To The Core

To The Core is an idle game, but its benchmark results with the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 reveal a configuration that scales predictably across resolutions, with the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck only at higher settings. The measured data shows a system that is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, delivering high frame rates that should satisfy most users, while 4K performance remains playable but requires careful settings management.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K demonstrates classic resolution scaling behavior, with the gap between the lowest and highest resolutions widening as settings increase. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 241 at 1920x1080 to 162 at 2560x1440, a 33% reduction, and then further to 93 at 3840x2160, representing a 61% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern suggests that at Low settings, the system is still somewhat CPU-bound, as the frame rates remain high enough that the GPU is not fully saturated.

At Medium settings, the scaling becomes more pronounced. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 204, which falls to 137 at 2560x1440 (a 33% drop) and then to 78 at 3840x2160 (a 62% drop from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops between Low and Medium settings indicates that the limiting factor is shifting toward the GPU as resolution increases, but the CPU is still contributing significantly to overall performance.

High settings show a slightly different scaling curve. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 176, dropping to 119 at 2560x1440 (32% reduction) and then to 68 at 3840x2160 (61% reduction). The near-identical percentage drops across Low, Medium, and High settings suggest that the RTX 2060's memory bandwidth and compute capabilities are being stressed uniformly as pixel count increases, with the 6 GB VRAM buffer and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth becoming more relevant at 4K.

Ultra settings exhibit the steepest scaling curve, which is expected given the increased rendering demands. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 142, falling to 95 at 2560x1440 (33% drop) and then to 55 at 3840x2160 (61% drop). The fact that the percentage reduction from 1080p to 4K remains consistent across all settings suggests that resolution scaling in To The Core is primarily pixel-count driven, with settings affecting the absolute frame rates but not the relative scaling behavior.

The 4K Medium preset provides the most informative data point for understanding the bottleneck. With an average of 78 FPS and a minimum of 67 FPS, this configuration shows that the system can maintain playable frame rates at 4K, but the gap between the 78 FPS average and the 67 FPS minimum indicates frame time variance that could be noticeable in gameplay. The 4K High preset's 68 FPS average further confirms that the RTX 2060 is the limiting component at this resolution, as the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are likely not fully utilized at these lower frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F brings 6 cores and 12 threads to this configuration, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This is a Rocket Lake architecture part built on Intel's 14 nm process, and its benchmark scores indicate solid mid-range performance. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14340 and single-core score of 2024 place it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, showing that it can handle both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads effectively.

In To The Core, an idle game, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain consistent frame pacing and handle game logic, which typically does not scale with resolution. The data supports this interpretation: at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 241 FPS, which is high enough that the CPU's single-thread performance becomes the limiting factor. The 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and the Passmark single-thread score of 2981 indicate that the i5-11400F has sufficient single-core performance to drive high frame rates, but the 241 FPS ceiling at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU is nearing its maximum throughput in this scenario.

The CPU's multicore performance becomes more relevant at higher settings, where the frame rates are lower and the GPU takes on more of the rendering load. The Cinebench R20 multicore score of 6022 and the 3DMark max-threads score of 5652 show that the 6-core/12-thread configuration provides enough parallel processing capability to avoid becoming a bottleneck in most scenarios. However, the Passmark multithread score of 16908, while respectable, is not exceptional, and in a game like To The Core that may not fully utilize all 12 threads, the CPU's performance is likely more dependent on its single-core capabilities.

The nearest rivals provide context for the CPU's positioning. The AMD EPYC 7H12, with an average score of 17120, is just 0.3% behind the i5-11400F's average benchmark score of 17177, despite being a server-class processor. The Intel Core i5-12450H is 0.4% ahead, and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G is 0.6% ahead. The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U is 0.6% behind. This clustering indicates that the i5-11400F delivers performance that is competitive with a range of other processors, with differences that are negligible in real-world gaming scenarios.

At 4K resolutions, the CPU's role diminishes significantly. The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 55, which is low enough that the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The CPU's 12 threads and 12 MB of shared L3 cache are more than sufficient to feed the RTX 2060 at these frame rates, and the data shows no evidence of CPU-induced frame rate drops at 4K. The 4K Medium preset's minimum FPS of 67, compared to the 1080p Medium minimum of 173, further confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the CPU is capable of maintaining higher frame rates when the GPU is not constrained.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2938 out of 3725 tested combos in To The Core, placing it in the 21st percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the hardware's age and positioning; both components are end-of-life products, with the CPU released in March 2021 and the GPU in January 2019. The ranking suggests that while this combo can play the game, it does so at performance levels that are lower than the majority of tested systems.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 58 places it in the upper half of all GPUs, but its average benchmark score of 15290 is closely matched by its nearest rivals. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has an average score of 15283, a delta of 0%, meaning the RTX 2060 is statistically indistinguishable from this much older card in synthetic benchmarks. The AMD Radeon 680M is 0.1% behind, the RTX 3050 OEM is 0.6% behind, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 is 0.8% ahead. This tight clustering shows that the RTX 2060's performance is competitive with a range of other GPUs, but it is not a standout performer in the current landscape.

The combo ranking of 2938 out of 3725 indicates that a significant majority of tested combinations outperform this setup. This is not surprising given that the RTX 2060 has 6 GB of VRAM, which is now considered low for modern games, and its 192-bit memory bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is modest by current standards. The CPU, while capable, is also not a high-end part, and its 65 W TDP and 14 nm process node place it at a disadvantage compared to newer, more efficient processors.

