To The Core

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 127th out of 1756 tested combinations in To The Core. This places the combo in the top 7.2% of all configurations tested for this title, a strong result that reflects a balanced pairing capable of exploiting the game's engine. The data shows that this combination is not merely adequate; it is positioned to deliver exceptionally high frame rates across all standard resolutions and settings, making it a formidable setup for this idle game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 127 out of 1756 tested combos signals that the i5-12400F and RTX 4080 SUPER together are a top-tier configuration for To The Core. This positioning is particularly notable given the CPU's standing in the broader market. The processor holds a 77th percentile rank against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19221. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-8700K, scores 19210, a mere 0.1% difference, while the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS is 0.7% slower and the AMD EPYC 7773X is 1.3% faster. These tight margins indicate the i5-12400F sits in a highly competitive performance band, yet within this specific game, the combination with the RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a high placement. The GPU also contributes significantly, holding an 88th percentile rank against all GPUs with an average score of 53610. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, scores 53489 (0.2% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is 2.9% slower. The synergy between a high-percentile CPU and a high-percentile GPU yields a combo rank that is substantially better than what either component's individual percentile might suggest, indicating efficient scaling in this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant force in this pairing, equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1438 MHz, translating to 23 Gbps effective. The GPU's base clock is 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2550 MHz. These specifications allow for massive throughput, which is reflected in the measured FPS. In To The Core, the GPU's role is to push frame rates to extreme levels, even at 4K resolution. The data indicates that at 3840x2160 with High settings, the combo achieves 157.9 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. The GPU's architecture, Ada Lovelace, includes 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, alongside 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. This hardware configuration supports the high fill rates and compute performance necessary for the game's demands. The FP32 performance is listed at 52.22 TFLOPS, and the pixel rate is 285.6 GPixel/s. These numbers suggest that the RTX 4080 SUPER is rarely the bottleneck, even when the CPU is working at its limits. The GPU's performance is further contextualized by its percentile rank of 88, meaning it outperforms 88% of all GPUs in the database, making it a top-shelf component that easily handles the graphical load of this idle title.

Settings Recommendations

Benchmark results indicate that the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target display resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 325.5 FPS, while High yields 401.6 FPS. The jump to Medium shows 465.5 FPS, and Low reaches 537.1 FPS. At this resolution, the frame rates are so high that the differences between presets are largely academic; however, the data suggests that the High preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as it retains over 400 FPS while providing better graphical quality than Medium or Low. Moving to 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 268.5 FPS, which is still exceptionally smooth. Ultra drops to 215.7 FPS, which remains far above typical high-refresh-rate monitor capabilities. For 4K (3840x2160), High settings produce 157.9 FPS, while Ultra falls to 123.4 FPS. Given that the game is an idle title, where visual smoothness is less critical than in action games, the High preset at 4K is recommended as it provides a substantial frame rate buffer over Ultra (157.9 vs 123.4) without a significant perceivable quality loss. The Low preset at 4K yields 211.9 FPS, but this sacrifices too much visual quality for marginal gains. Therefore, the High preset across all resolutions is the most rational choice, offering the best measured experience per the data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are as follows: Low 537.1 FPS, Medium 465.5 FPS, High 401.6 FPS, and Ultra 325.5 FPS. This represents a drop of 211.6 FPS from Low to Ultra, indicating that the GPU is being pushed harder at higher settings. At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 369.3 FPS, Medium 314.6 FPS, High 268.5 FPS, and Ultra 215.7 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 153.6 FPS, a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p, suggesting the CPU is beginning to play a larger role. At 3840x2160, the frame rates are: Low 211.9 FPS, Medium 179 FPS, High 157.9 FPS, and Ultra 123.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 88.5 FPS, the smallest gap across all resolutions. This pattern shows that as resolution increases, the performance penalty for higher settings diminishes in absolute terms, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at 4K. The data shows that even at the most demanding preset and resolution tested (4K Ultra), the combo still delivers 123.4 FPS, confirming that it never falls below commonly accepted smoothness thresholds.

Resolution Scaling

Examining the scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about the limiting component. At High settings, the frame rates are 401.6 FPS at 1920x1080, 268.5 FPS at 2560x1440, and 157.9 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 33.1% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 60.7% drop from 1080p to 4K. For the Low preset, the numbers are 537.1, 369.3, and 211.9 FPS respectively, showing a 31.2% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 60.5% drop to 4K. The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings suggests a balanced scaling pattern. However, the absolute FPS at 1080p (537.1 on Low) is extraordinarily high, indicating that the CPU is likely the limiting factor at this resolution, as the GPU is not being fully utilized. As resolution increases, the load shifts to the GPU, evidenced by the smaller absolute frame rate differences between settings at 4K. The data suggests that at 1080p, the i5-12400F is holding back the RTX 4080 SUPER, as the frame rates exceed what the GPU would need to produce for a typical 144Hz display. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, yet it still delivers 157.9 FPS on High settings. This analysis indicates that the combo is well-matched for 1440p and 4K gaming, where both components are more evenly utilized, while at 1080p the CPU limits the potential maximum frame rate.

FAQ

*Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations in To The Core?*

A: The combo ranks 127th out of 1756 tested combinations, placing it in the top 7.2% of all configurations.

Q: What is the performance difference between the CPU and its closest rival?

A: The i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19221, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-8700K's score of 19210.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate achieved at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 537.1, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the performance drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 401.6 at 1080p to 157.9 at 4K, representing a 60.7% decrease.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: At 4K, the GPU is the limiting component, as indicated by the smaller absolute FPS gaps between settings (88.5 FPS difference between Low and Ultra) compared to 1080p.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has a memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s, using GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus.