To The Core

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the Intel Arc B580 sits at rank 2221 out of 2991 tested combinations for To The Core. This places the combo in the 26th percentile of all tested pairings, meaning roughly three-quarters of the tested combos deliver higher average frame rates in this title. The ranking reflects a notable imbalance: the CPU is exceptionally strong, while the GPU is mid-pack, and the game's performance ceiling is largely dictated by the graphics card.

Benchmark results indicate that the combo's position is not a reflection of the CPU's capabilities. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D holds the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54762. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests are the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (average score 55093, delta -0.6%), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54053, delta 1.3%), the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701, delta 2%), and the Intel Core i7-14700F (53620, delta 2.1%). The Ryzen 9 9900X3D essentially trades blows with these chips, sitting within a 2.1% band of all four. This suggests that in a GPU-bound scenario like To The Core, the CPU is not the limiting factor; it has ample headroom.

The GPU, however, tells a different story. The Intel Arc B580 ranks in the 68th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061, delta -0.2%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, delta 0.6%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172, delta -0.7%), and the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, delta -1%). The data shows the Arc B580 is clustered tightly with these cards, all within a 1% margin of each other. This places the GPU in a performance tier that is decidedly mid-range, which explains why the overall combo rank is lower than the CPU's percentile would suggest.

The discrepancy between the CPU's 91st percentile and the GPU's 68th percentile is the key takeaway. The combo's rank of 2221 is a direct consequence of the GPU's ceiling. If the system were paired with a stronger GPU, the rank would likely improve substantially, as the CPU has demonstrated it can keep pace with, and even slightly outperform, its direct competitors in synthetic workloads. For To The Core, the data indicates this is a GPU-limited configuration; the processor is waiting on the graphics card.

FAQ

*Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D or the Intel Arc B580 the bottleneck in To The Core?*

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU ranks in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 68th percentile. The measured frame rates show significant scaling with resolution, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9900X3D compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: Its average benchmark score of 54762 is within 2.1% of its nearest rivals. It is 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, 1.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, 2% ahead of the Intel Xeon 6505P, and 2.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700F.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate measured is 255 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 58 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the game's genre affect the performance profile?

A: To The Core is an Idle game. The benchmark results show high frame rates across all resolutions, which is consistent with a less demanding title. However, the GPU still becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, as evidenced by the frame rate drops.

Q: What is the CPU's socket and memory support?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D uses the AMD Socket AM5 and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern of frame rate decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. This scaling behavior is a diagnostic tool for identifying the limiting component in the system.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers high frame rates across all settings. The Low preset achieves 255 FPS, Medium 216 FPS, High 187 FPS, and Ultra 150 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop by a significant margin: Low falls to 172 FPS, Medium to 145 FPS, High to 126 FPS, and Ultra to 101 FPS. This represents a reduction of roughly 32-33% across the board when moving from 1080p to 1440p. The scaling is nearly uniform, which suggests the workload is becoming more demanding on the GPU as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the decline continues but the proportional drop is less severe. Low settings produce 98 FPS, Medium 83 FPS, High 72 FPS, and Ultra 58 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is approximately 42-43% for Low and High, but slightly less for Medium (about 43%) and Ultra (about 43%). The near-linear scaling with pixel count (1080p to 1440p is a 78% increase in pixels, 1440p to 4K is a 125% increase) indicates that the system is not CPU-bound at any resolution.

The data points strongly to the GPU as the limiting component. In a CPU-bound scenario, frame rates would plateau at higher resolutions, or the drop would be minimal. Instead, the frame rates scale inversely with resolution, which is the classic signature of a GPU that is reaching its fill-rate or shading limits. The CPU, with its high 91st percentile ranking, has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions. The fact that the 4K Ultra setting yields 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, further confirms that the Intel Arc B580 is the bottleneck in this configuration.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance for this combo. The goal is to maintain a frame rate that is consistently smooth, typically above 60 FPS, while maximizing the visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset yields an average of 58 FPS, which dips below the 60 FPS target. The High preset at 4K produces 72 FPS, which is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 4K delivers 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS, offering a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Low preset at 4K achieves 98 FPS but sacrifices visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 101 FPS, which is smooth. The High preset reaches 126 FPS, and Medium 145 FPS. The Low preset hits 172 FPS. All presets at 1440p are above the 60 FPS threshold, so the choice depends on display refresh rate and visual preference.

