To The Core

# To The Core with Intel Core i5-14600KF + Intel Arc B370

This combination of an Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with an Intel Arc B370 integrated GPU lands at rank 2750 out of 2991 tested combos in To The Core, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations. The data reveals a dramatic imbalance: a high-end 14-core desktop processor coupled with a GPU that sits in the 5th percentile of all graphics cards. This pairing produces playable frame rates at lower resolutions, but the Arc B370's modest compute resources become the decisive bottleneck as resolution climbs, leaving the i5-14600KF's substantial processing headroom largely untapped. The benchmark results paint a picture of a system where the CPU's potential is constrained by the integrated graphics solution, making this combo's ranking more a reflection of GPU limitations than overall hardware capability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2750 out of 2991 tested configurations places this system in the bottom tier for To The Core performance. With only 241 combos ranked below it, the data indicates that the vast majority of tested systems deliver better frame rates in this title. This low ranking is not surprising given the GPU's percentile standing — the Intel Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, meaning 95% of graphics cards outperform it in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark where it scores 1184 points.

The CPU, by contrast, is a top-tier performer. The Intel Core i5-14600KF ranks at the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49394. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (avg score 49228, just 0.3% behind), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, 0.4% behind), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995, 0.8% behind). The only nearby competitor that edges it out is the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 at 49796, which is 0.8% faster. This places the i5-14600KF in extremely close company with other high-end processors, all within a 1.6% performance band.

When interpreting the combo's rank, the data suggests that To The Core is far more sensitive to GPU performance than CPU muscle. The i5-14600KF's 90th percentile standing does little to lift the combo above the 8th percentile ranking, indicating that the Arc B370's 5th percentile GPU performance dominates the equation. This is a textbook case of a CPU-bound system being held back by its graphics solution, and the measured FPS data confirms this interpretation across all tested resolutions and settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution built on the Xe3-LPG architecture with a Panther Lake chip, manufactured on Intel's 3 nm process. Its specifications reveal a deliberately power-efficient design: a 25 W TDP with no power connectors and an IGP slot width, indicating it is designed for portable devices rather than desktop gaming. The GPU operates at a 300 MHz base clock with a 2400 MHz boost, providing a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s.

Memory configuration is entirely system-shared, with the GPU relying on the host system's RAM for all graphics data. The memory bus width, type, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent," meaning performance scales with the CPU's memory subsystem rather than dedicated VRAM. This is a critical limitation for gaming, as shared memory bandwidth can become a bottleneck even when raw compute is sufficient.

The Arc B370's compute resources are modest: 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its FP32 performance is 6.144 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 12.29 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, it scores 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all older or lower-end parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (0.2% faster), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% faster), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% faster). The only GPU it beats in its immediate vicinity is the AMD FirePro M2000 at 1168, which is 1.4% slower.

In To The Core, the GPU's role is clearly the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 132 FPS, but this drops to 78 FPS at Ultra — a 41% penalty. The GPU's lack of dedicated VRAM and modest compute resources mean that higher settings and resolutions quickly overwhelm it, as evidenced by the 4K Ultra result of just 30 FPS. The data implies that the Arc B370 can handle the game's demands only at lower fidelity levels, and even then, its performance is modest compared to what the CPU could support.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a desktop processor from the Core 14th Gen series, built on Raptor Lake architecture (Raptor Lake-R codename) using Intel's 10 nm process. It features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU has a 125 W TDP and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with ECC memory support included. It uses the Intel Socket 1700 and offers PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only).

Cache configuration is substantial: 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The die size is 257 mm², and the CPU supports an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Its release date was October 16, 2023, with a launch MSRP of $294.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-14600KF demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance. Cinebench R23 multicore scores 32544, while single-core reaches 4594. Cinebench R20 shows 13668 multicore and 1929 single-core, and Cinebench R15 shows 3280 multicore and 462 single-core. Geekbench results are 17085 multicore and 2445 single-core. PassMark tests show a multithread score of 38697 and single-thread of 4273, with notable results in integer math (125982), floating-point math (93048), and data compression (485140).

For To The Core, an idle game genre, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain consistent frame pacing and handle background processing. The 14-core, 20-thread configuration is far more than this title requires, meaning the CPU is never the bottleneck in this combo. Even at 1080p Low where the GPU is least stressed, the 132 FPS result is likely GPU-limited rather than CPU-limited, given the Arc B370's modest capabilities. The data suggests that the i5-14600KF's 90th percentile standing provides ample headroom, but that headroom goes unused because the GPU cannot translate CPU performance into higher frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), providing a comprehensive picture of this combo's performance in To The Core.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 132 FPS, Medium drops to 112 FPS (with a minimum of 95 and maximum of 129), High achieves 97 FPS, and Ultra falls to 78 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 54 FPS, representing a 41% performance loss when maxing out settings at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance declines noticeably. Low settings average 89 FPS, Medium drops to 75 FPS (minimum 64, maximum 87), High achieves 65 FPS, and Ultra falls to 53 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 33% of performance at each setting level, with Low dropping from 132 to 89 FPS, Medium from 112 to 75, High from 97 to 65, and Ultra from 78 to 53.

