To The Core

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers remarkably high frame rates in To The Core, an idle game that appears to be far less demanding than its genre peers. The data reveals a configuration that is severely GPU-bound only at the highest settings, while at lower presets, the CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads become the primary driver of performance. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, scaling behavior, and system role based exclusively on the provided benchmark results.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The system achieves an average of 401.7 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This is the second-highest 1080p result, trailing only the Low preset’s 550.3 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 53610, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (53414). It also leads the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (52505) by 2.1%.

Q: What is the CPU’s multi-core performance relative to its closest competitors?

A: The i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32508. This is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-12800H (32513, 0% delta), 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32446), and 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 250 (32584).

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded at 4K?

A: The peak 4K result is 213.3 FPS, achieved with Low settings at 3840x2160. The High preset drops to 157.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 125.9 FPS.

Q: Does the combo rank highly among all tested configurations for this game?

A: Yes, the combination ranks 105th out of 1756 tested combos in To The Core, placing it in the top 6% of all systems measured.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the GPU?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER features a 256-bit bus with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080 SUPER’s specifications dominate the frame rate equation at 4K resolution. With a boost clock of 2550 MHz, 10240 shading units, and 80 RT cores, the GPU is the primary bottleneck when the game’s visual load increases. The data shows a clear separation between presets at 3840x2160: High produces 157.5 FPS, while Ultra drops to 125.9 FPS, a 20% reduction in performance solely from moving up one settings tier. This indicates that the GPU’s 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is heavily taxed by the Ultra preset’s additional effects.

The GPU’s 16 GB of VRAM and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth are likely sufficient for this title, as the frame rates remain exceptionally high even at 4K. The memory clock runs at 1438 MHz with 23 Gbps effective speed, which supports the high throughput needed for the 256-bit bus. Interestingly, the GPU’s percentile rank (88th) matches the CPU’s, suggesting both components are similarly positioned in their respective markets. However, the FPS data reveals that the GPU is only the limiting factor at 4K Ultra; at lower resolutions, the CPU’s capabilities become more apparent.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of GPU dominance at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 401.7 at 1920x1080 to 272.4 at 2560x1440 (a 32% decrease), and then to 157.5 at 3840x2160 (a 61% decrease from 1080p). This steep decline indicates that the GPU’s rendering load scales nearly linearly with pixel count, as the RTX 4080 SUPER struggles to maintain its performance headroom at 4K.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. The 1080p result of 550.3 FPS falls to 367.5 at 1440p and 213.3 at 4K, representing a 61% drop from 1080p to 4K. This steeper curve at Low settings suggests that the CPU is no longer the bottleneck, and the GPU’s raw shading power is the sole determinant of performance. Conversely, the Ultra preset shows a more moderate decline: 324.9 FPS at 1080p, 220.9 at 1440p, and 125.9 at 4K. The smaller relative drop from 1080p to 1440p (32%) compared to 1440p to 4K (43%) implies that the game’s Ultra settings introduce additional GPU work that scales with resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The data strongly favors the High preset as the optimal balance for this configuration. At 4K, High delivers 157.5 FPS, which is 25% higher than Ultra’s 125.9 FPS, while maintaining a 34% advantage over Medium’s 176.9 FPS? No, High is between them. The actual hierarchy at 4K is Low (213.3 FPS), Medium (176.9 FPS), High (157.5 FPS), and Ultra (125.9 FPS). This shows that High provides 89% of Medium’s performance while being visually superior, and it is 25% faster than Ultra with likely minimal visual degradation.

At 1440p, High’s 272.4 FPS is 23% higher than Ultra’s 220.9 FPS, making it the clear choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. The 1080p results show similar patterns, with High hitting 401.7 FPS versus Ultra’s 324.9 FPS. The recommendation is to use High settings across all resolutions, as it offers the best compromise between visual fidelity and performance headroom. For users with 4K displays, the jump from High to Ultra costs 31.6 FPS (from 157.5 to 125.9), which is a substantial loss for marginal visual gains. The Medium preset is a viable alternative for those prioritizing smoother gameplay, but High’s performance is already far beyond the 60 FPS threshold for this idle game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high across all presets. The Low setting produces 550.3 FPS, Medium delivers 465.5 FPS, High achieves 401.7 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 324.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 225.4 FPS, indicating that the game’s visual settings have a significant impact even at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results show a predictable decline. Low yields 367.5 FPS, Medium drops to 310.4 FPS, High reaches 272.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 220.9 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, with an average reduction of roughly 31%.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s workload increases substantially. Low produces 213.3 FPS, Medium achieves 176.9 FPS, High delivers 157.5 FPS, and Ultra manages 125.9 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measurement below 130 FPS in the entire dataset, highlighting the extreme demand of combining 4K resolution with the highest preset. Interestingly, the 4K Low result (213.3 FPS) is still higher than the 1440p Ultra result (220.9 FPS), which is a close call, but the 4K Low wins. This suggests the game’s settings have a more pronounced effect on performance than resolution alone.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F plays a critical role in sustaining the high frame rates at lower resolutions. With 10 cores, 16 threads, and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, the CPU provides ample processing power for the game’s logic and physics. The benchmark scores support this: the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and single-core score of 3093 indicate strong all-around performance. The CPU’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache likely contribute to low latency in game loops.

At 1080p with Low settings, the system hits 550.3 FPS, which is a clear sign that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at extremely high rates. However, the fact that the 1080p Low result is only 33% higher than the 1440p Low result (367.5 FPS) suggests that the CPU is not the sole limiting factor even at lower resolutions. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 32508 places it at the 88th percentile, just behind the Intel Core i7-13705H (32586, -0.2%) and AMD Ryzen 7 250 (32584). This positioning indicates that the i5-14400F is a high-end processor that can match or exceed many mobile and desktop parts.

The CPU’s 65W TDP and 10 nm process node suggest efficient operation, which is beneficial for sustained gaming sessions. The PassMark multi-thread score of 25783 and single-thread score of 3723 further reinforce its capability. In this game, the CPU appears to be the bottleneck only at 1080p Low, where the GPU’s workload is minimal. At higher resolutions and settings, the GPU takes over as the limiting component, as evidenced by the proportional FPS drops with increasing pixel counts.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 105th out of 1756 tested combos in To The Core, placing it in the top 6% of all systems. This high ranking is unsurprising given the exceptional frame rates measured across all resolutions. The 1080p High result of 401.7 FPS and 4K High result of 157.5 FPS are both far beyond what most systems can achieve, indicating that this combo is overkill for this idle game.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 53610 ranks at the 88th percentile, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT at 53489 (0.2% behind). The CPU’s score of 32508 is also at the 88th percentile, with the Intel Core i7-12800H being a perfect match at 32513 (0% delta). This alignment between CPU and GPU percentiles suggests a well-balanced pairing, though the game’s data shows the GPU is more critical at higher resolutions. The combo’s rank of 105 out of 1756 suggests that only 104 other combinations deliver higher average FPS, which confirms the raw power of this setup. However, for a game like To The Core, the practical difference between this combo and lower-ranked ones may be negligible, as even the 4K Ultra result of 125.9 FPS is far above the typical 60 FPS target.