To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in To The Core, an idle game that appears to be far less demanding than typical AAA titles. The measured data shows this combination achieving well over 140 FPS at every resolution and settings level tested, indicating that the game is unlikely to present a challenge for this hardware. The following analysis breaks down the performance metrics, scaling behavior, and component roles based solely on the provided benchmark data.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals how the workload shifts between the CPU and GPU as pixel count increases. At Low settings, the average frame rate declines from 429 FPS at 1920x1080 to 376 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 53 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160 brings the average down to 240 FPS, which represents a total drop of 189 FPS from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern—roughly a 44% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low—suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary limiter at higher resolutions, but the absolute numbers remain so high that the system is never truly constrained.

At Medium settings, the same progression shows 405 FPS at 1080p, 355 FPS at 1440p, and 203 FPS at 4K. The incremental drop from 1080p to 1440p is only 50 FPS, while the jump from 1440p to 4K costs 152 FPS. This steeper decline at 4K indicates that the rendering load increases non-linearly with resolution, which is expected as pixel count quadruples from 1440p to 4K. The RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient to handle these workloads, as evidenced by the consistently high frame rates.

High settings produce 385 FPS at 1080p, 308 FPS at 1440p, and 176 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is approximately 54%, which is slightly larger than the 44% observed at Low settings. This suggests that higher quality presets increase the GPU's share of the workload, making the graphics card more influential in determining overall performance. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with 356 FPS at 1080p dropping to 248 FPS at 1440p and further to 142 FPS at 4K—a 60% reduction from the lowest resolution tested.

The data indicates that while the GPU becomes the limiting component at 4K, the system maintains playable frame rates across all settings. Even the most demanding combination—4K Ultra at 142 FPS—remains well above typical refresh rates. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra shows a 214 FPS difference, which is the largest absolute decline in the dataset. This pattern confirms that resolution scaling has a pronounced effect on performance, but the RTX 5090's raw compute power, evidenced by its 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, keeps the experience fluid.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F contributes to the overall performance through its six cores and twelve threads, operating with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 2872 and multithread score of 19236 provide context for its processing capabilities. In To The Core, an idle game genre, the CPU demands are likely modest, but the measured frame rates suggest the processor is not bottlenecking the system at any resolution.

At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 429 likely approaches the ceiling of what the CPU can feed to the GPU. The gap between 1080p Low (429 FPS) and 1440p Low (376 FPS) is 53 FPS, while the gap between 1440p Low and 4K Low is 136 FPS. This widening gap at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes more dominant as pixel count increases, which is typical behavior. The CPU's role is more pronounced at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do per frame.

The Ryzen 5 5600F's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth on a dual-channel DDR4 interface are adequate for this workload. The CPU's PassMark physics score of 1043 and floating-point math score of 34548 show solid computational performance, but these figures are unlikely to be the limiting factor in a game like To The Core. The processor's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs places it well above average, and its nearest rivals—including the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 with a near-identical average score—confirm it is a capable mid-range part.

The data shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint in this configuration. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 356, which is only 73 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. This difference of 20% between Low and Ultra at the same resolution suggests the GPU is handling the additional graphical workload without issue. The CPU's boost clock of 4.00 GHz on all cores provides consistent performance, and the 12 threads ensure adequate parallel processing for game logic and physics.

FAQ

*Q: What is the maximum average FPS achieved by this combo in To The Core?*

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 429 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does performance at 4K compare to 1080p across all settings?

A: At Low settings, 4K delivers 240 FPS versus 429 FPS at 1080p. At Medium, the figures are 203 FPS at 4K and 405 FPS at 1080p. High settings yield 176 FPS at 4K and 385 FPS at 1080p, while Ultra produces 142 FPS at 4K and 356 FPS at 1080p.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes the primary limiter at 4K, as the FPS drops significantly from 1440p to 4K. For example, at Medium settings, 1440p averages 355 FPS while 4K averages 203 FPS, indicating the increased pixel count places more strain on the graphics card.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset?

A: The lowest average FPS is 142, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. The minimum FPS values are only provided for Medium settings, with the lowest being 173 FPS at 4K.

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

A: The Ryzen 5 5600F has an average benchmark score of 36945, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 at 36938 (0% delta). The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018 (-0.2% delta), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093 (-0.4% delta), all within a narrow margin.

Q: Does the combo rank highly among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 191st out of 2991 tested combinations, placing it in the top 6.4% of all configurations tested for To The Core.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 191 out of 2991 tested combos in To The Core. This places the configuration in the top 6.4% of all systems tested, which is an impressive result given the CPU's mid-range positioning. The ranking reflects the synergy between the two components, where the GPU's massive computational resources compensate for the CPU's more modest specifications.

The high rank is particularly notable because the Ryzen 5 5600F is not a flagship processor. Its average benchmark score of 36945 places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, but its nearest rivals—such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 with a score of 36938—are similarly positioned. The RTX 5090, by contrast, ranks in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 79842, demonstrating that the graphics card is the dominant component in this pairing.

