To The Core

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a playable, if not exactly luxurious, experience in To The Core, an Idle title that clearly does not demand top-tier hardware. The measured data shows this combination is firmly positioned near the bottom of the tested combos, ranking 2643 out of 2991, which places it in the lower percentile of systems. However, the actual frame rates tell a more nuanced story: even at 4K Ultra, the combo manages an average of 33 FPS, which is technically playable for a genre that does not rely on twitch reflexes. The Arc B390, with its 3 nm Panther Lake chip and Xe3-LPG architecture, is clearly the limiting factor here, but the Core i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample headroom for the game's logic. Let's break down exactly how this system behaves across resolutions and settings, using only the measured data available.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, but the pattern reveals where the bottleneck truly lies. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 147 FPS, which is the highest score recorded in the entire dataset. Moving to 1440p Low, that number falls to 99 FPS, a 33% reduction. At 4K Low, the average drops further to 56 FPS, which is just 38% of the 1080p Low figure. This steep decline as resolution increases is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The Arc B390's pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, but these figures are modest, especially when compared to the demands of 4K rendering. The fact that the CPU is not the bottleneck is evident from the 1080p results: 147 FPS at Low settings shows the Core i5-14400F can feed the GPU far more frames than the GPU can render at higher resolutions.

Looking at the scaling from 1080p to 1440p across all settings, the drop is consistent. High settings go from 107 FPS at 1080p to 72 FPS at 1440p, a 33% decline. Medium settings drop from 124 FPS to 83 FPS, a 33% decline as well. Ultra settings fall from 86 FPS to 58 FPS, a 33% drop. This uniform percentage loss across all quality presets reinforces that the GPU is the primary limiter—the CPU's performance is not changing, so the consistent scaling is purely a function of pixel count. When moving from 1440p to 4K, the declines become even steeper. High settings drop from 72 FPS to 41 FPS, a 43% reduction. Low settings fall from 99 FPS to 56 FPS, a 43% reduction. Medium settings go from 83 FPS to 48 FPS, also a 43% reduction. Ultra settings drop from 58 FPS to 33 FPS, a 43% reduction.

The fact that the percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is consistently 43% across all settings, while the drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistently 33%, indicates that the Arc B390 is being pushed progressively harder as resolution increases. The GPU's shading units (1536) and ROPs (24) are simply not sufficient to maintain frame rates at higher pixel counts. At 1080p, the system is more balanced, but even there, the GPU is the limiting factor. The data shows that the Intel Core i5-14400F, with its 4.70 GHz boost clock and 20 MB of shared L3 cache, is capable of driving frame rates well above what the Arc B390 can deliver at any resolution. For example, the 147 FPS at 1080p Low is likely near the CPU's limit for this game, but the GPU cannot match that at higher settings. The measured results indicate that if you want to play To The Core at 4K, you will be looking at frame rates in the 33-56 FPS range depending on settings, which is a significant compromise compared to the 86-147 FPS available at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain high frame rates?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the strongest choice. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 147, and even at 1080p Ultra, the average is 86 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops the maximum average to 99 FPS (Low) and 58 FPS (Ultra). At 4K, the best average is 56 FPS (Low), with Ultra falling to 33 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of performance?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1463, a delta of 1.3% in favor of the Arc. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% behind). The Arc B390 is the fastest of these five GPUs, but only by a small margin.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F a strong performer relative to other CPUs?

A: The Core i5-14400F sits in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating it outperforms most processors. Its average benchmark score is 32279. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (score 32233, 0.1% behind), the Intel Core i9-11900 (score 32226, 0.2% behind), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (score 32354, 0.2% ahead). The Intel Core i7-12800H is 0.5% behind with a score of 32121.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded for this combo in the measured data?

A: The only settings with both min and max FPS data are Medium presets. At 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 105 and the max is 143, with an average of 124. At 1440p Medium, the min is 71 and the max is 96, averaging 83. At 4K Medium, the min is 41 and the max is 55, averaging 48. No other settings have min or max values listed.

Q: Does this combo have enough performance for 4K gaming?

A: It is playable but far from ideal. At 4K Low, the average is 56 FPS, which is acceptable for an idle game. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 48 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls to 41 FPS. 4K Ultra yields only 33 FPS. Given that To The Core is an idle game, these frame rates may be tolerable, but they are significantly lower than what the same combo achieves at 1080p.

Q: How does the combo's overall ranking compare to other tested combos?

A: The combo ranks 2643 out of 2991 total combos, placing it in the bottom 12% of all tested systems. This low rank is driven primarily by the GPU's weak performance, as the CPU is in the 83rd percentile. The ranking indicates that most other CPU-GPU combinations tested will outperform this one in To The Core.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why the frame rates are what they are. The GPU is built on a 3 nm process and uses the Xe3-LPG architecture, with a chip codenamed Panther Lake. It has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 300 MHz, and the boost clock is 2500 MHz. Critically, the memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning the GPU uses the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This is a major factor in its performance profile. The memory bus width is also system dependent, and the bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which means the GPU's memory performance varies based on the CPU and motherboard. In this case, the Core i5-14400F supports dual-channel DDR4 or DDR5, but the actual bandwidth available to the GPU is not specified in the data.

The GPU's pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1). These numbers are modest for a modern GPU. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score is 1482, which places the Arc B390 in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This means it performs better than only 9% of the GPUs in the benchmark database. The nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA cards: the GT 520MX (1463), the GeForce 800M (1460), the GT 625 OEM (1446), and the GT 710 (1443). The Arc B390 beats each of these by a small margin, between 1.3% and 2.7%. This context is important because it shows that while the Arc B390 is not a strong performer, it is not the absolute worst either.

