To The Core

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a starkly lopsided combination in To The Core: the CPU is a top-tier performer sitting in the 94th percentile of all processors, while the GPU is an integrated-class part ranking in the 5th percentile. Consequently, the measured frame rates are entirely dictated by the graphics solution, and the data confirms that even a modest preset at 1080p is the only path to a consistently smooth experience. The benchmark results show this combo is not capable of delivering high-refresh gameplay at higher resolutions, but it can manage playable, if not spectacular, frame rates at 1080p with the right settings.

Settings Recommendations

For this specific pairing, the measured data strongly indicates that the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only setting combination that provides a definitively fluid experience. The average frame rate of 132 FPS at this setting is the highest recorded across the entire test matrix, offering a substantial performance buffer. While the Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 112 FPS, also clears the 60 FPS threshold with room to spare, the step up to High at 97 FPS is still acceptable, but the Low preset provides the most headroom against frame-time spikes.

The Ultra preset at 1080p yields an average of 78 FPS, which is technically playable but represents a significant 41% drop from the Low preset's performance. Given the game's "Idle" genre, where consistent background simulation is key, a higher average frame rate with more overhead is preferable to visual fidelity. Therefore, the Low preset at 1080p is the recommended choice for the best balance of smoothness and responsiveness.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset at 2560x1440 produces an average of 89 FPS, which is still a good experience. However, this represents a 35% performance penalty compared to the same setting at 1080p. The Medium preset at this resolution drops to 75 FPS, which is acceptable, but the High preset at 65 FPS is nearing the threshold where frame pacing might become more noticeable. For users who prioritize resolution over maximum fluidity, 1440p on Low is a viable alternative, but it is not the optimal choice for the smoothest experience.

At 4K, no setting is recommended for a satisfactory experience. The highest average frame rate achieved at 3840x2160 is 51 FPS on the Low preset. While this might be tolerable for a slow-paced idle game, the Ultra preset drops to a 30 FPS average, and High sits at 37 FPS. The data shows that the graphics processor is simply overwhelmed at this resolution, making 1080p the clear target for this hardware combination.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run To The Core at 4K with playable frame rates?*

A: The benchmark data suggests no. The best average frame rate at 3840x2160 is 51 FPS on the Low preset. The High and Ultra presets yield averages of 37 FPS and 30 FPS respectively, which are not smooth. The Medium preset offers 43 FPS with a minimum of 37 FPS, indicating frame drops into unplayable territory.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU pairing?

A: According to the measured FPS data, 1920x1080 is the best resolution. It is the only resolution where the Low preset exceeds 120 FPS (132 FPS) and where the Ultra preset still manages an average of 78 FPS. Higher resolutions come with a significant performance cost that the Intel Arc B370 cannot offset.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163, which places it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (avg score 69996) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (avg score 69875). It also leads the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X by 0.9%, which has an average score of 69515. It trails the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K by 1%, as that chip has an average score of 70879.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B370 a discrete graphics card?

A: The data indicates it is an integrated graphics processor (IGP). Its bus interface is listed as "IGP" and its memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses a portion of the system's main memory for graphics duties rather than having its own dedicated VRAM.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 132 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves an average of 78 FPS. This represents a performance decrease of approximately 41% when moving from the lowest to the highest settings, showing a significant load on the GPU from the higher graphical fidelity.

Q: Does this combo rank high among all tested combinations for this game?

A: No. The data shows a combo rank of 2750 out of 2991 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 10% of all tested systems, indicating that the graphics component severely limits the overall gaming performance, despite the powerful processor.

How This Combo Ranks

The performance data for this hardware pairing in To The Core is unequivocal. With a combo rank of 2750 out of 2991 tested combinations, this system falls into the lower percentile of all tested configurations. This low ranking is a direct consequence of the graphics processor's capabilities, which benchmarks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. While the Intel Core i7-14700KF is a high-end processor, ranking in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, its contribution is overshadowed by the integrated graphics.

