To The Core

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a playable, though not luxurious, experience in To The Core. As an idle game, the demands are modest, but the data reveals a clear hierarchy where resolution and settings dictate performance. The combo ranks 2750 out of 2991 tested combinations, placing it in the lower third of systems, which aligns with the GPU's low benchmark percentile. This is a pairing that favors high refresh-rate 1080p gaming over 4K fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, clearly identifying the graphics processor as the primary bottleneck. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 132 FPS at 1920x1080 to 89 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 43 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 51 FPS, which is a 61% decrease from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU's fill rate and shader throughput are saturated as pixel count increases.

The gap between 1440p and 4K is particularly punishing. At Medium settings, the average frame rate is 75 FPS at 2560x1440, but that plummets to 43 FPS at 3840x2160. The 32 FPS difference represents a 43% performance loss for a single resolution step. The same trend holds at High settings, where 65 FPS at 1440p falls to 37 FPS at 4K. Even the most demanding Ultra preset, which yields 53 FPS at 1440p, cannot maintain a smooth 30 FPS at 4K, landing at exactly 30 FPS.

The data suggests that the Arc B370's memory bandwidth, listed as "System Dependent" and shared with the CPU, becomes a severe constraint at 4K. The 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 96.00 GTexel/s texture rate are simply insufficient for the 8.3 million pixels in a 3840x2160 frame. For players targeting 4K, the only viable option is the Low preset, which still only manages 51 FPS. The scaling behavior confirms that this system is designed for 1080p and, to a lesser extent, 1440p gaming, with 4K being a stretch goal that compromises visual quality for playability.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, which is a wide frequency range that allows for aggressive power management. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its 25 W TDP and lack of power connectors indicate it is a low-power part designed for portable or compact systems.

In To The Core, the GPU's role is pivotal. The measured FPS shows that the Arc B370 is the limiting factor at every resolution above 1080p. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 132 FPS, suggesting the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's fixed function units become overwhelmed. The pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s are the theoretical ceilings, and the benchmark results show the card approaching these limits at 4K.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, which is extremely low. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and ATI Radeon HD 5770, with the Arc B370 performing 0.2% and 0.5% worse, respectively. This context is crucial: the Arc B370 is not a gaming powerhouse, and its performance in To The Core reflects that. The shared memory architecture, with "System Dependent" bandwidth, means that system RAM speed and capacity directly influence performance. Benchmark results indicate that at High settings, the GPU cannot maintain 60 FPS at 1440p, scoring 65 FPS, and drops to 37 FPS at 4K. The GPU's clock speed, while boostable to 2400 MHz, does not compensate for the lack of dedicated VRAM bandwidth.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. This CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, which is relevant given the GPU's shared memory design.

In To The Core, the CPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 132 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw calls efficiently. The 3DMark multi-threaded score of 5912 and single-thread score of 909 indicate a balanced processor. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380 and single-core score of 1680 further confirm its capability for general computing tasks.

However, the CPU's role becomes more complex at higher resolutions. While the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K, the CPU must still manage the game's simulation and rendering commands. The PassMark multi-thread score of 19433 and integer math score of 59995 show strong processing power. The data suggests that the i5-12400F has ample headroom to support the Arc B370. The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19039, places it well above the GPU's 5th percentile ranking. This discrepancy confirms that the GPU is the weak link.

The nearest CPU rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS and Intel Core 3 201E, with the i5-12400F performing essentially identically (0% and -0.1% delta, respectively). This means the CPU is a known quantity that pairs predictably with a low-end GPU. In practice, the CPU's 12 threads are more than sufficient for an idle game like To The Core, which likely does not utilize all cores heavily. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz ensures that single-threaded tasks, such as game logic updates, are handled quickly. Benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing; the GPU's performance ceiling is reached first.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run To The Core at 4K?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 51 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 43 FPS, and at High settings, it falls to 37 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended at 4K, as it averages only 30 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1080p, all settings except Ultra maintain an average above 60 FPS. Low averages 132 FPS, Medium averages 112 FPS, and High averages 97 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (89 FPS) and Medium (75 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, while High averages 65 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 0.2% lower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and 0.5% lower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770. It performs 1.4% better than the AMD FirePro M2000.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The i5-12400F ranks in the 73rd percentile of CPUs, while the Arc B370 ranks in the 5th percentile of GPUs. The FPS drops significantly with resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU saturation.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 1440p at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average frame rate is 97 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 65 FPS. This represents a 32 FPS decrease, or roughly a 33% reduction in performance.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a better experience than High at 1080p?

A: No. At 1080p, Ultra averages 78 FPS, while High averages 97 FPS. The 19 FPS difference is significant, and without minimum frame data for Ultra, the data suggests High is the more stable choice for higher refresh rate displays.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear path for optimal settings based on the target resolution. For 1080p displays, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, averaging 97 FPS. This leaves enough headroom for occasional drops without dipping below 60 FPS. The Ultra preset, at 78 FPS, is also viable, but the 19 FPS cost may not justify the visual uplift in an idle game where the action is minimal. For players prioritizing maximum smoothness, the Medium preset at 112 FPS is a strong alternative, though the visual fidelity loss is noticeable.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. It averages 75 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, and the minimum of 64 FPS indicates it rarely stutters. The High preset at 65 FPS is playable but leaves less margin for error, and the data shows no minimum frame data for this setting. The Low preset at 89 FPS is the safest for competitive or fast-paced gameplay, but it sacrifices visual quality. The Ultra preset at 53 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel sluggish.

For 4K, the Low preset is the only sensible option, averaging 51 FPS. The Medium preset at 43 FPS is playable but visibly less smooth, and the High preset at 37 FPS is borderline. The Ultra preset at 30 FPS is at the edge of playability and should be avoided. Given the GPU's low performance percentile, players with 4K displays should either lower the resolution to 1440p or accept the Low preset's visual compromises. The data indicates that the Medium preset at 1440p is the sweet spot for this system, offering a good mix of fidelity and frame rate without exceeding the GPU's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured average FPS for the Intel Core i5-12400F and Intel Arc B370 combination in To The Core.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 132 FPS. The Medium preset averages 112 FPS, with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 129 FPS. The High preset averages 97 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 78 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 89 FPS. The Medium preset averages 75 FPS, with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 87 FPS. The High preset averages 65 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 53 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 51 FPS. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS. The High preset averages 37 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 30 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step up halves the performance headroom. At 1080p Low, the system has a 72 FPS buffer over the 60 FPS target. At 1440p Low, that buffer shrinks to 29 FPS. At 4K Low, the buffer is gone, and the system operates below 60 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum frame data at each resolution (95 FPS at 1080p, 64 FPS at 1440p, 37 FPS at 4K) shows that even the most stable settings cannot prevent frame drops at higher resolutions. The Ultra preset, which lacks minimum frame data, is the most demanding and should be considered the least stable option based on the average FPS trends.