To The Core

The pairing of an Intel Core i5-9400 with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a study in contrast, pitting an end-of-life six-core Coffee Lake processor against a flagship Ada Lovelace GPU. In To The Core, an idle title, the benchmark results reveal a system where the GPU is rarely the limiting factor, yet the CPU still manages to impose a ceiling at lower resolutions. The data shows a combination that ranks 601st out of 3725 tested combos, placing it in the top 16% of all pairings, a position that suggests the sum here is greater than what the parts' individual percentiles would imply.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for To The Core shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, but the slope of that decline is surprisingly gentle. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 333 FPS, while moving to 1440p drops that to 272 FPS, a 18% reduction. Stepping up to 4K further reduces the average to 156 FPS, which is a 53% drop from the 1080p High result. This scaling curve is unusual for a game with this GPU, as the RTX 4080 is typically expected to dominate at 4K, but the data indicates that the CPU is already becoming a bottleneck at 1080p.

Looking at the Low settings row, the bottleneck becomes even more apparent. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 371 FPS, but at 1440p Low it only reaches 325 FPS, and at 4K Low it drops to 212 FPS. The performance delta between 1080p and 1440p Low is just 12%, while the jump to 4K Low sees a 43% reduction. If the RTX 4080 were fully unshackled, the 1080p to 1440p gap would likely be larger, as the GPU would be doing more work per frame; instead, the modest drop suggests the i5-9400 is holding back frame generation at the lower resolution.

The most telling data point is the Ultra preset scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 308 FPS, which is only 7% slower than the 1080p Medium result of 350 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 219 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 125 FPS. The gap between 1080p Ultra and 1440p Ultra is 29%, while the 1440p to 4K Ultra gap is 43%. This widening gap as resolution climbs is the signature of a system transitioning from a CPU-limited state to a GPU-limited one, with the RTX 4080 finally being allowed to stretch its legs at 4K.

The implication is that for To The Core, the i5-9400 is the primary constraint at 1080p and 1440p, even with a 4080 installed. The CPU's six cores and six threads, running at a base of 2.90 GHz and boost of 4.10 GHz, are sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but the frame rates plateau around the 300-370 FPS range. Only when the pixel count rises to 4K does the GPU's workload become heavy enough to make the RTX 4080 the dominant factor, allowing the performance to scale more predictably with the settings preset.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all tested combinations, this pairing holds a comboRankInGame of 601 out of 3725, which places it in the top 16.1% of all systems. This is a strong showing, but it is important to note that the ranking likely benefits from the RTX 4080's raw power, even if the CPU is not ideal. The GPU alone sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 47th percentile, indicating that the graphics card is doing the heavy lifting for the ranking.

When comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2254 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259, a delta of -0.2%. It also sits close to the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, which scores 2246, a delta of 0.4%. This means the i5-9400 is effectively on par with these mid-range parts, and the performance in To The Core reflects that parity. The data suggests that swapping the i5-9400 for the i7-1068NG7 would not yield a measurable difference in FPS, as the scores are within 0.2% of each other.

The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, has an average score of 54209, which is only 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080's 54247. This indicates that the two cards are functionally identical in raw compute, and the measured FPS in To The Core would likely be unchanged if the SUPER variant were installed. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, with a score of 55698, is 2.6% higher, but that does not translate to a meaningful FPS advantage in this idle game.

The rank of 601 suggests that while the combo is not in the top tier, it is far from a weak pairing. Given that the CPU is in the 47th percentile and the GPU is in the 86th, one might expect a lower rank if the game were heavily CPU-bound. Instead, the high rank implies that To The Core is not particularly demanding on the CPU, allowing the RTX 4080 to dominate the score. The data indicates that a system with a stronger CPU, such as one in the 70th or 80th percentile, would likely push this combo into the top 200, but the i5-9400's six cores are clearly adequate for this title's mechanics.

FAQ

*Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 in To The Core?*

A: The data suggests yes at lower resolutions. At 1080p High, the combo hits 333 FPS, but the gap between 1080p and 1440p High is only 18%, indicating the CPU is limiting frame generation. At 4K High, the drop to 156 FPS shows the GPU is finally becoming the limiting factor, as the workload shifts to the RTX 4080.

*Q: What is the best resolution to play To The Core with this combo?*

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1440p High offers a balanced experience at 272 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. 4K High at 156 FPS is also playable, but the 1440p result provides a higher margin of safety for frame time consistency.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's VRAM affect performance in this game?

A: The RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus with 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The measured FPS shows that even at 4K Ultra, the game only requires enough memory to sustain 125 FPS, so the 16 GB capacity is more than sufficient, and the high bandwidth likely prevents any memory-related stutters.

Q: Does the i5-9400's six-core configuration hold back multi-core performance?

A: The i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629. In To The Core, the game does not appear to be highly multi-threaded, as the FPS remains high even at 1080p, but the plateau of 371 FPS at Low settings suggests the CPU's single-core performance, which scores 935 in R23, is the limiting factor.

*Q: Is the RTX 4080 overkill for an idle game like To The Core?*

A: The measured FPS indicates that the RTX 4080 is rarely stressed, as even at 4K Ultra it delivers 125 FPS. The GPU's high score of 54247 in average benchmarks, with a percentile of 86, suggests it is capable of much more demanding titles, but for this game, the card is underutilized, especially at 1080p where the CPU is the bottleneck.

Q: What is the difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K?

