To The Core

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for To The Core reveals a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases, with the Intel Arc B390 acting as the primary limiting factor at every step. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 147 FPS, but this drops to 99 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 56 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 62% reduction from 1080p to 4K. These are steep declines that point directly at the GPU as the bottleneck, not the Intel Core i7-12700K.

The pattern holds across all quality presets. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the frame rate falls from 107 FPS to 72 FPS, a 33% drop. At Ultra settings, the same resolution change brings the average from 86 FPS down to 58 FPS, a 33% decline. The consistency of this percentage across different quality levels is telling: it suggests the rendering workload scales predictably with pixel count, and the Arc B390's compute resources are saturated regardless of how much graphical detail is being pushed.

At 4K, the situation becomes more pronounced. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields just 33 FPS, which is only 38% of the 1080p Ultra result of 86 FPS. The High preset at 4K produces 41 FPS, and Medium produces 48 FPS. Even the Low preset at 4K, which should minimize GPU load, only reaches 56 FPS. This indicates that at 4K, the Arc B390 is so heavily constrained that even reducing settings to their minimum cannot overcome the pixel-count penalty.

What does this say about the limiting component? The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz and a 3DMark max-threads score of 9979. Its benchmark percentile sits at 84, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of CPUs. The Arc B390, by contrast, ranks in the 9th percentile among GPUs, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482. The disparity in percentile ranking is enormous, and the FPS scaling data confirms that the GPU is the constraining factor. Were the CPU the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau at higher resolutions rather than continue dropping so sharply.

The data also shows that the Arc B390's performance headroom is minimal at 1080p. At Low settings, 147 FPS is achieved, but the jump to Medium costs 23 FPS, and the jump to Ultra costs 61 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is already working near its limits even at the lowest resolution tested, and any additional load from higher quality settings translates directly into lower frame rates.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 perform relative to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which places it just 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% ahead of the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% ahead of the GeForce GT 710 (1443). These are very small margins, indicating the Arc B390 sits at the very bottom of the GPU performance spectrum.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700K a strong match for this game's CPU demands?

A: Yes, the CPU is far more than adequate. The i7-12700K has a 3DMark max-threads score of 9979, a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19784, and a Geekbench multi-core score of 15790. Its 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it has substantial headroom for an idle game like To The Core, which is unlikely to stress 12 cores and 20 threads heavily.

Q: What is the best resolution for smooth gameplay with this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all presets remain playable. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset achieves 86 FPS, while the Medium preset reaches 124 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset drops to 58 FPS, which may still be acceptable, but 3840x2160 is problematic, with the Ultra preset falling to 33 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B390's memory configuration affect performance?

A: The Arc B390 uses System Shared memory, with the memory type, bus width, and bandwidth all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent." This means the GPU relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM, which can introduce latency and bandwidth contention. The measured FPS data, particularly the sharp drops at higher resolutions, is consistent with a shared-memory architecture struggling to feed the rendering pipeline.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p, the range is 105 to 143 FPS with an average of 124. At 1440p, the range is 71 to 96 FPS with an average of 83. At 4K, the range is 41 to 55 FPS with an average of 48. These ranges are relatively tight, suggesting acceptable frame pacing for an idle game.

Q: How does the i7-12700K compare to its nearest rival CPUs?

A: The i7-12700K's average benchmark score is 35287. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-13600T, scores 35305, which is just 0.1% higher. The Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403 (0.3% higher), and the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428 (0.4% higher). These are negligible differences, meaning the i7-12700K is effectively on par with these alternatives.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process node with the Panther Lake chip. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a TDP of just 80 W. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 raster operation units, and 12 ray tracing cores. Its theoretical peak performance is 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16 with a 2:1 ratio.

The memory situation is unusual: the Arc B390 has no dedicated VRAM. Instead, it uses System Shared memory, with the memory type, bus width, and bandwidth all dependent on the host system. This is a critical factor in To The Core's performance because idle games often have significant data streaming requirements, and sharing system memory can create contention with the CPU. The measured FPS data reflects this limitation, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU must access more data more frequently.

The Arc B390's benchmark results are extremely modest. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts from the GT 500, 600, and 700 series, with performance deltas ranging from 1.3% to 2.7%. This indicates that the Arc B390 is not just a low-end GPU; it is at the very bottom of the performance hierarchy, competing with hardware that is more than a decade old.

