To The Core

To The Core pairs the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D with the Intel Arc B570, a combination that delivers a highly playable experience across all tested resolutions. The data shows a system where the GPU consistently governs performance, with the CPU providing ample headroom. This analysis walks through the benchmark results, from the role each component plays to the specific frame rates measured and how this pairing stacks up against other tested configurations.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D serves as the computational foundation for this system. It is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), built on a 4 nm process. Its base clock is 4.30 GHz, with a boost clock reaching 5.70 GHz. The processor draws a 170 W TDP and is installed on the AMD Socket AM5 platform. The CPU’s substantial 128 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support contribute to its strong synthetic benchmark scores, which rank it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs.

In synthetic testing, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D shows clear scaling from single-thread to multi-thread workloads. Its single-thread score in Cinebench R23 is 2259, while the multi-core score jumps to 42018. This pattern repeats across other suites: Geekbench shows 3064 single-core and 26736 multi-core, while 3DMark’s 16-thread test yields a score of 16374, rising to 17184 at max threads. PassMark’s multithread score is 70255, with a single-thread score of 4737. These results indicate a processor that can handle both lightly-threaded game logic and heavily-threaded background tasks without issue.

Looking at direct rivals, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D edges out its closest competitors by a narrow margin. It leads the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 by 0.1%, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D by 0.1%, the AMD EPYC 8224P by 0.3%, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 by 0.4%. While these deltas are small in raw percentage terms, they place the 9950X3D at the top of its immediate performance tier.

For To The Core, an idle genre game, the CPU’s role is primarily to ensure the GPU is never starved of data. The benchmark results support this: the frame rates are consistently high, and the CPU’s massive multi-threading capability (32 threads) means that any background processes or game simulation overhead are easily absorbed. The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck in this configuration, as frame rates scale primarily with resolution and settings, which are GPU-dependent variables.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B570 is the graphics engine in this pairing. It is based on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage, Arc 5 generation) and is built on a 5 nm process. The card operates with a base clock of 2500 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. It is equipped with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU’s compute resources include 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operation units, alongside 18 ray tracing cores.

The Arc B570’s synthetic performance places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12) score is 2649, and it achieves 96844 in Geekbench Vulkan and 83514 in Geekbench OpenCL. In PassMark, the G3D score is 14195, with a GPU compute score of 7281. DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 scores in PassMark are 118 and 72, respectively.

When compared to its nearest rivals, the Arc B570 sits in a tight competitive cluster. It trails the Intel Arc A750 by 0.1% and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X by 0.5%, while leading the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile by 0.1% and the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M by 0.4%. This indicates that the B570 is performing at a level consistent with its mid-range positioning.

In To The Core, the GPU is the primary driver of performance. As resolution increases, the average FPS drops for each settings preset, which is the expected behavior when the GPU’s rendering load increases. The 10 GB VRAM and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game’s demands, as even the highest resolution and settings combination (4K Ultra) remains playable, albeit at lower frame rates. The GPU’s clock speed and compute units are working in tandem to deliver the measured results, with no signs of a CPU-induced cap on frame rates.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent pattern of scaling across resolutions. From 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, the average frame rates decline for every settings preset, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s performance, which is constant across resolutions, is not the limiting factor; instead, the GPU’s rendering workload increases with pixel count.

At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 225 at 1080p to 152 at 1440p and then to 87 at 4K. This represents a 32.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 42.8% drop from 1440p to 4K. For High settings, the progression is 165 FPS at 1080p, 111 FPS at 1440p, and 64 FPS at 4K, with drops of 32.7% and 42.3% respectively. Medium settings show a similar trend: 191 FPS at 1080p, 128 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings follow the same curve, with 133 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K.

