To The Core

Intel Core i5-12400F pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 to deliver exceptionally high frame rates in To The Core, an idle-genre title that proves far more demanding on the GPU than the CPU. The measured data shows this combination ranks 860th out of 3,725 tested combos, placing it comfortably in the top quarter of all systems while maintaining playable performance even at 4K Ultra settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The combo achieves 213 FPS on average at 2560x1440 with High settings, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors and indicates a very fluid experience.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rival in raw compute?

A: The RTX 4070's average benchmark score of 37,648 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA Tesla P4, which scores 37,628, showing a delta of just 0.1%. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 trails by 0.4%, while the RTX 4080 Mobile leads by 1.3%.

*Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F a bottleneck for this GPU in To The Core?*

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is not a limiting factor. The i5-12400F's average benchmark score of 19,039 is nearly identical to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, which scores 19,047 (0% delta), and the CPU's 73rd percentile ranking among all processors suggests ample headroom.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at for maximum smoothness?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 432 FPS on average, which is the highest measured result. For a balance of visual quality and performance, the 2560x1440 Medium preset offers 245 FPS average.

Q: Does the RTX 4070's 12 GB VRAM suffice for 4K gaming in this title?

A: Yes. The data shows the GPU handles 3840x2160 with Ultra settings at 98 FPS average, indicating the 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is sufficient for this game's demands at 4K resolution.

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

A: The combination ranks 860 out of 3,725 total combos tested in To The Core, placing it in the top 23% of all configurations evaluated.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 serves as the primary performance driver in To The Core, and the measured FPS data reflects its substantial capabilities. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, this GPU features 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. Its boost clock reaches 2475 MHz, with a base clock of 1920 MHz, providing the raw throughput necessary for high frame rates at demanding resolutions.

Memory configuration plays a critical role in this game's performance. The RTX 4070 comes equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This proves more than adequate for To The Core, as evidenced by the 4K results: at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo still manages 98 FPS average. The memory clock runs at 1313 MHz, translating to 21 Gbps effective, which helps maintain consistent frame pacing across all tested configurations.

The GPU's compute capabilities are equally impressive. The card delivers 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and an equal 29.15 TFLOPS for FP16 (1:1 ratio), supported by 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores. These specifications place the RTX 4070 in the 81st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37,648. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 at 37,628 (0.1% difference) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37,507 (0.4% slower), while the RTX 4080 Mobile leads by 1.3% with a score of 38,135.

The GPU's pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s directly contribute to the high frame rates observed. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 432 FPS average, demonstrating that the RTX 4070 has significant headroom even in less demanding scenarios. The card's 200 W TDP and single 16-pin power connector suggest efficient power delivery, with a suggested PSU of 550 W supporting stable operation.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F plays a supporting role in To The Core, and the benchmark data shows it handles this game's processing demands with ease. This Alder Lake-S architecture CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The 10 nm process from Intel and 65 W TDP indicate an efficient design that avoids thermal throttling during extended sessions.

Cache hierarchy is well-suited for gaming workloads. The L1 cache provides 80 KB per core, L2 offers 1.25 MB per core, and L3 has 18 MB shared across all cores. This configuration supports the rapid data access patterns typical of game engines, though To The Core's idle-genre nature likely places less stress on CPU cache than action-oriented titles. The processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus, allowing flexibility in system configuration.

Benchmark results confirm the CPU's capability. The i5-12400F scores 12,380 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,680 in single-core tests, with Geekbench scores of 9,472 multi-core and 1,964 single-core. Its average benchmark score of 19,039 places it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS at 19,047 (0% delta) and Intel Core 3 201E at 19,056 (-0.1% delta). The Intel Core i5-1335U trails by 0.3% with a score of 18,982, while the AMD EPYC 7773X matches at 18,979 (0.3% slower).

In To The Core, the CPU's role is evident in the consistency of frame rates across different settings. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 209 and maximum of 282, with an average of 245 FPS, indicating stable frame delivery without significant CPU-induced stutter. The 3DMark multi-threaded score of 5,912 and single-thread score of 909 further demonstrate balanced performance, ensuring the CPU keeps pace with the GPU's output. The processor's 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes (CPU only) provide ample bandwidth for the RTX 4070's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings in To The Core. At every resolution, the Low preset delivers the highest frame rates, with the Medium preset offering a balanced middle ground, and Ultra providing the most visually demanding experience with the lowest performance.

