To The Core

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for To The Core reveals a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, this combo delivers 204 FPS, which drops to 137 FPS at 1440p and further to 78 FPS at 4K. That represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and another 43% drop from 1440p to 4K. The cumulative effect from 1080p to 4K is a 62% performance loss.

Looking at the Low settings row, the pattern intensifies. The 1080p Low result of 278 FPS falls to 187 FPS at 1440p (a 33% drop) and then to 107 FPS at 4K (a 43% drop from 1440p). The relative scaling is nearly identical to High settings, which suggests the rendering workload scales predictably with pixel count regardless of quality preset.

Medium settings tell a similar story: 235 FPS at 1080p, 158 FPS at 1440p, and 90 FPS at 4K. The percentage losses are 33% and 43% respectively, matching the other presets almost exactly. Even Ultra settings, which start at 164 FPS in 1080p, drop to 110 FPS at 1440p and 63 FPS at 4K — again a 33% and 43% reduction pattern.

This uniformity in scaling percentages across all four presets is revealing. It indicates that resolution scaling is purely pixel-bound, with no unexpected bottlenecks appearing at higher resolutions. The game's idle genre nature means rendering complexity is straightforward, and the GPU handles the increased pixel load in a linear fashion.

The 4K Ultra result of 63 FPS is the only measurement that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that this combo can handle 4K gaming but only at reduced quality settings. The 4K High result of 78 FPS and 4K Medium of 90 FPS both remain comfortably playable, while 4K Low reaches 107 FPS.

What the data implies is that the limiting component at higher resolutions is the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The RTX 5050's 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 320 GB/s of bandwidth, which becomes increasingly taxed as pixel counts rise. The 4K resolution requires four times the pixels of 1080p, and the measured performance scales almost exactly with that expectation.

An interesting observation is the consistency of the 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p across all settings. This suggests no thermal or power throttling occurs as the GPU works harder at higher resolutions. The 130 W TDP appears sufficient for sustained performance at 4K, as the 4K Medium row shows a minimum of 77 FPS, indicating the frame pacing remains stable even under load.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide clear guidance on which preset offers the best experience for different priorities. If maximizing frame rate is the goal, Low settings at 1080p delivers 278 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. This would be suitable for high-refresh-rate displays, though the visual quality trade-off is substantial.

For the most balanced experience at 1080p, Medium settings at 235 FPS with a minimum of 200 FPS and maximum of 270 FPS offers excellent consistency. The 35 FPS spread between minimum and maximum is relatively tight, indicating stable performance. High settings at 204 FPS is also viable, though it sacrifices 31 FPS compared to Medium for presumably marginal visual gains.

At 1440p, Medium settings at 158 FPS with a minimum of 134 FPS and maximum of 182 FPS appears to be the sweet spot. The 48 FPS range between minimum and maximum is wider than at 1080p, suggesting more variability as the GPU works harder. High settings at 137 FPS is still smooth, but the 21 FPS difference between Medium and High makes Medium the better choice for maintaining headroom.

At 4K, the choice becomes more constrained. Medium settings at 90 FPS with a minimum of 77 FPS is the highest preset that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. High settings at 78 FPS is playable but offers less headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra settings at 63 FPS sits right at the edge of playability, with no minimum FPS data to confirm stability. Low settings at 107 FPS is the safest choice for 4K if visual fidelity is not a priority.

The data suggests that Medium settings provides the best overall experience across all resolutions. It consistently delivers frame rates that are 15-25% higher than High settings while maintaining a minimum FPS above 77 in every resolution tested. The gap between Medium and Ultra is even more pronounced, with Medium offering 43% higher FPS at 4K and 43% higher at 1080p compared to Ultra.

