To The Core

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers exceptional frame rates in To The Core, an idle genre title. The measured data shows this combination is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures high minimums at 1080p. The RTX 4080’s 16 GB of VRAM and high memory bandwidth prove ample for even the Ultra preset, where the game remains well above playable thresholds.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 125 FPS. This figure is lower than the High preset at the same resolution, which achieves 156 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080’s average benchmark score is 54247. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, resulting in a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% behind, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB trails by 2.6%.

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile relative to all processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 sits in the 72nd percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 18683, placing it slightly below the AMD EPYC 7643, which has an average score of 18697 and a delta of -0.1%.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 371 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 219 FPS. This represents a drop of 152 FPS, or approximately 41%, when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: Is there a measurable FPS range for the Medium preset at any resolution?

A: Yes, the data includes minimum and maximum FPS for Medium settings. At 1920x1080, the range is 397 FPS (min) to 537 FPS (max), with an average of 467 FPS. At 3840x2160, the range is 153 FPS (min) to 207 FPS (max), averaging 180 FPS.

Q: How does the i5-12400's multi-threaded performance compare to its single-threaded score?

A: In Cinebench R23, the multicore score is 15989, while the singlecore score is 2257. The multicore result is roughly seven times higher, reflecting the processor's 6 cores and 12 threads working in parallel.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is central to this combination's high frame rates in To The Core. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth prevent VRAM capacity from bottlenecking at any tested resolution or preset. The memory clock runs at 1400 MHz, with an effective data rate of 22.4 Gbps, which supports the high throughput required for the game's rendering workload.

The GPU's base clock is 2205 MHz, with a boost clock of 2505 MHz. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 531, but this drops to 212 FPS at 4K Low. This scaling indicates that the RTX 4080's raw compute power is the primary factor driving results, as the CPU is less likely to be a limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The RTX 4080 also holds a strong position in synthetic tests, with a Passmark G3D score of 34457 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567. Its average benchmark score of 54247 places it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is nearly identical in average score (54209), confirming that the standard 4080 is a top-tier performer. In To The Core, the GPU's capabilities translate directly to the high average FPS figures across all settings, from 125 FPS at 4K Ultra to 531 FPS at 1080p Low.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the High preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, High settings deliver 405 FPS, which is 62 FPS lower than Low but 79 FPS higher than Ultra. The margin over Ultra is consistent at 2560x1440, where High achieves 272 FPS versus 219 FPS for Ultra. At 3840x2160, the High preset's 156 FPS is still well above the 125 FPS seen at Ultra, indicating that the visual quality jump to Ultra costs significant performance without a proportional gain in smoothness.

For users prioritizing frame rates above all else, the Low preset is the clear choice. It achieves the highest measured averages: 531 FPS at 1080p, 371 FPS at 1440p, and 212 FPS at 4K. However, the difference between Low and High is substantial, suggesting that the game's visual fidelity improves meaningfully with higher settings, and the hardware can easily afford the trade-off.

The Medium preset serves as a middle ground, with measured averages of 467 FPS at 1080p, 314 FPS at 1440p, and 180 FPS at 4K. The data includes min/max figures only for Medium, showing a 140 FPS spread at 1080p (397 to 537) and a 54 FPS spread at 4K (153 to 207). This variance is larger than the average-to-average gaps, so users sensitive to frame pacing might prefer the more consistent High or Ultra presets. In summary, High is recommended for the best combination of quality and speed, while Ultra remains viable for those with high-refresh-rate 4K displays.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance scaling.

