The Technomancer

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the Intel Arc B370 ranks at position 2603 out of 2825 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places the configuration in the bottom 8% of all systems tested, indicating a fundamental performance ceiling that will require careful settings management for a playable experience. The combination of a mid-range 2019 CPU with a low-power integrated-class GPU creates a significant bottleneck, with the benchmark data suggesting the graphics solution is the primary constraint across all tested resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2603 out of 2825 tested configurations places this system firmly in the lower quartile of performance for The Technomancer. This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's position in the overall hierarchy, as the Intel Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs tested. The GPU's average benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster) and ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), placing it in direct competition with legacy graphics hardware from over a decade ago. The closest rival, the AMD FirePro M2000, scores 1168, which is 1.4% slower than the Arc B370.

The CPU, meanwhile, performs at the 84th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 34260. This places the Ryzen 7 3700X in a much stronger position relative to its peers, rivaling the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (34222, 0.1% faster), AMD EPYC 4244P (34220, 0.1% faster), Intel Core i5-13450HX (34333, 0.2% slower), and Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (34083, 0.5% slower). The massive discrepancy between the CPU's competitive standing and the GPU's bottom-tier placement explains the overall low combo rank, as the system's gaming performance is entirely gated by the graphics adapter.

The data reveals a striking imbalance within this configuration. While the Ryzen 7 3700X provides 8 cores and 16 threads capable of handling modern workloads, the Arc B370's integrated nature (with its 25 W TDP and system-shared memory) cannot translate that processing power into playable frame rates in demanding scenarios. The result is a system where CPU headroom goes largely unused, as the GPU becomes saturated well before the processor reaches its limits.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the measured data shows a clear progression across settings presets. Low settings deliver an average of 71 FPS, which represents the only fully playable experience in this configuration. Medium settings drop to 55 FPS average (with a minimum of 47 FPS), which remains acceptable for most action RPGs. High settings fall to 47 FPS average, and Ultra drops further to 37 FPS. The data suggests that Low settings at 1080p provide the most comfortable performance margin, while Medium offers a reasonable balance if visual fidelity is prioritized over frame rate stability.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more constrained. Low settings yield 47 FPS average, which is borderline playable but may suffer during intense combat sequences. Medium settings drop to 36 FPS average (minimum 30 FPS), High to 31 FPS, and Ultra to 24 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium represents a 23% performance penalty, which is substantial given the already limited frame rates. For 1440p gaming, Low settings appear to be the only viable option for maintaining consistent performance.

The 4K data paints a grim picture. Even at Low settings, the average FPS is just 26, which falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium settings produce 20 FPS (minimum 17 FPS), High drops to 17 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 13 FPS. None of these figures approach playable levels, indicating that 4K resolution is not a realistic option for this combination in The Technomancer. The optimal experience, based purely on measured performance, is 1080p with Low settings, which provides the highest average frame rate while maintaining frame time consistency.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this configuration. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 71 FPS at 1080p to 47 FPS at 1440p (a 34% reduction) and then to 26 FPS at 4K (a 63% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline with increasing resolution indicates that the Intel Arc B370's rendering capabilities are severely limited, as the pixel count increase from 1080p to 4K (four times the pixels) results in a frame rate drop that far exceeds what would be expected from a balanced system.

The Medium settings data shows a similar pattern: 55 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p (35% drop), and 20 FPS at 4K (64% drop from 1080p). The High settings preset follows the same trajectory with 47 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p (34% drop), and 17 FPS at 4K (64% drop). This consistent scaling pattern across all settings presets strongly suggests that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, rather than any CPU constraint.

The fact that the percentage drops are nearly identical across presets (34-35% from 1080p to 1440p, and 63-64% from 1080p to 4K) indicates that the bottleneck remains constant regardless of the graphical workload. This is characteristic of a GPU that is saturated at all resolutions, with the Ryzen 7 3700X never becoming the limiting component. The system-shared memory architecture of the Arc B370 likely compounds this issue, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, further constraining performance at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of settings produces a spread of 34 FPS between the lowest and highest presets. Low settings achieve 71 FPS average, Medium reaches 55 FPS (with a minimum of 47 and maximum of 63), High hits 47 FPS, and Ultra manages 37 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 16 FPS (23% reduction), while the step from Medium to High costs another 8 FPS (15% reduction). The final step to Ultra costs 10 FPS (21% reduction from High). These diminishing returns suggest that Medium settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance at 1080p, as the jump to High provides only marginal visual improvements for a significant frame rate penalty.

