To The Core

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B580 occupies the 2,221st position out of 2,991 tested combinations for To The Core. This places the combo in the lower-mid tier of the database, indicating that while it is far from the slowest setup recorded, a substantial number of other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average frame rates in this specific title. The rank suggests a bottleneck dynamic where the Arc B580, rather than the high-end Core Ultra 9, is the primary determinant of performance in this idle game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2,221 out of 2,991 is a clear signal that this pairing is not optimized for To The Core. Approximately 74% of tested configurations outperform it, which is a notable finding given the hardware involved. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a top-tier processor, sitting in the 96th percentile against all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83,807, a mere 0.2% difference, showing the 290K Plus is at the very peak of CPU performance. However, the GPU tells a different story; the Arc B580’s average benchmark score of 23,021 places it in the 68th percentile, and its closest competitor, the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, scores 23,061, a negligible 0.2% difference.

This disparity in percentile rankings between the CPU and GPU is the core insight. The data suggests that in To The Core, the Arc B580 is the limiting factor, preventing the powerful 290K Plus from expressing its full potential. The benchmark results indicate a classic case of imbalance, where a high-end CPU is paired with a mid-range GPU, leading to a combined rank that reflects the GPU’s capabilities more than the CPU’s. For a game like To The Core, which is an idle genre title, the demands on the GPU are likely minimal, yet the measured frame rates show the GPU still dictates the ceiling.

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 a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. Its base and boost clocks are both set to 2670 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The GPU has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, alongside 20 ray tracing cores. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 13.67 TFLOPS.

For To The Core, the GPU’s role is pivotal in determining the upper limits of performance. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 255 FPS, but this drops to 150 FPS at Ultra settings. This scaling indicates the GPU is being pushed harder as settings increase, even though the game is an idle title. The 12 GB VRAM is likely more than sufficient for this game, given its genre, but the GPU’s overall compute power, as reflected in its 68th percentile rank, appears to be the cap. The Arc B580’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, scores 22,895 in benchmarks, a 0.6% difference, yet in this game, the pairing with the 290K Plus yields results that are more modest than the CPU’s potential would suggest.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are substantial, revealing how the system scales with resolution. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 187 at 1920x1080 down to 126 at 2560x1440, and further to 72 at 3840x2160. This represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 61% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the figures are 255, 172, and 98 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively, showing a similar proportional drop. The pattern is consistent across all settings, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

This scaling behavior is telling. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the processor’s workload would not change. However, the significant drops suggest the Arc B580’s rendering capabilities are being taxed more heavily at higher resolutions. The 4K results, particularly the 58 FPS at Ultra settings, show that the GPU is struggling to maintain high frame rates, even in an idle game. The data implies that for smoother 4K gameplay, a more powerful GPU would be necessary, as the current combo is clearly GPU-bound at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K’s score of 83,807. It also outperforms the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83,090) by 1.1% and the AMD EPYC 9135 (82,980) by 1.2%, while being 1.3% slower than the AMD EPYC 7F72 (85,072).

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking, and what does that imply for this game?

A: The Intel Arc B580 sits in the 68th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23,021. This mid-range positioning, combined with the combo’s low rank in To The Core, implies the GPU is the limiting factor, preventing the high-end CPU from achieving better frame rates.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo achieve its highest average FPS?

A: The highest average FPS is 255, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration where the combo surpasses 250 FPS, indicating that lower resolution and settings allow the GPU to operate with less strain.

Q: How does the FPS at 4K Ultra compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 58, while at 1080p Ultra, it is 150. This represents a 61% reduction in performance, highlighting the significant impact of resolution on the GPU’s workload and the system’s overall frame rate.

Q: Is the CPU’s single-thread performance relevant to this game’s results?

A: The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4,823, indicating very strong single-thread capabilities. However, the game’s FPS scaling is more tied to GPU performance, as seen in the resolution drops, suggesting the CPU is not the bottleneck.

Q: What is the GPU’s launch MSRP?

A: The Intel Arc B580 had a launch MSRP of 249 USD.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 255 FPS on Low, 216 FPS on Medium, 187 FPS on High, and 150 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has recorded min and max FPS of 183 and 248, respectively, showing some variance. Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 172 on Low, 145 on Medium, 126 on High, and 101 on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution shows a min of 123 and a max of 167. At 3840x2160, the averages fall further to 98 on Low, 83 on Medium, 72 on High, and 58 on Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K has a min of 71 and a max of 95.

These numbers show a clear and consistent trend: higher resolutions and settings lead to lower FPS, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 105 FPS, while at 4K, it is only 40 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is reaching its limits, as the relative cost of Ultra settings becomes more pronounced when the pixel count is higher.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The CPU features 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, offering a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s, and includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 EUs.

In To The Core, the CPU’s role appears secondary to the GPU, based on the FPS data. The 24 cores and high boost clock provide ample processing power, as evidenced by its 96th percentile ranking and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731. However, the game’s performance is constrained by the GPU, as seen in the resolution scaling. The CPU’s strong single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303, is unlikely to be a limiting factor in an idle game, which typically has low computational demands. The benchmark results indicate that the 290K Plus is more than capable of feeding the Arc B580, but the GPU’s mid-range performance holds the combo back.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings depend on the user’s priority between frame rate and visual fidelity. For the highest possible FPS, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 255 FPS, which is excellent for competitive or high-refresh-rate displays. However, for a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 1080p offers 216 FPS with a min of 183, which is still very smooth and likely provides better visual quality than Low. At 1440p, the High preset achieves 126 FPS, which is a good target for most monitors, while the Medium preset at 145 FPS is also viable.

For 4K, the data suggests that the Ultra preset is not recommended, as it drops to 58 FPS, which may feel less fluid. The High preset at 72 FPS is more playable, while the Medium preset at 83 FPS offers the best balance of quality and performance at this resolution. The Low preset at 98 FPS is the smoothest 4K option but sacrifices visual quality. Therefore, the data recommends the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p for the best overall experience, as it provides high FPS with a recorded min FPS that indicates stability, while at 4K, the Medium or High presets are preferable to avoid the sub-60 FPS Ultra setting.