To The Core

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the Intel Arc B370 delivers a playable, though not exceptional, experience in To The Core, with performance that scales predictably across resolutions and settings. The data indicates a system that is firmly entry-level for this title, landing in the 2750th position out of 2991 tested combos, placing it in the lower percentile of configurations. While the CPU provides ample processing power, the GPU, which benchmarks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, acts as the primary performance limiter, especially at higher resolutions and quality presets.

FAQ

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

A: The combo ranks 2750th out of 2991 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom portion of the database, indicating that while the game is playable, many other configurations will deliver higher frame rates.

Q: How well does the Intel Core i5-12600KF perform compared to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799. This places it within 0.3% of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (score 27896), within 0.3% of the Intel Core i9-10900K (score 27872), and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE (score 27712). Effectively, it is performance-equivalent to these rivals.

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

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 132 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra preset playable with this hardware?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 30 FPS. While technically playable, this is a minimal frame rate that will likely feel less smooth than higher refresh rate targets.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B370 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184. This is 0.2% behind the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186), 0.5% behind the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190), and 1.4% ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000 (score 1168).

Q: Does the CPU's multi-threaded performance suggest a bottleneck at lower resolutions?

A: Yes. The CPU's strong multi-threaded performance (e.g., a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23391) far exceeds the GPU's capabilities. At 1080p, where the GPU has less work per frame, the frame rate ceiling is still dictated by the GPU, but the CPU is never the limiting factor.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the decisive component in this configuration. Its benchmark results position it at the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 1184 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. This places it in direct competition with legacy graphics cards like the ATI Radeon HD 5770 and AMD Radeon HD 7650M, which are separated by less than 1% in their average scores. The GPU's specifications reflect a low-power, integrated-class part, with a 25 W TDP and 1280 shading units.

The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning the GPU relies on the system's main RAM for its frame buffer. Consequently, memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which can be a significant constraint for texture-heavy scenes. The core clock operates between a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz. This combination of low power draw and shared memory suggests the Arc B370 is designed for efficiency rather than raw throughput.

In the context of To The Core, the GPU's role is to manage the rendering workload. At 4K Ultra, it manages an average of 30 FPS, but this is with all settings at their most demanding. The data shows that reducing the resolution or settings has a direct and substantial impact on performance, confirming that the GPU is the primary driver of frame rate. The 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is sufficient for this idle game, but it is not headroom for future, more demanding patches or titles.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and Intel Arc B370 secures the 2750th rank out of 2991 tested combinations in To The Core. This position, in the 92nd percentile of tested combos (meaning it is better than only about 8% of them), immediately signals that this is a low-end configuration by the database's standards. The ranking is not a reflection of poor engineering but rather the result of pairing a high-performing CPU with a very low-performing GPU.

The CPU itself is a powerhouse, with an average benchmark score of 27799 and a percentile rank of 79 against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and Intel Core i9-10900K, with a performance delta of only -0.3%. This indicates that the i5-12600KF is a top-tier processor in terms of compute potential. However, the GPU's 5th percentile ranking and its performance delta of -0.5% against the ATI Radeon HD 5770 dominate the combo's overall standing.

Therefore, the combo rank is almost entirely dictated by the GPU. The data suggests that swapping the Arc B370 for a more capable GPU would result in a dramatic improvement in the combo's rank, as the CPU would not bottleneck such a change. The 2750th rank serves as a clear indicator that this setup is intended for 1080p gaming at low-to-medium settings, and even then, it will not be competitive with higher-tier hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a granular view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo shows its best results. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 132 FPS. Moving to Medium settings drops the average to 112 FPS, with a minimum of 95 and a maximum of 129 FPS. High settings yield an average of 97 FPS. The most demanding 1080p preset, Ultra, still produces a respectable 78 FPS average.

Stepping up to 2560x1440 introduces a noticeable performance cost. The Low preset averages 89 FPS. Medium settings average 75 FPS, with a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 87 FPS. High settings are recorded at an average of 65 FPS. The Ultra preset becomes more demanding, with an average of 53 FPS, which is still within a playable range for many users.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. The Low preset is the only one that maintains a comfortable frame rate, with an average of 51 FPS. Medium settings drop to an average of 43 FPS, with minimums of 37 and maximums of 50 FPS. High settings fall to an average of 37 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K brings the system to its knees, with an average of 30 FPS, which is the minimum threshold for playability in this dataset.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the GPU-bound nature of this system. Comparing the High preset across resolutions, we see an average of 97 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% drop in performance when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 43% drop when moving from 1440p to 4K. The frame rate is nearly cut in half from 1080p to 4K.

This scaling pattern is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The Intel Core i5-12600KF has more than enough processing power to handle the game's logic and draw calls. As the resolution increases, the number of pixels the GPU must render multiplies, increasing the workload on the Arc B370. The CPU, which is idle waiting for the GPU to finish, is not the limiting factor.

The data shows a similar trend with the Low preset, which averages 132 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K. While the absolute numbers are higher, the relative drops are consistent. The GPU's fixed amount of shading units (1280) and texture mapping units (40) must process more data at higher resolutions, and the "System Shared" memory bandwidth becomes a critical constraint. This confirms that players looking to push higher resolutions should lower the settings to compensate for the GPU's limited resources.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a high-performance desktop processor with 10 cores and 16 threads. Its architecture is Alder Lake, and it boasts a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and has 20 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are robust, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23391 and a single-core score of 3302.

In To The Core, an idle game, the CPU's role is less about raw frame generation and more about maintaining a stable simulation and game logic. The game's genre typically involves background calculations and incremental progress, which can be single-threaded or multi-threaded depending on the implementation. The i5-12600KF's strong single-thread performance (a 3DMark single-thread score of 1016) ensures that the game's main logic thread will not be a bottleneck.

The multi-threaded capabilities, evidenced by a Passmark multithread score of 27575, provide ample headroom for any background tasks or complex calculations the game might perform. However, the framerate is not limited by the CPU, as evidenced by the GPU's performance. This pairing is severely unbalanced; the CPU is overqualified for the task, while the GPU is underpowered. The 125 W TDP and the Socket 1700 platform suggest a desktop-grade processor intended for serious workloads, but in this specific configuration, its power is untapped. The CPU's performance is so far ahead of the GPU that it is effectively idle, waiting for the graphics card to render each frame.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends on the user's target resolution and preference for smoothness versus visual fidelity.

For 1080p displays, the High preset offers a strong balance. It achieves an average of 97 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while still providing a significant visual upgrade over Low or Medium settings. For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, the Medium preset is also viable, averaging 112 FPS and providing a more responsive feel, though with a slight reduction in visual quality.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the best choice. It averages 75 FPS, which is comfortably playable, and offers a better visual experience than the Low preset's 89 FPS. The High preset's 65 FPS average is also acceptable, but the Medium settings provide a better buffer against frame drops, as indicated by the minimum of 64 FPS. The Ultra preset at 53 FPS may be too inconsistent for some.

For 4K resolution, the Low preset is the only viable option for a smooth experience, with an average of 51 FPS. The Medium preset at 43 FPS is borderline, but the risk of dropping below 30 FPS (as seen in the minimum of 37 FPS) makes it a less reliable choice. The High and Ultra presets at 37 and 30 FPS respectively are not recommended for a consistently playable experience. The data strongly suggests that 4K gaming is not a strength of this combo, and users should prioritize frame rate over visual detail.