To The Core

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a mid-pack performance tier in To The Core, landing at rank 2380 out of 2991 tested combinations. This placement, which sits in the lower-middle portion of the field, is surprising given the CPU’s strong absolute benchmark scores but is clearly constrained by the GPU’s mid-range positioning. The data shows a system that is fully capable of smooth 1080p and 1440p gameplay, with 4K remaining playable but requiring settings adjustments to maintain high frame rates.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake-R architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. This is a high-end desktop part, evidenced by its 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs tested and an average benchmark score of 70,163. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 33 MB L3 cache.

In synthetic workloads, the i7-14700KF posts impressive numbers. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,167 and single-core score of 6,235 indicate exceptional threading and single-thread performance. Geekbench scores of 21,462 multi-core and 2,578 single-core reinforce this. PassMark results show 52,425 in multi-thread, 4,480 in single-thread, and strong data compression (694,963) and encryption (40,046) scores. These results place it in a tight cluster with rivals: it is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, while sitting 1% behind the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K.

For To The Core, an idle genre game, the CPU’s role is less about raw frame generation and more about maintaining consistent minimum frame rates and handling background logic. The high boost clock of 5.60 GHz ensures that even the most demanding single-threaded tasks within the game are handled with headroom. The 28 threads provide ample capacity for any auxiliary processes. However, the measured FPS data indicates that this processor is never the bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 225 FPS average, which is far below the CPU’s theoretical ceiling. The CPU is effectively over-provisioned for this title, meaning its 94th percentile strength is not fully utilized. The bottleneck clearly shifts to the GPU as resolution increases, which is typical for a game with modest CPU requirements.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B570 is a Battlemage-generation GPU (Arc 5 series) built on TSMC’s 5 nm process with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. It features 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, along with 18 ray tracing cores. The GPU runs at a fixed base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, with memory clocked at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). It comes with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its compute capabilities include 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 and 23.04 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The card supports PCIe 4.0 x8 and has a 150 W TDP.

In the GPU benchmark hierarchy, the Arc B570 sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20,556. Its nearest rivals show how tightly packed this segment is: it is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750, 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, and 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon R9 M390X. This places it in the mid-range tier, capable of 1080p high-refresh gaming but not designed for extreme 4K workloads.

In To The Core, the GPU’s 10 GB VRAM is sufficient for all tested settings, as the game’s demands are modest. The 2500 MHz clock provides consistent performance across the board. The data shows that the GPU is the primary limiting factor in this combo. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 133, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 51. This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU’s rendering throughput, not the CPU, dictates the frame rate ceiling. The 160-bit memory bus and 380 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for this title, but they prevent the system from achieving the very high frame rates that the CPU alone could theoretically support.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2380 out of 2991 tested combos in To The Core. This places it in the 20th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 80% of combinations deliver higher average frame rates. This is a significant underperformance relative to the CPU’s individual standing. The CPU alone is in the 94th percentile, but the GPU’s 65th percentile ranking drags the combo down.

This discrepancy highlights a fundamental imbalance. The i7-14700KF is capable of feeding a much more powerful GPU, but the Arc B570 cannot translate that CPU headroom into higher frame rates. The delta between the CPU’s rank and the combo’s rank is stark. While the CPU outperforms 94% of all processors, the combo outperforms only about 20% of tested systems. In practical terms, this means that users with this CPU could achieve significantly better results by pairing it with a faster GPU. The combo’s rank is almost entirely dependent on the GPU’s performance tier, as the CPU never becomes the limiting factor in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong results. Low settings produce an average of 225 FPS, Medium yields 191 FPS (with a min of 162 and max of 219), High reaches 165 FPS, and Ultra drops to 133 FPS. All 1080p results are well above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains solid but starts to show the GPU’s limits. Low settings average 152 FPS, Medium drops to 128 FPS (min 109, max 147), High achieves 111 FPS, and Ultra settles at 89 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1440p is a sweet spot for this combo, offering a balance between visual quality and frame rate. Even at Ultra, the average stays above 85 FPS, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s mid-range nature becomes apparent. Low settings average 87 FPS, Medium drops to 73 FPS (min 62, max 84), High reaches 64 FPS, and Ultra falls to 51 FPS. The 4K results are playable but require settings reductions to maintain high refresh rates. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 36 FPS, showing that settings have a substantial impact at this resolution. The minimum FPS recorded across all data points is 62 FPS (at 4K Medium), which suggests that even in demanding scenes, the system avoids severe stuttering.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU as the clear bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 165 at 1080p to 111 at 1440p (a 33% reduction) and then to 64 at 4K (a further 42% reduction from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 61%, which is a substantial decrease. This pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the drop is from 225 to 152 to 87 FPS, a 61% total reduction. At Medium, it goes from 191 to 128 to 73 FPS, a 62% drop. At Ultra, it falls from 133 to 89 to 51 FPS, a 62% drop.

These consistent percentage drops indicate that the GPU’s rendering throughput scales linearly with resolution, and the CPU is not interfering. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau at lower resolutions where the GPU has headroom but the CPU cannot push more frames. Instead, the FPS continues to rise at 1080p, reaching 225 FPS at Low settings, which proves the CPU can handle far more frames than the GPU can produce. The fact that the FPS scales so predictably with resolution confirms that the Arc B570 is the sole limiting component. The CPU’s 5.60 GHz boost clock and 28 threads are never stressed in this title. The data suggests that upgrading to a stronger GPU would yield near-linear FPS improvements, while upgrading the CPU would provide no measurable benefit for this game.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF a bottleneck for the Intel Arc B570 in To The Core?

A: No. The data shows the CPU is not a limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 225 FPS, which is far below the CPU’s capability as indicated by its 94th percentile ranking and 5.60 GHz boost clock. The FPS scales consistently with resolution, indicating the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 51. This is playable but below the 60 FPS threshold. For smoother 4K gameplay, dropping to Medium settings yields 73 FPS average with a minimum of 62 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve high refresh rates?

A: 1920x1080 is the best choice for high refresh rates. At High settings, the average is 165 FPS, and at Low settings it reaches 225 FPS. 2560x1440 is also viable, with Ultra averaging 89 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to its nearest rival, the Arc A750?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20,556, which is 0.1% lower than the Arc A750’s 20,582. In practical terms, the two GPUs perform nearly identically in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Does the CPU’s 20-core configuration provide any advantage in this idle game?

A: The 20 cores and 28 threads are far more than needed for To The Core. The game’s frame rates are limited by the GPU at all resolutions, so the CPU’s multi-core strength provides no tangible benefit for this specific title.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 152 FPS, while Ultra averages 89 FPS. This is a 63 FPS difference, showing that quality settings have a significant impact on performance at this resolution.