To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable experience in To The Core, but the data reveals a clear performance ceiling tied to the graphics card. Across all tested resolutions and settings, the combo never drops below 51 FPS, yet the scaling pattern indicates that the Arc B570 is the primary limiting factor, especially as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a predictable decline as resolution climbs, but the magnitude of that drop tells a specific story about where the bottleneck resides. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 165 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 111 FPS, a reduction of 54 FPS. At 4K High, the average falls to 64 FPS, which is 101 FPS below the 1080p figure. This is a steep curve: the 4K result is roughly 39% of the 1080p performance, indicating that pixel throughput is dominating the workload.

The pattern persists across all settings. For Medium settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 63 FPS (191 to 128), and from 1440p to 4K it is another 55 FPS (128 to 73). The Ultra preset shows a similar trend: 133 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K remains consistently large, suggesting that the GPU’s memory bandwidth (380.0 GB/s) and shading resources are saturated by the higher pixel count.

Notably, the scaling between Low and Ultra at each resolution is relatively tight. At 1080p, the spread is 92 FPS (225 Low to 133 Ultra). At 1440p, the spread is 63 FPS (152 Low to 89 Ultra). At 4K, the spread narrows to 36 FPS (87 Low to 51 Ultra). This compression at higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU limitation: when the GPU is already maxed out, lowering settings cannot fully compensate for the increased pixel workload. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads based on Zen 3, is not the constraint here; if it were, the gap between Low and Ultra would expand at higher resolutions rather than contract.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for To The Core, this pairing sits at rank 2380 out of 2991 total combos. That places it in the lower third of all tested systems, which aligns with the measured FPS figures that are moderate but not exceptional. The percentile data for the individual components supports this position. The Ryzen 5 5600X ranks in the 75th percentile among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms three-quarters of the processors in the database. The Arc B570, by contrast, sits in the 65th percentile among all GPUs. When combined, the lower-ranked GPU drags the overall combo ranking down relative to the CPU’s standalone standing.

The CPU’s nearest rivals highlight that the 5600X is competitive but not dominant. The AMD Ryzen 7 4800H scores 0.1% higher on average, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U and Intel Core i7-11700 both score 0.5% higher. The AMD EPYC 9554P is 0.6% ahead. These are all marginal differences, confirming that the CPU is a solid mid-range performer. The GPU’s rivals follow a similar pattern: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is 0.1% ahead, the Intel Arc A750 is 0.1% behind, and the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M is 0.4% ahead. The AMD Radeon R9 M390X trails by 0.5%. The Arc B570 is essentially trading blows with these parts, which explains why the combo rank is neither terrible nor impressive.

Given that the combo rank is 2380 out of 2991, the data suggests that this pairing is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming rather than pushing 4K. The FPS at 4K Ultra (51) is technically playable, but it leaves no headroom for demanding scenes.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, specifically the Battlemage generation, using a 5 nm process from TSMC. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective), while the base and boost clocks are both locked at 2500 MHz. This fixed clock speed, combined with 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs, defines its raw throughput. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 11.52 TFLOPS, and it includes 18 ray tracing cores, though To The Core is an Idle genre title that is unlikely to stress ray tracing heavily.

In the context of this game, the GPU’s role is best understood through the measured FPS deltas between settings. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 34 FPS (225 to 191), Medium to High costs another 26 FPS (191 to 165), and High to Ultra costs 32 FPS (165 to 133). These are substantial penalties for each quality tier, indicating that the GPU’s shading and texture units are being pushed harder with each preset. At 4K, the same transitions cost 14 FPS (Low to Medium), 9 FPS (Medium to High), and 13 FPS (High to Ultra). The smaller absolute deltas at 4K reinforce that the GPU is already near its limit; each settings increase has less impact because the pixel fill rate is the dominant constraint.

