To The Core

To The Core is an idle game, and in this specific CPU-plus-GPU pairing, the benchmark data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics component. The combo ranks 2643rd out of 2991 tested configurations, placing it in the bottom 12% of all tested pairings. This is a low position, and the measured frame rates confirm that this is not a combination built for high-refresh-rate or high-detail gaming at higher resolutions. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a top-tier processor, but it is paired with an Intel Arc B390 integrated GPU that sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, creating a massive bottleneck that defines the entire performance profile of this system. The data consistently shows that the graphics processor is the limiting factor, and the CPU's immense power is left largely untapped in this gaming scenario.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall ranking for this combo in To The Core is 2643rd out of 2991 tested combinations. This places it in the 88th percentile from the bottom, meaning only about 12% of all tested combos perform worse. This is a clear indication that, despite the presence of a flagship-class CPU, the system's gaming performance is firmly in the entry-level segment due to the integrated graphics. The benchmark results are the product of a processor that scores in the 96th percentile of all CPUs being held back by a GPU that scores in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

The CPU itself, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, is a powerhouse. Its average benchmark score is 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, its closest rival. It also leads the AMD EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% and the AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.2%. The only rival that beats it in this group is the AMD EPYC 7F72, which scores 1.3% higher. These are all server-class or high-end desktop processors, and the data shows the 290K Plus is right in that conversation. However, when paired with the Intel Arc B390, its potential is severely capped.

The Intel Arc B390 GPU presents a stark contrast. Its average benchmark score of 1482 is just 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, a rival that is over a decade old. It also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce 800M by 1.5%, the GeForce GT 625 OEM by 2.5%, and the GeForce GT 710 by 2.7%. These are all incredibly low-performing GPUs, and the Arc B390’s placement among them confirms that it is not designed for modern gaming at competitive settings. The data makes it clear that this combo's rank is almost entirely dictated by the GPU's limitations, as the CPU's performance is effectively wasted in this configuration.

Settings Recommendations

Given the severe GPU bottleneck, the settings used in To The Core have a substantial impact on playability. The data shows that the only way to achieve a consistently smooth experience is to prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 147 FPS, which is the highest measured for this combo. This is the only setting that provides a frame rate high enough for a very fluid experience. The Medium preset at 1080p still delivers a respectable 124 FPS, but the jump from Low to Medium comes with a performance cost that may not be worth it on this hardware.

The High preset at 1080p drops to an average of 107 FPS, which is still playable but shows a clear trend of diminishing returns as settings increase. The Ultra preset at 1080p takes a significant hit, falling to 86 FPS. While this is still technically playable, the performance loss is steep. For the best experience on this system, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the clear choice, as it provides the largest performance headroom and ensures the game remains responsive. If visual quality is a priority, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a balanced compromise, but the data suggests that the GPU is too weak to handle higher settings without sacrificing a significant amount of smoothness. At higher resolutions, even the Low preset fails to maintain a high frame rate, so sticking to 1080p is essential.

Resolution Scaling

The impact of resolution on this combo is dramatic and clearly illustrates the GPU bottleneck. When moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 147 FPS to 99 FPS, a 32.7% decrease. When moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 on the same preset, the frame rate drops further from 99 FPS to 56 FPS, another 43.4% decrease. This pattern of severe performance loss with each increase in resolution is a classic sign of a system that is limited by its graphics processing power, not its CPU. The render resolution is directly taxing the GPU, and the Arc B390 simply does not have the throughput to handle higher pixel counts.

This trend is consistent across all settings. On the High preset, the frame rate falls from 107 FPS at 1080p to 72 FPS at 1440p and then a steep 41 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows a similar collapse, from 86 FPS at 1080p to 58 FPS at 1440p and finally 33 FPS at 4K. The data shows that the gap between 1080p and 1440p is large, and the gap between 1440p and 4K is even larger. This scaling behavior indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor; if it were, the frame rates would be much more consistent across resolutions. Instead, the GPU is being overwhelmed by the increasing number of pixels, confirming that the Intel Arc B390 is the primary constraint on this system's gaming performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a complete picture of this combo's capabilities across all tested scenarios. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 147 FPS, which is the best result for this system. The Medium preset delivers 124 FPS, with a minimum of 105 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. The High preset averages 107 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 86 FPS. This shows that at 1080p, this system can handle the game, but only at lower settings for a truly high frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance becomes more constrained. The Low preset averages 99 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 1080p result. The Medium preset averages 83 FPS, with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS. The High preset averages 72 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 58 FPS. At this resolution, the system is starting to struggle to maintain high refresh rates, even on lower settings. At 3840x2160, the system is clearly overburdened. The Low preset averages just 56 FPS. The Medium preset averages 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS. The High preset drops to 41 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 33 FPS. These results show that 4K gaming is not a viable option for this combo, as even the lowest settings cannot maintain a solid 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the definitive performance limiter in this combination. Its benchmark results place it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710. These are all extremely low-end parts, and the data shows that the B390 is not significantly faster than them. This is an integrated GPU with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. It has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 render output units. While it has 12 ray tracing cores, its raw compute power is limited to 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 operations.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses a portion of the system's main memory rather than having its own dedicated VRAM. This is a significant disadvantage for gaming, as it shares bandwidth with the CPU and can lead to performance bottlenecks. The memory bandwidth is also listed as "System Dependent," which means it varies based on the system's RAM configuration. In this case, the CPU supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s, but the GPU's access to this memory is not as efficient as a dedicated VRAM setup. The GPU's pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. These specs, combined with its low benchmark percentile, explain why it struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions and settings. The data clearly shows that the B390 is a capable part for basic display output, but it is not a gaming GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is an exceptionally powerful processor that is entirely underutilized in this gaming configuration. It features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. It has a substantial 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. Its benchmark scores are outstanding, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. Its PassMark multithread score is 60860, and its single-thread score is 4823. These are top-tier results that place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU's role in To The Core is to feed the GPU with data, and in this system, it is doing so with ease. The frame rates are not limited by the CPU's processing power, but rather by the GPU's ability to render frames. The data shows that as resolution increases, frame rates drop significantly, which is a sign that the CPU is not the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be more consistent across different resolutions. The processor's memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s is more than sufficient for the integrated GPU's needs. The CPU is essentially idle, waiting for the GPU to catch up. This is a clear case of a system where the processor is overqualified for the graphics solution it is paired with, resulting in a gaming performance profile that is dictated entirely by the weaker component. The CPU's massive compute potential is simply left on the table in this configuration.