At 1920x1080, the results are consistently high. The Low preset yields an average of 531 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 467 FPS, with a measured range of 397 FPS to 537 FPS. High settings produce 405 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 326 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 205 FPS, indicating that the GPU is not stressed at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages remain elevated. Low settings achieve 371 FPS, while Medium averages 314 FPS with a range of 267 FPS to 361 FPS. High settings deliver 272 FPS, and Ultra drops to 219 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 152 FPS, showing a tighter scaling curve than at 1080p as the GPU begins to work harder.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still strong but shows more pronounced differences between presets. Low settings average 212 FPS, Medium averages 180 FPS (with a range of 153 to 207 FPS), High averages 156 FPS, and Ultra averages 125 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 87 FPS, which is proportionally smaller than at lower resolutions. This pattern suggests that at 4K, the GPU is approaching its limits, but it still maintains frame rates above 120 FPS even on the most demanding preset.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the scaling behavior of this hardware combination. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 531 at 1080p to 371 at 1440p, a reduction of 160 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the average drops from 371 to 212, a further reduction of 159 FPS. This nearly linear decline indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the workload scales with pixel count.

At High settings, the scaling is similar but with a slightly steeper curve. The average drops from 405 FPS at 1080p to 272 FPS at 1440p (a 133 FPS reduction), and then to 156 FPS at 4K (a 116 FPS reduction). The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is about 61% for High, compared to 60% for Low. This consistency suggests that the RTX 4080’s performance is limited by its shading and rasterization throughput rather than memory bandwidth or VRAM capacity.

The Ultra preset shows the smallest absolute drop: from 326 FPS at 1080p to 219 FPS at 1440p (107 FPS), and then to 125 FPS at 4K (94 FPS). The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 62%, which is in line with the other presets. The fact that the FPS does not collapse at 4K Ultra indicates that the 16 GB VRAM is sufficient, and the GPU's 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the deciding factor. The data shows that the CPU's role in scaling is minimal, as the frame rate drops are consistent across all settings, pointing to a GPU-bound scenario at all tested resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 provides a solid foundation for the RTX 4080 in To The Core. With 6 cores and 12 threads, the processor has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU's single-thread performance is notable, with a Cinebench R23 singlecore score of 2257 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 910. These figures suggest that the CPU can handle the game's primary thread without bottlenecking the GPU, especially at lower resolutions where frame rates are extremely high.

The CPU's multi-threaded scores are also strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15989 and a 3DMark max-threads score of 5890. The Passmark multithread score of 18747 and the average benchmark score of 18683 place it in the 72nd percentile. The nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7643, is virtually identical in average score (18697), while the Intel Core i3-14100F is 0.9% lower. This indicates that the i5-12400 is well-matched to the RTX 4080 for this title.

The data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in To The Core. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 531 is high enough that any CPU bottleneck would manifest as inconsistent frame times, but the measured averages remain stable. The L3 cache of 18 MB (shared) and L2 cache of 1.25 MB per core provide adequate data throughput for the game's logic. The CPU's 65 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory allow for flexible system configuration, though the benchmark data does not specify which memory type was used. Overall, the i5-12400 delivers sufficient processing power to keep the RTX 4080 fed, even at the highest frame rates measured.

How This Combo Ranks

In To The Core, this combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 298 out of 3725 tested combos. This places it in the top 8% of all configurations in the database, reflecting the high performance of the GPU and the capable mid-range CPU.

The rank is driven primarily by the GPU's dominance. The RTX 4080’s average benchmark score of 54247 is in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is only 0.1% away. The CPU’s contribution is secondary, as its 72nd percentile ranking is lower than the GPU’s, but it does not drag down the combo’s overall standing. The combination achieves high frame rates across all settings, with the lowest measured average being 125 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Compared to other combos, the rank of 298 out of 3725 indicates that only 297 configurations deliver better performance in this game. This is a strong result, especially considering that the i5-12400 is not a flagship processor. The data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in this ranking, as the RTX 4080 can push frame rates well beyond what most CPUs would bottleneck. The combo’s performance is consistent with its component-level benchmarks: the GPU's high percentile and the CPU's solid mid-range scores combine to produce a top-tier gaming experience. For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, this combo is well-positioned to maximize the display's capabilities in To The Core.