To The Core

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a smooth experience in To The Core, but the data reveals a clear performance hierarchy based on resolution and settings. At 1080p, the combo is clearly CPU-bound at lower settings, with frame rates soaring past 300 FPS. As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU takes on a heavier load, and the frame rate drops become more pronounced, indicating a shift in the bottleneck. The measured frame rates show that this pairing is exceptionally capable for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, while still maintaining playable, high frame rates at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K is a classic illustration of GPU load increasing with pixel count. At 1080p with Low settings, the average frame rate is 315.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low yields 211.5 FPS, a drop of 104 FPS, and at 4K Low, the average falls to 117.5 FPS. This steep decline—a 62.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K—shows that the RTX 4060 is the limiting component as resolution climbs, even on Low settings.

The 4K results are particularly telling. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate drops to 73 FPS, which is the lowest measured score in the entire dataset. This represents a 60.9% decrease from the 1080p Ultra score of 187.2 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra settings also widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between High (232.2 FPS) and Ultra (187.2 FPS) is 45 FPS. At 4K, that same settings gap shrinks to only 13.3 FPS (86.3 vs 73), suggesting that the GPU is so saturated at 4K that the visual fidelity jumps have a smaller relative impact on the final frame rate.

The data indicates that for 1080p and 1440p gaming, the Core i5-12600KF provides ample headroom. The frame rate differences between Low and Medium settings at 1080p (315.5 vs 265.5 FPS) are substantial, but at 4K, the difference is only 16.6 FPS (117.5 vs 100.9). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, and the CPU’s performance becomes less critical. For users targeting 4K, the RTX 4060’s 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory interface become the key constraints, rather than the CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Core i5-12600KF and RTX 4060 achieves a rank of 1000 out of 1756 combos in To The Core. This places it in the 43rd percentile of all tested systems, indicating that while it is not a top-tier configuration, it outperforms a majority of the tested setups. The CPU itself, however, is a strong performer in its own right, sitting in the 84th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU’s benchmark scores show it is competitive with other high-end processors. Its average benchmark score is 27827, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K’s 27829 (a 0% delta). It also trades blows with the Intel Core i5-12600K (27851, -0.1% delta) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H (27872, -0.2% delta). This indicates that the 12600KF is not the weak link in this combo; it provides flagship-level compute performance that can feed the GPU effectively at lower resolutions.

The GPU’s ranking is more modest. The RTX 4060 sits in the 66th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 23181. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23321, -0.6% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (23338, -0.7% delta), while it leads the Intel Arc B580 (23021, 0.7% delta) and the AMD Radeon 760M (22999, 0.8% delta). This suggests that while the GPU is competent, it is not a class-leading part, and the combo’s overall rank is likely held back by the GPU’s mid-range positioning rather than the CPU’s capabilities.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in To The Core?*

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 315.5 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average frame rate of 73 FPS, which is the lowest score in the measured data.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is more of a limiting factor at 1080p, as frame rates are extremely high (over 300 FPS on Low) and the GPU still has headroom. The high CPU benchmark scores support this, as the 12600KF ranks in the 84th percentile of all CPUs.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the High setting yields 154.4 FPS, while Ultra yields 122.9 FPS, a difference of 31.5 FPS.

Q: How does the i5-12600KF compare to the i9-10900K in average benchmark score?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27827, which is virtually identical to the i9-10900K’s 27829, showing a 0% delta.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1000 out of 1756 tested combinations, placing it in the middle of the pack.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings levels.

1920x1080: The combo excels here, delivering high refresh-rate performance. Low settings hit 315.5 FPS, Medium 265.5 FPS, High 232.2 FPS, and Ultra 187.2 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 128.3 FPS, demonstrating that while the GPU is capable, the settings still have a significant impact on the final output.

2560x1440: Performance remains strong, though the GPU load increases. Low settings produce 211.5 FPS, Medium 177.7 FPS, High 154.4 FPS, and Ultra 122.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 88.6 FPS, a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor.

3840x2160: At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. Low settings yield 117.5 FPS, Medium 100.9 FPS, High 86.3 FPS, and Ultra 73 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 44.5 FPS, showing that even the lowest settings cannot fully alleviate the GPU strain at this resolution.

The consistency of the data shows a predictable pattern: as resolution increases, the frame rate drops more sharply with each settings tier. At 1080p, the difference between each settings step is roughly 30-40 FPS, while at 4K, the difference narrows to 13-17 FPS, confirming the GPU’s saturation point.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 plays a critical role in determining the combo’s performance ceiling, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a limiting factor at 4K, where the frame rate drops sharply to 73 FPS on Ultra settings. The GPU’s clock speeds are a base of 1830 MHz and a boost of 2460 MHz, which are relatively high for a mid-range card, helping it achieve a Passmark G3D score of 19545.

The GPU’s architecture, Ada Lovelace, is built on a 5 nm process by TSMC, with 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. It has 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. These specifications contribute to its 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The GPU also includes 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores, which are relevant for modern game features, though the To The Core data does not specify whether these are utilized.

The GPU’s benchmark data shows it performs best in DirectX 11 (a score of 175) compared to DirectX 12 (a score of 76) and DirectX 10 (a score of 103). This suggests that the card may be more efficient in older APIs, which could explain why the frame rates in To The Core, an idle game, remain high even at 1440p. The GPU’s overall percentile rank of 66 places it above average, but its nearest rivals show it is closely matched with other mid-range parts. The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is a key constraint at 4K, as the frame rate drops to 117.5 FPS even on Low settings, indicating that the memory bandwidth and capacity are the primary bottlenecks rather than the core compute units.