To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a remarkably fluid experience in To The Core, an idle game that clearly favors high frame rates over raw graphical fidelity. Benchmark results across three resolutions and four quality presets show this combination is capable of pushing well past standard display refresh rates, with the most demanding 4K Ultra setting still maintaining a playable average. The data indicates a system that scales predictably with resolution, though the performance ceiling at lower settings suggests the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting the smoothest possible experience, the measured data points strongly toward the Low preset as the optimal choice. At 1920x1080, this setting produces an average of 255 FPS, which is the highest score recorded for this combo in any configuration. Even at the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the Low preset maintains an average of 98 FPS, ensuring a consistently fluid experience without any noticeable dips. This makes Low the safest and most performance-oriented setting for competitive or high-refresh-rate play.

The Medium preset offers a compelling middle ground for those who want a bit more visual fidelity without sacrificing the frame rate advantage. At 1080p, the average FPS is 216, with a minimum of 183 and a maximum of 248, showing excellent consistency. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 145 FPS (min 123, max 167), which remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Even at 4K, Medium manages an average of 83 FPS with a minimum of 71, making it the only preset besides Low that guarantees a minimum frame rate above 60 FPS at the highest resolution. For users with 144Hz or 165Hz displays at 1080p or 1440p, Medium provides a robust balance of quality and speed.

The High preset is a viable option for those prioritizing visual quality on standard 60Hz displays. At 1080p, it delivers an average of 187 FPS, and at 1440p, it still achieves a strong 126 FPS average. However, at 4K, the average falls to 72 FPS, which, while playable, begins to approach the lower boundary of what is considered a high-refresh-rate experience. The Ultra preset is the most demanding and shows the system's limits. At 1080p, it produces an average of 150 FPS, but at 4K, this drops to 58 FPS, making it the only configuration in the measured data that falls below the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. Consequently, Ultra is only recommended for users with 1080p or 1440p displays who prioritize maximum visual detail over raw frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for a 60Hz monitor?

A: The data shows that the High preset at 4K (72 FPS) or the Ultra preset at 1440p (101 FPS) both provide averages above 60 FPS. For a more consistent experience with headroom, the Medium preset at 4K (83 FPS) is also an excellent choice.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with caveats. The benchmark results show that at 3840x2160, the system achieves playable averages on all presets except Ultra. The Low preset averages 98 FPS, Medium averages 83 FPS, and High averages 72 FPS. Only the Ultra preset, with its 58 FPS average, falls short of the 60 FPS mark.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The frame rate penalty is significant. For example, on the High preset, the average FPS drops from 187 at 1920x1080 to 72 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 115 FPS. On the Low preset, the drop is from 255 FPS to 98 FPS, a reduction of 157 FPS. This shows a substantial scaling cost at higher resolutions.

Q: Which preset offers the best frame time consistency?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 183 to 248 FPS; at 1440p, it is 123 to 167 FPS; and at 4K, it is 71 to 95 FPS. This data suggests a stable frame pacing with no severe dips.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The performance scaling across resolutions indicates that the GPU is the more significant limiting factor. As resolution increases, the FPS drops consistently, which is characteristic of a graphics-bound workload. The CPU's high single-thread score of 4691 suggests it provides ample processing power, but the frame rates are primarily dictated by the graphics card's rendering capabilities.

Q: How does this combo rank among other tested systems?

A: According to the data, this specific CPU and GPU combination ranks 2221 out of 2991 tested combos for To The Core. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, indicating that while it performs adequately, many other pairings offer higher frame rates in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database for To The Core, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and Intel Arc B580 combination holds a comboRankInGame of 2221 out of 2991 tested configurations. This ranking places it in the 26th percentile of all combos, meaning roughly three-quarters of the tested systems deliver higher average frame rates. This might seem low for a modern 8-core CPU and a dedicated 12 GB GPU, but the context of an idle game is crucial. To The Core is not a graphically intensive title, so the performance gap between this combo and higher-ranked ones is likely due to the specific strengths of other GPUs or CPUs in this workload.

