To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in To The Core, an idle game that is notably undemanding on hardware. The measured data shows this combination sitting in the 226th position out of 3,725 tested combos, placing it in the top 6% of all configurations. This pairing leverages a strong mid-range CPU and a high-end GPU to produce triple-digit frame rates even at 4K Ultra settings, suggesting that the game's simple visuals are easily saturated by this hardware.

FAQ

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in To The Core?*

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 226th out of 3,725 tested combos, placing it in the top 6% of all configurations. This is a strong showing for a pairing that is not even the absolute top-tier hardware available.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 552 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This demonstrates the game's ability to run at extremely high speeds when resolution and graphical demands are minimized.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 125 FPS, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. Even at this demanding preset, the frame rate remains well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K?

A: Yes, the data indicates excellent 4K performance. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 125. Lowering to High settings yields 156 FPS, Medium produces 180 FPS, and Low reaches 212 FPS. All these values are comfortably playable.

Q: How large is the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings at a given resolution?

A: The gap is significant. At 1080p, the difference is 226 FPS (552 FPS at Low versus 326 FPS at Ultra). At 1440p, the gap is 152 FPS (371 FPS at Low versus 219 FPS at Ultra). At 4K, the gap is 87 FPS (212 FPS at Low versus 125 FPS at Ultra).

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The CPU's single-thread performance is a highlight, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,253 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,183.5. Its multi-thread scores are also strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17,528.5 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 14,438.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of the high frame rates seen in To The Core. This GPU, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The card's clocks are set at a base of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz, with memory running at an effective 22.4 Gbps.

In the context of this game, the GPU's capabilities are more than sufficient. The RTX 4080's 9,728 shading units and 112 ROPs are capable of handling the rendering demands of an idle game with ease. Its benchmark scores reflect this power; it scores 34,457 in Passmark G3D and 214,739 in Geekbench OpenCL. The GPU sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 54,247 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54,209 (a delta of 0.1%).

The data shows that even at the highest settings, the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the game averages 125 FPS. When settings are lowered, the frame rate scales dramatically. At 4K Low, it reaches 212 FPS, and at 1080p Low, it hits 552 FPS. This scaling indicates that the GPU has significant headroom, and the limiting factor at lower resolutions and settings is more likely the CPU or the game's engine logic rather than the graphics card's raw rendering power. The RTX 4080 is effectively overkill for this title, ensuring that visual quality can be maxed out without compromising performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. With a TDP of 65 W, it is a power-efficient chip that still delivers strong performance. It supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s.

The CPU's role in To The Core is to feed the GPU with enough data to maintain high frame rates. Its single-thread performance is particularly relevant, as many game logic and physics calculations are single-threaded. The CPU scores 1,253 in 3DMark single-thread and 2,183.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core, indicating excellent per-core performance. Its multi-threaded capabilities are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17,528.5 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 14,438.

In this game, the CPU appears to be the limiting factor at 1080p with lower settings. The jump from 1440p Low (371 FPS) to 1080p Low (552 FPS) is substantial, but the jump from 1080p High (405 FPS) to 1080p Ultra (326 FPS) is also large. This pattern suggests that while the GPU is capable of producing over 550 FPS, the CPU's ability to process the game's state and issue draw calls begins to cap performance. The CPU's percentile ranking of 81st among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29,713, places it just slightly above the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (29,656, a 0.2% delta) and below the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (29,868, a -0.5% delta). This indicates it is a well-balanced mid-range chip that won't hold back the GPU in most scenarios, but its limits can be seen at the extreme frame rates possible in this undemanding title.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination is ranked 226th out of 3,725 tested combos in To The Core. This places it firmly in the top 6% of all configurations, which is a very strong result. However, the ranking also implies that a significant number of other combinations perform better.

