To The Core

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a remarkably consistent experience in To The Core, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data indicates that while the CPU is more than capable of pushing extreme frame rates at 1080p, the Arc B580’s limits become apparent as pixel count increases, though the overall frame rates remain highly playable across all tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable and steep decline in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from a blistering 253.6 FPS at 1080p to 170.6 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 99.8 FPS at 4K. This represents a 60.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count. The pattern is consistent across all quality presets: High settings fall from 184.4 FPS at 1080p to 127.2 FPS at 1440p and 70.8 FPS at 4K, while Ultra settings drop from 149.3 FPS to 102.6 FPS and then 57.4 FPS.

This scaling behavior strongly suggests that the limiting component shifts from the CPU to the GPU as resolution rises. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the processor’s single-thread performance and core count are likely the constraining factors. However, the dramatic drops at 4K—where even Low settings only manage 99.8 FPS—point to the Arc B580’s rendering throughput becoming the ceiling. The 1440p results sit in a comfortable middle ground, with all presets staying above 102 FPS, making this resolution the sweet spot for balancing visual fidelity and fluidity. Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows slightly at 4K (a 42.4 FPS difference) compared to 1080p (a 104.3 FPS difference), which suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU’s raw pixel fill rate becomes more dominant than the specific quality setting applied.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 253.6 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

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

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 57.4 FPS, while dropping to Low raises the average to 99.8 FPS. The data shows playable performance across all settings at 4K.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings average 127.2 FPS, while Ultra averages 102.6 FPS. The difference of 24.6 FPS indicates that Ultra demands significantly more from the GPU.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more influential on performance at 1080p?

A: The extremely high frame rates at 1920x1080, particularly the 253.6 FPS on Low, suggest the Intel Core i5-14600K’s processing power is sufficient to keep the Arc B580 fed, meaning the GPU is likely the limiting factor even at this resolution.

Q: What is the performance gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 253.6 FPS, while Ultra averages 149.3 FPS. This represents a 104.3 FPS reduction, or roughly 41% lower performance when switching from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: Does the combo’s ranking in game reflect its overall performance?

A: The combo ranks 1352 out of 1756 tested combinations. This suggests that while the system delivers high absolute frame rates, many other hardware pairings achieve even higher performance in this specific title.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580’s specifications directly explain the observed frame rate trends. With a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, the GPU’s 2560 shading units and 80 ROPs are responsible for the rendering output seen across all resolutions. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient to handle the texture loads of To The Core at 4K without causing severe drops. The GPU’s 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 213.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are the key metrics that scale with resolution, explaining why 4K performance on Ultra falls to 57.4 FPS.

The Arc B580’s position in the market is reflected in its benchmark scores, with a Passmark G3D score of 15748 and a percentile ranking of 66 versus all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which scores 23181 (0.7% higher), and the AMD Radeon 760M at 22999 (0.1% lower). These close margins in synthetic tests translate to the real-world gaming results here, where the Arc B580 consistently delivers playable frame rates but does not dominate. The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672 indicate solid DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance, which aligns with the game’s high frame rates on High and Ultra presets. The memory clock of 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective) combined with the 192-bit bus width provides enough bandwidth to avoid bottlenecks, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from 1080p to 1440p before the more significant drop at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B580 combo ranks 1352 out of 1756 tested combinations in To The Core. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all configurations, which is somewhat surprising given the high absolute frame rates measured. The ranking suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings—likely those with higher-end GPUs—achieve even greater performance in this idle-genre title, which may not be heavily optimized for mid-range hardware. The combo’s position is more reflective of the competitive landscape than of any deficiency in the parts themselves.

In synthetic CPU benchmarks, the i5-14600K performs admirably, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a single-core score of 4642. Its average benchmark score of 49166 places it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (0.2% higher) and the Intel Core i5-14600KF (0.4% lower). The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 15748 and percentile rank of 66 further contextualize the combo’s placement. While the CPU is clearly a top-tier performer, the GPU’s mid-range standing pulls the overall combo ranking down when compared to systems with flagship graphics cards. The data indicates that this pairing is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it will not top leaderboards against combos featuring more powerful GPUs.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, the data strongly favors the High preset at 2560x1440 resolution. At this setting, the combo averages 127.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and only 17.5 FPS less than Medium (144.7 FPS). High settings provide a substantial visual upgrade over Low (170.6 FPS) while maintaining a frame rate that exceeds most displays’ refresh rates. At 1920x1080, High is also an excellent choice, delivering 184.4 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any competitive play.

If maximizing visual fidelity is the priority, the Ultra preset is viable at 1440p with an average of 102.6 FPS, and even at 4K it stays playable at 57.4 FPS. However, for those with 4K displays, the Medium preset at 80.1 FPS or Low at 99.8 FPS offers better fluidity. The data suggests that High at 1440p is the optimal configuration for this hardware, as it avoids the diminishing returns of Ultra while providing a significant improvement over Medium. At 1080p, the Low preset’s 253.6 FPS is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the 184.4 FPS on High makes it a more sensible default for most users.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for the Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B580 combo in To The Core is as follows:

• 1920x1080: Low averages 253.6 FPS, Medium averages 214 FPS, High averages 184.4 FPS, and Ultra averages 149.3 FPS.
• 2560x1440: Low averages 170.6 FPS, Medium averages 144.7 FPS, High averages 127.2 FPS, and Ultra averages 102.6 FPS.
• 3840x2160: Low averages 99.8 FPS, Medium averages 80.1 FPS, High averages 70.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 57.4 FPS.

The progression across settings is consistent at each resolution, with each step from Low to Ultra reducing the average frame rate by roughly 20-30 FPS at 1080p and 1440p, and by smaller margins at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 57.4 FPS is the only configuration that dips below 60 FPS, indicating that the hardware is fully capable of handling the game at all other tested combinations. The largest single jump is from Low to Medium at 1080p (a 39.6 FPS drop), while the smallest is from High to Ultra at 4K (a 13.4 FPS drop), highlighting how GPU limitations flatten the differences between presets at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K’s specifications are well-suited to To The Core, an idle genre game that typically benefits from high single-thread performance. With 14 cores and 20 threads, a base clock of 3.50 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, this processor provides ample compute power for game logic and physics. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache ensure fast data access, which is critical for maintaining the high frame rates observed at 1080p. The CPU’s Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1949 and multi-core score of 13810 demonstrate strong performance that prevents it from bottlenecking the Arc B580.

Benchmark results show the i5-14600K excels in both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2803 and multi-core score of 15846. Its Passmark single-thread score of 4270 and multithread score of 38682 further confirm its capability. The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49166, places it just 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600KF. In To The Core, the CPU’s role is evident in the 1080p results, where frame rates exceed 250 FPS on Low settings, a level that requires exceptional processing speed. As resolution increases, the CPU’s influence diminishes, and the GPU becomes the limiting factor, but the i5-14600K’s performance ensures that it never holds back the Arc B580 in this title.