The ranking suggests that while this system is fully capable of delivering an excellent experience, particularly at 1080p and 1440p, it is not a top-tier performer in the absolute sense of the database. The GPU's average benchmark score of 23021 places it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, which is solid, but not exceptional. The CPU's percentile is higher at 94, indicating a very strong processor. The disparity between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's lower rank reinforces the idea that the graphics card is the performance bottleneck in this specific game.

When looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 9700F is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% higher score) and the Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% lower score). This shows that in general processing power, it is right at the top of its class. The GPU, however, finds itself in a more competitive and crowded field. Its average score is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (0.2% lower) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% higher). This indicates that while the Arc B580 is a competent graphics solution, its raw compute performance is comparable to much older or lower-tier cards, which explains why the combo doesn't rank higher in a game that is sensitive to GPU speed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent performance hierarchy across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. The Low preset leads with an average of 255 FPS, followed by Medium at 216 FPS (min 183, max 248), High at 187 FPS, and Ultra at 150 FPS. This shows that even at the highest quality settings, the system has massive frame rate headroom, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a predictable decline. The Low preset averages 172 FPS, while Medium delivers 145 FPS (min 123, max 167). The High preset still manages a strong 126 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 101 FPS. These numbers confirm that 1440p is a sweet spot for this combo, as even the most demanding preset stays well above the 100 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show its limitations, though it remains playable. The Low preset averages 98 FPS, which is still very smooth. The Medium preset averages 83 FPS (min 71, max 95), providing a solid 4K experience. The High preset drops to 72 FPS, which is still acceptable for most players. However, the Ultra preset falls to an average of 58 FPS, which is the only measured configuration that dips below the 60 FPS standard. This breakdown illustrates a system that is overkill for 1080p, excellent for 1440p, and adequate for 4K at lower-to-mid settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the nature of the bottleneck in this system. On the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 255 at 1080p to 172 at 1440p, and then to 98 at 4K. This represents a 32.5% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 43% reduction from 1440p to 4K. On the High preset, the pattern is similar: 187 FPS at 1080p, 126 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. This indicates a consistent, nearly linear scaling with the number of pixels.

This steep drop-off is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload. The Intel Arc B580 has a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s and a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s, which are fixed hardware capabilities. As the resolution increases, the GPU must process more pixels per frame, directly impacting its fill rate and memory throughput. The fact that the FPS nearly halves when the pixel count quadruples (from 1080p to 4K) suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth is a limiting factor, as it struggles to feed the rendering pipeline at higher resolutions.

The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal. With a boost clock of 5.50 GHz and 8 cores, the Ryzen 7 9700F is unlikely to be a bottleneck in a game like To The Core. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions, as the CPU's workload wouldn't change much with resolution. The data shows this is not the case; the FPS scales almost inversely with resolution, confirming that the Intel Arc B580 is the component that determines the performance ceiling in this title. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient in capacity, but the 192-bit bus width and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are the constraints that become apparent at 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a powerful 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process. With a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, it provides substantial processing power for any workload. In To The Core, an idle game, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, simulation, and draw calls, which are typically not as demanding as the 3D rendering tasks. The data supports this, as the CPU's performance metrics are not the deciding factor in the measured FPS.

The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive. Its PassMark single-thread score is 4691, which is a strong indicator of per-core performance, crucial for games that are not heavily multi-threaded. Its multi-thread score is 36470, and it performs exceptionally well in data compression (421988) and encryption (21488) tests. This raw computational power ensures that the CPU can easily feed the GPU with data, preventing any stutters or hitches that could arise from a processor bottleneck.

However, the data shows that the CPU's power is largely untapped in this specific game. The combo ranks 2221 out of 2991, which is lower than the CPU's own percentile ranking of 94 out of 100. This discrepancy suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache per core provide fast access to frequently used data, and the dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth ensures the system has ample memory throughput. The CPU's 5.50 GHz boost clock is more than sufficient for the game's logic, leaving the Intel Arc B580 as the definitive performance ceiling. The game's frame rates are therefore a direct reflection of the GPU's rendering capabilities, not the CPU's processing power.