To The Core

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 190th out of 3725 tested combinations for To The Core, placing it in the top 5.1% of all configurations in the database. This is a strong result for an idle game, which typically does not stress hardware as heavily as other genres, but the data shows this combo still delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all tested settings. The combination sits comfortably in the upper echelon of tested systems, with the CPU holding a 90th percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU holding an 87th percentile ranking among all graphics cards.

How This Combo Ranks

The rank of 190 out of 3725 combos indicates that this pairing outperforms approximately 95% of all tested configurations in To The Core. This is notable because idle games often have lower hardware demands, meaning even mid-range systems can achieve high frame rates, but the data shows this combo separates itself from the pack with top-tier performance. The CPU's average benchmark score of 48618 places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU's average benchmark score of 56083 places it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, confirming that both components are individually strong performers.

When comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the data shows a tightly clustered group. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores marginally higher with an average of 48698, representing a 0.2% advantage over the i5-14600K. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, which is 0.3% lower, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287, which is 0.7% lower. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995, which is 0.8% higher than the i5-14600K. These small deltas indicate that the i5-14600K is competitively positioned within its performance class, though it is not the absolute leader among its closest competitors.

For the GPU, the nearest rival comparisons show similar tight margins. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, which is 0.6% lower than the RTX 5080, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, which is 0.7% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 2.3% lower, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, which is 2.2% higher. These figures suggest that the RTX 5080 is well-positioned among its peers, though the RX 9070 GRE holds a slight edge in average benchmark scores.

The combination of a 90th percentile CPU and an 87th percentile GPU results in a system that is well-balanced for To The Core. The game's measured frame rates are consistently high, with even the most demanding 4K Ultra settings producing an average of 130 FPS. This places the combo far above the threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that neither component becomes a bottleneck at any tested resolution or setting.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This configuration provides substantial multi-threaded capability, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and single-core score of 2064. The Geekbench scores further corroborate this, with a multi-core score of 16673 and a single-core score of 2491. For To The Core, an idle game that typically does not require intense computational power, these specifications are more than sufficient to maintain high frame rates.

The CPU's PassMark scores reveal its strengths in various workloads. The multi-thread score of 38682 and single-thread score of 4270 indicate balanced performance across both single and multi-threaded tasks. The integer math score of 125737 and floating point math score of 92794 show strong arithmetic processing capabilities, while the data compression score of 482020 and encryption score of 27533 demonstrate efficient data handling. These metrics are relevant for To The Core, where background calculations and game logic may rely on such capabilities.

The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample fast memory for frequently accessed data. With support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, the system can be configured with high-bandwidth memory to complement the CPU's performance. The 10 nm process node and Raptor Lake architecture contribute to the CPU's efficiency, with a TDP of 125 W being moderate for a desktop processor of this class.

In the context of To The Core's measured frame rates, the CPU's role is primarily to ensure that game logic and simulation steps do not limit the frame rate. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 572 FPS, which suggests that even at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work, the CPU can keep up with the rendering pipeline. The high boost clock of 5.30 GHz likely contributes to this by providing rapid single-threaded execution, which is often important for game logic.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2617 MHz, with memory running at 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective). The Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, includes 10752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units. The GPU also features 84 ray tracing cores and 336 tensor cores, though these are unlikely to be heavily utilized in an idle game.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with FP32 performance rated at 56.28 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s. The pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s indicates strong rasterization performance, which is directly relevant to rendering To The Core's visuals. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8637 and PassMark G3D score of 36565 provide additional context for the GPU's overall performance, placing it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs.

For To The Core, the GPU's role is to render the game's graphics at high frame rates across various resolutions and settings. The measured data shows that at 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 338 FPS, which drops to 227 FPS at 1440p Ultra and 130 FPS at 4K Ultra. This scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary factor in determining frame rates at higher resolutions, as the CPU's performance remains constant while the GPU's workload increases with pixel count.

