To The Core

# To The Core with Intel Core i5-12400F + Intel Arc B570

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a surprisingly strong showing in To The Core, an idle genre title that scales well across resolutions and presets. With the CPU sitting at the 73rd percentile among all processors and the GPU at the 65th percentile among all graphics cards, this combo lands at rank 2380 out of 2991 tested combinations — a solid mid-pack result that punches above its component-level percentiles in this specific game. The measured FPS data shows this pairing is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and remains playable even at 4K, making it a flexible option for a wide range of display setups.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in To The Core?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 51 on Ultra to 87 on Low settings. Medium settings deliver 73 FPS average with a minimum of 62 FPS, which is comfortably playable on a 60Hz display.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate monitors?

A: At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 225 FPS on Low, 191 FPS on Medium, 165 FPS on High, and 133 FPS on Ultra. This means even Ultra settings clear the 120Hz threshold, while Low and Medium easily support 144Hz or higher refresh rates.

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

A: The Core i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19039, placing it within 0.3% of the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (19047), Intel Core 3 201E (19056), Intel Core i5-1335U (18982), and AMD EPYC 7773X (18979). Performance differences are negligible at this level.

Q: How does the GPU compare to other graphics cards in its class?

A: The Intel Arc B570's average benchmark score is 20556. It sits 0.1% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534) and 0.1% below the Intel Arc A750 (20582). The AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662) is 0.5% faster, while the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480) is 0.4% slower.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F is built on Alder Lake-S architecture with a 10 nm process node. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, giving builders flexibility in platform choice.

Q: Does the GPU support modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes. The Intel Arc B570 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, covering all major modern rendering APIs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread desktop processor from the Core 12th Gen series. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it carries a 65 W TDP. The chip uses Intel Socket 1700 and features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. The architecture is Alder Lake-S with a die size of 163 mm², and it provides PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes from the CPU.

In To The Core, the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities matter more than its single-thread performance. Benchmark scores show a 3dmark_max_threads score of 5912 versus a 3dmark_single_thread score of 909, indicating strong scaling across cores. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380 versus a single-core score of 1680 reinforces this pattern — the chip handles parallel workloads efficiently, which aligns with the idle genre's tendency to spawn numerous background calculations and resource management tasks.

The CPU's percentile ranking at 73 means it outperforms roughly three-quarters of all tested processors. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS with an average score of 19047 (0% delta), the Intel Core 3 201E at 19056 (-0.1%), the Intel Core i5-1335U at 18982 (0.3%), and the AMD EPYC 7773X at 18979 (0.3%). With such tight deltas, the 12400F is effectively interchangeable with these chips in terms of raw benchmark performance.

For gaming specifically, the 12400F's 12 threads ensure that background tasks from To The Core won't starve the main game logic. Passmark multi-thread score of 19433 and integer math score of 59995 indicate solid sustained throughput. The single-thread score of 3481 in Passmark is adequate for the game's core loop, but the real strength lies in how the CPU distributes work across its six physical cores. The 18 MB L3 cache provides a decent buffer for frequently accessed game data, and the dual-channel memory controller supports both DDR4 and DDR5, allowing builders to choose between platform costs and bandwidth.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with a 5 nm process node from TSMC. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU runs at 2500 MHz base and boost clocks, with memory clocked at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The chip contains 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, along with 18 ray tracing cores. Compute performance is rated at 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 and 23.04 TFLOPS FP16 with a 2:1 ratio.

In To The Core, the GPU's role is primarily about resolution scaling and preset headroom. The 10 GB VRAM buffer is more than sufficient for this title, as evidenced by the smooth frame rates even at 4K Ultra. The 380 GB/s bandwidth and 160-bit bus provide adequate memory throughput for texture streaming and asset loading in the idle genre, which typically involves many on-screen elements and UI components.

The Arc B570's benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 14195 and a GPU compute score of 7281. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2649, while Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores reach 83514 and 96844 respectively. The GPU's 65th percentile ranking places it above the median but not at the top tier. Its nearest rivals show it trading blows with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, +0.1% for the B570), Intel Arc A750 (20582, -0.1%), NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, +0.4%), and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662, -0.5%).

For To The Core specifically, the GPU demonstrates strong scaling from Low to High settings. At 1080p, the jump from Low (225 FPS) to Ultra (133 FPS) represents a 41% performance drop, which is reasonable for the visual fidelity increase. The 150 W TDP and dual-slot cooler make it manageable in most ATX cases, though the 272 mm length and 1x 8-pin power connector should be accounted for in build planning. The suggested 450 W PSU is modest for a card in this performance class.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings produce 225 FPS average, Medium yields 191 FPS with a minimum of 162 FPS and maximum of 219 FPS, High achieves 165 FPS, and Ultra still manages 133 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p gaming is essentially a non-issue for this pairing — even the most demanding preset clears 120 FPS comfortably.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows expected scaling. Low settings hit 152 FPS, Medium averages 128 FPS with a range of 109 to 147 FPS, High drops to 111 FPS, and Ultra settles at 89 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is particularly notable: the 128 FPS average and 109 FPS minimum suggest that 144Hz monitors can be utilized with some headroom, though not consistently at the refresh cap.

