To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and Intel Arc B390 combination delivers a playable experience in To The Core, an Idle game released in February 2024. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions, with the system transitioning from a GPU-bound state at 4K to a more balanced profile at 1080p. This analysis examines the measured frames per second, the role of each component, and how this pairing ranks among tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the Intel Arc B390 is the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At 1080p High settings, the system averages 107 FPS, but this falls to 72 FPS at 1440p High and further to 41 FPS at 4K High. That represents a 61.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K at High settings, a steep curve that points squarely at the GPU’s rendering limits.

Looking at Low settings, the pattern intensifies. The 1080p Low average of 147 FPS drops to 99 FPS at 1440p Low and 56 FPS at 4K Low. The 1080p-to-4K delta here is 91 FPS, a 61.9% decline, nearly identical to the High settings drop. This consistency across settings is telling: even when the graphics load is reduced, the resolution scaling penalty remains proportionally similar, which suggests the Arc B390’s raw fill rate and shading capacity are the bottleneck, not the CPU or memory bandwidth.

The Medium settings rows provide the only min/max data in the pack, offering additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 124 FPS with a minimum of 105 FPS and maximum of 143 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 83 FPS with a range of 71 to 96 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 48 FPS with a range of 41 to 55 FPS. The min-to-max spread widens slightly at 4K (a 14 FPS gap) compared to 1080p (a 38 FPS gap), but the relative stability at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is consistently saturated rather than sporadically stalling.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly harsh. At High settings, 1440p yields 72 FPS while 4K yields 41 FPS, a 43.1% drop. At Low settings, the same resolution step costs 43.4% (99 to 56 FPS). This non-linear falloff is characteristic of a GPU that runs out of pixel throughput, and the data implies that the Arc B390’s 24 ROPs and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply overwhelmed at 4K, regardless of how light the scene complexity is.

At 1080p, the picture changes. The 107 FPS High average and 147 FPS Low average suggest the CPU can still feed the GPU adequately, but the 40 FPS gap between Low and High at 1080p indicates the GPU is still doing most of the work. The Ryzen 5 5600G, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears sufficient for this Idle title at lower resolutions, but the data cannot confirm whether the CPU would bottleneck at higher frame rates beyond 147 FPS, as no uncapped measurements exist.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in To The Core?*

A: The best result is 147 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 124 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 107 FPS at 1080p High.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 capable of 4K gaming in this title?

A: Yes, but barely. The 4K Ultra average is 33 FPS, and the 4K High average is 41 FPS. Only the 4K Low setting (56 FPS) reaches a smooth 60 FPS threshold. The GPU’s 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs suggests this is near its practical ceiling.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5600G compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score is 21088, placing it at the 74th percentile. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-1220P, scores 21066, a delta of only 0.1%. The AMD Ryzen 5 7530U scores 21133 (0.2% higher), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V scores 21112 (0.1% higher). These are effectively statistical ties.

Q: What is the GPU’s standing relative to other tested graphics processors?

A: The Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 1482. Its closest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower). The data indicates it is barely faster than a decade-old entry-level GPU.

Q: Does the game favor CPU or GPU performance at 1440p?

A: The 1440p results (72 FPS High, 83 FPS Medium, 99 FPS Low) show a 37.5% spread between Low and High, which is narrower than at 1080p (37.4% spread) but wider than at 4K (26.1% spread). This suggests 1440p is a balanced middle ground where neither component is fully saturated.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combinations?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G + Intel Arc B390 ranks 2643rd out of 2991 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 11.6% of all configurations. This is consistent with the GPU’s low percentile ranking.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the measured frame rates. The GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, yielding 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. These figures are modest by modern standards, and the GPU’s 9th percentile ranking confirms it is near the bottom of the performance ladder.

The memory configuration is unusual: the Arc B390 uses System Shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. The memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent," which means the GPU borrows from the Ryzen 5 5600G’s DDR4 memory. The CPU’s memory bandwidth is 51.2 GB/s (dual-channel), and this shared arrangement likely contributes to the steep 4K performance drop, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory access.

The clock behavior is notable. The base clock is 300 MHz, but the boost clock reaches 2500 MHz, an 8.3x multiplier. This wide range suggests aggressive power management, with the 80 W TDP and IGP slot width (no power connectors) indicating a power-constrained design. The data shows the GPU can sustain higher clocks under load, but the 4K results imply it hits thermal or power limits quickly.

The GPU’s benchmark results are sparse but telling. The only recorded test is 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 with a score of 1482. Its rivals score between 1443 and 1463, meaning the Arc B390 is 1.3% to 2.7% faster than those older NVIDIA parts. This places it in the same performance class as the GeForce GT 710 and GT 625 OEM, which are entry-level GPUs from nearly a decade ago. The implication for To The Core is that this GPU is only suitable for light or older titles, and the measured FPS reflects that.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank in To The Core is 2643 out of 2991 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 11.6% of all systems. This low rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU, as the CPU’s 74th percentile ranking is comparatively strong. The data suggests that pairing a mid-range CPU with a bottom-tier GPU creates a significant imbalance, but in this Idle game, the CPU rarely becomes the bottleneck.

