To The Core

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a remarkably fluid experience in To The Core, an idle game where frame rates are exceptionally high across all tested configurations. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet still capable of pushing well past the 200 FPS mark at 1080p with most settings. This combination ranks in the 58th percentile of all tested combos for this title, indicating solid mid-pack performance that prioritizes consistency over raw extremes.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank for To The Core?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 2177th out of 3725 tested combos for this game.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 340 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average frame rate recorded is 51 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: How much faster is the combo at 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The average frame rate at 1080p Low (340 FPS) is over six times higher than the average at 4K Ultra (51 FPS).

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160, the combo averages 72 FPS on High settings and 83 FPS on Medium settings, both of which are above the typical 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking compared to all CPUs?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F ranks in the 83rd percentile against all CPUs in the database, indicating strong overall processing capability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the primary driver of To The Core's visuals, and its specifications directly explain the performance scaling observed. 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 sufficient for the game's demands, as even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 51 FPS, suggesting the GPU is being pushed to its limits but not necessarily running out of memory. The boost clock of 2460 MHz, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, allows for high throughput in this title.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the RTX 4060 has ample headroom, with average frame rates ranging from 156 FPS at Ultra to 340 FPS at Low. This indicates the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution. However, at 4K, the picture changes dramatically. The average frame rate at 4K Ultra (51 FPS) is less than half of what is achieved at 1080p Ultra (156 FPS). This significant drop highlights the GPU's workload scaling with pixel count. The RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 236.2 GTexel/s texture rate are being fully utilized at 4K, where the game's rendering demands become more intensive.

The data also shows that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached at 4K Ultra, where the frame rate dips below 60 FPS. This is a clear indicator that for the highest visual fidelity at 4K, the RTX 4060 is the bottleneck. Conversely, at 1440p and 1080p, the GPU provides more than enough power to maintain high frame rates, suggesting that the title is not particularly demanding on the graphics card at these resolutions. The GPU's 61st percentile ranking against all GPUs reflects its position as a capable mid-range part that excels in less graphically intense scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern across resolutions, pointing directly to the GPU as the primary limiting component. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average frame rate at High settings drops from 217 FPS to 137 FPS, a reduction of approximately 37%. This is a substantial decrease, but the frame rates remain exceptionally high. The trend continues from 1440p to 4K, where the High setting average falls from 137 FPS to 72 FPS, another reduction of roughly 47%. This non-linear scaling is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where the number of pixels rendered has a compounding effect on the workload.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the average frame rate goes from 340 FPS at 1080p, to 215 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 112 FPS at 4K. At Ultra settings, the progression is from 156 FPS at 1080p, to 98 FPS at 1440p, and down to 51 FPS at 4K. The consistent and significant drops at each resolution step confirm that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, does not show signs of bottlenecking, as even the highest frame rates at 1080p do not appear to be constrained by processor performance.

The fact that the frame rate at 4K Ultra (51 FPS) is the only sub-60 FPS result in the entire dataset reinforces this conclusion. The GPU's rendering capacity is simply insufficient to maintain high frame rates at the most demanding settings. This scaling analysis suggests that for users prioritizing high refresh rates, 1080p or 1440p are the optimal resolutions, while 4K is viable only at lower settings. The data indicates a system that is perfectly balanced for 1440p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates on High and Ultra settings without the performance collapse seen at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 2177th out of 3725 tested combos for To The Core. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance spectrum, which is a surprising result given the high absolute frame rates measured. This suggests that many other tested combinations, likely featuring more powerful GPUs or higher-end CPUs, achieve even higher frame rates in this particular title. The rank reflects the combo's position relative to all other pairings, not its absolute capability.

The CPU's individual percentile ranking is notably higher than the combo's overall rank. The i5-14400F sits in the 83rd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32279. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (deltaPct 0.1), Intel Core i9-11900 (deltaPct 0.2), and AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (deltaPct -0.2). These rivals have nearly identical average scores, indicating the i5-14400F is a strong performer in general compute tasks. However, its performance in To The Core does not boost the combo to a higher rank, implying the GPU is the more significant factor in this game's performance.

