To The Core

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers an exceptional experience in To The Core, with benchmark data showing frame rates that are consistently high across all tested resolutions and settings. The data indicates a system that is never genuinely strained by this Idle title, though the scaling patterns reveal a clear shift in bottleneck behavior that users should understand.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a non-linear scaling pattern as resolution increases, which is a strong indicator of where the performance ceiling lies. At 1080p, the combination produces staggeringly high frame rates, with the Low preset hitting 387.1 FPS and even the demanding Ultra preset maintaining 281.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain extremely high, with Low at 321 FPS and Ultra at 194 FPS, representing a 17.1% and 31.1% drop from their 1080p counterparts respectively. This moderate decline suggests the GPU is still operating well within its capabilities at this resolution.

The transition to 4K is where the scaling becomes more pronounced. At 3840x2160, the Low preset drops to 183.6 FPS (a 52.6% reduction from 1080p), while the Ultra preset falls to 107 FPS (a 62.0% reduction). This steeper decline at 4K indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is beginning to become the limiting factor at this high resolution, particularly with the Ultra preset which demands the most from the graphics hardware. However, even the 4K Ultra result of 107 FPS is far above playable thresholds, demonstrating that this combination is not truly bottlenecked even in the most demanding scenario tested.

The data shows that the GPU is the primary scaling component when moving from 1440p to 4K, as the frame rate drops align closely with the pixel count increase. In contrast, the relatively small differences between 1080p and 1440p results—particularly at Low settings where the CPU is more likely to be the constraint—suggest that the i5-10400F is keeping pace admirably, with the system showing a balanced profile until the GPU load becomes substantial.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F brings 6 cores and 12 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. In To The Core, an Idle genre game, the benchmark results indicate that the processor is more than sufficient to feed the RTX 4070 SUPER. The CPU's benchmark scores support this conclusion, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10297 and a single-core score of 1453, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs tested.

The processor's performance relative to its nearest rivals in the database is telling. The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14168, which is 0.4% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115) and 1.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-8500 (14332). While it trails the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C by 0.8% (14277) and the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 by 1.2% (14336), these margins are negligible and do not translate into meaningful differences in gaming performance.

The 3DMark thread scaling results show the CPU's architecture at work: a single-thread score of 688, scaling to 2560 at 4 threads, 3929 at 8 threads, and reaching a plateau at 4735 with max threads. This scaling pattern suggests that the processor's 6-core/12-thread configuration provides ample parallel processing headroom for the game's demands, though the modest gains beyond 8 threads indicate that To The Core does not heavily utilize all available threads, which is typical for the Idle genre.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 281.5 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any display, and represents only a 27.3% reduction from the Low preset's 387.1 FPS. Given the abundance of headroom, Ultra is the recommended choice at this resolution, as the visual fidelity gains come at a negligible performance cost.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset maintains 194 FPS, comfortably above high-refresh-rate thresholds. The Medium preset offers 270.3 FPS, which may appeal to users with 240Hz displays, but the Ultra preset's 194 FPS is still well within the range of most monitors. For users prioritizing maximum visual quality, Ultra is the sensible default, while those with extreme refresh rate requirements might consider Medium as a compromise.

At 4K, the settings choice becomes more consequential. The Ultra preset drops to 107 FPS, which is still playable but represents a noticeable step down from the High preset's 134.2 FPS. The High preset offers a 25.4% improvement over Ultra while likely providing nearly identical visual quality in most scenes. For 4K users, High is the recommended setting, as it balances the GPU workload effectively while maintaining frame rates well above 120 FPS. The Low preset at 183.6 FPS is available for users with 144Hz 4K displays, but the visual compromise is likely unnecessary given the High preset's strong performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 403rd out of 1756 tested combos in To The Core, placing it in the top 23% of all configurations in the database. This ranking is notable because the CPU is a relatively older 10th-generation part, yet the pairing still outperforms the vast majority of alternatives.

The rank reflects the balanced nature of this combination. The RTX 4070 SUPER, with its 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs, provides the bulk of the gaming horsepower, while the i5-10400F's 73rd percentile CPU ranking ensures that the processor does not become a significant hindrance. The 403rd rank out of 1756 suggests that while there are faster combinations available, this pairing offers a level of performance that is within striking distance of much more expensive configurations, particularly in a game that is not heavily CPU-bound.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the strong 4K performance. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is well-suited for high-resolution gaming, as the 4K results demonstrate minimal memory-related bottlenecks.

The GPU's clock speeds are notable: a base clock of 1980 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). These clocks contribute to a compute throughput of 35.48 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, which is substantial for a card in this class. The 7168 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 80 ROPs provide the raw processing power needed to maintain high frame rates at 4K.

In the context of To The Core, the GPU's performance is exceptional. The PassMark G3D score of 29995 places the RTX 4070 SUPER in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 42576 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42653, a -0.2% difference) and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42723, a -0.3% difference). The GPU is 1.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 580X (41991) and 1.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M40 (41897). These comparisons show that the RTX 4070 SUPER is performing at a level consistent with much more expensive workstation-class hardware.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in To The Core?*

A: Yes, the data shows the combination achieves 134.2 FPS at 4K High settings and 107 FPS at 4K Ultra, both well above playable standards.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset delivers 194 FPS at 1440p, which is recommended for most users. The Medium preset offers 270.3 FPS for those with very high refresh rate displays.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-10400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 SUPER?

A: The benchmark data suggests minimal bottlenecking. The CPU's 3DMark max-thread score of 4735 and its 73rd percentile ranking indicate it keeps pace with the GPU, especially at 1080p and 1440p.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 42576 is within 0.3% of the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42653) and AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42723), and it is 1.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 580X (41991).

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows 281.5 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is more than sufficient for any display, including 240Hz monitors.

Q: Does the game use the CPU's multi-threading capabilities?

A: The 3DMark thread scaling shows scores of 3929 at 8 threads and 4735 at max threads, indicating the game benefits from up to 8 threads but does not heavily utilize all 12 available threads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 387.1 FPS
• Medium: 367.9 FPS
• High: 347.4 FPS
• Ultra: 281.5 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 321 FPS
• Medium: 270.3 FPS
• High: 239.3 FPS
• Ultra: 194 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 183.6 FPS
• Medium: 158.8 FPS
• High: 134.2 FPS
• Ultra: 107 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern where each settings tier improves performance by roughly 10-15% over the next tier down, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening from 27.3% at 1080p to 41.7% at 4K. This indicates that the GPU becomes progressively more stressed as resolution increases, making settings choices more impactful at higher resolutions.