The combination's 191st rank suggests that while there are 190 configurations that outperform it, the vast majority of systems (2800 combos) deliver lower performance in this game. The gap between this combo and the top-ranked systems is likely due to more powerful CPUs, but the measured FPS data shows that the Ryzen 5 5600F does not bottleneck the RTX 5090 in To The Core. The frame rates achieved are consistently high across all settings and resolutions, indicating that the system is well-balanced for this particular workload.

The ranking also benefits from the game's low system requirements. As an idle game, To The Core does not demand the same level of CPU or GPU resources as graphically intensive titles, allowing the RTX 5090 to operate at near-peak efficiency. The measured results show that even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains 142 FPS, which is far above the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered acceptable for smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings produce 429 FPS, Medium produces 405 FPS (with a minimum of 344 FPS and maximum of 466 FPS), High produces 385 FPS, and Ultra produces 356 FPS. The spread between the lowest and highest presets at this resolution is 73 FPS, representing a 17% performance difference. The Medium setting's minimum FPS of 344 is the only frame time data provided for this resolution, suggesting that the game maintains consistent performance even during demanding scenes.

Moving to 2560x1440 resolution, the average FPS values decrease across all settings: Low delivers 376 FPS, Medium delivers 355 FPS (with a minimum of 301 FPS and maximum of 408 FPS), High delivers 308 FPS, and Ultra delivers 248 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution widens to 128 FPS, a 34% difference. The Medium setting's minimum FPS of 301 indicates that even the lowest recorded frame rate remains above 300 FPS, which is excellent for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160 resolution, the average FPS values are: Low at 240 FPS, Medium at 203 FPS (with a minimum of 173 FPS and maximum of 234 FPS), High at 176 FPS, and Ultra at 142 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 98 FPS, or a 41% reduction. The Medium setting's maximum FPS of 234 is lower than the Low setting's average of 240, indicating that the Medium preset places additional strain on the GPU that prevents it from reaching the same peak performance.

The data reveals a consistent pattern across all resolutions: each increase in settings quality reduces the average FPS, with the most significant drops occurring at 4K. The minimum FPS values provided only for Medium settings show that at 1080p, the lowest frame rate is 344 FPS; at 1440p, it is 301 FPS; and at 4K, it is 173 FPS. These minimums are all comfortably above 60 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience even in the most demanding scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of performance and visual quality. At this combination, the average FPS is 355, with a minimum of 301 FPS and a maximum of 408 FPS. The minimum frame rate of 301 FPS ensures that the game never drops below the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, providing a consistent experience. The 355 FPS average is 47 FPS higher than the High preset at the same resolution, which delivers 308 FPS.

For users with 4K displays, the Medium preset at 3840x2160 is the recommended choice. This configuration achieves an average of 203 FPS with a minimum of 173 FPS and a maximum of 234 FPS. While the Ultra preset at 4K delivers 142 FPS, the Medium setting provides a 43% improvement in average frame rate while likely offering a visually similar experience given the game's idle genre. The 173 FPS minimum is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring smooth gameplay.

At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 405 FPS with a minimum of 344 FPS, which is the highest minimum frame rate recorded across all settings at any resolution. This makes Medium at 1080p the most consistent configuration in the dataset. However, users with high-refresh-rate monitors (240 Hz or above) may prefer the Low preset, which achieves 429 FPS, to maximize frame rates. The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 356 FPS, which is still excellent but represents a 17% reduction compared to Low.

The data suggests avoiding the Ultra preset at 4K, as the 142 FPS average is the lowest in the dataset. While this is still playable, the Medium preset at 4K offers a 61 FPS improvement (43% higher) and is likely to provide a near-identical visual experience in an idle game. For users prioritizing maximum visual quality, the High preset at 1440p (308 FPS) offers a good compromise between the Ultra preset's 248 FPS and the Medium preset's 355 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this configuration, with specifications that make it one of the most powerful graphics cards available. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, which is more than sufficient for To The Core's rendering requirements. The GPU's 21760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation units contribute to its ability to maintain high frame rates across all tested settings.

The GPU's clock speeds—2017 MHz base and 2407 MHz boost—allow it to sustain consistent performance under load. Its pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s indicate substantial throughput capabilities. The RTX 5090's 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance is reflected in the measured results, particularly at 4K resolution where the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The graphics card's PassMark G3D score of 39650 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 18355 are among the highest in its benchmark category.

The GPU's role in To The Core is clearly demonstrated by the scaling behavior observed in the FPS data. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high (up to 429 FPS) that the CPU likely limits performance. As resolution increases to 4K, the GPU's workload increases, and frame rates drop to levels more consistent with GPU-bound scenarios. The RTX 5090's nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB with an average score of 79605 (0.3% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with 78940 (1.1% delta), but the RTX 5090's newer architecture and higher specifications give it a significant advantage in real-world gaming performance.

The GPU's 575 W TDP and suggested 950 W PSU indicate substantial power requirements, but these are not reflected in the measured FPS data. The 32 GB VRAM capacity is more than adequate for To The Core, which likely uses well under 8 GB of video memory at any settings level. The RTX 5090's performance in this game demonstrates that it is overkill for an idle title, but the measured results show that it delivers exceptional frame rates regardless.