In the context of To The Core, the GPU's role is clear: it is the limiting factor. The CPU has plenty of headroom, with 12 cores, 20 threads, and strong multi-threaded benchmark scores. The GPU, by contrast, struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, even at Low settings. The data shows that the Arc B390's rendering capabilities are best suited to 1080p or 1440p gaming, and even then, only at lower quality presets for a smooth experience.

The boost clock of 2500 MHz is relatively high for an integrated GPU, but the small number of shading units (1536) and the shared memory architecture cap its real-world performance. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, but these figures cannot compensate for the lack of dedicated memory bandwidth. The 4K results, where even Low settings only produce 56 FPS, are a direct consequence of this memory constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

In To The Core, the combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2643 out of 2991 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all combinations, which aligns with the GPU's low benchmark percentile. The CPU is not the issue — the i7-12700K ranks in the 84th percentile among all CPUs — but the GPU drags the entire combo down.

The rank of 2643 out of 2991 means that 348 combos perform worse, while 2642 perform better. Given that the Arc B390 is an integrated GPU with a 9th percentile ranking, this result is unsurprising. The CPU's strong benchmark scores, including a PassMark multi-thread score of 34404 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2308, cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations in a game that is primarily graphics-bound.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals shows that the i7-12700K is not the bottleneck. The Intel Core i5-13600T is only 0.1% faster in average benchmark score, the i7-12700KF is 0.2% faster, the i7-13700T is 0.3% faster, and the Intel Core 5 213PE is 0.4% faster. All of these CPUs would likely produce identical frame rates in To The Core when paired with the Arc B390, because the GPU would still be the limiting factor.

The combo's rank is also consistent with the measured FPS data. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 33 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1080p Low, it produces 147 FPS, which is respectable but still far from the high refresh rates that more powerful GPUs could achieve. The overall ranking reflects a system that is CPU-overpowered and GPU-underpowered, a mismatch that is common in budget or integrated-graphics configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four quality presets, providing a comprehensive picture of the combo's performance in To The Core.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 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. All four presets at 1080p are above 60 FPS, making this resolution fully playable regardless of quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 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. At 1440p, the Low, Medium, and High presets remain above 60 FPS, but Ultra dips below that threshold.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 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. At 4K, no preset achieves 60 FPS, and the Ultra preset is borderline unplayable.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows consistent degradation. At 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 61 FPS (147 to 86). At 1440p, the drop is 41 FPS (99 to 58). At 4K, the drop is 23 FPS (56 to 33). The smaller absolute drops at higher resolutions indicate that the GPU is already so constrained at 4K that changing quality settings has less impact on the final frame rate.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data. At 1080p, the range from min to max is 38 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 25 FPS. At 4K, the range is 14 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that frame times become more consistent when the GPU is fully saturated, which is a typical pattern for a GPU-bound scenario.

Settings Recommendations

For players using the Intel Core i7-12700K with the Intel Arc B390, the data supports a clear hierarchy of settings based on target resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 86 FPS is the best choice for visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The Medium preset at 124 FPS offers a significant frame rate boost for players who prioritize responsiveness, but the High preset at 107 FPS provides a balanced middle ground. Since all presets exceed 60 FPS, the choice at 1080p comes down to personal preference between visual fidelity and frame rate headroom.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 72 FPS is the recommended setting for a smooth experience with good visual quality. The Medium preset at 83 FPS offers additional headroom, while the Ultra preset at 58 FPS dips below 60 FPS and may result in noticeable stuttering. The Low preset at 99 FPS is the best option for players who want maximum performance at 1440p, but the visual trade-off is substantial.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests that 4K gaming is not viable with this combo if smoothness is the priority. The Low preset at 56 FPS is the only option that approaches 60 FPS, and even it falls short. The Medium preset at 48 FPS and the High preset at 41 FPS are playable in a turn-based or idle game context, but the Ultra preset at 33 FPS is likely to feel sluggish. Players who must use 4K should stick to Low settings and accept the frame rate limitation.

The overall best experience, based on the measured rows, is the Medium preset at 1920x1080, which delivers 124 FPS with a tight frame time range of 105 to 143 FPS. This combination offers high frame rates with good visual quality and consistent pacing. For players who prefer higher resolutions, the High preset at 2560x1440 (72 FPS) is the most balanced option, providing a solid frame rate with acceptable graphical detail. The Ultra preset is only recommended at 1080p, where the 86 FPS average remains well above the 60 FPS threshold.