To The Core

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combo ranks at position 893 out of 1756 tested combinations in To The Core. This places it almost exactly in the middle of the database, at the 50th percentile of all tested combos. The data indicates this is a competent pairing for the title, but it is not an outlier in either direction; it delivers a solid experience without pushing into the upper echelons of the performance charts.

The ranking is influenced by both components' standing in their respective fields. The RTX 5060 sits at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs, a strong position that suggests it is doing the heavy lifting. Conversely, the Core i5-9400 sits at the 50th percentile among CPUs, making it a moderate partner. The combination of a high-tier GPU with a mid-tier CPU yields a result that is greater than the sum of its parts for this specific title, but the CPU's age is a limiting factor that prevents the combo from climbing higher.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the primary driver of frame rates in this pairing. Its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is ample for the demands of To The Core at the tested settings. The GPU's boost clock of 2497 MHz, paired with its 3840 shading units, allows it to process the game's visuals efficiently. Its performance is measured by a Passmark G3D score of 20891, which solidifies its position as the dominant component in this combo.

The GPU's strength is evident in its benchmark standing. Its average benchmark score of 30109 places it in direct competition with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, which scores 30097, a negligible 0% delta. The RTX 5060 is also 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M60 and 0.6% ahead of the RTX 5070 Mobile. This indicates that the RTX 5060 is a well-rounded performer, and in To The Core, its capabilities are fully utilized to maintain high frame rates even when the CPU might struggle to keep up with the game's logic.

The GPU's high-end features, such as support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and a pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s, ensure that it is not a bottleneck in the rendering pipeline. The data shows that the GPU is the clear performance leader, and the measured FPS results reflect its ability to push frames across all resolutions and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of increasing GPU load, but the CPU still manages to hold its ground. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 241.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 161.4 FPS, a reduction of approximately 33%. At 4K, the frame rate falls further to 91 FPS, another reduction of roughly 44% from 1440p. This scaling shows that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as resolution increases, but the CPU is still able to feed it enough data to avoid a catastrophic collapse.

The gap between settings narrows as resolution increases, which is a sign of GPU-bound behavior. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 135.8 FPS (329.5 vs 193.7). At 4K, this gap shrinks to 52.3 FPS (129 vs 76.7). This pattern indicates that at higher resolutions, the RTX 5060 is working harder to fill pixels, and the CPU's ability to issue draw calls becomes less critical. The 1080p Low result of 329.5 FPS is the highest recorded, suggesting that the CPU is the ceiling at that point, but the GPU takes over as the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Is the Core i5-9400 holding back the RTX 5060 in this game?

A: The data suggests a balanced partnership. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 329.5 FPS, which is near the practical limit for most displays, indicating the CPU is not a significant bottleneck at lower settings. However, the i5-9400's 50th percentile CPU ranking, compared to the GPU's 73rd percentile, shows that the GPU is the stronger component, and the CPU is likely the ceiling at very high frame rates.

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

A: The sweet spot appears to be 1440p. At this resolution, the combo delivers 161.4 FPS on High settings, which is a high refresh rate experience. At 4K, the frame rate drops to 91 FPS on High, which is still playable but less fluid. The 1440p results offer a better balance between visual fidelity and frame rate stability.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score of 30109 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT's 30097, with a delta of 0%. It is also 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M60 and 0.6% ahead of the RTX 5070 Mobile. This shows that the RTX 5060 is a very consistent performer, sitting right at the top of its performance tier.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Yes, it can. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 193.7 FPS. This is a high frame rate that will easily drive a 144Hz monitor. The performance is smooth and responsive, with no indication of stutter or frame pacing issues in the data.

Q: What is the CPU's performance profile in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-9400 scores 7969 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 in single-core. Its average benchmark score of 2305 places it 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10305 and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-1125G4, but 0.6% behind the Intel Core i7-8809G. This shows it is a solid mid-range processor that competes well with its immediate peers.

Q: Does the game scale well with the GPU's VRAM?

A: The RTX 5060 has 8 GB of GDDR7 memory, and the data shows consistent performance gains from Low to High settings at all resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 76.7 FPS is the lowest recorded, but it is still playable, indicating that the 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for To The Core at these settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the combo is highly capable. Low settings yield 329.5 FPS, which is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 278.6 FPS, High settings produce 241.4 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 193.7 FPS. These numbers suggest that the CPU is the primary limit here, as the GPU is not fully saturated at lower settings.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the GPU beginning to work harder. Low settings produce 222.9 FPS, Medium produces 190.4 FPS, High produces 161.4 FPS, and Ultra produces 129.7 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a reduction of roughly 30-35% across all settings, which is consistent with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. Low settings produce 129 FPS, Medium produces 109.1 FPS, High produces 91 FPS, and Ultra produces 76.7 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is significant but not crippling. The 4K Ultra result of 76.7 FPS is the lowest in the dataset, but it remains above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 plays a supporting role in this combo, but its performance is still crucial for achieving high frame rates. With 6 cores and 6 threads, it lacks Hyper-Threading, but its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz allow it to handle the game's single-threaded and multi-threaded tasks. Its 9 MB of shared L3 cache is sufficient for the game's data needs.

The CPU's synthetic benchmarks show it to be a capable mid-range part. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and single-core score of 1125 are in line with its peers. The data indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in To The Core, as the game appears to be more GPU-intensive. However, at 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 329.5 FPS, which suggests the CPU can handle the game's logic at very high frame rates.

The CPU's 50th percentile ranking among all CPUs, compared to the GPU's 73rd percentile, indicates that the CPU is the weaker link. In a game like To The Core, which is an Idle genre title, the CPU's role in managing game state and logic is important, but the visual rendering is the main task. The data shows that the CPU does not significantly hinder the GPU at higher resolutions, but it may cap performance at lower resolutions where the GPU is underutilized.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience is achieved by balancing visual quality with frame rate stability. The High preset at 1440p is the recommended starting point, as it delivers 161.4 FPS, which is a high-refresh-rate experience without sacrificing too much visual detail. This setting offers a 38.6% improvement in frame rate over the Ultra preset at 129.7 FPS, while the visual difference between High and Ultra is often minor.

For players who prioritize the highest visual fidelity, Ultra at 1080p is the best choice, producing 193.7 FPS. This provides a smooth and detailed experience, and the frame rate is high enough to drive most high-refresh-rate monitors. However, the data shows that the jump from High to Ultra at 1080p costs 47.7 FPS, which is a significant trade-off for diminishing visual returns.

For those with a 4K display, the Medium preset is the most balanced option, producing 109.1 FPS. This is a significant improvement over the High preset's 91 FPS, and it remains above the 60 FPS threshold for a responsive experience. The Low preset at 4K yields 129 FPS, but the visual quality is likely too compromised for most users. The data clearly shows that the High preset at 1440p offers the best combination of performance and visual quality for this combo.