To The Core

To The Core is an idle game, but the benchmark data shows it is far from a lightweight title when pushed to higher resolutions and settings. The pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a substantial performance envelope, ranging from exceptionally high frame rates at 1080p to still-very-playable performance at 4K. The data indicates that this combination is capable of maxing out high-refresh-rate monitors at 1440p and provides a smooth 4K experience, though the scaling between settings reveals where the bottlenecks lie.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, which points directly to the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combination produces an average of 209 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Ultra preset, the average drops to 141 FPS, a reduction of 68 FPS or roughly 32.5%. This is a significant hit, but the resulting frame rate remains exceptionally high. The jump to 4K Ultra brings the average down to 81 FPS, which is a further 60 FPS drop from 1440p and a 128 FPS drop from 1080p. This steep decline from 1440p to 4K strongly suggests that the RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth are being taxed heavily by the 8.3 million pixels at 3840x2160.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. For instance, at High settings, the frame rate goes from 260 FPS at 1080p, to 175 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 100 FPS at 4K. The relative performance drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly 61.5%, which is a massive reduction that highlights the GPU's workload. At Low settings, the trend is even more dramatic, with 355 FPS at 1080p dropping to 239 FPS at 1440p and then to 136 FPS at 4K. The fact that the 4K Low setting (136 FPS) is significantly lower than the 1080p Low setting (355 FPS) confirms that the resolution, not the CPU, is the limiting factor at 4K.

What this data tells a builder is that the i5-11400F has ample headroom to feed the RTX 3070 at 1080p and 1440p. The difference between 1080p Low (355 FPS) and 1440p Low (239 FPS) is a 116 FPS drop, which is a substantial cost for the extra pixels. The difference between 1440p Low (239 FPS) and 4K Low (136 FPS) is a 103 FPS drop. The scaling is not linear, but the consistent and large drops at each step up in resolution underscore that the GPU's rendering throughput is the dominant constraint. For an idle game, these frame rates are exceptionally high, but the data shows that achieving 4K at the highest quality settings will cap the experience at an average of 81 FPS, which is still smooth but leaves less headroom for future updates or more demanding scenes.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combination can achieve at 1080p?

A: The highest recorded average is 355 FPS at 1080p with Low settings. At the Ultra preset, the average drops to 209 FPS, which still far exceeds the refresh rate of most gaming monitors.

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

A: Yes, it can. The data shows an average of 100 FPS at 4K High and 81 FPS at 4K Ultra. While the Ultra preset is below the 100 FPS mark, it remains highly playable and smooth.

Q: How does the CPU's core count relate to the game's performance?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F has 6 cores and 12 threads. In To The Core, the high frame rates at 1080p (up to 355 FPS) indicate that the CPU is not a bottleneck at standard resolutions, as it can maintain high throughput to feed the GPU.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the average frame rate drops from 239 FPS on Low to 141 FPS on Ultra. This is a 98 FPS difference, or a performance cost of roughly 41% for the maximum visual quality preset.

Q: Is the RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Based on the measured data, yes. The GPU is able to maintain 81 FPS at 4K Ultra, which suggests that the 8 GB frame buffer and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for the game's demands at this resolution and settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo is ranked 1601 out of 3725 tested combinations, placing it in the 57th percentile. This indicates it performs above the median but is not in the top tier of all possible pairings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. Its base clock is 2.60 GHz, which can boost up to 4.40 GHz. In the context of To The Core, the CPU's role appears to be ensuring that frame rates remain high, especially when the resolution drops and the GPU's load decreases. The benchmark data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 355 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that requires a capable processor to handle the game logic and draw calls.

The i5-11400F's performance in general benchmarks places it in a specific tier. Its average benchmark score is 17177, which puts it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7H12, which scores 17120 (0.3% higher), and the Intel Core i5-12450H, which scores 17239 (0.4% lower). This shows that the i5-11400F's raw compute power is competitive with a wide range of other processors, and its 12 threads ensure it can handle modern workloads without choking.

