To The Core

# To The Core with Intel Core i5-10400F + AMD Radeon RX 7600

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 delivers a consistently smooth experience in To The Core, an idle-genre title released on February 14, 2024. This combination ranks 1192nd out of 1756 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database, yet the measured frame rates tell a story of capable performance across all resolutions tested. The data shows that this pairing is more than sufficient for the game's demands, with the GPU and CPU each playing distinct roles depending on the resolution and settings selected.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 154.8 frames per second, which is well above typical display refresh rates and indicates no perceptible stutter in this idle game.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14168, sitting 0.4% above the AMD EPYC 7552, 0.8% below the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, 1.1% below the Intel Core i5-8500, and 1.2% below the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546. Its single-thread 3DMark score is 688, while the multi-thread score reaches 4748.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 2250 MHz, which translates to 18 Gbps effective.

Q: Does the GPU benchmark higher or lower than its nearest rival?

A: The Radeon RX 7600 has an average benchmark score of 20258, which is 0.6% above the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, 0.8% above the AMD Radeon RX 460, 1.3% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, and 1.5% below the Intel Arc B570.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 181.4 FPS, while Ultra drops to 105.8 FPS, a difference of 75.6 frames per second. This shows a significant scaling cost for the highest settings.

Q: How does the combo rank in this game specifically?

A: The combination of Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 1192nd out of 1756 tested combinations in To The Core, which places it in the 68th percentile of all tested combos.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip, manufactured on a 6 nm process by TSMC. It contains 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 65.2M per mm². The GPU's base clock runs at 1720 MHz, with a boost clock of 2655 MHz and a game clock of 2250 MHz. These clocks, combined with 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, produce a pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s.

In To The Core, the GPU's VRAM and bandwidth prove sufficient even at 4K. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth handles the game's demands across all tested settings. The data shows that at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 62.9, which is still playable but indicates the GPU is being pushed. At lower resolutions, the GPU has ample headroom, with 1080p Low reaching 266 FPS. The GPU's direct compute performance, measured at 8790 in Passmark's GPU compute test, supports the game's idle mechanics which may involve background processing. The 32 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are present but not heavily utilized in this title, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that shifts the bottleneck between GPU and CPU. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high across all settings: Low hits 266 FPS, Medium 225.4, High 196.9, and Ultra 154.8. Moving to 2560x1440, these numbers drop to 181.4, 151.7, 129.8, and 105.8 respectively. At 3840x2160, the figures fall further to 100.4, 87.8, 72.5, and 62.9.

The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial but not linear. For Low settings, the decrease is from 266 to 100.4 FPS, a reduction of 62.3%. For Ultra, the drop is from 154.8 to 62.9 FPS, a reduction of 59.4%. This relatively consistent percentage drop across settings suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the scaling follows the pixel count increase. However, the fact that even at 4K Ultra the frame rate stays above 60 FPS indicates that the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, are not becoming a bottleneck. The CPU's passmark multithread score of 12115 and single-thread score of 2541 provide enough headroom to feed the GPU at all tested configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 1192nd out of 1756 tested combinations in To The Core. This places it in the lower third of all tested combos, yet the actual performance data contradicts this modest ranking. The ranking reflects the entire database of combinations, many of which include higher-end CPUs and GPUs. The CPU itself sits at the 73rd percentile versus all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 63rd percentile versus all GPUs.

When examining the component-level rivals, the CPU's average benchmark score of 14168 is nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 7552, which scores 14115, a difference of only 0.4%. The GPU's score of 20258 is similarly close to the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT at 20146, a 0.6% difference. These tight margins suggest that the combination is well-balanced, with neither component dramatically outperforming or underperforming its direct competitors. The ranking in To The Core, while not top-tier, still delivers frame rates that exceed the requirements of this idle game genre, where smoothness and consistency matter more than raw frame counts.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 pair delivers its highest performance. The Low preset achieves 266 FPS, Medium reaches 225.4 FPS, High produces 196.9 FPS, and Ultra maintains 154.8 FPS. These numbers indicate that even at the most demanding settings, the combo operates far beyond the threshold for smooth gameplay, with a margin of over 90 FPS above 60.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. Low settings yield 181.4 FPS, Medium drops to 151.7 FPS, High comes in at 129.8 FPS, and Ultra stays at 105.8 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a reduction of approximately 32% across all settings, which aligns with the increase in pixel count from 2.07 million to 3.69 million.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more moderate but remain playable. Low settings produce 100.4 FPS, Medium reaches 87.8 FPS, High manages 72.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 62.9 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is just above 60 FPS, providing a baseline for what this combo can achieve at maximum settings. The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent performance cost: at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 111.2 FPS; at 1440p, it is 75.6 FPS; and at 4K, it is 37.5 FPS. This narrowing gap indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor, and the relative cost of Ultra settings diminishes in absolute terms.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 154.8 FPS is the clear choice, as it provides the highest visual quality without sacrificing performance. The gap between Ultra and High is 42.1 FPS, but both are well above any practical need, so players should prioritize visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 129.8 FPS offers a balanced experience, with Ultra at 105.8 FPS still being viable for those who prefer maximum settings. The Medium preset at 151.7 FPS is also acceptable, but High provides a better visual experience with only a 21.9 FPS penalty compared to Medium.

For 3840x2160, the choices become more constrained. The Medium preset at 87.8 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining decent visual quality. The High preset at 72.5 FPS is still playable and may be preferable for users with 60 Hz displays who want better graphics. The Ultra preset at 62.9 FPS is borderline, suitable only for those who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate stability. The Low preset at 100.4 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as the visual quality loss is substantial for a game of this genre where graphical detail contributes to the idle experience. Overall, the data suggests that this combo can handle To The Core at any resolution with appropriate settings, with the sweet spot being 1440p High or 4K Medium for the best balance of quality and smoothness.