To The Core

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 lands at rank 1431 out of 1756 tested combinations in To The Core. This places the combo in the 81st percentile of all tested pairings, meaning roughly one in five configurations delivers higher average frame rates in this idle title. The ranking reflects a severe bottleneck imbalance: the CPU is a top-tier part, while the GPU sits in the lower-middle tier of the benchmark database. The i9-14900K alone sits at the 97th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79824, while the RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile among GPUs, with an average score of 16074. The delta between these two components is stark, and the in-game rank of 1431 shows that the GPU is the limiting factor in almost every scenario.

The CPU's nearest rivals illustrate its standing. The AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, a delta of -0.3% relative to the i9-14900K, making them statistically identical. The Intel Core i9-14900KF scores 79245, a 0.7% delta, and both the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF and 265K score 79240 and 79102 respectively, with deltas of 0.7% and 0.9%. The i9-14900K is effectively at parity with these parts, confirming that its compute headroom is not the source of any performance shortfall in To The Core. The GPU, by contrast, is 1.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15786) and 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996), but 1.7% behind both the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700 (16351 each). These are all closely matched mid-range GPUs, none of which can feed a 24-core, 32-thread Raptor Lake Refresh flagship at its full potential.

For an idle game, the absolute ranking is less about competitive esports and more about headroom for background tasks and high-refresh displays. The data shows the combo is not a top-tier performer in this title, but it is far from the bottom. The 1431st rank out of 1756 combos means the configuration is better than roughly 325 other tested pairings, but it is also outclassed by a significant majority. The root cause is clear from the component-level percentiles: the CPU is a 97th-percentile part, while the GPU is a 58th-percentile part, and in an idle game the GPU still has to render every frame regardless of the low computational load.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the TU106 chip using the Turing architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It carries 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory sits on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is the key constraint in To The Core at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU also includes 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores, though these are irrelevant for an idle game that does not leverage ray tracing or DLSS.

The GPU's benchmark results show its general capability. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 1242. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 71278, and in Vulkan, 67425. Passmark results show DirectX 11 at 110, DirectX 12 at 53, and DirectX 9 at 190. The G3D score is 14111, and the compute score is 5488. These numbers place the RTX 2060 at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, which aligns with its mid-range positioning. The GPU's role in this combo is to render frames for an idle game, which is not a demanding workload, but the 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth still become limiting at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 52.8.

The GPU's nearest rivals are all within a 2% delta, confirming that it is not an outlier. The AMD Radeon RX 7600S is 0.5% behind, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700 are both 1.7% ahead, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is 1.8% behind. None of these parts would change the fundamental bottleneck picture in To The Core. The GPU's boost clock of 1680 MHz is modest, and the 192-bit memory bus limits fill rate. In an idle game with simple geometry and minimal effects, the GPU is still the factor that determines whether the combo can hit high refresh rates at 1080p or drops below 60 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 243.2 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 164.8 FPS, a reduction of 32.2% from the 1080p figure. At 4K Low, the average is 93.7 FPS, which is 61.5% lower than the 1080p Low result. This steep drop-off at 4K Low indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU has ample headroom to drive higher frame rates but the GPU cannot sustain them at higher pixel counts. The i9-14900K's single-thread performance, as shown by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7040, is more than sufficient for an idle game; the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the constraints.

At High settings, the scaling is similar. The 1080p High average is 174.7 FPS, dropping to 116.5 FPS at 1440p (a 33.3% decrease) and then to 70.6 FPS at 4K (a 59.6% decrease from 1080p). The pattern is consistent: each resolution step reduces the frame rate by roughly one-third to one-quarter, and the 4K step is the most punishing. At Medium settings, the progression is 204.9 FPS at 1080p, 138.2 FPS at 1440p (32.6% lower), and 76.6 FPS at 4K (62.6% lower). At Ultra, the 1080p average is 140.5 FPS, dropping to 95.1 FPS at 1440p (32.3% lower) and then to 52.8 FPS at 4K (62.4% lower).

The consistent relative drop across all settings points to a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's performance does not change with resolution, so any frame rate drop from resolution scaling is attributable to the GPU. The RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are the likely constraints at 4K, where the pixel count is 4.4 times that of 1080p. The data shows that the combo can handle 1080p and 1440p comfortably, but 4K is only playable at Low settings, and even then, it does not reach the heights seen at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a full picture of the combo's performance across resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the combo performs admirably. Low settings yield an average of 243.2 FPS, which is high enough for any 240 Hz display. Medium settings drop to 204.9 FPS, still excellent for high-refresh gaming. High settings produce 174.7 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 140.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 102.7 FPS, showing that the GPU has enough headroom at 1080p to handle even the most demanding settings in this idle game.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the GPU's limits. Low settings average 164.8 FPS, which is still above 144 Hz. Medium settings average 138.2 FPS, and High settings average 116.5 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 95.1 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 69.7 FPS, a narrower spread than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor. Still, all settings at 1440p remain above 90 FPS, making the combo capable of smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. Low settings average 93.7 FPS, which is playable but below the 100 FPS mark. Medium settings drop to 76.6 FPS, High settings to 70.6 FPS, and Ultra settings to 52.8 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is only 40.9 FPS, showing that the GPU is heavily constrained at 4K regardless of settings. The 52.8 FPS at 4K Ultra is the lowest measured result, and it falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many users consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. The 93.7 FPS at 4K Low is the only 4K result that approaches playability for users with 60 Hz displays.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target display and resolution. At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 140.5 FPS is the best choice for users with high-refresh monitors, as it stays well above 120 FPS while delivering the highest visual quality. The High preset at 174.7 FPS is better for 165 Hz or 240 Hz displays, and the Medium preset at 204.9 FPS is only necessary for those pushing beyond 200 Hz. The Low preset at 243.2 FPS is overkill for any current monitor and sacrifices visual fidelity for no practical benefit.

At 1440p, the High preset at 116.5 FPS is the sweet spot for 120 Hz displays, providing a good balance of visual quality and frame rate. The Medium preset at 138.2 FPS is better for 144 Hz displays, while the Ultra preset at 95.1 FPS is still smooth for 60 Hz and 100 Hz displays. The Low preset at 164.8 FPS is unnecessary unless the user has a 165 Hz or higher monitor and prioritizes frame rate over visual fidelity. Given that To The Core is an idle game, the visual differences between presets are likely minimal, so the Medium or High preset is recommended for most 1440p users.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. The Low preset at 93.7 FPS is the only option that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 60 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 76.6 FPS is still playable, and the High preset at 70.6 FPS is borderline but acceptable. The Ultra preset at 52.8 FPS is below 60 FPS and should be avoided unless the user is willing to tolerate a sub-60 frame rate. For a 4K display, the data suggests that the Low preset is the best experience, as it provides the highest frame rate while the visual downgrade from Ultra is likely negligible in an idle genre title. The combo's rank of 1431 out of 1756 reflects this reality: the CPU is overkill for the task, but the GPU dictates that 4K Ultra is not a viable option.