To The Core

The pairing of Intel’s six-core Core i5-9400 with NVIDIA’s flagship RTX 5090 creates an extreme generational and performance-class contrast. In To The Core, an idle genre title, the benchmark results reveal a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet still capable of delivering remarkably high frame rates across the board. The measured data provides a clear picture of how this specific combination scales, where its bottlenecks lie, and which settings offer the most sensible trade-off between visual fidelity and raw performance.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a Coffee Lake-based processor from 2018, built on a 14 nm process. It brings six cores and six threads to the table, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its cache layout includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and a shared 9 MB L3 cache. The CPU supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, and its 65 W TDP classifies it as a mainstream desktop part.

In synthetic workloads, the i5-9400 posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and a single-core score of 1125. Its average benchmark score sits at 2305, placing it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs tracked. The nearest rivals are tightly clustered, with the Intel Core i3-10305 and Intel Core i3-1125G4 both coming within 0.2% of its average score. The Intel Xeon E-2134 is 0.4% behind, while the Intel Core i7-8809G is 0.6% ahead. This suggests the i5-9400 sits in a highly competitive middle ground for CPU performance, neither clearly dominating nor being dominated by its immediate peers.

For an idle game like To The Core, the CPU’s role is typically less demanding than in action-heavy titles. The six cores and six threads are sufficient to handle game logic and background tasks without becoming the primary constraint. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combination achieves 371.4 FPS on average, which is only 10.3% higher than the 336 FPS at 1080p High. The relatively small spread between Low and High settings at 1080p indicates that even at the lowest settings, the system is not hitting a hard CPU ceiling. However, the fact that frame rates scale down as resolution increases points to the GPU taking on more of the workload, leaving the i5-9400 with ample headroom.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering a staggering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s boost clock is 2407 MHz, and its 21760 shading units are paired with 680 texture mapping units and 176 ROPs. The RTX 5090 also features 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores, pushing its FP32 throughput to 104.8 TFLOPS.

In benchmark terms, the RTX 5090 achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14411 and a Passmark G3D score of 39650. Its average benchmark score is 84306, placing it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are extremely close: the RTX 5090 D is 0.1% ahead, and the RTX 5050 Mobile is 0.2% ahead. The AMD Radeon PRO W6600 trails by 1.3%, while the NVIDIA CMP 40HX is 1.6% behind. This positioning shows the RTX 5090 is at the very top of the GPU hierarchy, with only negligible differences separating it from its closest competitors.

In To The Core, the GPU’s dominance is evident in the measured frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the system still manages 141 FPS on average, which is a demanding resolution and setting combination. The GPU’s massive memory bandwidth and compute resources ensure that even at the highest settings, the RTX 5090 is never starved for data. The launch MSRP of this card is 1,999 USD, reflecting its flagship status.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Examining the scaling across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound pattern, but with an interesting twist. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 336 at 1080p to 290.7 at 1440p, a decline of 13.5%. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the FPS falls further to 175.8, a 39.5% drop. The total decline from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 47.7%.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The system delivers 306.4 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 252.2 at 1440p (a 17.7% decrease) and then to 141 at 4K (a 44.1% decrease from 1440p). The cumulative drop from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is 54%. This steep fall-off at 4K strongly indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the resolution increase directly impacts the pixel throughput required.

Conversely, at Low settings, the scaling is less dramatic but still significant. The 371.4 FPS at 1080p drops to 327.5 at 1440p (an 11.8% decrease) and then to 243.3 at 4K (a 25.7% decrease from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 34.5%. This smaller relative decline at Low settings suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately at lower resolutions, but the GPU’s workload still scales with resolution. The data overall points to a system where the RTX 5090 is the bottleneck at 4K, while the i5-9400 remains sufficient to keep frame rates high at 1080p and 1440p.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data includes four preset levels—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—across three resolutions. Judging by the average FPS, the High preset offers the most compelling balance between visual quality and performance. At 1080p, High delivers 336 FPS, which is only 35.4 FPS less than Low’s 371.4, but represents a substantial visual upgrade over the Low preset. At 1440p, High hits 290.7 FPS, still well above the 240 Hz refresh rate common on high-end monitors. Even at 4K, High maintains 175.8 FPS, which is comfortably playable.

