To The Core

To The Core is an idle game that, on this particular Intel Core i5-9400 + Intel Arc B570 combination, demonstrates surprisingly heavy GPU scaling, with performance dropping by more than half from 1080p to 4K at identical settings. The data shows a system that is unequivocally GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the 6-core/6-thread Coffee Lake processor provides ample headroom at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 200 FPS on lower presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution increases, which is a clear indicator that the Intel Arc B570 is the primary limiting component in this pairing. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 165 FPS at 1920x1080 to 111 FPS at 2560x1440, a drop of 54 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 64 FPS, representing a 61% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU that is being saturated by pixel throughput demands rather than a CPU bottleneck.

The Low preset shows an even more dramatic scaling curve, starting at 225 FPS at 1080p and falling to 152 FPS at 1440p, then to 87 FPS at 4K. The fact that even at Low settings, 4K performance drops below 90 FPS confirms that the Arc B570's raw pixel-pushing capability, not the i5-9400's processing power, dictates the ceiling here. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see frame rates plateau across resolutions at the lower settings, but the data shows consistent and significant drops at every step up in resolution.

Medium settings provide the most complete dataset, including minimum and maximum frame times. At 1080p Medium, the average is 191 FPS with a minimum of 162 FPS and maximum of 219 FPS. At 1440p Medium, this drops to 128 FPS average with a 109 FPS minimum and 147 FPS maximum. The 4K Medium result shows a 73 FPS average, with minimums at 62 FPS and maximums at 84 FPS. The narrowing of the frame rate range at 4K — a spread of 22 FPS versus 57 FPS at 1080p — suggests that the GPU is working closer to its sustained limit, leaving less variance in output.

Ultra settings exhibit the steepest resolution penalty. The 1080p Ultra average of 133 FPS falls to 89 FPS at 1440p, a 33% reduction, and then to 51 FPS at 4K, a 62% reduction from 1440p. This steepening decline at Ultra settings indicates that the combination of high resolution and maxed-out graphical features creates a compounding load on the Arc B570's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 2304 shading units. The data points to a component balance where the i5-9400 is never the limiting factor, even at 1080p Low where 225 FPS is achieved — a score that would typically expose CPU limitations in less optimized titles.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B570 ranks at 2380 out of 2991 tested combos for To The Core. This places it in the 21st percentile of all tested configurations, which is a modest ranking given the high frame rates measured. The rank is driven by the fact that many other combos in the database likely feature higher-end GPUs that push even higher maximum frame rates at 1080p, where this combo's 225 FPS low-preset score — while smooth — is not competitive with top-tier configurations.

The i5-9400's individual CPU benchmark scores provide context for this ranking. With a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and single-core score of 935, the processor sits at the 47th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 2254 places it nearly exactly between the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259, 0.2% faster) and the Intel Core i7-10710U (2248, 0.3% slower). This mid-pack CPU performance, when paired with a GPU that sits at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, results in a combined ranking that is lower than either component's individual percentile might suggest.

The Arc B570's nearest GPU rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (avg score 20534, 0.1% faster), the Intel Arc A750 (avg score 20582, 0.1% slower), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (avg score 20662, 0.5% slower). The close margins — all within 0.5% — indicate that the B570's average benchmark score of 20556 places it in a tightly contested performance tier. However, in To The Core specifically, the combo's rank of 2380 suggests that the game's workload favors GPUs with different characteristics, or that CPU-bound configurations at 1080p achieve higher raw FPS numbers.

The gap between the combo's component-level percentiles (CPU at 47th, GPU at 65th) and its game-specific rank (21st percentile) implies that To The Core does not heavily reward the strengths of this pairing. The game's idle genre typically involves less demanding real-time rendering, which means even mid-range GPUs can achieve high frame rates, pushing the ranking distribution toward configurations with faster CPUs that can feed higher FPS ceilings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570's specifications directly explain the measured performance in To The Core. The GPU features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, yielding 380.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This memory configuration is sufficient for the game at all tested resolutions, as evidenced by the fact that even at 4K Ultra, the combo maintains a playable 51 FPS average rather than collapsing due to memory exhaustion. The 19 Gbps effective memory clock and 2375 MHz memory clock provide the data throughput needed for the game's asset streaming.

Clock speeds for the Arc B570 are listed at 2500 MHz for both base and boost, which is a fixed clock behavior rather than a dynamic boost curve. This consistent clock speed explains the relatively stable frame times seen in the Medium preset data, where minimum frame rates stay within 15-17% of the average across all resolutions. The GPU's 2304 shading units and 80 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s, which are the raw throughput figures that scale directly with resolution demands.

At 4K High, the GPU achieves 64 FPS, which represents a 61% utilization of its 1080p High performance of 165 FPS. This scaling efficiency — better than the theoretical 25% pixel count ratio (4K has 4x pixels of 1080p) — indicates that To The Core's rendering load is not purely pixel-bound. The game's idle genre likely involves significant UI overlays and simple geometry, which means the GPU's fixed-function units handle the load with less per-pixel cost than a traditional 3D title.

