Revolution Idle

Revolution Idle is a game that, at first glance, seems trivial to run, but the measured data for this specific configuration—the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B390—tells a more complex story about hardware bottlenecks in idle games that render persistent, complex scenes. The combination ranks 2629 out of 2986 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested for this title. This is a surprisingly low position for a CPU that sits in the 96th percentile of all processors, and it points directly at the integrated GPU as the primary constraint. The data shows that even a flagship desktop CPU cannot compensate for the graphical limitations of an IGP when the game pushes higher resolutions and quality settings.

FAQ

Q: How well does this combo rank for Revolution Idle?

A: The combo ranks 2629th out of 2986 tested combinations. This places it in the lower portion of the database, indicating that it is outclassed by the vast majority of other systems tested for this game, despite having a top-tier CPU.

Q: What is the best average FPS achieved by this setup?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 62, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the measured data that reaches a frame rate typically considered smooth for general gameplay.

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

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Arc B390 scores 1482. This is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M (1460), and 2.5% ahead of the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446). These are all extremely low-end GPUs.

Q: Does the CPU’s benchmark performance give any indication of strong gaming performance here?

A: No. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, which is exceptionally high, and sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. However, the game's FPS is clearly not CPU-bound, as the GPU is the limiting factor, making the CPU's raw power largely irrelevant for the final frame rates.

Q: What is the impact of switching from 1080p to 4K on the average frame rate at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 45. When resolution increases to 2560x1440 High, it drops to 28 FPS. At 3840x2160 High, the average FPS falls to 15. This represents a 66.7% drop in average FPS from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Is there a measurable difference between Medium and High settings at the same resolution?

A: Yes, the difference is small but consistent. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 47 on Medium and 45 on High. At 2560x1440, it is 30 on Medium and 28 on High. At 3840x2160, it is 16 on Medium and 15 on High. The performance cost of moving from Medium to High is minimal, at 2 FPS or less in every case.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its role in this configuration is to handle all rendering tasks for Revolution Idle, and the data suggests it is severely overmatched for the job at higher settings. The GPU has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, but its performance is fundamentally limited by its memory configuration, which is "System Shared." This means the GPU must use the system's DDR5 memory, and its bandwidth is "System Dependent," a major bottleneck for texture-heavy scenes.

The GPU's raw compute figures are telling. It offers 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s, but these numbers do not translate into playable frame rates for this game. The benchmark data shows it scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% slower), the GeForce 800M (1.5% slower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% slower), and the GeForce GT 710 (2.7% slower). This places the Arc B390 in a performance tier that is fundamentally not designed for modern gaming at high resolutions.

In the context of Revolution Idle, the GPU's role is to render the game's persistent world. The measured FPS shows that the GPU's capabilities are exhausted very quickly as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, it manages 62 FPS, but this drops to 45 FPS at High. At 4K, the GPU cannot maintain a fluid experience on any setting, with the Ultra preset dropping to an average of 9 FPS. The data implies that the Arc B390's 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs are simply insufficient to handle the fill-rate demands of 4K rendering, even in an idle game. The GPU is the clear bottleneck, as evidenced by the fact that the top-tier CPU in this system cannot push the frame rate higher.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, based on the Arrow Lake Refresh codename and built on a 3 nm process. It features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. This is a flagship-level CPU that scores in the 96th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and single-core score of 7,303 are exceptional. In synthetic tests, it is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX, and 1.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9135, while being 1.3% behind the AMD EPYC 7F72.

However, the CPU's role in Revolution Idle is almost entirely passive. The game is an idle genre title, which typically means it has minimal logic and physics requirements per frame compared to action games. The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads are far more than what this game can utilize, and its 36 MB of shared L3 cache is irrelevant for the game's code footprint. The benchmark results for this CPU, such as the PassMark multi-thread score of 60,860 and the data compression score of 698,346, are measures of heavy parallel workloads that do not translate to idle-game performance.

The measured FPS data confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor. When the resolution changes from 1080p to 4K, the average FPS at High settings drops from 45 to 15, a 66.7% decrease. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU workload would not increase significantly with more pixels. The fact that the FPS scales inversely with resolution is a clear indicator that the GPU is the sole constraint. The CPU is effectively waiting on the Arc B390 to deliver frames, making its high core count and clock speed irrelevant in this specific pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this system in Revolution Idle is 2629 out of 2986 tested combinations. This is a decisive indicator that the pairing is not well-suited for this game. Only 357 other combos perform worse. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's low performance, as the CPU is in the top 4% of all processors. The rank suggests that even though the CPU is a high-end part, the overall system experience is dragged down by the integrated graphics.

