To The Core

The Intel Core i5-13400F and Intel Arc B580 pairing delivers a remarkably balanced experience in To The Core, a game that scales predictably across resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured data to show exactly where each component flexes and where the bottleneck shifts, based on the benchmark results provided.

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

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Raptor Lake-S architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache layout includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU.

In the context of To The Core, an idle genre game, the CPU's single-thread performance is often more critical than raw multi-threaded output. The benchmark data shows a 3dmark single-thread score of 960 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3004. These numbers suggest strong per-core efficiency, which is directly relevant because idle games typically rely on a single primary thread for game logic and simulation ticks. The multi-threaded scores are equally robust—Cinebench R23 multicore hits 21279, and 3dmark max threads reaches 7307—but the game's frame pacing appears less dependent on these. The percentileVsAllCpus of 82 indicates the chip outperforms 82% of all tested CPUs in the database, placing it in the upper tier of desktop processors.

The nearest rivals contextualize this performance precisely. The Intel Core i7-13620H scores an average of 25201, which is 0.1% lower than the 13400F's 25236 average. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25365, a 0.5% advantage, while the AMD EPYC 9474F and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 sit at 25103 and 25099 respectively, each about 0.5% behind. This clustering shows that the 13400F is not a performance outlier but sits squarely in a competitive band. For To The Core, that means the CPU will not be the limiting factor at any resolution tested, provided the game's logic isn't pathologically single-threaded. The 16 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and any auxiliary threads the game might spawn, while the 4.60 GHz boost ensures responsive single-thread execution.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo at 1080p?

A: The best result is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the average FPS reaches 250.6. The next highest is Medium settings at 216.7 FPS, followed by High at 184.8 FPS and Ultra at 148.2 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its closest rival?

A: The Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25236. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13620H, scores 25201, which is 0.1% lower. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D is 0.5% higher at 25365.

Q: Does the GPU's VRAM capacity vary with the game's settings?

A: No. The Intel Arc B580 has a fixed 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, regardless of in-game settings. The memory clock is 2375 MHz, with 19 Gbps effective speed and a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 4K and 1080p at Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 57.6. At 1920x1080 Ultra, it is 148.2. This represents a drop of 90.6 FPS, or approximately 61%, when moving from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested combinations in the game?

A: The combo ranks 1366 out of 1756 tested combos in To The Core. This places it in the lower 22% of all configurations tested, which is notable given the high FPS numbers achieved.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc B580 sits at the 66th percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 23021, with a 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 and a Passmark G3D score of 15748.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that shifts the bottleneck between CPU and GPU. At 1920x1080 Low settings, the combo achieves 250.6 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops this to 171.1 FPS, a 31.7% reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 99.6 FPS, representing a 60.2% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the GPU becomes the primary constraint as pixel count increases.

The High settings curve tells a similar story. At 1080p High, the average is 184.8 FPS. At 1440p High, it is 123.2 FPS, and at 4K High, it is 71.6 FPS. The percentage drops are consistent: 33.3% from 1080p to 1440p, and 61.3% from 1080p to 4K. This linear scaling suggests the game is heavily pixel-bound at these settings, with the CPU's performance being sufficient to feed the GPU at all resolutions.

Ultra settings amplify the GPU load further. The 1080p Ultra average of 148.2 FPS falls to 97.8 FPS at 1440p and 57.6 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest in the entire dataset, which is expected given the combined load of high resolution and maximum graphical fidelity. The fact that 4K Low (99.6 FPS) is higher than 1440p Ultra (97.8 FPS) by a small margin indicates that the Ultra preset's additional effects have a measurable impact on GPU throughput, nearly equivalent to a full resolution step.

The data strongly suggests that the Core i5-13400F is not the limiting factor in this game. Even at 1080p Low with 250.6 FPS, the CPU does not appear to cap the frame rate, as the scaling across resolutions is smooth and proportional to pixel count. The GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings, which is typical for a game that leverages standard rasterization without complex physics simulations.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo holds a rank of 1366 out of 1756 tested combinations in To The Core. This places it in the 22nd percentile of all tested combos, meaning about 78% of configurations rank higher. On the surface, this seems contradictory given the high FPS numbers, but the rank likely reflects the performance ceiling relative to top-tier hardware. The 13400F's percentileVsAllCpus of 82 and the Arc B580's percentileVsAllGpus of 66 combine to produce a mid-pack combo ranking, as the GPU is more of a bottleneck than the CPU.

