To The Core

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end combination for To The Core, an Idle game released on 2024-02-14. The data shows this combo delivers extremely high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, with the RTX 4080 providing the bulk of the rendering muscle while the 14-core CPU easily keeps up. The measured FPS figures indicate that this pairing is overkill for most display refresh rates, but the exact performance deltas between settings and resolutions reveal where the best experience lies.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 326. This is the lowest average at 1080p, but still far above the refresh rate of typical monitors.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 226 out of 3725 tested combos, placing it in the top 6% of all configurations.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 3840x2160?

A: At 4K, Low settings produce an average of 212 FPS, while Ultra drops to 125 FPS. The difference is 87 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU hold back the GPU in this game?

A: The data does not show any CPU bottleneck. The i5-14600KF has 14 cores and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, and its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 indicates it is more than capable of feeding the RTX 4080 in an idle game like this.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS is 267, while the average is 314 and the maximum is 361. This shows consistent performance even in demanding moments.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, a delta of 0.1%. They are effectively identical in synthetic benchmarks.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows that To The Core is not a demanding title for this hardware. At 1920x1080, even the lowest tested preset, Low, delivers 552 FPS average, while Ultra still manages 326 FPS. For 1080p users with high refresh rate monitors (e.g., 240Hz or 360Hz), the choice between presets depends on whether visual fidelity or raw frame rate is prioritized. Medium settings at 1080p produce an average of 467 FPS with a minimum of 397 FPS, which is a balanced point that keeps frame pacing smooth while improving visuals over Low.

At 2560x1440, the story is similar. High settings yield 272 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 219 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium is 267, which is still exceptionally high. For 1440p, the recommendation is High or Ultra, as both remain far above 144Hz refresh rates. The gap between High and Ultra is 53 FPS (272 vs 219), so if a user prefers maximum visual quality without any perceptible smoothness loss, Ultra is viable.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes slightly. Ultra settings produce an average of 125 FPS, which is still above 120Hz but the margin narrows. High settings at 4K deliver 156 FPS average, providing more headroom. Medium at 4K shows an average of 180 FPS with a minimum of 153 FPS, making it the sweet spot for 4K gaming on high refresh rate displays (e.g., 144Hz to 165Hz). Low at 4K reaches 212 FPS, but the visual trade-off is likely not worth it given the high performance at Medium. The best experience per the measured rows is Medium at 4K, as it offers the highest average FPS (180) while maintaining a minimum above 153 FPS, which is critical for avoiding dips below common 144Hz refresh rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank in game is 226 out of 3725 tested combos. This places it in the top 6% of all configurations, which is an elite tier. The percentileVsAllCpus for the CPU is 90, meaning the i5-14600KF outperforms 90% of all CPUs in the database. The GPU has a percentileVsAllGpus of 86, indicating it is better than 86% of all GPUs. These two percentiles combine to produce a very high in-game ranking.

Compared to its nearest CPU rivals, the i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49228 (0.3% lower), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G scores 49196 (0.4% lower), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995 (0.8% lower), and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 scores 49796 (0.8% higher). The i5-14600KF is effectively on par with these CPUs, with differences under 1%. For the GPU, the RTX 4080 has an average score of 54247. The RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209 (0.1% lower), while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 (1.1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 (2.6% higher), and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757 (2.7% higher). These deltas are small, meaning the RTX 4080 sits in a tightly contested performance band.

The rank of 226 out of 3725 suggests that while this combo is not the absolute top, it is far above the median. The data shows that the combination of a high-end CPU and GPU delivers frame rates that are more than sufficient for any common display setup. The 226th rank among 3725 combos indicates that there are 225 combos with better performance, but the measured FPS figures show this combo is still capable of exceeding 300 FPS at 1080p and 270 FPS at 1440p on High settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS data shows a clear scaling from Low to Ultra. Low settings produce an average of 552 FPS. Medium settings deliver an average of 467 FPS, with a minimum of 397 FPS and a maximum of 537 FPS. High settings yield an average of 405 FPS. Ultra settings drop to an average of 326 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 226 FPS, which is significant, but even the lowest average at 1080p (326 FPS) is far beyond what most monitors can display.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings average 371 FPS. Medium settings average 314 FPS, with a minimum of 267 FPS and a maximum of 361 FPS. High settings average 272 FPS. Ultra settings average 219 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 152 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium (267 FPS) is still above the refresh rate of 240Hz displays, showing that even the lower end of the range is smooth.

At 3840x2160, the performance is lower but still impressive. Low settings average 212 FPS. Medium settings average 180 FPS, with a minimum of 153 FPS and a maximum of 207 FPS. High settings average 156 FPS. Ultra settings average 125 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 87 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium (153 FPS) is just above 144Hz, making it the recommended setting for 4K users with high refresh rate monitors. The Ultra setting at 125 FPS is still playable but may not fully utilize a 144Hz display.

The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 4080 is the primary driver of performance scaling. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, does not appear to be a limiting factor at any resolution or setting. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings (153 at 4K, 267 at 1440p, 397 at 1080p) indicate consistent frame delivery without severe dips.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the AD103 chip using the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It has 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs. The GPU has 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores. Its base clock is 2205 MHz and the boost clock is 2505 MHz. The memory is 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The memory clock is 1400 MHz, with an effective data rate of 22.4 Gbps.

The GPU's FP32 performance is 48.74 TFLOPS, and it has a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s. The transistor count is 45,900 million on a die size of 379 mm². The RTX 4080 has a TDP of 320 W and requires a 700 W power supply. Its production status is end-of-life, with a release date of 2022-09-19 and a launch MSRP of 1,199 USD.

In To The Core, the RTX 4080's performance is evident in the measured FPS. At 4K Medium, the GPU delivers 180 FPS average, which is a high number for a 4K resolution game. The high memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s likely helps in maintaining smooth frame delivery at high resolutions. The GPU's average benchmark score is 54247, with a percentileVsAllGpus of 86. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, has a nearly identical average score (54209, delta 0.1%), so the performance in this game is expected to be similar. The RTX 4080's VRAM of 16 GB is more than sufficient for an idle game, which typically does not consume large amounts of video memory.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with ECC memory support. The process node is 10 nm, and the die size is 257 mm². The TDP is 125 W, and it uses the Intel Socket 1700. The CPU is unlocked, meaning it can be overclocked. It has a launch MSRP of $294.

The CPU's benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 32544, and its single-core score is 4594. The Geekbench multi-core score is 17085, and the single-core score is 2445. The Passmark multi-thread score is 38697, and the single-thread score is 4273. The average benchmark score is 49394, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (avg score 49228, delta 0.3%) and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 (avg score 49796, delta -0.8%), showing that the i5-14600KF is competitive with other high-end CPUs.

In To The Core, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU, given the game's idle genre. However, the CPU's high boost clock of 5.30 GHz and 24 MB of L3 cache ensure that frame generation is not bottlenecked. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (552 FPS) suggests that the CPU can handle extreme frame rates without becoming a limiting factor. The difference between 1080p and 4K performance is primarily due to GPU load, as the CPU does not show any signs of being overtaxed. The CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and game logic, which is typical for an idle game that may run in the background. The data confirms that this CPU is more than sufficient for this title, with the key performance driver being the RTX 4080.