This pairing is a classic example of a CPU bottleneck in reverse; here, the GPU is the limiting factor. The processor's immense power, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 21462, is largely wasted in this gaming scenario. The Intel Arc B370, with its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184, places it in the same performance tier as legacy parts like the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which has a score of 1190 (a -0.5% delta). This effectively means the system's gaming performance is comparable to a setup from over a decade ago, despite having a modern, powerful CPU.

The ranking highlights a severe imbalance. For a game like To The Core, which is not typically demanding on the processor, the CPU's capabilities offer no benefit to frame rates. The measured FPS data shows that the system's performance is entirely dependent on the GPU's workload, and that workload is demonstrably low. Users seeking a higher rank in the database for this game would need to pair this CPU with a much more capable graphics solution, as the current GPU is the primary bottleneck preventing this combo from achieving a better standing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a clear picture of the system's limitations across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo performs best on the Low preset, posting an average of 132 FPS. The Medium preset follows with an average of 112 FPS, with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 129 FPS. The High preset averages 97 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to an average of 78 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, there is a noticeable decline. The Low preset achieves an average of 89 FPS, a significant drop from the 1080p result. The Medium preset averages 75 FPS (min 64, max 87). The High preset yields 65 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 53 FPS. These numbers show that 1440p is still playable on lower settings, but the performance curve is much steeper.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset is the best option here, returning an average of 51 FPS. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS (min 37, max 50). The High preset drops to an average of 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset bottoms out at an average of 30 FPS. The 4K data shows that the GPU is completely saturated and cannot provide a smooth experience at this resolution, regardless of the settings chosen. The performance scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is particularly poor, with only a 21 FPS difference between the two extremes.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals a critical insight into the system's bottleneck. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 132 FPS to 89 FPS, a 32.6% decrease. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is even more punishing, with the average FPS dropping from 89 to 51, a 42.7% decrease. This extreme sensitivity to resolution is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.

The processor's performance is not the limiting factor here. The Intel Core i7-14700KF, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is more than capable of handling the physics and game logic at any of these resolutions. The data shows that the frame rate drops in near-perfect correlation with the increase in pixel count, which is the definitive signature of the graphics processor being the primary constraint.

The integrated Intel Arc B370, with its "System Shared" memory and 25 W TDP, simply does not have the raw pixel throughput or memory bandwidth to cope with the demands of 4K rendering. The fact that the Low preset at 4K (51 FPS) is slower than the Ultra preset at 1080p (78 FPS) underscores this point. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see less variation in frame rates across resolutions, as the CPU's workload would remain constant. Instead, the substantial frame rate drops indicate that the GPU's rendering capabilities are exhausted, confirming that any upgrade path for this system to achieve higher resolutions would have to start with the graphics subsystem.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a flagship-class processor that plays a minimal role in determining the final frame rates in this configuration. Its specifications are formidable: 20 cores, 28 threads, a base clock of 3.40 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The benchmark data reflects this strength, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a Passmark multithread score of 52425. This level of processing power is designed for heavy multi-threaded workloads, not necessarily for gaming at 1080p.

In the context of To The Core, an idle game, the CPU's workload is likely to be light. The game's simulation logic may not utilize more than a few cores effectively. Therefore, the 20-core, 28-thread configuration is largely underutilized. The data supports this theory: if the game were CPU-bound, we would see similar frame rates across different resolutions. Instead, the frame rates plummet as resolution increases, which clearly indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor.

The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and support for high-speed DDR5 memory (as well as DDR4) are excellent features, but they do not translate into higher frame rates when the GPU is this weak. The single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6235, is also top-tier, but again, it cannot compensate for the GPU's deficiencies. The CPU is essentially waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame, and in this pairing, it is waiting a very long time. The processor's role is to feed the GPU with data, and in this case, it is performing that task flawlessly, but the GPU simply cannot keep up with the demands of higher resolutions and settings.