To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the Intel Arc B370 ranks 2750th out of 2991 tested combos in "To The Core," placing it in the lower 8th percentile of all configurations. This is a modest result for a CPU that sits in the 86th percentile among all processors, suggesting the integrated graphics solution is the primary constraint on this pairing's overall standing. The combo's position is heavily influenced by the GPU's 5th percentile ranking among all graphics cards, creating a significant imbalance between the two components that becomes apparent in the measured frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Why does this combo rank so low despite having a strong CPU?

A: The combo rank of 2750 out of 2991 reflects the entire system's performance in "To The Core." While the Ryzen 7 9700X performs in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, the Intel Arc B370 sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Since frame rates in this game are primarily determined by the graphics processor, the weak GPU score dominates the system's overall ranking.

Q: What is the best frame rate this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 132, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration that breaks the 130 FPS barrier, with the next closest being 112 FPS at 1080p Medium settings.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37943, placing it just 0.1% ahead of both the Intel Core i9-14901E and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. It leads the Intel Core 5 211E by 0.3% and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 by 0.4%, showing these four processors are nearly identical in overall capability.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded?

A: The minimum FPS of 37 was recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings. This is also the same as the average FPS for 4K High settings, indicating that 4K gameplay is borderline in terms of playability.

Q: Is there a playable 4K configuration?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low settings preset delivers an average of 51 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration above 50 FPS. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS, while High drops to 37 FPS and Ultra falls to 30 FPS, making Low the only viable 4K option for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 0.2% below the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, 0.5% below the ATI Radeon HD 5770, and 0.7% below the AMD Radeon HD 7650M. It sits 1.4% above the AMD FirePro M2000, showing it is clustered with GPUs from a much earlier era.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process node. Its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it draws from the same DDR5 memory pool as the CPU rather than having dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This shared memory arrangement is a fundamental limitation, as the GPU must compete with the processor for memory access.

The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, a wide range that allows it to scale up under load. It contains 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operations pipelines, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 6.144 TFLOPS. The 25 W TDP classifies this as a low-power integrated solution, and it is listed as an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) with no dedicated power connectors.

The GPU's benchmark results are minimal, with only a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (0.2% faster), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (0.5% faster), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (0.7% faster), all of which are legacy products. This comparison underscores that the Arc B370 performs at a level consistent with integrated graphics from over a decade ago, which directly explains the frame rate limitations observed in "To The Core."

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data across three resolutions and four settings presets provides a complete picture of this combo's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 132 FPS on Low, 112 FPS on Medium, 97 FPS on High, and 78 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows the most complete data with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 129 FPS, indicating a tight performance band. All 1080p configurations exceed 60 FPS, making this resolution fully playable across every setting.

Moving to 2560x1440, frame rates drop noticeably: Low averages 89 FPS, Medium 75 FPS, High 65 FPS, and Ultra 53 FPS. The Medium preset records a minimum of 64 FPS and maximum of 87 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is steep, with the High preset losing 32 FPS (from 97 to 65) and Ultra losing 25 FPS (from 78 to 53). This resolution remains playable for Low through High, but Ultra dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, performance falls further: Low averages 51 FPS, Medium 43 FPS, High 37 FPS, and Ultra 30 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 37 FPS and maximum of 50 FPS, a 13 FPS spread that indicates variable performance. The 4K Low setting is the only configuration at this resolution that averages above 50 FPS, while Ultra exactly hits 30 FPS, which is often considered the minimum for playable frame rates. The progression from 1080p to 4K shows the GPU struggling to maintain playable performance as pixel count increases.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a GPU-bound system. At High settings, performance drops from 97 FPS at 1920x1080 to 65 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 32 FPS or approximately 33%. Moving to 3840x2160, the High preset falls to 37 FPS, which represents a 62% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline is characteristic of a graphics processor that is overwhelmed by the increasing pixel workload.

The Low settings preset shows a similar pattern: 132 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is only 39% of the 1080p frame rate, demonstrating that even the lowest quality settings cannot overcome the GPU's fill rate limitations. The resolution scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, suggesting the GPU is operating at its maximum throughput in all configurations.

This scaling behavior indicates that the limiting component is unequivocally the Intel Arc B370. If the system were CPU-bound, we would expect frame rates to remain relatively stable across resolutions, with only a modest decline at 4K. Instead, the dramatic drops at each resolution step confirm that the GPU's rendering capabilities are the bottleneck. The CPU's high benchmark scores and strong single-thread performance are effectively wasted in this configuration, as the graphics processor cannot feed frames fast enough to utilize the processor's full potential.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver playable performance, but the Medium preset offers the best balance. It averages 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining visual quality. The High preset at 97 FPS is also viable, but the 15 FPS difference between Medium and High is significant, making Medium the recommended choice for consistent performance.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the safest recommendation, averaging 89 FPS with no recorded minimum dips. The Medium preset averages 75 FPS but drops to a minimum of 64 FPS, which is still above 60 but leaves less headroom. The High preset at 65 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 53 FPS falls below the playable threshold. For 1440p gaming, Low is the recommended preset, with Medium as an option if the user accepts occasional frame rate dips.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is recommended, averaging 51 FPS. The Medium preset at 43 FPS and High at 37 FPS are both below the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra at 30 FPS is marginal. The 4K Low configuration is the only one that approaches playable frame rates, and even it falls short of the 60 FPS target. For users prioritizing 4K, this combo requires accepting lower frame rates, while those seeking 60+ FPS should stick to 1080p or 1440p with lower settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a desktop processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture with the codename Granite Ridge. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The processor has a 65 W TDP and supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The 32 MB shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache provide substantial data storage for workloads, while the 4 nm process node from TSMC houses 8,315 million transistors on a 70.6 mm² die.

Benchmark results show strong CPU performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485 and single-core score of 2211. Geekbench scores are 17906 multi-core and 3023 single-core, while PassMark multi-thread performance is 37161. The 3DMark scores show scaling from 1280 single-thread to 9824 with 16 threads, indicating good multi-threading capabilities. The CPU's average benchmark score of 37943 places it in the 86th percentile of all processors, with its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14901E, just 0.1% behind.

Despite these strong CPU credentials, the measured frame rates in "To The Core" are constrained by the GPU. The CPU's high benchmark scores and fast clock speeds do not translate to higher frame rates because the Intel Arc B370 cannot render frames quickly enough. The CPU is effectively idle while waiting for the GPU to complete its work, which is why the combo rank in-game is so much lower than the CPU's individual percentile ranking. In this configuration, the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads provide no advantage over a less powerful processor, as the bottleneck is entirely on the graphics side.