To The Core

To The Core, an idle game released on 2024-02-14, presents a unique benchmark scenario where the Intel Core i7-14700F and Intel Arc B580 combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all tested resolutions. The measured data shows a system that is heavily GPU-limited at 4K, but capable of reaching 254.9 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating a strong pairing for this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound curve at higher resolutions, while the CPU holds up well at lower settings. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 254.9 at 1920x1080 to 170.8 at 2560x1440, and finally to 98.2 at 3840x2160. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 150.3 at 1080p to 102.8 at 1440p, and 57 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 57 FPS is the lowest result in the entire measured set, highlighting the GPU's limits at maximum settings and resolution. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 254.9 vs 150.3, but at 4K, this gap is 98.2 vs 57. This narrowing indicates that at 4K, the GPU's raw throughput is the primary constraint, whereas at 1080p, the CPU's ability to feed frames becomes more relevant, though the i7-14700F still manages to push past 150 FPS even at Ultra. The data indicates that users targeting 4K should prioritize the High preset, as the jump from High to Ultra results in a significant FPS loss (71.9 to 57).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F features 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It has a 33 MB shared L3 cache. Its launch MSRP is $359. Benchmark results show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and a single-core score of 5003. In Passmark, it scores 41765 in multithread and 4261 in single-thread. This places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700F trails the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X by 0.6% (54450 vs 54097) and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D by 1.1% (54681 vs 54097). It leads the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 1.2% (53469 vs 54097) and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 1.7% (53206 vs 54097). In "To The Core", an idle game, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck. The 5.40 GHz boost clock ensures that even at 1080p Low, where the system hits 254.9 FPS, the CPU is not holding back the GPU. The high single-thread performance (5003 in R23) is particularly relevant for game logic and frame pacing. The 20-core configuration, combined with the 5.40 GHz boost clock, provides a robust foundation for the game's background simulation and UI rendering, which are typical of the idle genre.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. It has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, along with 20 ray tracing cores. The base and boost clocks are both 2670 MHz, and it delivers 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. Its launch MSRP is 249 USD. In synthetic benchmarks, the B580 scores 3068 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 15748 in Passmark G3D. It sits in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Against its nearest rivals, the B580 is 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (23181 vs 23021), but 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon 760M (22999 vs 23021), 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA P106-100 (22950 vs 23021), and 1.3% ahead of the RTX 4060 Mobile (22729 vs 23021). The GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The 12 GB VRAM is ample for this title, but the 2670 MHz clock and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth dictate the frame rates. The 4K Ultra result of 57 FPS shows the GPU's ceiling, while the 4K High result of 71.9 FPS is a more comfortable operating point. The 12 GB VRAM capacity ensures that texture loading at 4K does not cause stuttering, as evidenced by the consistent average FPS across the measured rows.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and Intel Arc B580 ranks 1346th out of 1756 tested combos in "To The Core". This rank places the combo in the lower portion of the database, which is expected given the GPU's 66th percentile standing. However, the actual measured FPS are very high, indicating that the game is not demanding. The rank reflects the relative performance of other high-end combos in the database, not an absolute deficiency. The data shows that while the CPU is in the 94th percentile, the GPU is in the 66th, and the combo rank of 1346 out of 1756 suggests that the GPU is the anchor holding the combo back from a higher placement. The rank of 1346 out of 1756 places it in the lower half of the database, but the absolute performance is high, suggesting the database is populated with many high-end systems.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 254.9 FPS on Low, 214.5 FPS on Medium, 186.3 FPS on High, and 150.3 FPS on Ultra. At 2560x1440, the results are 170.8 FPS on Low, 144.9 FPS on Medium, 127.6 FPS on High, and 102.8 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the results are 98.2 FPS on Low, 79.4 FPS on Medium, 71.9 FPS on High, and 57 FPS on Ultra. The data shows a consistent scaling pattern. Moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces FPS by a substantial margin across all settings, and moving from 1440p to 4K reduces FPS further. This indicates a quadratic scaling with pixel count, typical of GPU-bound workloads. The 1080p Low result of 254.9 FPS is the highest recorded, while the 4K Ultra result of 57 FPS is the lowest. The 1440p Medium result of 144.9 FPS remains highly playable, and the 4K Medium result of 79.4 FPS shows that even at 4K, medium settings provide a smooth experience.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K displays, the High preset at 71.9 FPS is the optimal choice, as it provides a smooth experience while the Ultra preset drops to 57 FPS, a significant drop from the High preset's 71.9 FPS. For 1440p displays, the Ultra preset at 102.8 FPS is highly recommended, offering the best visual fidelity without sacrificing frame rate. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset at 150.3 FPS is the clear winner, as the system has ample headroom to run maximum settings. The data indicates that the Medium preset at 4K (79.4 FPS) is also viable, but High offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. The Low preset at 4K (98.2 FPS) is unnecessary given the High preset's 71.9 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Ultra settings? A: The measured average FPS is 57.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-14700F compare to the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X in average benchmark score? A: The i7-14700F is 0.6% behind the Ryzen 9 9900X, with scores of 54097 and 54450 respectively.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the Intel Arc B580? A: The GPU has a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the combo's rank in the database for this game? A: It ranks 1346th out of 1756 tested combinations.

Q: What is the highest measured FPS for this combo? A: The highest measured FPS is 254.9, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs? A: The Intel Arc B580 is in the 66th percentile.