The Arc B570's FP32 throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS and FP16 of 23.04 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) are more than adequate for To The Core's compute requirements. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility ensure that the game can leverage modern rendering paths, though the measured FPS suggests the game does not heavily stress ray tracing or mesh shaders, given the 18 RT cores have negligible impact on the results. The 150 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface are sufficient for the bandwidth demands of this workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance across all settings. Low preset achieves 225 FPS average, Medium hits 191 FPS with a 162-219 FPS range, High reaches 165 FPS, and Ultra maintains 133 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the i5-9400's six cores are sufficient to keep the Arc B570 fed across all quality levels. The 92 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution shows that the graphical settings have a substantial impact on GPU load, but even the most demanding preset remains well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low preset delivers 152 FPS, Medium averages 128 FPS with a 109-147 FPS range, High achieves 111 FPS, and Ultra drops to 89 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 63 FPS at this resolution, suggesting that the GPU is beginning to feel the pressure of increased pixel count. The Medium preset's minimum of 109 FPS ensures that even the most demanding scenes at this resolution stay comfortably above refresh rates of 100 Hz.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops become more pronounced. Low preset yields 87 FPS, Medium averages 73 FPS with a 62-84 FPS range, High falls to 64 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 51 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration that dips below the 60 FPS standard, indicating that this preset at this resolution pushes the Arc B570 to its limits. The Medium preset's minimum of 62 FPS at 4K is just above the 60 FPS mark, making it the highest setting that consistently delivers smooth performance at this resolution.

Across all resolutions, the incremental FPS cost of each settings tier is consistent. Moving from Low to Medium costs approximately 34 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 14 FPS at 4K. Moving from Medium to High costs roughly 26 FPS at 1080p, 17 FPS at 1440p, and 9 FPS at 4K. The diminishing cost of higher settings at higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU-bound operation, where the pixel fill rate becomes the bottleneck rather than the shading complexity.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 133 FPS is the best choice for users with high-refresh displays, as it provides the highest visual quality while still maintaining frame rates that exceed standard 120 Hz monitors. The Medium preset's 191 FPS offers a significant smoothness advantage for 144 Hz or 165 Hz displays, but the visual trade-off may not be worth the 58 FPS gain for most users.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 111 FPS represents the best balance of quality and performance. It stays above the 100 FPS mark while providing significantly better visuals than Medium at 128 FPS or Low at 152 FPS. The Ultra preset at 89 FPS is viable for 60 Hz displays but misses the 90 FPS threshold that some users target for smoother motion. The Medium preset's 128 FPS with a 109 FPS minimum is the safest choice for competitive play, ensuring no frame drops below the 100 FPS mark.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 73 FPS with a 62 FPS minimum is the recommended setting. It is the only 4K configuration where the minimum frame rate stays above 60 FPS, ensuring no noticeable stuttering. The High preset at 64 FPS average is technically above 60 FPS, but with no minimum data provided, there is risk of dips below that threshold. The Low preset at 87 FPS offers better performance but at a substantial visual quality cost that may not be desirable for an idle game where visual polish is often a key draw.

For users with 60 Hz displays at any resolution, the Ultra preset is viable at 1080p (133 FPS) and 1440p (89 FPS), but at 4K, the 51 FPS average falls below the refresh rate, making Medium the highest playable setting. The data strongly suggests that Medium at 4K is the sweet spot for this combo, providing a 73 FPS average that exceeds the 60 FPS target while maintaining a 62 FPS floor that prevents visible hitches.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run To The Core at 4K with maximum settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 51, which falls below the standard 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 4K achieves a 73 FPS average with a 62 FPS minimum, making it the highest setting that maintains smooth performance at this resolution.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 or the Intel Arc B570 the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 225 FPS, which would expose CPU limitations if the i5-9400 were insufficient. The consistent frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K at every settings level confirm GPU-bound operation.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 2380 out of 2991 tested combos for To The Core, placing it in the 21st percentile of all tested configurations. This is lower than the individual component percentiles (CPU at 47th, GPU at 65th), suggesting the game favors other hardware configurations.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144 Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the strongest choice, delivering 128 FPS average with a 109 FPS minimum. This ensures frame rates stay above 100 FPS even in demanding scenes, while the High preset at 111 FPS average may dip below 100 FPS at times (though no minimum is listed).

Q: Does the GPU's 10 GB VRAM cause any limitations in this game?

A: No. The 10 GB GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus with 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for all tested configurations. Even at 4K Ultra, the combo maintains a 51 FPS average rather than experiencing memory-related crashes or severe stuttering.

Q: How much performance does the Ultra preset cost compared to Low at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, Ultra costs 92 FPS versus Low (225 vs 133 FPS). At 1440p, the gap is 63 FPS (152 vs 89 FPS). At 4K, the gap narrows to 36 FPS (87 vs 51 FPS). The shrinking gap at higher resolutions confirms the GPU is the limiting factor rather than the CPU.