The percentage drop between 1440p and 4K is consistently larger than the drop between 1080p and 1440p. This non-linear decline is typical for GPU-bound workloads, as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, while the increase from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 1.78 times. The data shows that the Intel Arc B570 is handling the increased resolution, but its performance ceiling is being reached at 4K, where frame rates fall to between 51 and 87 FPS depending on settings. Conversely, at 1080p, the frame rates are high enough (133 to 225 FPS) to suggest that the GPU is still the primary limiter, but with much more headroom for higher refresh rate displays.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a full matrix of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 225 FPS, Medium settings yield 191 FPS (with a minimum of 162 and maximum of 219), High settings reach 165 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver 133 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 92 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for the highest quality settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear step down. Low settings average 152 FPS, Medium settings average 128 FPS (with a minimum of 109 and maximum of 147), High settings average 111 FPS, and Ultra settings average 89 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 63 FPS, indicating that the GPU is working harder at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system produces the lowest frame rates in the dataset. Low settings average 87 FPS, Medium settings average 73 FPS (with a minimum of 62 and maximum of 84), High settings average 64 FPS, and Ultra settings average 51 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 36 FPS at this resolution. Notably, only the Medium settings preset provides minimum and maximum FPS data, showing a range of 62 to 84 FPS at 4K.

The data shows that the combination of resolution and settings has a compounding effect. For instance, the difference between 1080p Low (225 FPS) and 4K Ultra (51 FPS) is a 174 FPS drop, representing a 77.3% reduction. This highlights how the GPU’s capabilities are stretched to their limits at the highest quality and resolution settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Intel Arc B570 combination is ranked 2380 out of 2991 tested combos for To The Core. This places the pairing in the lower half of all tested systems, which is consistent with the GPU’s mid-range positioning despite the high-end CPU.

The rank is influenced more by the GPU than the CPU, as the game is GPU-bound. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D, while a top-tier processor (95th percentile), cannot compensate for the Arc B570’s more modest performance (65th percentile). The result is a system that performs well in absolute terms—achieving playable frame rates at all settings—but is outranked by many combos that pair the same CPU with a stronger GPU or pair a mid-range CPU with a more powerful GPU.

The data indicates that the combo’s rank is a function of the GPU’s ceiling. The CPU’s synthetic scores are among the highest, but the measured FPS in this game are capped by the Arc B570. This is a classic example of a balanced system where the GPU is the bottleneck, and the CPU’s potential is not fully utilized in this specific workload. The ranking suggests that for users prioritizing maximum frame rates in To The Core, a different GPU would be a more impactful upgrade than a different CPU.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user’s resolution and refresh rate target.

For 1920x1080, the High settings preset (165 FPS) offers an excellent balance for high-refresh-rate monitors, while Ultra (133 FPS) still provides a smooth experience. Low settings (225 FPS) are only necessary for extreme refresh rates (240Hz or higher), and Medium (191 FPS) is a strong middle ground. The data suggests that at 1080p, High is the best default, as it maintains a frame rate well above the 144Hz threshold while providing better visual quality than Medium.

At 2560x1440, High settings (111 FPS) are again recommended for a 144Hz display, as they are close to the refresh rate cap. Ultra (89 FPS) is also viable for 60Hz or 90Hz displays, providing maximum quality. Medium (128 FPS) is a good choice for those who prefer higher frame rates over visual fidelity. Low settings (152 FPS) offer the highest performance but may sacrifice too much visual quality for the minor FPS gain over Medium.

For 3840x2160, the recommendation is to use Medium settings (73 FPS) as the best experience. This preset provides a frame rate that is comfortably above 60 FPS, which is the standard for 4K gaming, while offering better visuals than Low (87 FPS). High (64 FPS) is also playable but sits closer to the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra (51 FPS) may result in noticeable stutter on displays with variable refresh rates. The data shows that Medium is the sweet spot at 4K, balancing the GPU’s load with visual quality.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 225 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D or the Intel Arc B570 the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The data shows that frame rates drop consistently as resolution increases, which is a GPU-bound pattern. The CPU’s performance is constant across resolutions.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B570’s average benchmark score is 20556. It is 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750, 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon R9 M390X, and 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: This combo is ranked 2380 out of 2991 tested combos for To The Core.

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 51 FPS.

Q: Which settings preset provides the best balance of quality and performance at 1440p?

A: High settings at 2560x1440 provide an average of 111 FPS, making it the best choice for a 144Hz display, while Ultra (89 FPS) is suitable for 60Hz or 90Hz displays.