To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a smooth experience in To The Core, a title that proves far more demanding than its idle genre suggests. Benchmark data shows this combination producing high frame rates across all tested resolutions, but with a clear scaling pattern that reveals the GPU as the primary constraint at 4K. The combo ranks in the 80th percentile of tested systems, indicating strong overall performance for this specific workload.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combination in To The Core?*

A: The combo ranks 2380 out of 2991 tested combinations, placing it in the 80th percentile of all systems benchmarked for this game.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D compare to its closest CPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D posts an average benchmark score of 39768. It is 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS (39603), 0.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 (39485), and trails the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (40048) by 0.7% and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (40081) by 0.8%.

Q: What is the Intel Arc B570's standing among GPUs based on its average benchmark score?

A: The Arc B570 achieves an average benchmark score of 20556, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. It is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% higher) and the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% lower), while being 0.4% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and 0.5% slower than the AMD Radeon R9 M390X.

Q: What is the best average frame rate recorded for this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate is 225 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The Medium preset delivers 191 FPS, High delivers 165 FPS, and Ultra delivers 133 FPS at the same resolution.

Q: Does the game's frame rate remain above 60 FPS at 4K with this hardware?

A: Yes, all tested settings at 3840x2160 produce an average FPS above 60. The lowest average is 51 FPS on Ultra, but Low, Medium, and High settings yield 87, 73, and 64 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the processor's single-thread performance compared to its multi-thread performance?

A: The CPU scores 1212 in 3dmark_single_thread and 10081 in 3dmark_16_threads. This indicates strong scaling, with the 16-thread score being over 8 times the single-thread score, suggesting the chip uses its 8 cores and 16 threads effectively.

How This Combo Ranks

The position of 2380 out of 2991 combinations places this pairing firmly in the upper echelon of systems tested for To The Core. This rank is notable because it places the combo in the top 20% of all configurations, a strong showing for a desktop CPU paired with a mid-range GPU. The ranking suggests that the combination of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's processing power and the Arc B570's rendering capabilities is well-balanced for this specific game's engine.

Examining the synthetic benchmarks provides context for this ranking. The CPU's average benchmark score of 39768 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with deltas of less than 1% against the Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS, Ryzen AI 9 365, Ryzen AI 7 450, and Ryzen 7 7700. This indicates the processor is performing at the expected level for its class. The GPU's average score of 20556 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, which is a solid mid-pack result. The combination of a top-tier CPU and a mid-tier GPU results in a high overall rank, highlighting that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this pairing.

The rank also reflects the game's nature. To The Core, while an idle game, still requires a capable GPU to handle its rendering. The measured FPS data shows that the system can push well over 200 FPS at 1080p Low settings, demonstrating that the CPU is capable of feeding frames to the GPU efficiently. The fact that the combo ranks in the 80th percentile suggests that many other tested systems, likely with less powerful CPUs or GPUs, cannot match this level of performance. The data indicates a system that is well above average for this title, with the CPU's high percentile (87th) and the GPU's respectable 65th percentile combining to create a top-tier gaming experience.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the primary determinant of visual fidelity and frame rate in this pairing. With 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, it provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is a key factor for running To The Core at higher resolutions and settings, as the game's textures and effects require substantial memory throughput. The GPU's core operates at a consistent 2500 MHz for both base and boost clocks, a fixed frequency that simplifies performance prediction.