The 10 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game, as the measured FPS does not show signs of memory swapping or severe stuttering (the Medium preset reports minimum FPS of 62 at 4K, 109 at 1440p, and 162 at 1080p). The GPU’s 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it above average, and its nearest rivals show that it performs within 0.5% of several competing models. The data indicates that the Arc B570 is a capable mid-range card that handles 1080p and 1440p comfortably, but 4K pushes it to its limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 225 FPS average, Medium yields 191 FPS (with a minimum of 162 and maximum of 219), High reaches 165 FPS, and Ultra drops to 133 FPS. These numbers are all well above the threshold for smooth gameplay, even on high-refresh-rate monitors. The minimum FPS recorded for Medium (162) indicates that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate stays high.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but noticeably lower. Low settings average 152 FPS, Medium averages 128 FPS (minimum 109, maximum 147), High averages 111 FPS, and Ultra averages 89 FPS. The Minimum FPS at Medium (109) shows that the combo can maintain over 100 FPS in most situations, though the Ultra preset dips below that threshold.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more modest. Low settings average 87 FPS, Medium averages 73 FPS (minimum 62, maximum 84), High averages 64 FPS, and Ultra averages 51 FPS. The minimum FPS of 62 at Medium suggests that the game remains playable, but the Ultra preset’s 51 FPS average leaves little margin for error. The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is effortless, 1440p is strong, and 4K is only suitable for lower settings.

The measured FPS for each resolution and settings combination is consistent with what the hardware would predict. The GPU’s pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K workload (over 8.3 million pixels) stretches those resources thin.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in To The Core?*

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 87, and at 4K Medium it drops to 73 FPS (minimum 62). At 4K High, it falls to 64 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it reaches 51 FPS. The lower presets are playable, but Ultra is borderline.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the sweet spot. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 165 FPS, and even at Ultra it maintains 133 FPS. 1440p is also strong, with High hitting 111 FPS and Ultra at 89 FPS, making it viable for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600X is within 0.6% of its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 7 4800H is 0.1% ahead, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U and Intel Core i7-11700 are both 0.5% ahead. The AMD EPYC 9554P leads by 0.6%. These are negligible differences for gaming.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B570 is closely matched with its peers. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is 0.1% ahead, the Intel Arc A750 is 0.1% behind, and the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M is 0.4% ahead. The AMD Radeon R9 M390X trails by 0.5%.

Q: Does the GPU’s VRAM capacity affect performance in this game?

A: The 10 GB GDDR6 memory appears sufficient. The measured FPS at 4K Medium shows a minimum of 62 FPS, which suggests no severe memory bottlenecks. If VRAM were insufficient, the minimum FPS would likely be much lower or exhibit stuttering.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking?

A: This pairing ranks 2380 out of 2991 tested combos for To The Core. This places it in the lower third, driven primarily by the GPU’s 65th percentile standing rather than the CPU’s 75th percentile.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, the Ultra preset at 133 FPS is the best choice for visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness, as it remains well above 60 FPS. If a higher refresh rate is the priority, the High preset at 165 FPS offers a significant boost with only a modest visual downgrade. Medium at 191 FPS is available for those seeking maximum smoothness, but the visual gains from High and Ultra are worth the FPS trade-off.

For 1440p, the High preset at 111 FPS is the recommended balance. It provides a crisp image with ample headroom above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 89 FPS is also acceptable, but the drop to below 90 FPS may be noticeable on high-refresh-rate displays. Medium at 128 FPS is a viable alternative for those who prioritize frame rate over visual detail, but the difference between Medium and High is only 17 FPS, making High the better value in terms of visual impact per FPS lost.

For 4K, the Low preset at 87 FPS is the only setting that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium at 73 FPS (minimum 62) is playable but closer to the edge. High at 64 FPS and Ultra at 51 FPS are best avoided for consistent gameplay, as the frame rate can dip into the 50s range. The data clearly indicates that 4K is not this combo’s strong suit, and users should either drop to 1440p or accept the Low preset for 4K use. The Medium preset’s reported minimum of 62 FPS suggests it can hold playable frame rates, but the average of 73 FPS leaves little room for demanding scenes.