To contextualize this rank, consider the GPU’s nearest rivals. The Arc B390 outperforms the GeForce GT 520MX by 1.3%, the GeForce 800M by 1.5%, and the GeForce GT 625 OEM by 2.5%. These are all GPUs from the early 2010s, and their inclusion in the same database implies that the B390 is competing at that performance level. The combo’s rank of 2643 means there are 348 tested combinations that are slower, but the vast majority of systems (2991 total) outperform this pairing.

The CPU’s ranking provides a contrasting picture. The Ryzen 5 5600G sits at the 74th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21088. Its nearest rivals, the Core i3-1220P (21066) and Core Ultra 7 256V (21112), are within 0.2% of its score. This means the CPU is not the weak link; it is a solid mid-range processor that would pair well with a more capable GPU. The fact that this combo ranks so low is a direct consequence of the GPU’s 9th percentile standing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), for a total of 12 data points. The Medium settings are the only rows with min/max values, so those provide the most complete picture.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 147 FPS, Medium averages 124 FPS (min 105, max 143), High averages 107 FPS, and Ultra averages 86 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 61 FPS, a 41.5% reduction. This is the widest relative spread across all resolutions, indicating that the GPU is not fully saturated at 1080p and can benefit from lower settings.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 99 FPS, Medium 83 FPS (min 71, max 96), High 72 FPS, and Ultra 58 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread is 41 FPS, a 41.4% reduction, nearly identical to 1080p. The min/max range at Medium (71 to 96) is tighter than at 1080p (105 to 143), suggesting the GPU is becoming more consistently loaded.

At 3840x2160, the averages drop sharply: Low 56 FPS, Medium 48 FPS (min 41, max 55), High 41 FPS, and Ultra 33 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread is 23 FPS, a 41.1% reduction, maintaining the same proportional scaling. However, the absolute numbers are low, and only the Low setting exceeds 60 FPS. The Medium min of 41 FPS indicates occasional drops below playable thresholds.

The scaling between settings is remarkably consistent. The percentage difference between Low and Ultra is 41.5% at 1080p, 41.4% at 1440p, and 41.1% at 4K. This uniformity suggests the game’s settings affect the GPU workload proportionally, regardless of resolution, and that the Arc B390’s performance scales predictably with both resolution and quality.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. At 1080p, all settings exceed 60 FPS, with Low hitting 147 FPS and Ultra still managing 86 FPS. For a smooth experience on a standard 60 Hz monitor, High settings at 107 FPS provide a comfortable margin, while Ultra at 86 FPS also delivers a solid experience. The data suggests that 1080p High is the sweet spot, balancing visual quality with performance headroom.

At 1440p, the choices narrow. High settings average 72 FPS, which is playable on a 60 Hz display but leaves little room for drops. Medium settings average 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS, providing a safer buffer. Low settings at 99 FPS are the most fluid but sacrifice visual fidelity. The data indicates that 1440p Medium is the recommended setting, as it maintains an average above 80 FPS while keeping the minimum above 70 FPS.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. Ultra averages 33 FPS, which is below typical playability thresholds. High at 41 FPS is marginally better but still choppy. Medium at 48 FPS (min 41) approaches playability but risks noticeable stutter. Low at 56 FPS is the only setting that approaches 60 FPS, and even then, it does not reach it. The recommendation for 4K is Low settings, accepting the visual trade-off for a playable frame rate, or dropping to 1440p for a better experience.

The data implies that the best overall experience is 1080p High or 1440p Medium, depending on monitor resolution. Users with 1080p displays should prioritize High settings, while 1440p users should choose Medium. At 4K, the system is not recommended beyond Low settings, and even that is borderline.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G plays a supporting role in this combination, and its specifications suggest it is more than adequate for To The Core. The CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of L3 cache. This is a Zen 3 architecture chip on a 7 nm process, manufactured by TSMC, with a 65 W TDP.

The CPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its mid-range positioning. In Cinebench R23, it scores 10551 multi-core and 1409 single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 8428 multi-core and 1801 single-core. Its 3DMark scores range from 872 single-thread to 5455 max-threads. These figures place it at the 74th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 21088. The nearest rivals are all within 0.4% of this score, indicating the 5600G is a well-balanced processor.

In the context of To The Core, an Idle game, the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor. The game’s genre suggests low computational complexity, and the measured FPS at 1080p Low (147 FPS) is likely near the CPU’s practical limit for this title. The fact that 1080p Low is only 40 FPS higher than 1080p High (107 FPS) suggests the GPU is still the primary bottleneck, as the CPU has headroom to push higher frame rates if the GPU could keep up.

The CPU’s memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration and 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. This is shared with the Arc B390’s System Shared memory, which could introduce contention. However, the consistent scaling across resolutions suggests that memory bandwidth is not a major constraint, or at least that the GPU’s compute limits are hit before memory bandwidth becomes critical.

The CPU’s release date of April 2021 and launch MSRP of $259 place it as a value-oriented desktop part. Its 74th percentile ranking means it outperforms the majority of CPUs, but its integrated graphics (Radeon Vega 7) are not used here, as the system relies on the discrete Arc B390. The data shows that the CPU is a competent partner, but the GPU’s 9th percentile ranking drags the overall combo down to the 2643rd position out of 2991.