To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread desktop processor built on the Zen 3 architecture and the Vermeer codename, using a 7 nm process from TSMC. It features a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, with a 105 W TDP and support for DDR4 memory on the AMD Socket AM4 platform. The processor includes a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a key characteristic of the X3D lineup, alongside 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 512 KB of L2 cache per core. Its PassMark multithread score is 20363, and its single-thread score is 2941, placing it in the 85th percentile among all CPUs tested.

In the context of "To The Core," an idle game, the CPU's role is less about raw graphical horsepower and more about maintaining consistent frame pacing and handling background simulation logic. The data shows that this processor, paired with the Intel Arc B390, produces results that are heavily influenced by the GPU at higher resolutions. The L3 cache advantage helps with data-heavy workloads, and the 12 threads provide ample headroom for the game's background calculations, but the measured FPS at 1080p and 1440p suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. The processor's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0.2% higher average score) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (0.2% higher average score), show that the 5500X3D is competitively positioned, with its performance being virtually identical to these alternatives. The data indicates that the CPU's contribution to the game's FPS is consistent, but the frame rate differences between settings are more pronounced than any CPU-driven variance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for "To The Core" provides a clear hierarchy of performance across the four available presets at each resolution. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 147 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combination. Medium follows at 124 FPS, High at 107 FPS, and Ultra drops to 86 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 61 FPS, which is substantial, but even the Ultra preset maintains a playable average above 60 FPS. At 1440p, the same pattern holds: Low produces 99 FPS, Medium 83 FPS, High 72 FPS, and Ultra 58 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra here is 41 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls just below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that this setting may not be ideal for all users. At 4K, the differences become more critical: Low yields 56 FPS, Medium 48 FPS, High 41 FPS, and Ultra 33 FPS. None of the 4K presets reach 60 FPS, and the Ultra setting is only marginally above a playable minimum for some.

Based on the measured rows, the best experience per the data is the Medium preset at 1080p. This setting provides an average FPS of 124, which is 17 FPS lower than Low but 17 FPS higher than High, and it also reports a minimum FPS of 105 and a maximum of 143. This suggests a stable frame delivery that avoids the potential for stutter, which is important in an idle game where the interface must remain responsive. The Low preset at 1080p offers the highest raw FPS, but the Medium preset provides a better balance between visual quality and performance. At 1440p, the High preset at 72 FPS is a strong choice, as it stays well above 60 FPS and offers better fidelity than Medium, which is only 11 FPS faster. For 4K, the Low preset at 56 FPS is the only setting that approaches a playable frame rate, but the data shows that this resolution is not ideal for this combination.

The Ultra presets at all resolutions show the largest performance cost, with the 4K Ultra setting dropping to 33 FPS. The data suggests that the Medium preset at 1080p is the sweet spot, as it provides a margin of 64 FPS over the 4K Ultra setting while delivering a significantly smoother experience. The measured minimum FPS values for Medium at 1080p (105) and 1440p (71) indicate that the frame pacing is consistent, which is a positive sign for a game that may run in the background. For users prioritizing a stable experience, the Medium preset at 1080p is the recommended configuration, with the High preset at 1440p serving as a viable alternative for those with higher-resolution displays.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear trend: performance drops significantly as resolution increases, which points to the GPU being the limiting component in this combination. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 147, which drops to 99 FPS at 1440p Low — a reduction of 32.7%. Moving to 4K Low, the average falls to 56 FPS, which is a 61.9% decrease from the 1440p result and a 61.9% decrease from 1080p. This pattern is consistent across all settings. For High, the progression is 107 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p (a 32.7% drop), and 41 FPS at 4K (a 43.1% drop from 1440p). The Medium preset shows 124 FPS at 1080p, 83 FPS at 1440p (a 33.1% drop), and 48 FPS at 4K (a 42.2% drop). Ultra follows suit: 86 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p (a 32.6% drop), and 33 FPS at 4K (a 43.1% drop).

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is relatively consistent, with drops of roughly 32-33% across all presets. However, the scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper, with drops of 42-43% for High, Medium, and Ultra, and a 43.4% drop for Low. This increasing rate of decline as resolution rises is a classic indicator that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The Intel Arc B390, with its System Shared memory and 80 W TDP, is not designed for high-resolution gaming, and the data confirms this. The CPU's performance, as evidenced by its PassMark scores and 85th percentile ranking, is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p and 1440p, but the GPU's limitations become apparent at 4K.

The fact that the FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p is nearly uniform across all settings suggests that the GPU is being utilized to its full capacity at each preset, and the CPU is not introducing a variable bottleneck. At 4K, the more significant drops indicate that the GPU is struggling to keep up with the pixel count, and the CPU's role becomes less relevant. For this combo, the data shows that 1080p is the optimal resolution, with 1440p being playable at lower settings, and 4K being a challenging target that requires the Low preset to maintain a playable frame rate. The limiting component is clearly the GPU, as the CPU's performance headroom is not the constraining factor in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2643 out of 2991 tested combos for "To The Core." This places it in the lower 12% of all configurations, indicating that it is a below-average performer for this game. The combo's rank is heavily influenced by the GPU, which ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 85th percentile. This disparity highlights the imbalance in this pairing: the CPU is a solid mid-range performer, while the GPU is a low-end integrated solution. The benchmark data shows that the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 is comparable to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1.5% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% higher), all of which are entry-level parts from previous generations.