Given that the GPU is near the top of its class (86th percentile), the ranking is likely influenced more by the CPU. While the 9600X is a capable processor, it is not a flagship. Other combos with higher-end CPUs, such as those with more cores or higher clock speeds, could potentially push frame rates higher in the game's CPU-bound sections. The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.8% of its average score, showing that it is in a very tightly contested performance tier. This means that achieving a higher combo rank would likely require pairing the RTX 4080 with a much stronger CPU to overcome the bottleneck seen at 1080p Low. The data suggests that the combo is not limited by the GPU, as its performance is near the top, but rather by the CPU's ability to keep up with the GPU's output in this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across resolutions and settings. The data is measured, not estimated, adding confidence to the analysis.

1920x1080:

• Low: The average FPS is 552, the highest recorded for this combo. This shows the absolute ceiling of the configuration's capability.
• Medium: The average FPS is 467, with a minimum of 397 and a maximum of 537. This indicates a wide variance, likely due to CPU load fluctuations.
• High: The average FPS is 405.
• Ultra: The average FPS drops to 326.

2560x1440:

• Low: The average FPS is 371.
• Medium: The average FPS is 314, with a minimum of 267 and a maximum of 361.
• High: The average FPS is 272.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 219.

3840x2160:

• Low: The average FPS is 212.
• Medium: The average FPS is 180, with a minimum of 153 and a maximum of 207.
• High: The average FPS is 156.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 125.

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the frame rate decreases, and as settings increase, the frame rate decreases. The Medium setting is the only one with min/max data, showing a range of about 50-60 FPS in each case, which represents a typical variance in frame times. The GPU's performance at 4K Ultra (125 FPS) is still excellent for an idle game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the user's display and preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity.

For players with a 1080p 60Hz or 144Hz display, the Ultra preset is the best choice. It delivers an average of 326 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of any standard monitor, ensuring maximum visual quality without any perceivable performance hit. The game will be entirely GPU-bound at this resolution, so there is no downside to maxing out the settings.

For 1440p users, the Ultra preset is also recommended. The average FPS of 219 is more than enough for even the fastest 1440p gaming monitors (typically 165Hz or 240Hz). This provides the best visual experience while maintaining frame rates that are well above the threshold for competitive play.

For 4K users, the choice is between High and Ultra. The High preset yields an average of 156 FPS, which is excellent for 4K and will satisfy users with 120Hz or 144Hz displays. The Ultra preset drops to 125 FPS, which is still very smooth and offers the highest visual fidelity. Given that the game is an idle title, the visual difference between High and Ultra may be minimal, but the 31 FPS difference could be noticeable on a high-refresh-rate display. The Medium preset (180 FPS) is a good middle ground if the user cannot perceive the difference between High and Ultra, but the data suggests that both High and Ultra are perfectly playable. The Low preset is unnecessary for this hardware, as it provides no tangible benefit given the high frame rates at higher settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals important information about the system's limiting component.

At High settings, the average FPS drops from 405 at 1080p to 272 at 1440p, and then to 156 at 4K. This represents a 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 43% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a bottleneck as resolution increases.

At Low settings, the drop is even more pronounced. The average FPS falls from 552 at 1080p to 371 at 1440p (a 33% drop), and then to 212 at 4K (a 43% drop from 1440p). This pattern is interesting because at Low settings, the GPU's workload is minimal, yet the frame rate still drops significantly with resolution. This suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is the primary limiting factor, as the GPU could theoretically render more frames if the CPU could feed it faster. As resolution increases to 4K, the GPU's rendering workload increases, and the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

The 1080p Low result of 552 FPS is likely a CPU-limited scenario. The 9600X's single-thread performance, while strong, cannot keep up with the RTX 4080's ability to render frames at such a low resolution and settings. The transition to 4K shifts the bottleneck to the GPU, which is why the FPS drops by a larger absolute amount. This analysis confirms that the CPU is the weak link in this pairing for To The Core, but only at extreme frame rates that exceed typical display refresh rates. At 4K, the GPU's performance dictates the final frame rate, and the RTX 4080 provides a very solid 125-212 FPS depending on settings.