To The Core

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a remarkably consistent experience in To The Core, with frame rates that remain playable even at the most demanding settings. The data indicates that this combination ranks 585th out of 1756 tested combos, placing it in the upper third of all configurations. The most striking finding is the sheer headroom available: at 1080p Low, the system produces 370.3 FPS, while even the heaviest load—4K Ultra—still yields 92.7 FPS, suggesting that the primary bottleneck shifts dramatically depending on resolution and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions but CPU-bound at lower ones. At High settings, the transition from 1920x1080 (304.1 FPS) to 2560x1440 (202.9 FPS) represents a 33% reduction, and moving to 3840x2160 (115.8 FPS) cuts performance by another 43%. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 3080’s rendering workload scales predictably with pixel count, while the i5-9400’s six cores are sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

However, the scaling pattern changes when examining Low settings. Here, 1080p produces 370.3 FPS, but 1440p drops to 275.5 FPS (a 26% decrease), and 4K falls to 156.5 FPS (a 43% drop from 1440p). The smaller gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings suggests that the CPU begins to limit performance once the GPU has less work to do—the i5-9400 simply cannot push beyond roughly 370 FPS regardless of how light the rendering load becomes. This is classic CPU bottleneck behavior: the processor’s 4.10 GHz boost clock and 6 threads cap the frame rate ceiling, while the RTX 3080 waits for instructions.

The Ultra preset tells a different story. At 1080p Ultra, the system delivers 243.5 FPS, which drops to 165.9 FPS at 1440p and 92.7 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p (32%) is nearly identical to the High preset’s drop, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor even at 1440p Ultra. Only when pushing 4K Ultra does the combination reveal its true GPU-bound nature, with the RTX 3080’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth becoming the primary constraint.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake generation, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boosting to 4.10 GHz. Its performance profile in synthetic benchmarks shows a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969, which places it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs—a middling result that explains its behavior in To The Core. The processor’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305 (avg score 2300, deltaPct 0.2) and the Intel Core i7-8809G (avg score 2319, deltaPct -0.6), indicating that the i5-9400 sits in a tightly contested performance band.

In this game, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the system hits 370.3 FPS. This figure appears to be a hard ceiling imposed by the processor’s single-thread performance, as the RTX 3080 is capable of far higher frame rates in lighter workloads. The 6 threads and 9 MB of shared L3 cache are adequate for the game’s idle mechanics, but they create a noticeable plateau: at 1440p Low, the frame rate only drops to 275.5 FPS, which is still far above the GPU-bound threshold at that resolution. The implication is that To The Core does not heavily utilize the CPU’s multi-core capabilities, but its 4.10 GHz boost clock is sufficient to avoid severe stutters.

Comparing to the nearest rivals, the i5-9400’s average benchmark score of 2305 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300, deltaPct 0.2) and the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299, deltaPct 0.2). This means that users upgrading from those parts would see negligible CPU-bound differences in To The Core, as the game’s frame rates are more influenced by the GPU at most settings. The 0.4% lead over the Intel Xeon E-2134 (2295) further confirms that the i5-9400 is a competent but not exceptional processor for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play at with this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 at High settings provides the best balance, delivering 202.9 FPS while still offering substantial visual fidelity. At 4K, even High settings only reach 115.8 FPS, which is playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: Why is the frame rate at 1080p Low (370.3 FPS) so much higher than at 1080p Ultra (243.5 FPS)?

A: The 34% difference between these presets reflects the GPU’s workload scaling. At Low settings, the RTX 3080 is underutilized, and the i5-9400’s 4.10 GHz boost clock becomes the limiting factor. At Ultra, the GPU’s 8704 shading units and 272 texture mapping units are fully engaged, increasing the rendering cost per frame.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 overkill for this game?

A: The data suggests yes for lower resolutions. At 1080p, the system exceeds 300 FPS on High settings, which far exceeds typical monitor refresh rates. However, at 4K Ultra, the 92.7 FPS result shows the RTX 3080 is still fully utilized, making it a reasonable choice for high-resolution displays.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 585th out of 1756 combos, placing it in the 67th percentile. This is a strong showing, but the ranking is likely held back by the CPU’s 50th percentile performance, as the RTX 3080 itself sits in the 80th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: Does the game benefit from the CPU’s six cores?

A: The evidence is mixed. At 1440p and 4K, the frame rates scale smoothly with resolution, indicating GPU-bound performance. However, the 370.3 FPS ceiling at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU’s six threads are sufficient but not exceptional, as the processor’s Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 3346 is only modest.

Q: What does the 4K performance indicate about the system’s balance?