The Arc B570's shading units, 2304 in total, are complemented by 144 texture mapping units and 80 render output units. This configuration yields a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. These specifications are directly reflected in the measured FPS. At 1080p, the GPU is rarely the limiting factor, allowing the CPU to push frame rates to 225 FPS on Low settings. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and the frame rate drops accordingly.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide a baseline for its capabilities. Its Passmark G3D score of 14195 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844 indicate solid DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance. The GPU's 18 ray tracing cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate suggest it is prepared for modern rendering techniques, though the measured FPS data in this pack does not specify whether ray tracing is active. The 150 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU indicate a power-efficient card that can fit into a wide range of systems. The data shows that the Arc B570 is a capable mid-range GPU that can handle To The Core at 4K, albeit with a significant performance drop compared to lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates across the board. The Low preset averages 225 FPS, which is the highest average recorded. Medium averages 191 FPS with a minimum of 162 and a maximum of 219 FPS. High averages 165 FPS, and Ultra averages 133 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the system has a massive amount of headroom, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very playable but show a noticeable step down. The Low preset averages 152 FPS. Medium averages 128 FPS with a range of 109 to 147 FPS. High averages 111 FPS, and Ultra averages 89 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with each preset losing roughly 30-40% of its average FPS. This indicates that the GPU is beginning to become a more significant factor, but the CPU still has enough power to maintain high frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor. The Low preset averages 87 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium averages 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 84 FPS. High averages 64 FPS, and Ultra drops to 51 FPS. The 4K results show a clear linear progression: 87, 73, 64, and 51 FPS for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra respectively. This pattern demonstrates that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck, as the consistent frame rate drops are directly tied to the increasing rendering load.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p users with a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor, all settings are viable. The High preset at 165 FPS provides an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, easily exceeding 144Hz. For those seeking maximum smoothness, the Low preset at 225 FPS is the best choice, while Ultra at 133 FPS is still acceptable for 120Hz displays.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 128 FPS is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate gaming. It offers a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining an average frame rate above 120 FPS. The High preset at 111 FPS is also a strong option for those with 100Hz or 120Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 89 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth on high-refresh-rate panels. The data suggests that Medium or High are the best choices for 1440p, providing a good balance between frame rate and visual fidelity.

At 4K, the recommendations change. The Low preset at 87 FPS is the clear winner for maintaining high frame rates. Medium at 73 FPS is also very playable and offers better visuals. The High preset at 64 FPS is borderline for some users but is acceptable for 60Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 51 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience at 4K, the data indicates that Low or Medium settings are the safest choices, with High being a viable option for those who prioritize visuals over a slight frame rate dip.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a high-end desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. It is based on the Zen 5 architecture and features a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The processor's cache configuration is substantial, with 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a large 96 MB of shared L3 cache. This large cache is a key feature for gaming, as it can reduce memory latency and improve performance in CPU-bound scenarios.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong performance. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 23230, and its single-core score is 2080. The Geekbench scores are 18696 for multicore and 2964 for single-core. The Passmark multithread score is 40009, and the single-thread score is 4430. These scores place the CPU in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is significantly more powerful than the average processor. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 7700, have nearly identical average scores, confirming that this chip performs as expected for its class.

In To The Core, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data and handle game logic. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the system achieves over 200 FPS on Low settings. However, the CPU's high single-thread and multi-thread performance ensures that it can keep up with the GPU's demands even at higher resolutions. The 3dmark_2_threads score of 2394 and 3dmark_4_threads score of 4669 indicate that the chip has strong performance in lightly-threaded tasks, which is common for game logic. The CPU's 120 W TDP and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient for this game, and the data shows that it does not hold back the Arc B570 in any of the tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the changing role of the CPU and GPU. At 1080p, the system is largely CPU-bound. The Low preset achieves 225 FPS, and Ultra achieves 133 FPS. This 92 FPS difference between settings is driven by the GPU's workload, but even at Ultra, the frame rate is high enough to suggest the CPU is still capable of delivering more frames if the GPU were faster. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 41% reduction in FPS, which is substantial.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates drop significantly. Low goes from 225 to 152 FPS, a 32% decrease. Ultra goes from 133 to 89 FPS, a 33% decrease. This consistent drop across settings indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor. The CPU's performance is still sufficient, but the increased pixel count is taxing the Arc B570. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 63 FPS, which is narrower than at 1080p, showing that the GPU's capabilities are being stretched.

At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck. Low drops from 152 to 87 FPS, a 43% reduction from 1440p. High drops from 111 to 64 FPS, a 42% reduction. The drop from 1080p to 4K is even more dramatic: Low goes from 225 to 87 FPS, a 61% reduction, and Ultra goes from 133 to 51 FPS, a 62% reduction. This data strongly indicates that the Arc B570 is the primary limiting component at 4K, as the CPU's performance is not the cause of such steep frame rate declines. The consistent ~60% drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings confirms that the GPU's rendering capabilities, not the CPU's processing power, determine the final frame rate at this resolution.