To The Core

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers an exceptionally high frame rate experience in To The Core, an Idle genre title. The measured data places this combination in the top tier of tested systems, with performance characterized by massive headroom even at 4K resolution. The following analysis breaks down how this specific CPU and GPU interact with the game’s rendering demands, based exclusively on the provided benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The average frame rates across the three tested resolutions reveal a performance profile that is heavily GPU-bound, yet one where the CPU still asserts a measurable influence at lower pixel counts. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 371 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 325 FPS, a reduction of 46 FPS, while 4K Low yields 211 FPS, a further decline of 114 FPS. This pattern demonstrates the expected scaling of GPU workload with pixel count, but the absolute numbers remain far above playable thresholds.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings is more telling. The system produces 308 FPS at 1080p Ultra, falls to 218 FPS at 1440p Ultra, and then to 125 FPS at 4K Ultra. The 4K Ultra result represents a 59.4% drop from the 1080p Ultra figure. This substantial reduction indicates that at 4K, the rendering load on the RTX 4080 SUPER becomes the dominant limiting factor. Conversely, the relatively small gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (371 FPS vs. 325 FPS, a 12.4% decrease) suggests that at these lower resolutions, the CPU’s 6-core, 6-thread configuration begins to cap the frame rate, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs.

The data suggests a classic bottleneck shift. At 1080p Low, the Core i5-9400 with its 2.90 GHz base and 4.10 GHz boost clock is likely near its processing limit for game logic and draw calls, holding the average to 371 FPS. As resolution increases to 4K, the GPU’s pixel fill rate and shading workload take over, and the frame rate becomes a function of the RTX 4080 SUPER’s 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 736.3 GB/s memory bandwidth. The 4K Medium result (179 FPS) being only 24 FPS below the 4K Low result (211 FPS) further indicates that at this resolution, the GPU has enough headroom to handle the extra visual effects without a catastrophic performance hit, whereas the jump from Medium to Ultra at 4K (179 FPS to 125 FPS) shows the steep cost of the most demanding settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 14 nm process. Its benchmark scores provide context for its role in this pairing. In Cinebench R23, it scores 6629 multi-core and 935 single-core, placing it at the 47th percentile of all CPUs. Its Geekbench single-core score is 1389. These figures are modest by 2024 standards, and the nearest rivals in the database, such as the Intel Core i7-10710U (deltaPct 0.3) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (deltaPct 0.4), show that the i5-9400 is functionally equivalent to a mid-range mobile or older desktop part.

In To The Core, an idle game, the CPU’s role is primarily to manage the simulation logic, UI updates, and input processing, which are typically not as demanding as the rendering pipeline. The data indicates that at 1080p, this CPU becomes the primary constraint. The scores of 371 FPS at Low and 333 FPS at High show a variance of only 38 FPS, suggesting that the CPU is the limiting factor regardless of the GPU’s workload at this resolution. The single-core performance, as reflected in the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935, is adequate for the game’s main thread, but the lack of hyper-threading (6 threads for 6 cores) limits its ability to handle parallel background tasks.

However, the CPU’s influence wanes as resolution increases. At 4K, the frame rates at Low (211 FPS) and High (155 FPS) are much further apart (56 FPS), showing that the GPU’s rendering time is now the dominant variable. The 6-core CPU is not a severe liability in this title, as even the most CPU-bound scenario at 1080p Low still yields a frame rate far beyond any display’s refresh rate capability. The 47th percentile CPU ranking does not translate to a poor gaming experience here because the game’s demands are well within the capabilities of this six-core design.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, responsible for the overwhelming majority of the game’s visual output. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and TSMC’s 5 nm process, it features 10240 shading units, 80 RT cores, and 320 tensor cores. Its memory subsystem is substantial: 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, providing 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s boost clock is 2550 MHz, and its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Passmark G3D score of 34245 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600.

The GPU’s performance percentile is 86, placing it well above average. Its nearest rivals in the database are the RTX 4080 (deltaPct -0.1), the Radeon Pro W5700X (deltaPct -1.1), and the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (deltaPct -2.7). This indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is at the top of the consumer GPU hierarchy, and the measured FPS in To The Core reflects this. The 4K Ultra result of 125 FPS is still a very playable number, showing that the GPU can handle the most demanding preset at the highest resolution.

The GPU’s VRAM capacity of 16 GB is likely a non-factor in this title, as even at 4K Ultra, the game’s textures and buffers are probably well within this limit. The memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s is more than sufficient to feed the 10240 shading units, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from Low to Medium at 4K (211 FPS to 179 FPS, a 15.2% drop). The only time the GPU seems to struggle is at 4K Ultra, where the 125 FPS average is a 30.2% drop from the 4K High result of 155 FPS. This indicates that the Ultra preset introduces a level of shading or post-processing complexity that taxes the GPU’s compute units and texture rate (816.0 GTexel/s) significantly more than the High preset.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a combo rank of 605 out of 3725 total combinations. This places it in the 83.8th percentile of all tested systems. This high ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s performance, as the CPU’s own percentile rank is only 47.

