Undisputed

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 in Undisputed presents a stark study in system bottlenecks. The data shows a configuration where a high-end 20-core processor is severely held back by an integrated graphics solution operating far outside its comfort zone. While the CPU is a top-tier performer, the Arc B390’s integrated nature and shared memory architecture define the gaming experience, resulting in a combination that ranks in the bottom 12% of all tested combos. The benchmark results indicate that this system is capable of producing playable frame rates, but only at lower resolutions and settings, making it a niche option for this specific sports title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic case of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p, the system shows its best performance, with the Intel Arc B390 managing to push an average of 127 FPS at Low settings. However, this performance is highly fragile. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings results in a significant drop of 35 FPS, down to an average of 92 FPS. This 27.5% reduction in frame rate for a single step up in resolution is a clear indicator that the graphics pipeline, rather than the CPU, is the limiting factor.

The trend becomes even more pronounced when scaling to 4K. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS plummets to 58, a further 37% reduction from the 1440p result. This steep decline, from 127 FPS at 1080p to 58 FPS at 4K, represents a total performance loss of over 54%. This dramatic scaling curve is typical of a component with a very low performance ceiling, such as the Arc B390, which has a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of only 1482 and ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The data strongly suggests that the CPU’s immense power, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167, is left largely unused as the GPU struggles to keep up with the increasing pixel count.

At higher settings, the resolution scaling becomes even more punishing. For instance, at Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 49 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p and finally to just 22 at 4K. This shows that the system is not only limited by resolution but also by the graphical complexity of the scene. The combination of high resolution and high settings quickly overwhelms the Arc B390’s limited shading units (1536), TMUs (48), and ROPs (24). The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU, as the Intel Core i7-14700KF, with its 28 threads and 5.60 GHz boost clock, is more than capable of handling the game's physics and AI calculations at any of these resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Undisputed with this CPU/GPU combo?*

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system consistently achieves high frame rates. At Low settings, it averages 127 FPS, and even at High settings, it maintains an average of 76 FPS. Higher resolutions like 1440p and 4K result in average frame rates that dip below 92 FPS and 58 FPS respectively, even on Low settings.

Q: Why does the system perform so poorly at 4K resolution?

A: The performance drop at 3840x2160 is due to the Intel Arc B390's limited graphics processing power. The GPU has a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 and ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The sheer number of pixels at 4K overwhelms its 1536 shading units, causing average frame rates to fall to 58 FPS at Low and just 22 FPS at Ultra settings.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF the reason for the low frame rates?

A: No. The benchmark results indicate the CPU is not the bottleneck. The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a high-end processor with a 94th percentile ranking, scoring 44167 in Cinebench R23 multi-core. A CPU of this caliber is more than sufficient for Undisputed. The performance limitations are entirely attributable to the integrated Intel Arc B390 GPU.

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

A: The Arc B390's average benchmark score is 1482. This is marginally higher than its closest rivals, with a 1.3% lead over the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463) and a 2.7% lead over the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (score 1443). These are all extremely low-performance parts, and the data confirms the Arc B390 is in the same performance class.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the difference is substantial. The system delivers an average of 127 FPS at Low settings, which drops to 91 FPS at Medium and 76 FPS at High. Moving to Ultra settings results in a significant performance hit, with the average FPS falling to 49, a 61% reduction compared to Low settings.

Q: Does this system ever provide a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: Yes, but only in specific scenarios. At 1080p with Low (127 FPS) and Medium (91 FPS) settings, the system exceeds 60 FPS. At 1440p, only the Low preset achieves this, with an average of 92 FPS. At 4K, the system fails to reach 60 FPS on any tested setting, with the highest average being 58 FPS at Low.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the defining component in this system, and its characteristics are the primary driver of the gaming experience. It is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and built on a 3 nm process. Its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory for both capacity and bandwidth, which is "System Dependent." This is a critical limitation, as it shares the memory bus with the CPU, potentially causing contention and reducing overall performance compared to a discrete GPU with dedicated VRAM.

The GPU's internal specifications are modest. It operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and boosts to 2500 MHz. The data shows it has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 raster output units (ROPs). These figures are minuscule compared to any modern discrete graphics card. The result is a fill rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. With a FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS, the B390 lacks the raw compute power to handle the demands of Undisputed at higher resolutions and settings.

