Low settings for smooth gameplay, with Medium being borderline acceptable.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with the Intel Arc B390 in this game?

A: The measured data shows 4K results are poor across all settings. At 4K Low, the average is 41 FPS. Medium yields 29 FPS, High yields 21 FPS, and Ultra yields 20 FPS. None of these results are comfortably playable, indicating that 4K is not a realistic option for this GPU in this title.

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

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, the Arc B390 scores 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 (1.3% slower), the GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% slower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% slower), and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% slower). The Arc B390 leads this group by small margins.

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K the reason for low FPS in this game?

A: No. The i9-14900K ranks in the 95th percentile among all CPUs and has a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39399.5. The bottleneck is the GPU, which ranks in the 9th percentile. The resolution scaling data confirms that FPS drops are proportional to pixel count increases, which is a GPU-bound characteristic.

Q: What settings preset gives the best balance of FPS and quality?

A: At 1080p, the Medium preset offers 88 FPS average with a min of 75 FPS, which is the highest quality setting that maintains a clear margin above 60 FPS. At 1440p, the Low preset at 79 FPS is the only option that exceeds 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at any resolution does not reach 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2650 out of 3002 tested combos in Pc Building Simulator. This places it in the bottom 12% of all tested configurations, which is consistent with the GPU's low performance metrics. The rank reflects the overall gaming experience, which is limited by the graphics solution despite the top-tier CPU.

The ranking is not a reflection of the CPU's capability. The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79097 and sits at the 95th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i9-14900KF (79371, -0.3% delta), the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (79574, -0.6% delta), the AMD EPYC 7413 (80041, -1.2% delta), and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (77740, +1.7% delta). These rivals are all within a narrow performance band, confirming that the CPU is not the weak link in this combo.

In contrast, the GPU's average benchmark score is 1482, and its nearest rivals are all significantly older or lower-tier products. The 9th percentile ranking means that 91% of GPUs outperform the Arc B390. When a combo pairs a 95th percentile CPU with a 9th percentile GPU, the overall gaming rank will be dragged down by the GPU. The 2650th place ranking out of 3002 reflects this imbalance.

The data shows that this combo would be better suited for productivity workloads where the CPU's 24 cores and 32 threads can be fully utilized. In gaming, the combo's rank is low because the GPU cannot translate the CPU's computational power into frame rates. The measured FPS at 4K (20-41 FPS depending on settings) and 1440p (38-79 FPS) are consistent with a system that is not optimized for gaming at those resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, specifically the Raptor Lake-R codename. It has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3. The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration and has 16 PCIe Gen 5 lanes. It is unlocked for overclocking and has a TDP of 125 W. The integrated graphics are UHD Graphics 770, but the system under test uses the discrete-class Arc B390 IGP.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i9-14900K delivers strong results. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 39399.5, and the single-core score is 2262.5. Geekbench results show 21697 multicore and 2655 single-core. PassMark tests show a multithread score of 58674 and a single-thread score of 4697. These numbers place it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 95% of processors on the market. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900KF, is nearly identical with only a -0.3% delta in average score.

In Pc Building Simulator, the CPU's role is to handle the simulation logic, which includes building and managing PC components. The game is not CPU-intensive in the same way as strategy or physics-heavy titles. The measured FPS data shows that the CPU has no trouble keeping up with the game's demands. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU produces 125 FPS, the CPU does not appear to introduce any bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar FPS across different resolutions, but the data shows significant drops from 1080p to 4K.

The CPU's 6.00 GHz boost clock and 24 cores provide substantial headroom for any background tasks or multitasking during gameplay. The 36 MB of L3 cache helps with data-intensive workloads. The processor's memory support for DDR5 allows for high-bandwidth system memory, which is particularly important for the Arc B390 since it uses system shared memory. The system dependent bandwidth means that the GPU's performance could improve with faster memory, but this is not quantified in the data.

The CPU's release date is October 2023, and it was launched with an MSRP of $589. It is an active production product. The 10 nm process node and 257 mm² die size are notable physical characteristics. The processor supports ECC memory, which is uncommon for consumer desktop CPUs. The multiplier is unlocked, allowing enthusiasts to push clock speeds beyond the 6.00 GHz boost, though the impact on gaming performance in this title would be minimal given the GPU bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of how this combo performs across all four settings presets and three resolutions. The data is measured, not estimated, which adds credibility to the results.

At 1920x1080, the Low settings preset delivers the highest average FPS at 125. The Medium preset produces 88 FPS average, with a minimum of 75 and maximum of 102 FPS. The High preset drops to 62 FPS average. The Ultra preset yields 59 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 53% reduction in average FPS (125 to 59), which indicates that the GPU's performance is sensitive to quality settings at this resolution. The Medium preset has the smallest spread between min and max (27 FPS), while the Low and High presets do not report min/max values in the data.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 79 FPS average. The Medium preset drops to 56 FPS average, with a minimum of 47 and maximum of 64 FPS. The High preset yields 39 FPS average, and the Ultra preset produces 38 FPS average. The difference between High and Ultra at 1440p is minimal (1 FPS), suggesting that the Ultra preset adds little visual benefit over High while offering no performance advantage. The Medium preset's min of 47 FPS indicates that there are moments where the frame rate dips below 50 FPS, which could be noticeable in a simulation game that requires precise mouse control.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset produces 41 FPS average. The Medium preset yields 29 FPS average, with a minimum of 25 and maximum of 34 FPS. The High preset drops to 21 FPS average, and the Ultra preset produces 20 FPS average. The 4K results are consistently below 60 FPS, and even below 45 FPS for all settings. The Medium preset's min of 25 FPS shows that the frame rate can drop to near-unplayable levels during demanding scenes. The High and Ultra presets at 4K are nearly identical (21 vs 20 FPS), indicating that the GPU is at its absolute limit and cannot differentiate between these quality levels.

Comparing across resolutions, the data shows a consistent pattern. For Low settings, 1080p yields 125 FPS, 1440p yields 79 FPS (37% less), and 4K yields 41 FPS (67% less than 1080p). For Medium, 1080p yields 88 FPS, 1440p yields 56 FPS (36% less), and 4K yields 29 FPS (67% less). For High, 1080p yields 62 FPS, 1440p yields 39 FPS (37% less), and 4K yields 21 FPS (66% less). For Ultra, 1080p yields 59 FPS, 1440p yields 38 FPS (36% less), and 4K yields 20 FPS (66% less). The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings presets reinforces the conclusion that resolution is the primary driver of performance changes, and the GPU is the limiting factor.

The only complete dataset with min and max values is the Medium preset. At 1080p Medium, the min is 75 and max is 102, giving a 27 FPS range. At 1440p Medium, the min is 47 and max is 64, a 17 FPS range. At 4K Medium, the min is 25 and max is 34, a 9 FPS range. As resolution increases, the frame time variance decreases, which indicates that the GPU is more consistently saturated at higher pixel counts. This is a classic sign of a GPU that is running at or near its maximum capacity.

For a simulation game like Pc Building Simulator, the playable threshold is subjective, but most builders would consider 60 FPS as the minimum for a smooth experience. At 1080p, only the Low and Medium presets exceed this threshold. At 1440p, only the Low preset exceeds it. At 4K, no settings preset reaches 60 FPS. The recommended configuration for this combo in this game would be 1080p Medium, which offers 88 FPS average with a minimum of 75 FPS, providing a comfortable buffer above the 60 FPS target.