The data shows that this is a skewed pairing. A top-tier GPU is being paired with a mid-range CPU from 2018. In other games, this might cause noticeable stuttering or frame pacing issues, but in To The Core, the combination still performs admirably. The rank of 605 means that there are 604 other combinations that produce higher average frame rates, but these likely feature newer, higher-clock CPUs that can better feed the RTX 4080 SUPER at 1080p. At 4K, the combo’s rank is likely much better, as the GPU becomes the sole limiter. The benchmark results confirm that even with a CPU that is only at the 47th percentile, the sheer power of the RTX 4080 SUPER (86th percentile) is enough to push this combo into the top 16.2% of all tested configurations. The deltaPct values for the GPU’s nearest rivals are all negative (e.g., -0.1 for the RTX 4080), meaning the SUPER variant is slightly faster, reinforcing its status as a top-tier part.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the user’s display refresh rate and resolution preference. For a 60 Hz or 144 Hz display, almost any setting is overkill. However, for those pushing high refresh rate 4K displays (e.g., 144 Hz or higher), the data suggests a specific approach.

At 4K, the Ultra preset yields 125 FPS average. This is a solid result but may not saturate a 144 Hz panel. The High preset at 4K produces 155 FPS, a 24% increase over Ultra, and is the recommended choice for a smoother experience without a major visual compromise. The Medium preset at 4K gives 179 FPS, offering an even larger frame rate cushion. The Low preset at 4K provides 211 FPS, which is the maximum measured frame rate at that resolution. For a 4K 144 Hz monitor, the High preset is the sweet spot, as it balances the 155 FPS result with presumably better visual fidelity than Medium.

At 1440p, the High preset achieves 271 FPS, which is more than enough for any current high-refresh-rate monitor. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields 218 FPS, still excellent. There is no practical reason to use Low or Medium at 1440p, as even Ultra exceeds 200 FPS. Similarly, at 1080p, the Ultra preset’s 308 FPS is the best choice, as it provides a substantial visual upgrade over the Low preset’s 371 FPS while still maintaining a frame rate that is three times higher than a standard 100 Hz display’s refresh rate. The data supports using the highest preset that keeps the average FPS above your display’s refresh rate; for this combo, that is Ultra at 1080p and 1440p, and High at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 SUPER in this game?

A: At lower resolutions, yes. The 1080p Low result is 371 FPS, which is significantly lower than what the GPU could theoretically produce, indicating the CPU is the limiting factor. At 4K, the bottleneck shifts to the GPU, as evidenced by the 4K Low result of 211 FPS and the large FPS drops when increasing settings.

Q: What is the best resolution and setting combination for a 4K 120 Hz monitor?

A: The 4K High preset with an average of 155 FPS is the best match, as it exceeds the 120 Hz threshold. The 4K Ultra preset at 125 FPS also exceeds 120 Hz, but the High preset offers a higher frame rate headroom.

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

A: This pairing ranks 605th out of 3725 tested combinations, placing it in the top 16.2% of all systems in the database.

Q: Can this system handle 1080p gaming at maximum settings?

A: Yes. The 1080p Ultra preset produces an average of 308 FPS, which is exceptionally high and more than sufficient for any gaming scenario.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER’s 16 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The benchmark data does not show any performance drop attributable to VRAM capacity. The frame rates scale consistently with settings, suggesting that 16 GB is more than adequate for To The Core at all tested resolutions and presets.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The 1440p Low preset averages 325 FPS, while the 1440p Ultra preset averages 218 FPS. This represents a 107 FPS difference, or a 32.9% performance reduction for the Ultra preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table lists the exact average frame rates measured for this hardware combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|-------------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 155 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 211 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 179 | 152 | 205 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 125 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 271 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 325 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 306 | 260 | 352 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 218 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 333 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 371 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 350 | 297 | 402 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 308 | - | - |

The data across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern: Medium settings provide a substantial boost over Low, High settings provide a modest boost over Medium, and Ultra settings incur a significant performance penalty. The only row with min/max FPS data is the Medium preset at each resolution, which shows a stable frame delivery window. For example, at 1080p Medium, the frame rate ranges from 297 FPS to 402 FPS, indicating a variation of 105 FPS, which is a wide spread but still well within an acceptable range for smooth gameplay. The lack of min/max data for other presets suggests that the testing methodology only captured these metrics for the Medium preset, but the average FPS values are sufficient for comparative analysis. The 4K Ultra result of 125 FPS remains the lowest measured average, confirming that the Ultra preset’s demands are the most punishing on the GPU.