The combo's rank of 2643 is a direct consequence of the GPU's limited capabilities. In a game like "To The Core," which is an idle title that may not have demanding graphics, the GPU's performance is still the deciding factor, as evidenced by the resolution scaling analysis. The CPU's high percentile ranking does not compensate for the GPU's low ranking, resulting in a combo that is positioned in the bottom quartile of all tested configurations. The nearest rival GPUs all have similar scores, with deltas of 1.3% to 2.7%, which means the Arc B390 is at the very bottom of the performance spectrum. This is not a surprise given that the GPU is listed as an IGP with System Shared memory, making it unsuitable for anything beyond basic tasks.

The data indicates that this combo is not competitive with other tested combinations, and users seeking better performance in "To The Core" would need to consider a different GPU. The CPU's strengths, such as its 96 MB L3 cache and 6 cores, are effectively wasted when paired with a GPU that cannot deliver playable frame rates at higher resolutions. The combo's rank of 2643 out of 2991 is a clear signal that this pairing is mismatched, with the GPU being the weak link. For the purposes of benchmarking, this combo serves as an example of how a high-end CPU cannot overcome a low-end GPU's limitations in a GPU-bound scenario.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by Intel. It features a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 render output units. The GPU includes 12 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its memory is System Shared, with a bus width and bandwidth that are also System Shared or System Dependent, meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The GPU has a TDP of 80 W and is an IGP, requiring no power connectors, and its display outputs are listed as Portable Device Dependent.

In "To The Core," the GPU's role is critical, as the measured FPS data shows that it is the limiting component. The GPU's benchmark score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. This low score is reflected in the game's performance, where even at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 147, which is manageable, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 33 FPS. The GPU's 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are not sufficient for high-resolution gaming, and the System Shared memory further limits its ability to handle large textures and high-resolution buffers.

The data shows that the GPU's performance is consistent with its nearest rivals, which include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% higher score) and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1.5% higher score). These are all low-end parts from previous generations, underscoring that the Arc B390 is not designed for demanding workloads. In the context of this game, the GPU's role is to render the game's visuals, and its limitations become apparent at resolutions above 1080p. The GPU's boost clock of 2500 MHz is its main asset, but it cannot compensate for the lack of dedicated memory and the low pixel fill rate. The measured FPS data indicates that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom to avoid being a bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo provides a detailed look at performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 147 FPS, which is the highest recorded for any configuration. The Medium preset delivers 124 FPS on average, with a minimum of 105 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS, indicating a stable frame delivery. High follows at 107 FPS, and Ultra drops to 86 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 61 FPS, which is significant, but all 1080p presets maintain an average above 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces 99 FPS, Medium 83 FPS (with a minimum of 71 and maximum of 96), High 72 FPS, and Ultra 58 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p is the first to fall below 60 FPS, with a 41 FPS difference between Low and Ultra. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 56 FPS, Medium 48 FPS (with a minimum of 41 and maximum of 55), High 41 FPS, and Ultra 33 FPS. None of the 4K presets reach 60 FPS, and the Ultra setting is only 33 FPS on average.

The data shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation as both resolution and settings increase. For example, the High preset at 1080p (107 FPS) is nearly identical to the Low preset at 1440p (99 FPS), suggesting that the GPU is the limiting factor. The Medium preset at 1080p (124 FPS) is comparable to the Low preset at 1440p (99 FPS), with a 25 FPS difference. The minimum FPS values for the Medium preset at 1080p (105) and 1440p (71) show that the frame pacing is more stable at lower resolutions, which is expected given the GPU's limitations. The maximum FPS values for the Medium preset are 143 at 1080p and 96 at 1440p, indicating that the GPU can burst to higher frame rates but cannot sustain them at higher resolutions.

In terms of settings scaling, the Low preset at 1080p is 71 FPS faster than the Ultra preset at 4K, a difference of 114 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p is 76 FPS faster than the Medium preset at 4K, showing a significant penalty for higher resolution. The High preset at 1080p is 66 FPS faster than the High preset at 4K, and the Ultra preset at 1080p is 53 FPS faster than the Ultra preset at 4K. These numbers highlight the GPU's weakness at 4K, where even the Low preset struggles to maintain a smooth experience. The data also shows that the Medium preset at 1080p is the best-performing configuration that includes minimum and maximum FPS measurements, offering a stable average of 124 FPS with a 38 FPS variance between minimum and maximum. For users with a 1080p display, the Medium preset is the recommended choice based on the measured data. For 1440p, the High preset at 72 FPS is the best option that stays above 60 FPS, while the Low preset at 4K is the only playable option, albeit at 56 FPS.