To The Core

To The Core is an idle game, which typically means the hardware demands are modest, but the measured frame rates for this pairing of an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Intel Arc B370 tell a more nuanced story than the genre might suggest. The data indicates this is a combo that scales predictably with resolution and settings, but it hits a performance ceiling that places it in the lower tier of tested configurations. This analysis breaks down exactly what those measured numbers mean for a practical gaming experience, focusing strictly on the data provided.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 97 FPS at 1080p to 65 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 37 FPS at 4K. This represents a significant 62% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K. The pattern holds across all settings presets, indicating that the resolution scaling is uniform and not heavily influenced by the specific quality level chosen.

Looking at the Low preset, the numbers are 132 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K. That is a 61% drop from the lowest to the highest resolution tested. Medium settings follow the same trajectory: 112 FPS at 1080p, 75 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K, a 62% decrease. The Ultra preset shows 78 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K, which is a 62% reduction as well. The consistency of these percentage drops across all four settings presets strongly suggests that the performance scaling is primarily driven by the rendering resolution itself, rather than the workload from specific graphical features.

This uniform scaling pattern points to a system that is balanced between the CPU and GPU at lower resolutions but becomes increasingly GPU-limited as pixel count rises. At 1080p, the Ryzen 5 3600 has enough headroom to push the Intel Arc B370 to its limits, resulting in higher frame rates. However, the Arc B370's capabilities are quickly saturated as resolution increases. The data shows that the gap between the 1080p and 1440p results is substantial, but the gap between 1440p and 4K is even more pronounced, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor at the highest resolution. The measured 4K results, ranging from 30 FPS on Ultra to 51 FPS on Low, show that this combo is only viable for 4K gaming if the user is willing to make significant compromises on visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this specific combination of components at rank 2750 out of 2991 tested combos for To The Core. This puts it in the bottom 8% of all configurations tested, which is a low position. The comboRankInGame field gives a definitive placement that reflects the overall performance of this pairing relative to the entire test pool. With a rank this low, it is clear that this is not a high-performing combination for this title, even if the absolute frame rates at 1080p are acceptable.

The individual component benchmarks help explain this ranking. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has a percentileVsAllCpus of 71, meaning it performs better than 71% of all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 17035, and it sits very close to rivals like the Intel Core i7-1260P with an average score of 17007 (a delta of 0.2%) and the Intel Core i5-11400 with a score of 17067 (a delta of -0.2%). This shows the CPU is a solid mid-range performer, capable of keeping up with many modern processors.

The Intel Arc B370, on the other hand, is a different story. Its percentileVsAllGpus is a mere 5, indicating it performs better than only 5% of all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 1184, and its nearest rivals are all older, low-end cards like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186, delta -0.2%) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190, delta -0.5%). This GPU is the clear bottleneck in this pairing. The very high CPU percentile combined with the very low GPU percentile results in a combo that is severely held back by its graphics component, which explains the low overall rank of 2750 out of 2991. The CPU is capable of much more, but the GPU cannot deliver the frames to match.

FAQ

Q: Is this system capable of playing To The Core at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows that 4K performance is limited. Average FPS at 3840x2160 ranges from 30 FPS on Ultra settings to 51 FPS on Low settings. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS. While technically playable on Low, the experience will be below the 60 FPS threshold that is often considered smooth.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 has an average benchmark score of 17035. This is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-1260P, which scores 17007 (a 0.2% difference), and the Intel Core i5-11400, which scores 17067 (a -0.2% difference). The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus is 71.

Q: What is the limiting factor for performance in To The Core?

A: The Intel Arc B370 GPU is the primary limiting factor. Its percentileVsAllGpus is only 5, and its average benchmark score of 1184 is comparable to very old, low-end graphics cards. The CPU is significantly more powerful relative to its peers, meaning the GPU cannot keep up.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at for high frame rates?