The ranking suggests that while the combo delivers playable frame rates at all settings—even 4K Ultra at 57.6 FPS—it does not compete with the absolute highest-end pairings. The CPU's nearest rivals cluster within 0.5% of its average score, indicating that swapping in an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D or an Intel Core i7-13620H would not materially change the game's performance. The GPU's rivals are similarly close: the AMD Radeon 760M is 0.1% higher, the NVIDIA P106-100 is 0.3% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is 0.7% higher, while the RTX 4060 Mobile is 1.3% lower. This tight grouping suggests that the Arc B580 is competitive with its direct peers, and the combo's rank is more a function of the GPU's absolute level than any deficiency in the pairing.

The practical takeaway is that this combo is a solid mid-range option. It will not break records, but it will handle To The Core smoothly at 1080p and 1440p with headroom to spare, and it can manage 4K with settings adjusted. The rank of 1366 is not a condemnation but a reflection of the hardware tier.

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

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with the BMG-G21 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. It packs 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, with a transistor density of 72.1M per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 2670 MHz and a boost clock of 2670 MHz, which is a fixed clock rather than a variable boost. The memory subsystem consists of 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, running at 2375 MHz with 19 Gbps effective speed, yielding a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s.

The shading units number 2560, with 160 TMUs and 80 ROPs. The GPU has 20 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s and texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 13.67 TFLOPS. The TDP is 190 W, requiring a suggested 450 W PSU and a single 8-pin power connector. The card is dual-slot and measures 272 mm in length.

For To The Core, the GPU's role is straightforward: it must render the game's visuals at the chosen resolution and settings. The 12 GB VRAM is ample for an idle game, which typically does not use high-resolution textures or large assets. The 456.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for the data throughput required. The fixed 2670 MHz clock ensures consistent performance without thermal throttling variability, which is beneficial for maintaining stable frame rates.

The Passmark G3D score of 15748 and the 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 provide context. The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus of 66 indicates it outperforms two-thirds of all GPUs. The nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 760M, is essentially tied at 0.1% higher, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is 0.7% higher. This positioning means the Arc B580 is a capable mid-range card that can handle the demands of To The Core without breaking a sweat, as evidenced by the FPS data.

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

The complete measured FPS dataset for this combo in To The Core is as follows. At 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 250.6 FPS, Medium produces 216.7 FPS, High produces 184.8 FPS, and Ultra produces 148.2 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 102.4 FPS drop, or 40.9%, which reflects the increasing GPU load from graphical effects.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 171.1 FPS at Low, 146.5 FPS at Medium, 123.2 FPS at High, and 97.8 FPS at Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 73.3 FPS, or 42.8%. The 1440p results are consistently lower than 1080p, with the gap ranging from 79.5 FPS at Low to 50.4 FPS at Ultra. This is a larger absolute difference at lower settings, indicating that the GPU's pixel throughput is the primary factor.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 99.6 FPS at Low, 80.6 FPS at Medium, 71.6 FPS at High, and 57.6 FPS at Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 42.0 FPS, or 42.2%. The 4K results are the lowest in the dataset, with 4K Ultra (57.6 FPS) being the only sub-60 FPS result. The 4K Low result of 99.6 FPS is still above 60 FPS, indicating that the card can handle 4K if settings are dialed back.

Comparing settings across resolutions, the 1080p Ultra result of 148.2 FPS is higher than the 1440p High result of 123.2 FPS and the 4K Medium result of 80.6 FPS. The gap between 1080p Low (250.6 FPS) and 4K Low (99.6 FPS) is 151.0 FPS, a 60.3% reduction. The data shows a consistent scaling factor of approximately 1.6x between 1080p and 1440p, and 2.5x between 1080p and 4K, which aligns with the pixel count differences (1.78x for 1440p and 4x for 4K). The slightly lower scaling factors suggest that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are not perfectly scaling with pixel count, but the overall performance is predictable and robust.