The impact of the system-shared memory is evident in the frame rate data. At 1080p Low, the GPU can achieve 147 FPS, but this likely takes advantage of the CPU's fast memory access. At 4K, the demands on memory bandwidth increase dramatically, and the system-shared design becomes a liability. The frame rates at 4K (33-56 FPS) are low enough to suggest that memory bandwidth is a bottleneck, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for system memory access. The Core i5-14400F's memory support includes both DDR4 and DDR5, but the actual performance depends on which type is installed. Without dedicated VRAM, the Arc B390 cannot maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The measured data shows that the GPU's role is to provide a baseline level of performance that is sufficient for 1080p gaming, but not for 4K at high settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience for this combo is at 1080p with High settings. The data shows 107 FPS average at 1080p High, which is smooth and visually improved over Low (147 FPS) and Medium (124 FPS). The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p costs 21 FPS (from 107 to 86), which is a significant drop for a likely marginal visual gain in an idle game. At 1080p, High settings provide the best balance of frame rate and visual quality. The 107 FPS is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and it leaves headroom for any background processes or occasional scene complexity.

If you prefer higher resolutions, the data suggests that 1440p Medium is the sweet spot. At 1440p Medium, the average is 83 FPS, with a min of 71 and max of 96. This is playable and offers better detail than Low (99 FPS) or High (72 FPS). The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 58 FPS, which is still playable but approaching the lower bound of acceptable performance. At 4K, the recommendation is to use Low settings, which yields 56 FPS. This is the only 4K setting that stays above 50 FPS. 4K Medium drops to 48 FPS, and 4K High falls to 41 FPS. 4K Ultra is not recommended, as it averages only 33 FPS. For an idle game, 33 FPS might be tolerable, but the data shows that Low settings at 4K provide a significantly better experience with 56 FPS.

The measured data also shows that the Medium preset at each resolution has min and max values, which is useful for understanding frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the min is 105 and max is 143, indicating a tight range around the 124 average. At 1440p Medium, the min is 71 and max is 96, with an average of 83. At 4K Medium, the min is 41 and max is 55. These ranges show that the frame rate is relatively stable, with no severe stutters. The 4K Medium range of 41-55 is the widest relative to its average, suggesting that the GPU is struggling more at that resolution. In summary, for the best overall experience, use 1080p High. If you must play at 1440p, choose Medium. For 4K, stick to Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F + Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2643 out of 2991 tested combos in To The Core. This places the combo in the bottom 11.6% of all systems tested, which is a poor showing overall. The rank is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU is a strong performer. The Core i5-14400F is in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32279. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, scores 32233, a delta of 0.1% in favor of the Intel chip. The Intel Core i9-11900 is 0.2% behind, and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS is 0.2% ahead. The Intel Core i7-12800H is 0.5% behind. This CPU is clearly not the problem.

On the GPU side, the Arc B390 is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. Its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA cards from a previous era: the GT 520MX (1463), GeForce 800M (1460), GT 625 OEM (1446), and GT 710 (1443). The Arc B390 beats each by a small margin (1.3% to 2.7%), but these are all low-end GPUs. The 9th percentile ranking means that 91% of GPUs in the benchmark database outperform the Arc B390. This is a severe handicap for any gaming scenario.

Given that the combo ranks 2643 out of 2991, it is clear that most other CPU-GPU combinations tested will achieve higher frame rates in To The Core. However, it is worth remembering the ranking is relative to all combos, which include many with high-end GPUs. For an idle game, the actual frame rates may still be acceptable, as the game does not require high FPS to be playable. The measured data shows that at 1080p, the combo can deliver 86-147 FPS depending on settings, which is more than adequate. At 1440p, the range is 58-99 FPS, also playable. At 4K, the range drops to 33-56 FPS, which is marginal but not unplayable for the genre. The ranking reflects the combo's position relative to other systems, but the absolute performance is sufficient for the game's requirements. The data indicates that if you own this combo, you will need to adjust settings depending on your resolution, but you will not be locked out of playing the game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), for a total of 12 data points. Here is the complete breakdown:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 147 FPS. The Medium preset averages 124 FPS, with a minimum of 105 and a maximum of 143. The High preset averages 107 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 86 FPS. This is the only resolution where all four settings stay above 80 FPS, making it the most flexible for adjusting visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 99 FPS. The Medium preset averages 83 FPS, with a minimum of 71 and a maximum of 96. The High preset averages 72 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 58 FPS. This resolution shows a clear step down from 1080p, with the Ultra preset barely staying above 60 FPS. The Medium preset is the most balanced, offering a 83 FPS average with a reasonable frame range.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 56 FPS. The Medium preset averages 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 55. The High preset averages 41 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 33 FPS. This is the most demanding resolution, and the data shows that only the Low preset achieves an average above 50 FPS. The Ultra preset is below 35 FPS, which is borderline for playability even in an idle game.

Comparing across resolutions, the Low preset shows the smallest relative drop: 147 FPS at 1080p, 99 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset goes from 124 to 83 to 48. The High preset goes from 107 to 72 to 41. The Ultra preset goes from 86 to 58 to 33. The pattern is consistent: each resolution step reduces the frame rate by roughly one-third, and the 4K results are less than half of the 1080p results for every setting. This data confirms that the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting component, as the CPU's performance is constant across these tests. The measured FPS values provide a complete picture of what to expect from this combo at any resolution and setting, allowing users to make informed decisions based on their display and performance preferences.