For 1920x1080, the most competitive setting is Medium, which achieves 365 FPS average with a minimum of 310 FPS and maximum of 420 FPS. This preset delivers a 13% improvement over High's 316 FPS while maintaining the same visual quality tier. The Low preset reaches 432 FPS, but this likely sacrifices too much visual fidelity for the extra 67 FPS. Ultra at 255 FPS still provides excellent performance but shows a 30% reduction compared to Medium, making it a reasonable choice for those prioritizing visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again proves optimal, delivering 245 FPS average with a range of 209 to 282 FPS. This represents a 15% improvement over High's 213 FPS and a 43% gain over Ultra's 171 FPS. The Low preset reaches 290 FPS, but the Medium setting offers a better balance between visual richness and speed. High at 213 FPS remains a strong option for users with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors, providing a 20% uplift over Ultra while maintaining high visual fidelity.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, achieving 140 FPS average with a minimum of 119 FPS and maximum of 161 FPS. This is 15% faster than High's 122 FPS and 43% faster than Ultra's 98 FPS. The Low preset reaches 166 FPS, but Medium provides a substantial visual upgrade for only a 16% performance penalty. Ultra at 98 FPS remains playable but falls below the 100 FPS threshold that many users consider the floor for smooth gameplay. Users with 120Hz 4K displays should consider High at 122 FPS, which stays above this target.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 860th out of 3,725 tested combos in To The Core, placing it in the top 23% of all configurations evaluated. This ranking reflects the system's ability to deliver high frame rates across all resolutions and settings, with the GPU's strong performance and the CPU's ample headroom working together effectively.

This ranking is particularly notable given the game's idle-genre classification, which typically favors GPU performance over CPU capabilities. The RTX 4070's 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs, combined with the i5-12400F's 73rd percentile among CPUs, creates a balanced system that performs well above median. The GPU's average benchmark score of 37,648 places it in close competition with the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (0.1% faster) and AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.4% faster), while the CPU's score of 19,039 matches the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS exactly.

The combo's ranking also benefits from the CPU's efficient multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its 3DMark max-thread score of 5,912 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12,380. These results ensure that frame rates remain consistent even in scenes with complex game logic or many entities, which are common in idle-genre games. The 860th position out of 3,725 indicates that while many systems outperform this combo, it still sits ahead of 2,865 other configurations, demonstrating strong overall value in the tested landscape.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings reveals consistent scaling and performance characteristics for this combo.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset achieves 432 FPS average, representing the best-case scenario for maximum smoothness. The Medium preset delivers 365 FPS average with a narrow range of 310 to 420 FPS, showing tight frame pacing. The High preset reaches 316 FPS average, while the Ultra preset produces 255 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 41% performance drop, from 432 FPS to 255 FPS, with each setting tier reducing performance by approximately 15-20% relative to the previous tier.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. The Low preset reaches 290 FPS average, the Medium preset delivers 245 FPS with a range of 209 to 282 FPS, the High preset achieves 213 FPS, and the Ultra preset produces 171 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 41% reduction, identical to the 1080p pattern. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 209 ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes, while the maximum of 282 FPS indicates the GPU has headroom to spare.

At 3840x2160, performance remains playable across all settings. The Low preset delivers 166 FPS average, the Medium preset achieves 140 FPS with a range of 119 to 161 FPS, the High preset reaches 122 FPS, and the Ultra preset produces 98 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only setting that falls below 100 FPS, but it still provides a playable experience for users prioritizing visual quality. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 41% reduction, consistent with the other resolutions, indicating that the game's performance scaling is resolution-independent.

The Medium preset at each resolution provides the most balanced experience, with minimum FPS values that remain within 15% of the average. At 1080p, the minimum of 310 FPS is 15% below the 365 FPS average; at 1440p, the minimum of 209 FPS is 15% below the 245 FPS average; and at 4K, the minimum of 119 FPS is 15% below the 140 FPS average. This consistency in frame delivery across resolutions indicates a well-optimized game engine and a system configuration that handles varying workloads effectively.