A: At 4K, the Low preset yields 212 FPS, while Ultra yields 125 FPS, a difference of 69.6%. This indicates that the Ultra preset increases the GPU workload significantly, but the CPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution, allowing the RTX 4080 to scale its performance with the settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination of i5-9400 and RTX 4080 produces its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 371 FPS, while Medium drops to 350 FPS, and High sits at 333 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 308 FPS, which is surprisingly close to the High result, suggesting that the CPU is preventing the GPU from fully utilizing the Ultra settings' additional demands. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 297 FPS and a maximum of 402 FPS, indicating a variance of 105 FPS, which is likely due to CPU scheduling.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear reduction. Low averages 325 FPS, Medium 306 FPS, and High 272 FPS. Ultra averages 219 FPS, which is a 28.8% drop from 1080p Ultra. The Medium preset at 1440p has a minimum of 260 FPS and a maximum of 352 FPS, showing that the GPU is starting to take on more work, but the CPU is still able to keep up with the lower settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. Low averages 212 FPS, Medium 180 FPS, and High 156 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 125 FPS, which is the lowest result in the entire dataset. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 153 FPS and a maximum of 207 FPS, indicating a 54 FPS range. This data shows that the RTX 4080 is finally being pushed, as the 4K resolution demands more from the GPU's 9728 shading units and 112 ROPs, but the i5-9400 does not appear to be causing any frame drops below the minimums.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a formidable piece of silicon, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. It packs 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, and its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory operates at 22.4 Gbps effective, yielding a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. In To The Core, these specifications translate to frame rates that are consistently above 125 FPS even at 4K Ultra, showing that the GPU is never truly stressed.

The GPU's clock speeds are a base of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz, and the measured FPS suggests that these clocks are sufficient to handle the game's demands without thermal throttling. The card's pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s are more than enough for an idle game, which likely uses simple 2D or low-poly 3D assets. The RTX 4080's score in Passmark G3D is 34457, and its percentile of 86 indicates it is in the top tier of GPUs, yet the game's performance is often capped by the CPU.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is a notable asset, as it ensures that the game's textures and frame buffers are always resident in memory. The 256-bit bus width and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth allow for rapid data transfer, which is evidenced by the smooth minimum FPS values at 4K Medium (153 FPS) and 4K Ultra (125 FPS). The data implies that the RTX 4080 is overprovisioned for To The Core, but its presence ensures that the combo rank is high, as the GPU's raw compute drives the average FPS upward.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which preset to use for an optimal experience. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 371 FPS, but the Medium preset at 350 FPS is only 6% slower, and it offers better visual quality. Given that the game is an idle title, the visual fidelity of Medium or High is likely more important than the marginal frame rate increase, so the Medium preset at 350 FPS is recommended for 1080p.

At 1440p, the High preset yields 272 FPS, which is a strong balance of quality and speed. The Medium preset at 306 FPS is also viable, but the High preset's visual improvements are worth the 11% frame rate cost. The Ultra preset at 219 FPS is still high, but it may cause more variance in frame times, as suggested by the Medium preset's min/max spread at this resolution.

For 4K, the High preset at 156 FPS is the best choice, as it provides a smooth experience that is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of many monitors. The Medium preset at 180 FPS is also excellent, but the High preset offers more detail without a significant drop. The Ultra preset at 125 FPS is playable, but it may be too close to the 120 Hz threshold for some users, and the Low preset at 212 FPS is unnecessary unless the user prioritizes frame rate over all else.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this combo, as it delivers 350 FPS at 1080p, 306 FPS at 1440p, and 180 FPS at 4K. These numbers are all high enough to ensure a responsive experience, and the min FPS values (297, 260, and 153 respectively) indicate that there are no severe frame drops. The Ultra preset, while visually appealing, offers diminishing returns in FPS, especially at 1080p where the CPU bottleneck limits the gain.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost of 4.10 GHz, with a 9 MB shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores, such as 6629 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 935 in single-core, place it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a mid-range part. In To The Core, this CPU is the limiting factor at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the frame rate plateaus.

The CPU's six threads are likely underutilized in this idle game, which may not be heavily multithreaded. The single-core score of 935 in Cinebench R23 is more relevant, as the game's logic and frame pacing depend on a single or a few threads. The 1080p Low preset's 371 FPS is likely the ceiling for this CPU, as the GPU is not being fully utilized at this resolution. The data shows that even with the RTX 4080, the FPS does not exceed 371 FPS, which suggests the i5-9400's single-core performance is the bottleneck.

The CPU's memory support of DDR4 in dual-channel mode, with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, is another potential limiting factor. While the GPU has its own VRAM, the CPU must transfer data to the GPU via the PCIe Gen 3 bus, which has 16 lanes. This is an older interface compared to the GPU's PCIe 4.0 support, but it does not appear to be a major issue, as the FPS remains high. The i5-9400's TDP of 65 W is low, which helps with thermal headroom, but the CPU's end-of-life status means it lacks the newer instructions that might improve performance in modern games.

The nearest rivals to the i5-9400, such as the Core i7-1068NG7, have nearly identical average scores (2259 vs 2254), which is why the combo rank does not improve with a different CPU in this class. The data implies that upgrading the CPU to a higher-ranked part, such as one with a score above 5000, would likely push the 1080p FPS beyond 371, but the 1440p and 4K results would remain similar, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck at those resolutions.