The GPU's own percentile ranking is 61st against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (deltaPct -0.2) and AMD Radeon 780M (deltaPct 0.3), have very similar scores. The fact that the combo's rank (2177th) is lower than what the GPU's percentile might suggest indicates that the game is heavily GPU-dependent, and the RTX 4060's mid-range standing is the primary determinant of the combo's overall position. The high CPU performance is insufficient to compensate for the GPU's relative standing in this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 340 FPS, Medium averages 253 FPS with a minimum of 215 and maximum of 291, High averages 217 FPS, and Ultra averages 156 FPS. All results at this resolution are well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors, confirming the GPU has significant headroom.

At 2560x1440, performance remains very strong. The Low preset averages 215 FPS, Medium averages 160 FPS with a range of 136 to 183, High averages 137 FPS, and Ultra averages 98 FPS. The minimum frame rate at Medium (136 FPS) is still higher than the average frame rate at 4K Ultra, demonstrating the significant impact of resolution on performance. This resolution provides a sweet spot for high refresh rates with visually appealing settings.

At 3840x2160, performance drops considerably. The Low preset averages 112 FPS, Medium averages 83 FPS with a range of 71 to 96, High averages 72 FPS, and Ultra averages 51 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The data shows a clear hierarchy: performance scales down predictably as resolution increases, with the most demanding configuration (4K Ultra) producing the only sub-60 FPS average. The Medium preset at 4K, with its 83 FPS average and 71 FPS minimum, is the most balanced option for 4K displays.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. With an average of 156 FPS, it offers the highest visual quality without sacrificing playability. The performance headroom is so large at this resolution that even the most demanding preset leaves ample frame rate for a smooth experience. There is no reason to compromise on settings at 1080p, as all presets deliver over 150 FPS on average.

For 2560x1440, the Ultra preset remains an excellent choice, averaging 98 FPS. This is still comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a great balance of visual fidelity and performance. The High preset, at 137 FPS, is also a strong option for users with 144Hz or higher refresh rate monitors who prioritize frame rate over maximum detail. Both presets deliver a premium experience, and the choice comes down to whether the user prefers higher frame rates or higher visual quality.

For 3840x2160, the recommendations change significantly. The Ultra preset, at 51 FPS, is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience. The High preset, at 72 FPS, is playable but represents a notable drop in visual quality. The Medium preset, with an average of 83 FPS and a minimum of 71 FPS, is the best compromise for 4K gaming. It maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS for the vast majority of the time while still offering a reasonable level of detail. The Low preset, at 112 FPS, is an option for users who prioritize maximum frame rate at 4K, but the visual compromises are likely too severe for most. The data clearly indicates that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for 4K on this combo.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F plays a supporting role in To The Core, providing the processing power necessary to feed the GPU but not being the primary performance bottleneck. The CPU features 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This configuration is more than sufficient for the game's demands, as evidenced by the high frame rates achieved even at lower resolutions where CPU overhead can become more significant. The Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process, delivers strong single-threaded performance, which is often critical for game logic and physics.

The CPU's benchmark results support its capability. It scores 21645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3055 in single-core, along with 11268 in Geekbench multi-core and 2058 in single-core. These scores place it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U and Intel Core i9-11900, have average scores within 0.2% of the i5-14400F, indicating a tight grouping of capable processors. This level of performance ensures that the CPU is not limiting the frame rates in To The Core.

The data shows that the CPU's role is to maintain a stable platform for the GPU to perform. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 340 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that could potentially strain a weaker processor. The fact that the i5-14400F can sustain this level of performance without causing a bottleneck demonstrates its adequacy. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory further enhance its ability to handle game data efficiently. Overall, the CPU provides a solid foundation, but the performance in To The Core is ultimately dictated by the GPU's rendering capabilities, especially at higher resolutions.