At 3840x2160, the combo transitions from high-refresh territory to standard 60Hz playability. Low settings achieve 87 FPS, Medium averages 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS and maximum of 84 FPS, High delivers 64 FPS, and Ultra drops to 51 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K is the sweet spot here, offering a 73 FPS average that stays above the 60 FPS threshold even at the minimum measured frame rate.

The scaling pattern across resolutions shows efficiency in the GPU's memory subsystem. From 1080p to 1440p, performance drops by roughly 32-33% across all presets (225 to 152 FPS on Low, 191 to 128 FPS on Medium, 165 to 111 FPS on High, 133 to 89 FPS on Ultra). From 1440p to 4K, the drop is steeper at approximately 43% (152 to 87 FPS on Low, 128 to 73 FPS on Medium, 111 to 64 FPS on High, 89 to 51 FPS on Ultra). This suggests that the 10 GB VRAM and 380 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient at 1440p but become more constrained as pixel count increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400F + Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2380 out of 2991 tested combos in To The Core. This puts it in the 20.4th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning roughly 79.6% of combos perform better in this game. This ranking is notably lower than what the individual component percentiles might suggest — the CPU at 73rd percentile and GPU at 65th percentile would imply a higher combined standing.

The discrepancy between component-level and combo-level rankings highlights how To The Core responds to specific hardware combinations. The idle genre often benefits from higher-end GPUs with larger VRAM pools and faster memory bandwidth, areas where the Arc B570's 10 GB GDDR6 and 380 GB/s bandwidth are adequate but not exceptional. The CPU's 6-core/12-thread configuration provides solid multithreading, but the game may favor CPUs with higher single-thread performance for its core simulation loop.

Relative to the GPU's nearest rivals, the Arc B570's position in this combo is consistent with its benchmark standing. The 0.1% delta versus the RTX 3070 Mobile and Arc A750 suggests that swapping the GPU for either of these cards would produce nearly identical results in this game. The CPU's rivals show similar tight clustering, meaning the 12400F's performance in To The Core is representative of its class rather than an outlier.

The rank of 2380 places this combo in the lower-middle portion of the tested field. For context, this means there are 611 combos that perform worse, but 2380 that perform better. The measured FPS data, however, tells a more nuanced story: even at 4K Ultra, the combo maintains 51 FPS, which is playable for a genre that doesn't require twitch reflexes. The ranking likely reflects that many other combos achieve higher frame rates at 4K Ultra, but the practical experience remains smooth for this game's pacing.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset at 133 FPS is the clear recommendation. The idle genre benefits from visual polish, and at this resolution, the combo has enough headroom to run maximum settings while still clearing 120 FPS. Players with 144Hz monitors can use High settings at 165 FPS for a perfect match to refresh rate, but Ultra's 133 FPS is close enough that the visual upgrade is worth the frame rate trade-off.

At 1440p, Medium settings provide the best overall experience. The 128 FPS average and 109 FPS minimum keep frame times consistent, and the gap to High (111 FPS) is small enough that visual differences are noticeable but not transformative. Ultra at 89 FPS is viable for players prioritizing image quality over smoothness, but Medium offers the best balance of fluidity and fidelity. For 60Hz displays, High at 111 FPS provides extra headroom for frame time spikes.

At 4K, Medium settings are the recommended choice. The 73 FPS average and 62 FPS minimum stay above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring no dropped frames on standard displays. High at 64 FPS is borderline — the average is above 60, but the minimum is likely to dip below during busy scenes. Ultra at 51 FPS is not recommended for consistent play, as the average itself falls short of 60 FPS. Low at 87 FPS is acceptable for players who prioritize frame rate above all else, but Medium's visual improvements are substantial enough to justify the 14 FPS average reduction.

The data consistently shows Medium as the value sweet spot across all three resolutions. At 1080p, it delivers 191 FPS with a 162 FPS minimum; at 1440p, 128 FPS with a 109 FPS minimum; and at 4K, 73 FPS with a 62 FPS minimum. This preset offers the most balanced combination of visual quality and performance headroom, making it the default recommendation for most players using this combo. Players with high refresh rate displays at 1080p or 1440p can push to High or Ultra with confidence, while 4K users should stick to Medium for guaranteed smoothness.