The GPU's performance percentile confirms its low standing. It ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, placing it in the bottom tier. This is reflected in its nearest rivals, which are all legacy NVIDIA parts like the GeForce GT 520MX and GT 710. The benchmark results show that in Undisputed, this GPU is the limiting factor at every turn. Even at 1080p, the frame rate drops from 127 FPS at Low to 76 FPS at High, showing that the GPU's limited pixel and texture throughput is quickly saturated. The 12 RT cores are irrelevant for this title, as the game does not appear to utilize ray tracing based on the data provided. The system's overall performance is a direct reflection of the Arc B390's capabilities, which are best suited for basic tasks, not high-refresh-rate gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Undisputed, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B390 performs poorly. The data places this combo at rank 2491 out of 2813 total tested combinations. This means that over 88% of all other CPU/GPU pairings tested in this game delivered better performance. This ranking confirms the extreme imbalance in this system: a top-tier CPU is hamstrung by an entry-level integrated GPU.

The combo's rank is almost entirely dictated by the GPU's performance, as the CPU is a non-factor in the bottleneck. The Intel Core i7-14700KF, with its 94th percentile ranking, is likely one of the best CPUs in the entire benchmark database. This is supported by its nearest rivals, which include the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K. However, all of this processing power is irrelevant in Undisputed when the GPU can only manage an average of 35 FPS at 4K High settings. The system's performance is a clear case of a severe mismatch, where the potential of the platform is completely unfulfilled by its graphics solution. This rank serves as a warning that a powerful CPU cannot compensate for a weak GPU in a graphics-intensive game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system's performance across different resolutions and settings. The table below details the average, minimum, and maximum FPS for each configuration. The data shows a consistent pattern where performance scales down as resolution and settings increase.

• 1920x1080 (1080p):
• Low: Average FPS is 127, with no min or max FPS recorded. This is the highest performance point for the system.
• Medium: Average FPS is 91, with min and max FPS of 78 and 105, respectively.
• High: Average FPS is 76, with no min or max FPS recorded.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 49, with no min or max FPS recorded.

• 2560x1440 (1440p):
• Low: Average FPS is 92, with no min or max FPS recorded.
• Medium: Average FPS is 66, with min and max FPS of 56 and 76, respectively.
• High: Average FPS is 55, with no min or max FPS recorded.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 35, with no min or max FPS recorded.

• 3840x2160 (4K):
• Low: Average FPS is 58, with no min or max FPS recorded.
• Medium: Average FPS is 42, with min and max FPS of 36 and 48, respectively.
• High: Average FPS is 35, with no min or max FPS recorded.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 22, with no min or max FPS recorded.

The data reveals that the system only provides a consistently smooth 60+ FPS experience at 1080p on Low and Medium settings, and at 1440p on Low settings. At 4K, the system fails to reach 60 FPS on any preset. The minimum FPS data points, where available, show that the system can experience significant dips, such as the 36 FPS minimum at 4K Medium, which could lead to noticeable stuttering during gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware combination is firmly rooted in 1080p resolution. To achieve a consistently smooth and responsive frame rate, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only setting that provides a significant performance headroom, averaging 127 FPS. This is ideal for a competitive sports game where fluid motion is paramount. The Medium preset at 1080p is also a strong option, delivering an average of 91 FPS, which still provides a very playable experience with a modest increase in visual fidelity.

For users who prioritize visual quality over maximum frame rate, the High preset at 1080p is the highest setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS, at 76 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p should be avoided, as it causes the average FPS to plummet to 49, which may result in a less fluid experience. At 1440p, the only viable option is the Low preset, which averages 92 FPS, but even this represents a significant downgrade from the 1080p experience. The Medium preset at 1440p dips to an average of 66 FPS, which is on the edge of playability.

The data strongly suggests avoiding 4K resolution entirely with this combo. The performance at 3840x2160 is subpar across all settings, with the highest average FPS of 58 achieved only at Low settings. Attempting to play at 4K High or Ultra settings will result in average frame rates of 35 and 22 FPS respectively, which is a poor gaming experience. In summary, the recommended configuration is 1080p with the Low or Medium preset. This provides the best balance of smoothness and visual clarity, and it is the only way to fully utilize the potential of this system without being severely hampered by the Intel Arc B390's limitations.