To The Core

To The Core, an idle game released on 2024-02-14, presents an interesting benchmark scenario for the pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B580. The data reveals a combination that scales predictably with resolution, but with notable shifts in performance character between settings presets. The measured FPS values suggest that the bottleneck shifts depending on the workload, moving from a GPU-bound scenario at 4K to a more CPU-influenced situation at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, demonstrating the increasing load on the Intel Arc B580. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 189.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 127.5 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 70 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 63% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, which is a typical pattern for a GPU that is being progressively saturated. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, with a 45% drop, indicating that the Arc B580’s 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed hard at the highest resolution.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is likely not fully GPU-limited. The jump from 189.2 FPS at High to 255.6 FPS at Low is a 35% increase, but the gap between Medium and High at 1080p is smaller, suggesting the CPU might be starting to cap performance. At 4K, the scaling is more consistent with a pure GPU bottleneck, as the difference between Low (96.7 FPS) and High (70 FPS) is a 28% spread, with Ultra (55.9 FPS) showing the most significant drop. The resolution scaling implies that for players targeting 4K, the Arc B580 is the definitive limiting factor, while at 1080p, the Core i5-9400’s six threads can become a constraint at higher settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580, with its 2560 shading units and boost clock of 2670 MHz, is the primary driver of performance in this title. Its 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 427.2 GTexel/s texture rate are well-suited for an idle game’s rendering demands, which often involve complex particle effects and UI overlays. The 12 GB VRAM is a generous allocation that prevents memory-related stutters, even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS still holds at 55.9.

The GPU’s performance in this game is solid, but its benchmark scores provide context. In the Passmark G3D test, it scores 15748, and its Geekbench Vulkan score is 109672. The nearest rival data shows it is nearly identical in average benchmark score to the AMD Radeon 760M (deltaPct of 0.1) and the NVIDIA P106-100 (deltaPct of 0.3). It is slightly behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which has a deltaPct of -0.7 relative to the B580’s score, meaning the RTX 4060 is about 0.7% faster in synthetic benchmarks. This suggests that in To The Core, the B580’s performance is competitive with those cards, but the measured FPS will vary based on driver optimization and the game’s specific engine demands.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data offers a clear path for settings optimization. At 1920x1080, even the Ultra preset delivers an average of 146.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset provides 189.2 FPS, a 29% improvement over Ultra, suggesting that the visual fidelity difference between High and Ultra is not worth the performance cost for most users. The Low preset reaches 255.6 FPS, which is an option for those with 240Hz or higher refresh rate monitors, but the visual compromise is significant.

At 2560x1440, the High preset’s 127.5 FPS is the sweet spot, offering a balanced experience. The Medium preset at 141.6 FPS is also viable, but Ultra drops to 103 FPS. For 4K gaming, the data indicates a choice must be made. The Low preset at 96.7 FPS is playable, but the Medium preset at 83.9 FPS provides a better visual experience while still maintaining a smooth frame rate. The High preset at 70 FPS is acceptable for cinematic play, but the Ultra preset at 55.9 FPS dips below the 60 FPS standard, making it less recommended. The best experience per the measured rows would be High at 1080p or 1440p, and Medium at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B580 ranks at position 1351 out of 1756 tested combos in To The Core. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all system pairings. The percentile data for the individual components is telling: the CPU sits at the 50th percentile versus all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 66th percentile versus all GPUs. This suggests that the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing, and the system’s overall rank is likely being dragged down by the CPU’s more modest standing.

The combo rank implies that many other pairings, likely those with newer CPUs or higher-end GPUs, will outperform this setup in To The Core. However, the measured FPS shows that this combination is still very capable of delivering high frame rates, particularly at 1080p and 1440p. The rank is a relative measure, and the absolute performance is what matters for a player’s experience. The data suggests this is a mid-pack configuration that is more than sufficient for a smooth 60 FPS experience at most settings, with headroom for higher refresh rates at lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its 9 MB of shared L3 cache is a key feature for gaming. In To The Core, an idle game that often has significant background simulation and UI logic, the CPU’s role is more pronounced than in a pure action title.

The benchmark data shows the i5-9400 scoring 7969 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 in single-core. Its single-core performance is critical for game logic, and the 4.10 GHz boost clock helps in this regard. The nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i3-10305 (avgScore 2300, deltaPct 0.2) and the Intel Core i7-8809G (avgScore 2319, deltaPct -0.6), show that the i5-9400 is competitively positioned in synthetic tests. However, in game-specific scenarios, the 6 threads limit its ability to handle multiple background tasks simultaneously.

The data implies that at 1080p with Low settings, the CPU may become the primary bottleneck, as the GPU has less work to do and can render frames faster than the CPU can feed it. This is reflected in the 255.6 FPS at 1080p Low, which is a high number, but the scaling from 1440p Low (171.6 FPS) to 1080p Low suggests a potential CPU cap. The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, while adequate, is another factor that could constrain performance in a title that relies on frequent data transfers from system memory.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 127.5.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low preset compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The 1080p Low preset delivers 255.6 FPS, which is 4.6 times faster than the 4K Ultra preset’s 55.9 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B580 more powerful than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: No, the data shows the RTX 4060 has a deltaPct of -0.7 relative to the B580’s average benchmark score, indicating the RTX 4060 is slightly faster.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations in To The Core?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 + Intel Arc B580 combo ranks 1351 out of 1756 tested combos.

Q: What is the base clock speed of the Intel Core i5-9400?

A: The base clock speed is 2.90 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz.

Q: At 4K resolution, which preset provides the highest average FPS?

A: The Low preset at 3840x2160 provides the highest average FPS of 96.7.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for the Intel Core i5-9400 + Intel Arc B580 in To The Core is as follows:

• 3840x2160 (4K)
• Low: 96.7 FPS
• Medium: 83.9 FPS
• High: 70 FPS
• Ultra: 55.9 FPS

• 2560x1440 (1440p)
• Low: 171.6 FPS
• Medium: 141.6 FPS
• High: 127.5 FPS
• Ultra: 103 FPS

• 1920x1080 (1080p)
• Low: 255.6 FPS
• Medium: 213 FPS
• High: 189.2 FPS
• Ultra: 146.9 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the frame rate drops across all settings. The gap between Low and Ultra also widens at higher resolutions, from a 43% difference at 1080p to a 42% difference at 4K. This indicates that the GPU’s shading units and memory bandwidth are the primary determinants of performance at high resolutions, while the CPU’s role becomes more relevant at 1080p where frame rates are exceptionally high.