To The Core

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a remarkably smooth experience in To The Core, with the data showing that the combination is capable of exceeding 60 FPS at 4K on most settings and surpassing 130 FPS at 1080p on Ultra. The strongest performance is found at 1440p, where the system hits a sweet spot of high frame rates without the extreme CPU overhead seen at lower resolutions. While the combo ranks in the 2380th position out of 2991 tested configurations, the measured results indicate that this specific pairing is well-balanced for this idle game, with the GPU's 10 GB of VRAM proving sufficient across all tested resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play To The Core with this hardware?*

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 2560x1440 provides the most balanced experience. At High settings, the combo delivers 111 FPS, which is 47 FPS higher than 4K but only 54 FPS lower than 1080p, offering a significant visual upgrade over 1080p with a minimal performance penalty compared to the jump to 4K.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20534, a delta of just 0.1%. It also edges out the Intel Arc A750 (20582, -0.1% delta) and sits close to the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662, -0.5% delta).

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus a high-performing CPU in general benchmarks?

A: Yes, the CPU's average benchmark score of 84003 places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83807, which is only a 0.2% difference, indicating the 290K Plus is essentially at the top of the performance tier.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo in the game?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 162 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This suggests that even at lower resolutions, the frame pacing remains stable, with the 62 FPS minimum at 4K Medium being the only recorded value below 60 FPS.

*Q: Does the CPU or GPU bottleneck the system in To The Core?*

A: The data suggests a balanced pairing. The CPU has a high single-thread score of 7303 in Cinebench R23, and the GPU's performance is solid, but the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K indicates that the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU is more than capable of feeding frames at 1080p.

Q: How much VRAM does the Intel Arc B570 have, and is it enough for this game?

A: The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory. Given that the game achieves a 64 FPS average at 4K High settings, the 10 GB frame buffer is sufficient for To The Core at all settings and resolutions tested, as no out-of-memory issues are reflected in the performance data.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570, built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with 2304 shading units and 144 texture mapping units, plays the central role in rendering To The Core's visuals. Its 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a significant factor in maintaining smooth frame delivery at higher resolutions. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both set at 2500 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective), and these clock speeds directly contribute to its measured performance metrics.

The GPU's 80 raster output units (ROPs) handle the final pixel output, and its 18 ray tracing cores are present, though their specific impact on an idle game like To The Core is likely minimal. The card's 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 compute performance is a strong indicator of its raw processing power, which is more than adequate for the game's demands. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the GPU is pushed to its limits, producing a 51 FPS average, while at 4K Low, it easily handles the load with 87 FPS. This demonstrates a clear workload scaling that is tied directly to the GPU's fill rate and compute capabilities.

The GPU's VRAM capacity is a critical factor in the 4K results. With 10 GB available, the card is able to hold the necessary textures and frame buffers for To The Core at 3840x2160 without swapping to system memory, which would cause stutters. The fact that the 4K High preset achieves 64 FPS average with no recorded minimum FPS below 60 indicates that memory bandwidth and capacity are not bottlenecks. The GPU's performance relative to its rivals, such as being 0.1% faster than the RTX 3070 Mobile, contextualizes its capabilities, showing it is a mid-range part that excels when paired with a high-end CPU to remove any potential CPU-side limitations.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the recommended configuration. This setting delivers a 111 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and it provides a substantial visual improvement over the Low preset's 152 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p is significant, with Ultra dropping to 89 FPS, so High offers the best balance of fidelity and performance.

At 1920x1080, the High preset is also the recommended choice, providing 165 FPS. While the Low preset hits 225 FPS and Medium hits 191 FPS, the High preset is the highest quality option that still maintains a frame rate above 144 Hz, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 133 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 19% performance reduction for a marginal visual gain, making High the superior choice for competitive play.

For users with a 4K display, the Medium preset is the most sensible option. It achieves a 73 FPS average with a minimum of 62 FPS, ensuring that frame times stay within a comfortable range. The High preset at 64 FPS is acceptable, but the Ultra preset falls to 51 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for smooth gameplay. Choosing Medium at 4K allows the game to remain fluid while still utilizing the higher resolution, making it the default recommendation for 4K users.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2380th out of 2991 tested combos in To The Core. This places the system in the lower half of the tested configurations, which is a direct result of the GPU's mid-range positioning. Despite having a top-tier CPU that sits in the 96th percentile of all processors, the Arc B570's performance ceiling limits the overall combo rank. The GPU's 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs contrasts sharply with the CPU's high standing, creating a pairing where the GPU is the primary constraint on the final ranking.

However, the rank does not tell the whole story. The measured FPS data shows that this combo delivers playable frame rates at 4K and excellent frame rates at lower resolutions. The rank of 2380 suggests that many other combos with higher-end GPUs achieve higher raw FPS, but for the target audience of To The Core, the performance is more than sufficient. The CPU's strength is evident in the high frame rates at 1080p, where the 225 FPS average on Low settings indicates that the processor is not a limiting factor, allowing the GPU to work at its full potential. This pairing is a classic example of a balanced system where the CPU's power ensures no bottleneck, even if the GPU doesn't push the combo to the top of the charts.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the system achieves 165 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 111 FPS, a 32.7% decrease. Finally, at 4K High, the system achieves 64 FPS, which is another 42.3% decrease from 1440p. This steep drop-off from 1440p to 4K, compared to the more moderate drop from 1080p to 1440p, is a strong indicator that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

This pattern is consistent across all settings. For example, at Low settings, the FPS goes from 225 at 1080p to 152 at 1440p (a 32.4% decrease), and then to 87 at 4K (a 42.8% decrease from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops between resolution tiers suggest that the CPU is more than capable of handling the increased pixel count, and it is the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth that are dictating the performance. The CPU's massive multi-threaded score of 51731 in Cinebench R23 and high single-thread score of 7303 ensure that it is never holding the system back, even at 1080p where CPU overhead is typically highest. The data confirms that the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is not a bottleneck at any resolution, and the scaling is entirely GPU-bound.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The system delivers its highest frame rates at this resolution. On Low settings, the average FPS is 225, making it the fastest configuration tested. Medium settings produce a 191 FPS average, with a minimum of 162 FPS and a maximum of 219 FPS, showing excellent frame consistency. The High preset achieves 165 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 133 FPS. All settings at this resolution are well above 120 FPS, ensuring a highly responsive experience.

2560x1440: Performance remains strong at 1440p. The Low preset yields a 152 FPS average, which is still suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. Medium settings average 128 FPS, with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS. The High preset delivers 111 FPS, and the Ultra preset manages 89 FPS. The data indicates that 1440p High is the optimal balance, as it maintains a frame rate above 100 FPS while providing a significant visual upgrade over 1080p.

3840x2160: At 4K, the system remains playable across all settings. The Low preset achieves an 87 FPS average, making it the only 4K setting to break the 80 FPS mark. Medium settings average 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS, ensuring that the game never drops below 60 FPS. The High preset produces a 64 FPS average, while the Ultra preset falls to 51 FPS. The Ultra setting at 4K is the only configuration tested that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that it should be avoided for a consistently smooth experience.