The data shows a stark contrast between the CPU's percentile (96) and the GPU's percentile (9). This mismatch is the defining characteristic of this combo. In the benchmark database, a combo's rank is based on actual measured game performance, which is dominated by the GPU in this instance. The 2629th rank means that the vast majority of systems, including those with much weaker CPUs but dedicated entry-level graphics cards, will provide a better experience in Revolution Idle. The Arc B390's nearest rivals, such as the GeForce GT 710, are legacy parts that are not intended for gaming, and this combo's rank reflects that legacy performance level.

The implication of this rank is that the system would need a significant GPU upgrade to be competitive. The CPU's potential is entirely untapped in this workload. The measured data indicates that the combo is not viable for anything beyond the absolute lowest settings, and even then, it only achieves a playable frame rate at 1080p. For a system with a 24-core, 24-thread processor, this ranking is a surprising and notable failure, highlighting the importance of balanced component selection.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's capabilities across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its best results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 62, which is the only configuration to cross the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings yield an average of 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 54. High settings produce an average of 45 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to an average of 29 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 33 FPS, or a 53.2% decrease.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades significantly. Low settings yield an average of 39 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 30 FPS, with a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 34. High settings average 28 FPS, and Ultra settings average 18 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 21 FPS, a 53.8% decrease. The 1440p results are generally too low for a consistently smooth experience, as even the Low preset struggles to maintain 40 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system is overwhelmed. Low settings average 21 FPS. Medium settings average 16 FPS, with a minimum of 13 and a maximum of 18. High settings average 15 FPS, and Ultra settings plummet to an average of 9 FPS. The data shows that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo on any setting. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 12 FPS, and the Ultra preset's 9 FPS average is far below the minimum threshold for playability. The minimum FPS data points, only provided for Medium settings, further illustrate the instability: 40 at 1080p, 25 at 1440p, and 13 at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the recommended settings are heavily dependent on the user's resolution target. For a 1920x1080 display, the Low preset is the only option that provides a smooth experience, with an average of 62 FPS. While Medium (47 FPS) and High (45 FPS) are close in score, the data suggests that the visual fidelity gain from High over Medium is minimal, but the frame rate cost is also minimal. However, the 62 FPS of Low is the only average that exceeds the standard 60 FPS target, making it the best choice for responsive gameplay. The Ultra preset at 29 FPS is not recommended, as the performance hit is severe.

For 2560x1440 displays, the analysis is straightforward. The Low preset's 39 FPS is the only one that approaches playability, but it is still below the 60 FPS standard. Medium (30 FPS), High (28 FPS), and Ultra (18 FPS) all produce frame rates that would feel sluggish. There is no good experience to be had at this resolution, and the data indicates that users should lower their display resolution to 1080p to achieve a better outcome.

At 3840x2160, the data is clear: no setting is acceptable. The Low preset's 21 FPS is barely a slideshow, and Ultra's 9 FPS is unplayable. The recommendation is to avoid 4K entirely with this hardware. The best experience per the measured rows is unequivocally 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that delivers a frame rate above 60 FPS. For users willing to accept a lower frame rate, 1080p Medium at 47 FPS is a secondary option, but the primary recommendation is to prioritize the Low preset to ensure smoothness.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling analysis reveals a significant bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 45 at 1920x1080 to 28 at 2560x1440, and then to 15 at 3840x2160. This is a 37.8% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 46.4% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 66.7%. This pattern is consistent across all settings. For Low settings, the FPS goes from 62 at 1080p to 39 at 1440p to 21 at 4K. For Ultra, it goes from 29 at 1080p to 18 at 1440p to 9 at 4K.

This scaling behavior is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's workload does not increase linearly with resolution; rendering more pixels requires more GPU fill-rate and memory bandwidth. The Arc B390's shared memory architecture and low pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s are the primary reasons for this steep decline. The fact that the frame rate is nearly halved when moving from 1440p to 4K at every setting indicates that the GPU is completely saturated.

The data implies that the limiting component is unambiguously the Intel Arc B390. The CPU, with its 5.80 GHz boost clock and 24 threads, is not the bottleneck at any resolution. If the CPU were the constraint, the FPS would stay relatively flat as resolution scales, because the CPU would still be processing the same game logic. The sharp, consistent FPS drops across all resolutions and settings confirm that the GPU's processing and memory bandwidth are exhausted. For this game, the system's performance is entirely dictated by the integrated GPU, and the powerful CPU is left with no work to do. The measured results show a system that is fundamentally unbalanced, where a top-tier CPU is paired with a GPU that cannot deliver even entry-level gaming performance.