A: The highest average FPS are found at 1920x1080. Across all settings, the average FPS at this resolution is significantly higher than at 2560x1440 or 3840x2160. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 132 FPS, while the Ultra preset at 1080p still achieves 78 FPS.

Q: Does the graphics card have enough memory for this game?

A: The Intel Arc B370 uses System Shared memory, meaning it does not have its own dedicated VRAM. Its memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared," and its bandwidth is "System Dependent." This is a critical difference from discrete GPUs with dedicated memory.

Q: How does the Arc B370's performance compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370's average benchmark score is 1184. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (a -0.2% difference), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (a -0.7% difference). This places the Arc B370 in the same performance class as these much older mobile and desktop parts.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the system is most capable. The Low preset delivers an average of 132 FPS, which is the highest score recorded for this combo. The Medium preset averages 112 FPS, with a minimum of 95 and a maximum of 129 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 97 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 78 FPS. All of these results are smooth and playable, indicating that 1080p is the ideal resolution for this hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance takes a noticeable hit. The Low preset averages 89 FPS, which is still very playable. The Medium preset averages 75 FPS, with a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 87 FPS. The High preset averages 65 FPS, which is acceptable for most players. The Ultra preset averages 53 FPS, which is on the edge of what many would consider smooth. At this resolution, the GPU is starting to struggle, but the system remains viable for most settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops considerably. The Low preset is the only option that comes close to 60 FPS, averaging 51 FPS. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS, with a minimum of 37 and a maximum of 50 FPS. The High preset averages 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 30 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is only feasible on the lowest settings, and even then, the frame rate is below the ideal threshold. The data shows a clear pattern: the system is capable at 1080p, acceptable at 1440p, and marginal at 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, built on a 7 nm process. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz, and it can boost up to 4.20 GHz. The CPU has 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 512 KB of L2 cache per core. These specifications, combined with its benchmark scores, indicate a capable mid-range processor for its generation.

For To The Core, an idle game, the CPU's role is likely less demanding than in other genres. However, the benchmark data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck. Its 3dmark scores show scaling from 696 in single-thread to 4603 in max-threads, indicating that it can handle both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads. The Cinebench R23 scores of 2124 single-core and 15045 multi-core are respectable and place this CPU well above average. The data strongly suggests that the Ryzen 5 3600 has more than enough processing power for this title.

The issue is that the CPU's performance is wasted due to the GPU's limitations. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus of 71 indicates it outperforms the majority of CPUs, while the GPU's percentile of 5 shows it is in the bottom tier. This imbalance means that in To The Core, the frame rate is dictated entirely by the Intel Arc B370. The Ryzen 5 3600 is waiting on the GPU to deliver frames, and it never comes close to being fully utilized. The measured frame rates are a direct result of the GPU's rendering capability, not the CPU's processing power.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is a viable option, delivering an average of 78 FPS. If a higher frame rate is preferred, the High preset at 97 FPS offers a good balance, while the Medium preset at 112 FPS provides an even smoother experience without a major visual compromise. The Low preset at 132 FPS is available for competitive or very high-refresh-rate scenarios, but the visual quality loss is likely not worth it for an idle game.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 65 FPS is the best recommendation for a quality experience. The Medium preset at 75 FPS is also a strong choice, providing a smoother experience while still maintaining decent visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 53 FPS is borderline playable, but the frame dips below 60 FPS may be noticeable. The Low preset at 89 FPS is the best option for a very smooth experience, but it requires a significant visual downgrade.

At 3840x2160, the options are limited. The Low preset at 51 FPS is the only way to get close to 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 43 FPS is playable but will feel less fluid. The High and Ultra presets, at 37 FPS and 30 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a good experience. For this resolution, the data clearly shows that the Low preset is the only sensible choice, and even then, the performance is suboptimal. Overall, the best experience is found at 1080p with the High or Ultra preset, where the system can deliver a smooth and visually appealing frame rate without pushing the GPU to its breaking point.