For an idle game like To The Core, the CPU's single-threaded performance is often crucial for maintaining high frame rates. The processor's Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2024, which is a strong result that indicates solid per-core performance. The 3DMark single-thread score of 868 further confirms this capability. In practical terms, this means the i5-11400F can keep up with the RTX 3070 at resolutions where the GPU is not fully saturated, such as 1080p and 1440p, preventing the CPU from becoming a limiting factor. The data shows that at 1440p Ultra, the system still produces 141 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it hits 209 FPS, both indicating that the CPU is effectively feeding the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for To The Core, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 holds a rank of 1601 out of 3725 total combinations. This places it in the upper half of all tested systems, specifically at the 57th percentile. This is a solid result, indicating that the combination is well-balanced and delivers performance that is better than the majority of other CPUs and GPUs paired together.

The rank suggests that while this system is not at the absolute top tier, it is far from a low-end configuration. The CPU's 71st percentile ranking and the GPU's 61st percentile ranking both contribute to this mid-to-high placement. The data shows that the combination is capable of high frame rates across all resolutions, which is consistent with a pairing of a strong mid-range CPU with a high-end GPU from the previous generation.

It is important to note that the rank is relative to all other combos in the database, which includes pairings with much newer and more expensive hardware. The i5-11400F, released in early 2021, is an end-of-life product, and the RTX 3070, released in late 2020, is also end-of-life. Despite their age, this combination still manages to outperform over half of the other tested systems in this specific game. For a builder looking at this data, it confirms that this older hardware is still relevant and capable of delivering a high-quality gaming experience in To The Core.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the clear performance driver in this pairing, especially as resolutions scale up. Built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip on Samsung's 8 nm process, it features 5888 shading units and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. Its memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is a key specification for high-resolution gaming, as it allows the GPU to quickly access textures and frame data.

The GPU's clock speeds are listed as a base of 1500 MHz and a boost of 1725 MHz. Its general compute capability is reflected in its average benchmark score of 17208, which places it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which scores 17083 (0.7% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, which scores 17037 (1% higher). This shows that the RTX 3070 is still a very competitive graphics card, trading blows with newer mid-range offerings.

In To The Core, the GPU's role is most evident when looking at the 4K results. At 4K Ultra, the system averages 81 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 209 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This 128 FPS difference is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's workload. The RTX 3070's 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the game, as the data does not show any catastrophic frame drops or stuttering that would indicate memory overflow. The smooth scaling from High (100 FPS) to Ultra (81 FPS) at 4K also suggests that the GPU has enough memory and bandwidth to handle the increased quality settings without hitting a hard wall.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high across the board. On Low settings, the system achieves an average of 355 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 300 FPS, with minimum and maximum values of 255 and 345 FPS, respectively. High settings yield 260 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 209 FPS. This data shows that at 1080p, the system is heavily GPU-bound at higher settings, but the CPU ensures that even at Low settings, the frame rate is massive.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains excellent but shows the expected drop from 1080p. Low settings average 239 FPS, while Medium settings average 202 FPS, with a minimum of 172 FPS and a maximum of 232 FPS. High settings produce 175 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 141 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 98 FPS, which is a substantial cost for the visual upgrade. However, even the lowest recorded figure here, 141 FPS on Ultra, is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate that many gamers target.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers playable frame rates, but the GPU's limitations become apparent. Low settings average 136 FPS, which is still very smooth. Medium settings average 115 FPS, with a minimum of 98 FPS and a maximum of 133 FPS. High settings produce 100 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 81 FPS. The data shows that for a consistent 100+ FPS experience at 4K, the High preset is the limit. The Ultra preset, while still smooth, falls below the 100 FPS threshold, which is a common target for high-refresh-rate 4K monitors. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 55 FPS drop, which is less severe than at lower resolutions, but the absolute numbers are lower due to the sheer pixel count.