However, the ranking should be interpreted in the context of the game itself. To The Core is an idle game, which typically does not demand the same level of hardware performance as AAA shooters or open-world titles. The measured FPS data shows that this combo can achieve 241 FPS at 1080p Low and 176 FPS at 1080p High, which are excellent results for any game. The ranking is therefore a reflection of the hardware's overall capabilities rather than its suitability for this specific game, and the data shows that the combo is more than adequate for To The Core's requirements.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of the combo's performance across four settings presets and three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 241 FPS at Low settings, 204 FPS at Medium, 176 FPS at High, and 142 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 173 and a maximum of 234, indicating a frame time variance of 61 FPS between the lowest and highest measured values. This variance is relatively tight and suggests smooth gameplay, with no significant frame drops.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 162 at Low, 137 at Medium, 119 at High, and 95 at Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution shows a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157, representing a variance of 41 FPS. The tighter variance at 1440p compared to 1080p is interesting, as it suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor, which can actually reduce frame time spikes caused by CPU-side bottlenecks.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 93 at Low, 78 at Medium, 68 at High, and 55 at Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 90, with a variance of 23 FPS. This is the tightest variance of any resolution, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated at 4K and frame delivery is more consistent. The 67 FPS minimum at 4K Medium is still above the 60 FPS threshold that many users consider the minimum for smooth gameplay, but the 55 FPS average at 4K Ultra falls below this threshold, meaning that Ultra settings at 4K may result in noticeable stuttering.

The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 99 FPS (241 vs 142), representing a 41% reduction. At 1440p, the difference is 67 FPS (162 vs 95), a 41% reduction. At 4K, the difference is 38 FPS (93 vs 55), also a 41% reduction. This consistency across resolutions confirms that the settings presets scale uniformly, with each step from Low to Medium to High to Ultra providing a similar relative performance penalty.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture using TSMC's 12 nm process, with 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die. Its base clock is 1365 MHz and boost clock is 1680 MHz, with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, along with 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores, making it a capable mid-range card from the GeForce 20-series.

In To The Core, the GPU's role is to handle the rendering workload, which includes geometric transformations, texture mapping, and pixel shading. The game's idle genre means that the visual complexity may be lower than in other genres, but the benchmark data shows that the RTX 2060 still becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra preset's average of 55 FPS indicates that the GPU is fully saturated at this resolution and settings combination, as the CPU is capable of driving higher frame rates as evidenced by the 1080p results.

The GPU's memory configuration is a potential concern at 4K. With 6 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, the RTX 2060 may struggle with textures and assets that require more memory at high resolutions. The 4K High preset's 68 FPS average and 4K Medium's 78 FPS average suggest that the GPU is managing the memory load, but the 55 FPS at 4K Ultra could be partly attributable to VRAM capacity issues. The memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is also a limiting factor, as higher resolutions require more data to be transferred between the GPU and memory.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide context for its performance. The Passmark G3D score of 14111 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242 indicate that the RTX 2060 is a solid performer for its generation, but its nearest rivals show that it is closely matched with much older hardware. The GeForce GTX 580, which was released in 2010, has an average score that is statistically identical to the RTX 2060, highlighting the incremental improvements in GPU performance over the years. The AMD Radeon RX 7600, which is a more modern card, is only 0.8% ahead, suggesting that the RTX 2060's performance is still competitive in synthetic benchmarks.

The GPU's 160 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU rating indicate that it is a power-efficient card for its performance level, and the dual-slot design with a single 8-pin power connector makes it easy to install in most systems. The display outputs, including 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C, provide flexibility for various monitor setups, though the DVI output is a legacy feature that may not be useful for modern displays.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the resolution and the user's performance priorities. At 1920x1080, all settings presets deliver playable frame rates, with even the Ultra preset maintaining an average of 142 FPS. The Medium preset, with an average of 204 FPS and a minimum of 173 FPS, provides an excellent balance between visual quality and performance. The High preset's 176 FPS average is also a strong choice, offering a slight visual improvement over Medium with only a 14% reduction in frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, delivering an average of 137 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS. This ensures that the frame rate remains above 100 FPS at all times, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios. The High preset's 119 FPS average is also acceptable, but its lower minimum frame rate (not specified in the data) could potentially dip below 100 FPS in demanding scenes. The Ultra preset's 95 FPS average is the minimum recommended for 1440p, as frame rates below this threshold may become noticeable to sensitive users.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the only recommended option, with an average of 78 FPS and a minimum of 67 FPS. This keeps the frame rate above 60 FPS, which is the minimum for smooth gameplay, while providing a level of visual quality that is acceptable for an idle game. The High preset's 68 FPS average is close to the 60 FPS threshold, but its minimum frame rate is not specified, and the risk of dropping below 60 FPS makes it a less safe choice. The Low preset's 93 FPS average is viable if the user prioritizes frame rate over visual quality, but the Medium preset offers a better visual experience for only a 16% performance penalty.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution above 1080p. At 1440p, the 95 FPS average is borderline, and at 4K, the 55 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold. For users who prefer maximum visual quality, the Ultra preset at 1080p is the only viable option, delivering 142 FPS on average. However, given that To The Core is an idle game, the visual differences between Medium and Ultra settings may not justify the significant performance cost, and the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p provides the best overall experience per the measured data.