At 2560x1440, the measured averages are 47 FPS for Low, 36 FPS for Medium (minimum 30, maximum 41), 31 FPS for High, and 24 FPS for Ultra. The performance gap between Low and Medium is 11 FPS (23% reduction), similar to the 1080p scaling. However, the absolute values are low enough that even the Low preset may struggle during graphically intense scenes. The minimum FPS of 30 at Medium settings indicates that frame times can spike, potentially causing noticeable stuttering during combat or exploration.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor. Low settings average 26 FPS, Medium averages 20 FPS (minimum 17, maximum 23), High averages 17 FPS, and Ultra averages 13 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is just 13 FPS, showing that even the lowest settings cannot overcome the GPU's resolution limitations. The minimum FPS of 17 at Medium settings confirms that frame rates can dip to unplayable levels even at the mid-range preset. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combination should be avoided entirely.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is built on the Xe3-LPG architecture using Intel's 3 nm process, operating with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The GPU features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation pipelines, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its theoretical performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS for FP32 operations and 12.29 TFLOPS for FP16 (2:1 ratio), with pixel and texture rates of 48.00 GPixel/s and 96.00 GTexel/s respectively. Despite these specifications, the GPU's 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates that its real-world gaming performance is severely limited.

The most notable constraint is the memory configuration. The Arc B370 uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. This shared memory architecture forces the GPU to rely on the CPU's DDR4 memory, creating a significant bandwidth bottleneck that is particularly problematic at higher resolutions and settings. The 25 W TDP and integrated form factor (IGP) further limit performance, as the GPU must operate within strict power and thermal constraints that prevent sustained boost clocks under load.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places the Arc B370 in direct competition with legacy GPUs from the early 2010s. The nearest rivals — ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168) — all fall within a 2% performance range of the Arc B370. This comparison underscores the GPU's limited capabilities for modern gaming workloads, despite its contemporary architecture and feature set including DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 support.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X provides 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 2 (Matisse) architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support includes dual-channel DDR4 with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth, and the CPU connects via PCIe Gen 4 with 24 lanes. The processor's 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates strong performance relative to its peers.

Benchmark results show the CPU's capabilities: Cinebench R15 multicore score of 2092 and singlecore score of 204, Geekbench multicore score of 8899 and singlecore score of 1593, and Passmark multithread score of 22458 with a single thread score of 2656. The Passmark sub-tests reveal strong integer math performance (66399), floating point math (39005), and data compression (296379), with a physics score of 1181. The average benchmark score of 34260 places it nearly identically to the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (34222), AMD EPYC 4244P (34220), Intel Core i5-13450HX (34333), and Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (34083).

Despite this robust CPU performance, the gaming data for The Technomancer shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking. The consistent FPS scaling across resolutions and settings indicates that the GPU is always the limiting factor. The Ryzen 7 3700X's 8 cores and 16 threads provide ample processing power for the game's logic and physics, but this headroom cannot be utilized when the GPU is unable to render frames quickly enough. The CPU's 32 MB L3 cache and high single-thread performance (2656 Passmark single thread) should handle the game's AI and game logic without issue, but the Arc B370's limitations dominate the overall experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combination?

A: The data shows that 1080p with Low settings provides the highest average frame rate at 71 FPS. Medium settings at 1080p offer 55 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS, which may be acceptable if visual quality is prioritized. At 1440p, only Low settings (47 FPS) approach playable levels, while 4K is not viable at any settings preset.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 0.2% slower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), 0.5% slower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), and 0.7% slower than the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192). It is 1.4% faster than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168). All five GPUs are within a 2% performance range.

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

A: The GPU is the clear limiting factor. The Ryzen 7 3700X ranks at the 84th percentile among all CPUs with an average score of 34260, while the Arc B370 ranks at the 5th percentile with a score of 1184. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows consistent 34-35% drops from 1080p to 1440p and 63-64% drops to 4K, indicating the GPU saturates before the CPU becomes a constraint.

Q: What are the measured FPS differences between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 71 FPS while Ultra averages 37 FPS, a difference of 34 FPS (52% reduction). At 1440p, the gap is 23 FPS (47 vs 24), and at 4K, the gap narrows to 13 FPS (26 vs 13). The narrowing gap at higher resolutions confirms the GPU's limited rendering capacity.

Q: Does the Arc B370 have dedicated VRAM?

A: No. The GPU uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth, meaning it shares the CPU's DDR4 memory rather than having dedicated graphics memory. This shared configuration likely contributes to the performance limitations observed at higher resolutions and settings.

Q: How does this system rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combination ranks 2603 out of 2825 tested combos for The Technomancer, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations. This low ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's 5th percentile standing, despite the CPU's strong 84th percentile positioning.