To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents an unusual benchmark configuration for To The Core, an Idle game released on 2024-02-14. The data shows a system that is far more capable in CPU-bound tasks than in GPU-bound ones, a discrepancy that heavily influences the measured frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings. This analysis examines the measured FPS rows to determine optimal settings, the role of each component, and the inherent bottleneck that defines this pairing.

FAQ

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 3700X compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 34260, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, has an average score of 34222, representing a delta of 0.1% in favor of the 3700X. The Intel Core i5-13450HX is marginally ahead with a score of 34333, a -0.2% delta relative to the 3700X.

Q: What is the core and thread configuration of the CPU in this combo?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X features 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 2 architecture (Matisse). It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with 32 MB of L3 cache. The CPU has a TDP of 65 watts and supports DDR4 memory on the AMD Socket AM4 platform.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390's performance rank globally?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. It is slightly ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1463, a delta of 1.3%. The B390 also leads the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710, which scores 1443, by a 2.7% margin.

Q: What is the highest measured average FPS for this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average FPS at 1920x1080 is 147, achieved with Low settings. The next highest is 124 FPS on Medium, followed by 107 FPS on High, and 86 FPS on Ultra.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the entire dataset?

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 33, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution on Ultra settings. The data also includes a minimum FPS of 41 for Medium settings at 4K, which is the same value as the average FPS for High settings at that resolution.

Q: Does the GPU have its own dedicated video memory?

A: No, the Intel Arc B390 uses System Shared memory. Its memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared," and its memory bandwidth is described as "System Dependent." The GPU's clock speeds include a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the most balanced experience is achieved with Medium settings across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium produces an average of 124 FPS with a minimum of 105 FPS, offering a smooth experience with a 17 FPS drop from the Low preset. High settings at 1080p still provide 107 FPS, but the 17 FPS gain from Medium to Low indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the graphical load scales significantly with each preset step.

For 2560x1440, Medium again appears to be the sweet spot, delivering an average of 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS. The Low preset reaches 99 FPS, but the visual quality reduction may not justify the 16 FPS increase. High settings at 1440p yield 72 FPS, which is playable but begins to show the GPU's strain. The Ultra preset at this resolution falls to 58 FPS, which is a significant drop from Medium.

At 3840x2160, the data indicates that players should avoid High and Ultra settings. High produces an average of 41 FPS, and Ultra drops to 33 FPS, both of which may be below the threshold for a fluid experience in an action-oriented title. Medium at 4K offers 48 FPS with a minimum of 41 FPS, which is the best combination of visual quality and playability at this resolution. Low settings provide 56 FPS, but for a game like To The Core, the Medium preset appears to be the most reasonable compromise between fidelity and frame rate, as the jump from Medium to Low only yields an 8 FPS increase at 4K.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the primary constraint in this configuration. Its benchmark results place it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with a score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad. This is a very low relative position, and its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GT 625 OEM, which score 1463 and 1446 respectively. These are entry-level parts, confirming that the B390 is not designed for high-end gaming workloads.

The GPU's specifications show it is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 3 nm process node and an 80 W TDP. It has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS. Critically, it uses System Shared memory, meaning it relies on the system's DDR4 RAM rather than dedicated VRAM.

This lack of dedicated VRAM is a significant factor. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which means it shares the CPU's dual-channel DDR4 bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. In To The Core, as resolution and settings increase, the demand for memory bandwidth and fill rate grows. The data supports this, showing a clear and consistent drop in average FPS as resolution increases. The GPU's 2500 MHz boost clock and 7.680 TFLOPS of compute power are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K, where the highest average FPS is 56 on Low settings. The GPU is the bottleneck in all scenarios, as evidenced by the steep performance penalties for increasing graphical fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2643 out of 2991 tested combos in To The Core. This places it in the lower percentile of all possible system configurations, which is consistent with the GPU's low individual performance ranking. The CPU's high percentile rank (84th) does not compensate for the GPU's 9th percentile ranking, resulting in an overall system that performs well below the median of tested hardware.

The disparity between the components is stark. The CPU is a high-performing desktop processor, while the GPU is an integrated solution likely intended for portable devices. The combo ranking reflects the system's inability to leverage the CPU's full potential in this game due to the GPU's limitations. The data shows that the system is effectively bound by its weakest link, and the ranking of 2643 out of 2991 is a direct consequence of this imbalance. For context, the CPU alone performs comparably to the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 in synthetic benchmarks, but the system's gaming performance is dragged down by the Arc B390.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is a high-end desktop processor from the 3000 series. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, a configuration that is well-suited for modern multitasking and multi-threaded workloads. Its benchmark scores reflect this strength: it achieves 2092 points in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 8899 points in Geekbench multi-core. In PassMark, it scores 22458 in the multithread test and 66399 in integer math, demonstrating robust processing power.

However, in To The Core, the CPU's role is diminished by the GPU. The game is an Idle genre title, which may not heavily utilize all 16 threads, but the CPU is still responsible for game logic and physics. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 147 FPS, which suggests the CPU can handle the game's simulation at high frame rates. The CPU's boost clock of 4.40 GHz and 32 MB of L3 cache provide ample performance for this task.

The CPU's influence is most apparent when comparing the Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution. At 1080p, the drop from 147 FPS to 86 FPS is a 41% reduction, which is a clear indication that the GPU is struggling with the increased graphical load. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would be more consistent across settings. The CPU's 65 W TDP and 7 nm process node make it an efficient part, but its performance is largely untapped in this configuration because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to challenge it. The data shows the CPU is not the limiting factor; the GPU is.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings.

At 1920x1080, the system shows its best results. On Low settings, it averages 147 FPS. Medium settings reduce the average to 124 FPS, with a minimum of 105 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. High settings yield an average of 107 FPS. Ultra settings produce an average of 86 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease. Low settings average 99 FPS. Medium settings average 83 FPS, with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS. High settings average 72 FPS. Ultra settings drop to an average of 58 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened. Low settings average 56 FPS. Medium settings average 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS. High settings average 41 FPS. Ultra settings average 33 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: for every settings increase, the average FPS drops, and for every resolution increase, the average FPS drops. The Medium settings row is the only one that includes minimum and maximum FPS values, showing a range of 105 to 143 at 1080p, 71 to 96 at 1440p, and 41 to 55 at 4K. These ranges indicate that even at the same settings, the frame rate is not stable, likely due to the shared memory system's variable performance.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling reveals a significant and predictable performance degradation. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 124 to 83, a reduction of 33%. Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 on the same settings, the average FPS drops from 83 to 48, a reduction of 42%. This is a clear indication that the GPU is the limiting component, as the pixel count increases by a much larger factor than the frame rate drops.

The trend is consistent across all settings. On Low settings, the average FPS drops from 147 at 1080p to 99 at 1440p (a 33% drop) and then to 56 at 4K (a 43% drop). On High settings, the drop is from 107 to 72 (33%) and then to 41 (43%). On Ultra, it goes from 86 to 58 (33%) and then to 33 (43%).

The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is nearly identical across all settings, hovering around 33%. The drop from 1440p to 4K is also similar, around 42-43%. This consistency suggests that the performance loss is primarily due to the increased pixel count and the corresponding demand on the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth, rather than any other factor. The CPU's performance is not scaling with resolution, confirming that the GPU is the sole bottleneck. The data implies that even at 1080p, the system is not CPU-limited, as the frame rates are still heavily influenced by the GPU's settings. The integrated GPU's system dependent memory bandwidth is likely the primary cause of this scaling behavior, as it cannot provide the necessary throughput for higher resolutions.