The 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for To The Core, which is unlikely to require large texture buffers or memory-intensive effects. The high memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s ensures that data can be transferred quickly between the GPU and its memory, reducing potential bottlenecks. While the GPU's TDP of 360 W and suggested PSU of 750 W indicate significant power requirements, these do not affect performance metrics but are relevant for system builders.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for To The Core?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 190th out of 3725 tested combos, placing it in the top 5.1% of all configurations.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 572 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 130 FPS, achieved at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 48618. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 0.2% higher, the AMD EPYC 4345P scores 0.3% lower, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 0.7% lower, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 0.8% higher.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5080 has an average benchmark score of 56083. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 0.6% lower, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 0.7% lower, the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 2.3% lower, and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 2.2% higher.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the frame rate drops from 484 FPS at 1080p to 326 FPS at 1440p, and further to 186 FPS at 4K. This represents a 61.6% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions. At High settings, the combo achieves 420 FPS at 1080p, 282 FPS at 1440p, and 161 FPS at 4K. This represents a 32.9% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 42.9% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 61.7%, indicating that the GPU becomes increasingly stressed as pixel count rises.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The combo achieves 572 FPS at 1080p, 385 FPS at 1440p, and 220 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 32.7%, and from 1440p to 4K is 42.9%, with a total reduction of 61.5% from 1080p to 4K. The fact that the percentage drops are similar across settings suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at all settings, as the relative performance degradation is consistent.

Medium settings show a similar pattern, with 484 FPS at 1080p, 326 FPS at 1440p, and 186 FPS at 4K. The minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 411, dropping to 277 at 1440p and 158 at 4K, while maximum FPS ranges from 556 at 1080p to 374 at 1440p and 214 at 4K. Ultra settings follow the same trend, with 338 FPS at 1080p, 227 FPS at 1440p, and 130 FPS at 4K.

The consistent percentage drops across all settings indicate that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU's performance remains constant regardless of resolution, but the GPU's workload scales with pixel count, causing the frame rate to decrease proportionally. This is expected behavior for a system where the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance depends on the user's display resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, even Ultra settings deliver 338 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most gaming monitors. This suggests that users with 1080p displays can safely choose Ultra settings without sacrificing smoothness, as the frame rate remains exceptionally high.

At 1440p, Ultra settings deliver 227 FPS, which is still very high and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The drop from Ultra to High at 1440p is from 227 FPS to 282 FPS, a 24.2% improvement in frame rate. For users with 1440p displays running at 144 Hz or 165 Hz, Ultra settings provide more than enough headroom, while High settings offer additional performance for those with 240 Hz or higher refresh rates.

At 4K, the choice becomes more nuanced. Ultra settings deliver 130 FPS, which is still above 120 Hz, making it suitable for most high-refresh-rate 4K displays. High settings increase this to 161 FPS, a 23.8% improvement, while Medium settings reach 186 FPS. For users prioritizing maximum frame rates at 4K, Medium settings offer a significant boost over Ultra, with a 43.1% increase in performance.

The data indicates that the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 4K, Medium delivers 186 FPS with a minimum of 158 FPS, ensuring consistent smoothness. At 1440p, Medium achieves 326 FPS, and at 1080p, it reaches 484 FPS. These figures suggest that Medium settings offer an excellent experience without the performance cost of Ultra, while still providing better visual quality than Low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the combo achieves its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 572 FPS, while Medium settings yield 484 FPS with a minimum of 411 and maximum of 556. High settings deliver 420 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 338 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decrease in performance, with Ultra being 40.9% slower than Low.

At 2560x1440 resolution, performance remains high but decreases from 1080p. Low settings achieve 385 FPS, Medium settings deliver 326 FPS with a minimum of 277 and maximum of 374, High settings produce 282 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 227 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is most pronounced at Low settings, with a 32.7% reduction, while Ultra settings see a 32.8% reduction.

At 3840x2160 resolution, the combo still delivers excellent performance. Low settings achieve 220 FPS, Medium settings deliver 186 FPS with a minimum of 158 and maximum of 214, High settings produce 161 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 130 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 4K ranges from 61.5% at Low settings to 61.7% at High settings, indicating consistent scaling across all presets.

The Medium settings row is the only one that includes minimum and maximum FPS values, providing additional insight into frame time consistency. At 4K Medium, the minimum FPS of 158 is 84.9% of the average, suggesting relatively stable performance. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 277 is 85.0% of the average, and at 1080p Medium, the minimum of 411 is 84.9% of the average. These consistent ratios indicate that the system maintains stable frame times regardless of resolution.