At 1920x1080, all presets are exceptionally fast. The Ultra preset averages 150 FPS, High 187 FPS, Medium 216 FPS, and Low 255 FPS.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this combo, especially at higher resolutions. At 4K, Medium offers 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS, ensuring no drops below the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, Medium provides 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays. At 1080p, Medium's 216 FPS is far beyond what most displays can show.

The High preset is also viable, but the margin above 60 FPS is thinner at 4K (72 FPS). The Ultra preset should be avoided at 4K, as the 58 FPS average may result in stutter on some displays. For a consistent experience across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the recommended choice based on the measured frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

This section details the exact measured average frame rates for each resolution and settings combination. The data is drawn directly from the benchmark results.

1920x1080:

• Low: 255 FPS average
• Medium: 216 FPS average, with a minimum of 183 FPS and a maximum of 248 FPS
• High: 187 FPS average
• Ultra: 150 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 172 FPS average
• Medium: 145 FPS average, with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 167 FPS
• High: 126 FPS average
• Ultra: 101 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 98 FPS average
• Medium: 83 FPS average, with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS
• High: 72 FPS average
• Ultra: 58 FPS average

The data shows a consistent progression: for each resolution, the frame rate decreases as the settings increase from Low to Ultra. The Medium preset is the only one that includes minimum and maximum frame rate data, providing a sense of the frame time variance. At 1080p Medium, the range is 183-248 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 123-167 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 71-95 FPS. The minimum frame rates are all well above the 60 FPS target, indicating that the combo can maintain smooth gameplay even at the Medium preset at 4K.

The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, with an average of 58 FPS. This is a marginal miss, but it is a data point that suggests the GPU is at its limit at this extreme setting. The High preset at 4K, with 72 FPS, is the lowest setting that stays comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The CPU is built on a 4 nm process by TSMC and has a TDP of 120 W. It features 128 MB of L3 cache, which is a substantial amount and is characteristic of the X3D line, designed to reduce memory latency in gaming workloads.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 47737, and its single-core score is 6739. The Geekbench multi-core score is 22884, and the single-core score is 3041. The 3DMark tests show scaling from 2512 with 2 threads to 13795 with max threads. The Passmark multi-thread score is 56154, and the single-thread score is 4646.

Despite this robust processing power, the measured FPS in To The Core does not appear to be limited by the CPU. The game is an Idle genre title, which likely does not stress the CPU to its full extent. The frame rates scale linearly with resolution, which is a GPU-bound characteristic. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would be similar across resolutions or would drop sharply at lower resolutions where the CPU has to prepare more frames per second. The data shows no such plateau; instead, the FPS increases steadily as resolution decreases, indicating the CPU is feeding the GPU efficiently at all times.

The CPU's 91st percentile ranking and its proximity to its nearest rivals (all within a 2.1% delta) suggest that it is a high-end processor that is more than capable of handling the demands of this title. The fact that the combo ranks in the 26th percentile is not a reflection of the CPU's performance but rather of the GPU's limitations. In a different pairing with a more powerful GPU, the CPU would likely enable significantly higher frame rates.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is a graphics card based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, codenamed Battlemage. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. The GPU has 20 ray tracing cores and operates at a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz. It is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. The card has a TDP of 190 W and connects via PCIe 4.0 x8.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Arc B580 scores 15748 in Passmark G3D and 7729 in Passmark GPU Compute. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is 92821, and its Vulkan score is 109672. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3068. The GPU's average benchmark score is 23021, placing it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (delta -0.2%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (delta 0.6%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (delta -0.7%), and NVIDIA P106-100 (delta -1%). This clusters the Arc B580 with a set of cards that are generally considered mid-range for their respective generations.

The GPU's role in To The Core is decisive. The measured FPS data shows that the card is the primary determinant of performance. The 4K Ultra preset yields 58 FPS, which is just shy of the 60 FPS target, while the 4K High preset achieves 72 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with the GPU's fill-rate and shading capabilities. The card's 12 GB of VRAM and 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth are sufficient for this title, as the frame rates do not show any signs of memory-related stuttering or abrupt drops; the Medium preset minimums are all well above the average for the Ultra preset.

The Arc B580's performance tier is the reason the combo ranks in the 26th percentile. The CPU is capable of much higher frame rates, but the GPU caps the system's output. The data suggests that for To The Core, the user should prioritize the GPU when considering upgrades, as the CPU has ample headroom. The measured frame rates are directly attributable to the GPU's mid-range standing, and the settings recommendations reflect the need to balance visual quality against the GPU's limits.