A: At 4K, the RTX 3080’s 10 GB VRAM and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth become the primary factors. The frame rates of 115.8 FPS (High), 133.4 FPS (Medium), and 156.5 FPS (Low) show that the GPU is the clear bottleneck, with the CPU providing ample headroom even at the highest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 achieves a rank of 585 out of 1756 tested combos in To The Core, placing it in the top third of all configurations. This ranking is notable because it is significantly higher than the CPU’s individual standing—the i5-9400 sits at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 3080 ranks at the 80th percentile among GPUs. The combination’s performance suggests that the GPU dominates the final outcome in this game, as the CPU’s limitations only manifest at extremely high frame rates.

When examining the GPU’s nearest rivals, the RTX 3080’s average benchmark score of 35787 is within 1% of the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35860, deltaPct -0.2) and the AMD Radeon 880M (35646, deltaPct 0.4). This indicates that the RTX 3080 is a well-positioned performer, and the combo’s ranking would likely improve with a stronger CPU. However, the measured FPS data shows that the current pairing still delivers excellent results, with no resolution or settings combination falling below 92.7 FPS.

The ranking also implies that many of the 1171 combos ranked higher likely pair the RTX 3080 with more powerful processors. Since the CPU’s nearest rivals all have average scores within 0.6% of the i5-9400, the processor is not a significant differentiator in this game. Instead, the combo’s rank is driven by the GPU’s strong 80th percentile performance, which compensates for the CPU’s mediocrity.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience in To The Core, the data points to 2560x1440 at High settings as the sweet spot. This configuration delivers 202.9 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay, while the High preset provides a substantial visual upgrade over Low without the performance cost of Ultra. At 1080p, even Ultra settings (243.5 FPS) offer excellent performance, making this resolution ideal for players prioritizing frame rates over visual detail.

If 4K is the target, the Medium preset at 133.4 FPS is the recommended choice. It offers a 44% improvement over Ultra (92.7 FPS) while maintaining a playable frame rate, and the jump from Low (156.5 FPS) to Medium is modest enough to justify the visual benefits. The High preset at 4K (115.8 FPS) is also viable, but it leaves less headroom for demanding scenes and may experience drops below 100 FPS.

For players with high refresh rate displays, 1080p Low (370.3 FPS) or Medium (350.8 FPS) are the only settings that can fully saturate a 360 Hz monitor. However, the difference between Medium and High at 1080p is only 15% (350.8 vs 304.1 FPS), so High is a more balanced choice unless maximum frame rates are absolutely required.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset reveals consistent scaling across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system produces 304.1 FPS on High, 370.3 FPS on Low, 350.8 FPS on Medium, and 243.5 FPS on Ultra. The spread from Low to Ultra is 126.8 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s workload varies significantly with visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the results are 202.9 FPS (High), 275.5 FPS (Low), 235.9 FPS (Medium), and 165.9 FPS (Ultra). The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 33% at High and 32% at Ultra, confirming that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at this resolution. The Low preset shows a 26% drop, suggesting the CPU begins to exert more influence.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 115.8 FPS (High), 156.5 FPS (Low), 133.4 FPS (Medium), and 92.7 FPS (Ultra). The transition from 1440p to 4K results in a 43% reduction at High settings and a 44% reduction at Ultra, demonstrating the RTX 3080’s scaling behavior under pixel-heavy workloads. The Low preset also drops by 43%, indicating that even at Low settings, 4K resolution taxes the GPU’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 320-bit bus.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is a dominant performer in To The Core, with its 80th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirming its capability. The card’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth provide ample resources for the game’s idle mechanics, which do not appear to demand excessive VRAM. The GPU’s base clock of 1440 MHz and boost clock of 1710 MHz are relatively modest, but the 8704 shading units and 272 tensor cores deliver substantial compute power, as reflected in its Passmark G3D score of 25086.

The GPU’s role becomes most apparent at 4K, where it is the clear bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the system drops to 92.7 FPS, which is 62% lower than the 1080p Ultra result (243.5 FPS). This scaling aligns with the GPU’s theoretical capabilities—the RTX 3080’s 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 performance is taxed by the increasing pixel count. The 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are less relevant for this title, as the game does not appear to utilize ray tracing or DLSS based on the measured data.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the RTX 3080’s average benchmark score of 35787 is within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36101, deltaPct -0.9) and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (35435, deltaPct 1). This suggests that the RTX 3080 remains a competitive option, and its 80th percentile ranking is well-deserved. The GPU’s 10 GB VRAM is sufficient for To The Core, as the frame rates do not show signs of memory capacity issues even at 4K Ultra.