At 3840x2160, the GPU struggles significantly. Low settings average 51 FPS, Medium drops to 43 FPS (minimum 37, maximum 50), High achieves 37 FPS, and Ultra falls to 30 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS is barely playable, while 4K Low at 51 FPS offers a smoother experience but still falls short of the 60 FPS threshold that most gamers consider ideal.

The data reveals that the Arc B370's performance scales predictably with resolution and settings. The GPU's limited shading units (1280) and ROPs (20) become increasingly strained as pixel count rises, with 4K requiring four times the pixel throughput of 1080p. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (30 FPS) is less than a quarter of the 1080p Low result (132 FPS), showing a 77% performance drop across the full resolution and settings range.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K provides clear evidence of GPU-bound performance. At Low settings, the drop is from 132 FPS at 1080p to 89 FPS at 1440p (a 33% reduction) and then to 51 FPS at 4K (a further 43% reduction from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the progression is 78 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p (32% reduction), and 30 FPS at 4K (43% reduction from 1440p).

This scaling pattern is remarkably consistent across settings, with each resolution step costing roughly one-third of performance. This uniformity suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions and settings, as a CPU-bound scenario would show minimal FPS differences between resolutions. The fact that 4K Ultra produces 30 FPS while 1080p Low produces 132 FPS — a 4.4x difference in frame rate for a 4x difference in pixel count — indicates that the GPU is operating near its limits even at the lowest settings.

The data also reveals that this combo cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K under any settings preset. The best 4K result is 51 FPS at Low, which falls short of the 60 FPS target. At 1440p, the combo exceeds 60 FPS only at Low (89 FPS) and Medium (75 FPS), with High (65 FPS) barely reaching playable territory and Ultra (53 FPS) dropping below. At 1080p, all settings presets exceed 60 FPS, with even Ultra achieving 78 FPS.

This resolution scaling analysis implies that the Intel Core i5-14600KF's processing power is largely irrelevant to frame rates in this title. The consistent FPS drops with resolution increases are characteristic of GPU-bound workloads, where the CPU has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU but the graphics processor cannot keep up with increasing pixel demands.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1080p gaming, all settings presets deliver playable frame rates, but the data suggests Medium or High as the sweet spot. Medium achieves 112 FPS average (with 95 minimum), providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while offering better visual quality than Low. High at 97 FPS is also viable, but Ultra at 78 FPS, while playable, incurs a 30% performance penalty over Medium for what is likely a marginal visual improvement in an idle game. The minimum FPS of 95 at Medium indicates good frame consistency, with no severe dips.

For 1440p, the recommendation shifts to Medium or Low. Medium at 75 FPS (minimum 64) exceeds the 60 FPS threshold and offers a good balance of quality and performance. Low at 89 FPS provides more headroom but sacrifices visual fidelity. High at 65 FPS is borderline, with the minimum not recorded, while Ultra at 53 FPS falls below the 60 FPS target and is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

For 4K, the choices are limited. Low at 51 FPS is the only preset that approaches playability, with Medium at 43 FPS, High at 37 FPS, and Ultra at 30 FPS all falling short of smooth performance. Even at Low, the 51 FPS average means occasional dips below 50 FPS are likely, making 4K gaming with this combo a compromise at best. The data suggests that 4K should be reserved for less demanding scenarios or that users should accept lower frame rates.

The overall recommendation is to play at 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium, depending on the display's native resolution. Both deliver average FPS above 75 with minimums above 60, ensuring a smooth experience in To The Core. Higher settings at these resolutions provide diminishing returns, while 4K should be avoided unless frame rate is not a priority.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of running To The Core at 60 FPS?*

A: Yes, but only at 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p, all settings presets exceed 60 FPS, with Low at 132 FPS, Medium at 112 FPS, High at 97 FPS, and Ultra at 78 FPS. At 1440p, Low (89 FPS) and Medium (75 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, High (65 FPS) barely does, and Ultra (53 FPS) does not. At 4K, no settings preset reaches 60 FPS, with the best result being 51 FPS at Low.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it at the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, 0.7% faster). The AMD FirePro M2000 is 1.4% slower at 1168. All of these are older or lower-tier parts, indicating the Arc B370's performance class.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1440p?

A: The data shows Medium settings at 1440p deliver 75 FPS average with a minimum of 64 FPS, providing a smooth experience above the 60 FPS threshold. Low at 89 FPS offers more headroom but reduced visual quality. High at 65 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 53 FPS falls below 60 FPS. Medium is the recommended balance.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600KF rank among CPUs?

A: The i5-14600KF is at the 90th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 49394. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, 0.3% slower), AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, 0.4% slower), and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995, 0.8% slower). The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 is 0.8% faster at 49796.

*Q: Can this combo achieve 30 FPS at 4K Ultra in To The Core?*

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is exactly 30 FPS. However, this is the lowest result across all tested configurations, and the minimum FPS was not recorded, meaning dips below 30 are possible. At 4K, Low settings provide 51 FPS, which is the only preset approaching playable frame rates.

*Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in To The Core?*

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile of GPUs, while the i5-14600KF is at the 90th percentile of CPUs. The consistent FPS drops with increasing resolution (132 FPS at 1080p Low to 51 FPS at 4K Low) are characteristic of GPU-bound workloads, and the combo's overall rank of 2750 out of 2991 reflects the GPU's constraints rather than the CPU's capabilities.