To The Core

To The Core is an idle game with remarkably low graphical demands, and the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X with the Intel Arc B390 produces a highly playable experience across most settings and resolutions. The data shows a system that is ultimately constrained by its integrated GPU, yet the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures that even at lower resolutions, the frame rates remain respectable. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and how this specific combo stacks up against the broader database of tested configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in To The Core?

A: Based on the measured data, the sweet spot is 1920x1080 at High settings, which delivers an average of 107 FPS. For a higher refresh rate experience, dropping to Low settings at the same resolution yields 147 FPS, while 2560x1440 at High settings provides a solid 72 FPS average for those prioritizing resolution over raw speed.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 perform relative to other GPUs in the database?

A: The Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (scoring 1463, which is 1.3% lower) and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (scoring 1443, which is 2.7% lower). This places it in the entry-level integrated graphics tier.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X a bottleneck for the Intel Arc B390?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not the primary limiting factor. In the CPU-heavy benchmark, the 7600X scores 15236 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1965 in single-core. Its nearest CPU rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600K, both with a 0.2% higher average score. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K indicates the GPU is the main constraint.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in To The Core?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 56 FPS. However, at High settings, the average drops to 41 FPS, and at Ultra, it falls to 33 FPS. The game is playable at 4K, but only by significantly reducing graphical fidelity.

Q: How does this system's overall performance rank among all tested combinations?

A: This specific combo ranks 2643 out of 2991 tested combinations, placing it in the lower tier of the database. This low ranking is primarily due to the Intel Arc B390's integrated graphics, which holds back the otherwise capable Ryzen 5 7600X processor.

Q: What kind of performance can be expected at 1440p with medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system delivers an average of 83 FPS, with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS. This is a very smooth experience for an idle game and represents a good balance between visual quality and frame rate.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the defining component in this configuration, and its performance profile dictates the overall gaming experience. This is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses a portion of the system's main DDR5 RAM, and its bandwidth is "System Dependent," which means performance can vary based on the system memory configuration.

In terms of raw specifications, the Arc B390 has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 render output units. It also includes 12 ray tracing cores. Its compute capabilities are rated at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 operations and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16. The GPU's benchmark results are modest, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. This places the Arc B390 in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, illustrating its position as a low-power, entry-level solution.

The game's performance data directly reflects this GPU's capabilities. At 1080p, the GPU can push high frame rates, but it begins to struggle as resolution increases. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution shows the GPU's workload scaling. For instance, at 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 147 on Low to 86 on Ultra, a substantial 61 FPS difference. This indicates that while the GPU is capable of handling the game's basic rendering, its limited shading units and texture rate become a bottleneck when more complex effects are enabled. The system's shared memory architecture also means that the GPU's performance is tied to the speed and bandwidth of the system's RAM, which is a crucial consideration for this combo.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, the combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2643 out of 2991 tested combinations for To The Core. This places it in the bottom 12% of all tested system configurations. This low rank is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's position in the performance hierarchy. While the CPU is a solid mid-range performer, the Arc B390's integrated nature severely limits the system's overall gaming potential.

The GPU's individual ranking is particularly telling. Being in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, it sits alongside other low-end parts like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M. The delta percentages to its nearest rivals are small, with the GT 520MX being 1.3% slower and the GT 625 OEM being 2.5% slower. This shows that the Arc B390 is very much at the bottom of the GPU performance spectrum. The system's overall rank is a direct consequence of this, as the CPU's higher percentile ranking (79th) is unable to compensate for the GPU's limitations in a graphics-intensive task like gaming.

The rank of 2643 out of 2991 is a clear indicator that this is not a configuration built for high-end gaming. However, it is important to contextualize this with the game itself. "To The Core" is an idle game, which is a genre not known for demanding graphics. The data shows that despite the low overall rank, the system still achieves playable frame rates, which suggests that the game's engine is well-optimized for lower-end hardware. The ranking serves as a warning for more graphically intense titles, but for this specific game, the combo's performance is adequate, if not impressive.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the system handles different workloads. At 1920x1080, the system is quite capable. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 147 FPS, which is excellent for a smooth experience. High settings still provide a very playable 107 FPS, while Medium hits 124 FPS. The most demanding setting, Ultra, pulls the average down to 86 FPS. The only setting with min/max data at this resolution is Medium, which shows a minimum of 105 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS, indicating a stable frame rate with minimal fluctuation.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop noticeably. Low settings average 99 FPS, still a great result. High settings average 72 FPS, which is smooth for most players. Medium settings average 83 FPS, with a minimum of 71 and a maximum of 96 FPS. At Ultra, the average falls to 58 FPS, which is getting closer to the threshold where some players might perceive stutter, especially in a game that might have periodic actions or animations.

At 3840x2160, the integrated GPU begins to show its limits. Low settings are the only option that remains comfortably playable, with an average of 56 FPS. Medium settings average 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 55 FPS. High settings drop to 41 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 33 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is only viable at the lowest settings, and even then, the frame rate is not consistently high. The data clearly shows a linear degradation as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is a key indicator of where the bottleneck lies in this system. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 147 at 1920x1080 to 99 at 2560x1440, and then to 56 at 3840x2160. This represents a 62% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 4K. Similarly, at High settings, the FPS drops from 107 at 1080p to 72 at 1440p, and then to 41 at 4K, a 62% reduction as well.

This consistent percentage drop across different settings is a strong indicator that the system is entirely GPU-limited. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller difference between 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU's workload would remain relatively constant while the GPU's workload increases. Instead, the frame rate scales almost inversely with the number of pixels being rendered. The pixel count from 1080p to 4K is a 4x increase, and the measured FPS drops by more than half, which is a typical pattern for a component that is already at its maximum capacity.

This behavior confirms that the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is not the limiting factor in this configuration. The CPU has more than enough headroom to feed the Intel Arc B390 with data. The scaling pattern suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield a significant performance boost, while upgrading the CPU would have little to no effect on this game's frame rates. The data points to the Arc B390's limited pixel rate and texture rate as the primary reason for the FPS drops at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing a strong foundation for the system. It is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, built on a 5 nm process. It has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU's cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a 32 MB shared L3 cache. This setup provides ample bandwidth and low latency for game logic and physics calculations.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 7600X shows solid performance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 15236, and its single-core score is 1965. In Geekbench, it scores 13858 multi-core and 2603 single-core. These scores place it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a solid mid-range performer. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600K, both with an average score that is 0.2% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE, which is 0.3% lower. This shows the 7600X is competitive with other popular mid-range options.

For "To The Core," an idle game, the CPU's role is to handle the game's logic, simulation, and UI updates. The high single-thread performance, evidenced by the 1965 Cinebench R23 score, ensures that the game's main thread runs efficiently. The multi-threaded capabilities are less critical for this genre but are available for background tasks or complex simulations. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the frame rates scale with resolution, a GPU-dependent variable. The 7600X provides more than enough processing power to keep the Arc B390 fed, ensuring that the system's performance is solely determined by the GPU's capabilities.