Medium is a close second, offering 347.7 FPS at 1080p and 304.7 FPS at 1440p, but at 4K it drops to 209.1 FPS. The difference between Medium and High at 4K is 33.3 FPS, favoring Medium, but the visual fidelity loss may not be worth it for most users. Ultra is the most demanding preset, with 141 FPS at 4K and 306.4 FPS at 1080p. While still playable, the 4K Ultra result is the only one that dips below 150 FPS, suggesting that this preset is best reserved for users with lower refresh rate displays or those who prioritize maximum image quality over raw frame rate.

For users with high refresh rate monitors, the High preset at 1440p is the sweet spot, delivering 290.7 FPS without sacrificing too much visual detail. At 4K, High remains the best option, as it provides a 34.8 FPS advantage over Ultra while likely looking nearly identical in an idle game’s static scenes.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested combinations for To The Core, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 holds a rank of 217 out of 1756 total combos. This places it in the top 12.4% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing given the aging CPU. The rank indicates that while the RTX 5090 is a top-tier GPU, the i5-9400’s older architecture and six-thread limitation prevent this combo from reaching the absolute top of the leaderboard.

The fact that the combo ranks 217th despite the GPU being at the 94th percentile of all GPUs suggests that the CPU is holding back the system in certain scenarios. However, in an idle game like To The Core, where frame rates are already exceptionally high, the practical impact of this bottleneck is minimal. The combo’s rank is still better than over 87% of all tested combinations, proving that the RTX 5090 can overcome the CPU’s limitations in this specific title.

FAQ

*Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in To The Core?*

A: The benchmark data indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K, where frame rates drop by up to 54% from 1080p. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is sufficient to maintain very high frame rates, with the 1080p Low result of 371.4 FPS showing no hard CPU ceiling.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows that 1440p High provides an excellent balance with 290.7 FPS on average. This is 115 FPS higher than the 4K High result of 175.8 FPS, while still offering a significant resolution upgrade over 1080p.

Q: How does the RTX 5090’s performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5090’s average benchmark score of 84306 is only 0.1% behind the RTX 5090 D and 0.2% behind the RTX 5050 Mobile. It is 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 and 1.6% ahead of the NVIDIA CMP 40HX.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, the measured data shows 4K High averaging 175.8 FPS and 4K Ultra averaging 141 FPS. Even at the most demanding settings, the system maintains playable frame rates.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset averages 371.4 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 306.4 FPS. The difference is 65 FPS, favoring Low, but Ultra still delivers a very high frame rate.

Q: How does the i5-9400’s CPU benchmark score compare to its rivals?

A: The i5-9400’s average score of 2305 is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-10305 and Intel Core i3-1125G4, and 0.4% higher than the Intel Xeon E-2134. It is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core i7-8809G.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following data is directly from the measured FPS table, showing average frame rates for each resolution and settings combination.

1920x1080

• Low: 371.4 FPS
• Medium: 347.7 FPS
• High: 336 FPS
• Ultra: 306.4 FPS

2560x1440

• Low: 327.5 FPS
• Medium: 304.7 FPS
• High: 290.7 FPS
• Ultra: 252.2 FPS

3840x2160

• Low: 243.3 FPS
• Medium: 209.1 FPS
• High: 175.8 FPS
• Ultra: 141 FPS

Across all resolutions, the Low preset provides the highest frame rates, while the Ultra preset is the most demanding. The 4K Ultra result of 141 FPS is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset, yet it remains above the standard 60 FPS threshold. The 1080p Low result of 371.4 FPS is the highest measured value, indicating the system’s peak performance when the GPU workload is minimized. The data consistently shows that the RTX 5090 is the dominant component, with the i5-9400 providing adequate support for this idle game’s demands.