For users with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, Low settings at 278 FPS would push beyond typical 240 Hz display capabilities. At 1440p, Medium at 158 FPS exceeds standard 144 Hz displays, making High at 137 FPS a viable alternative for better visuals without dropping below refresh rate thresholds.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run To The Core at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, with caveats. At 4K Medium settings, the average FPS is 90 with a minimum of 77 FPS. At High settings, it drops to 78 FPS average. Ultra settings yield 63 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for minimum performance in the measured data.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium settings at 1440p delivers 158 FPS average with a minimum of 134 FPS and maximum of 182 FPS. This provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, as High settings only reaches 137 FPS and Ultra drops to 110 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1807 out of 2991 tested combinations in To The Core. This places it in the 60th percentile of all tested combos, indicating it performs above average but not in the top tier.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The scaling patterns across resolutions suggest the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions. The consistent 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p and 43% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings indicates pixel-bound rendering, which is a GPU workload. The CPU's 10 cores and 10 threads provide sufficient processing power for this idle genre game.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 164. This is the lowest 1080p result among the presets, with Low at 278 FPS, Medium at 235 FPS, and High at 204 FPS. Ultra at 1080p still provides a smooth experience for most displays.

Q: Does the combo maintain consistent frame pacing?

A: The minimum FPS data is only available for Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 200 FPS versus a 235 FPS average. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 134 FPS versus a 158 FPS average. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 77 FPS versus a 90 FPS average. This represents an 85-88% minimum-to-average ratio, indicating stable performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1807 out of 2991 tested combinations in To The Core. This position places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested combos, with roughly 60% of combinations performing better and 40% performing worse. The rank reflects the combined capabilities of both components in this specific game.

To contextualize this ranking, the CPU alone sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs based on its average benchmark score. The GPU, however, sits at the 66th percentile among all GPUs. This disparity suggests the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing, which aligns with the resolution scaling analysis showing GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark performance are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with a delta of 0%, the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D at -0.2%, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 at -0.4%, and the Intel Core i9-12900T at -0.5%. These extremely small deltas indicate the Core Ultra 5 225 is positioned in a highly competitive performance band, with essentially no meaningful difference from its closest competitors.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a different pattern. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL is 0.6% slower, the AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 1% slower, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is 1.6% faster, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% slower. These deltas are also small, but the mix of older mobile and desktop parts among the rivals suggests the RTX 5050 occupies a niche performance tier.

The combo ranking of 1807/2991 can be interpreted as a result of the GPU's mid-tier position combined with the CPU's higher-tier position. In an idle game like To The Core, which likely has modest CPU requirements, the GPU's performance ceiling becomes the determining factor for the overall combo rank. The 4K results, where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, align with this interpretation.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 brings 10 cores and 10 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This is a desktop-class processor built on the Arrow Lake architecture with a 3 nm process node. The CPU's benchmarks show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a single-core score of 3655, indicating strong performance for both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads.

For To The Core, an idle genre game, the CPU demands are likely minimal. The game's mechanics typically involve incremental progression systems rather than complex simulations or physics calculations. This means the CPU's 10 cores and 10 threads are more than sufficient for the game's processing needs, and the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios.

The CPU's single-thread performance, as indicated by the PassMark single-thread score of 4412, is particularly relevant for game logic that operates on a single thread. The boost clock of 4.90 GHz provides high clock speeds for such workloads. The L3 cache of 20 MB shared across all cores helps with data locality, which can benefit games that repeatedly access the same game state data.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s with dual-channel DDR5 support ensures the GPU has adequate data throughput for feeding frames. In an idle game where the rendering workload is relatively simple, the CPU can easily keep up with the GPU's frame production at all resolutions.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, combined with its average benchmark score of 36938, places it well above the median. Its nearest rivals all fall within a 0.5% performance band, indicating that this CPU is competitively positioned. For To The Core specifically, the CPU's role is to provide stable frame pacing and avoid bottlenecking the GPU, which the data suggests it does effectively given the uniform scaling patterns across resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 278 FPS average, Medium settings produce 235 FPS with a minimum of 200 FPS and maximum of 270 FPS, High settings produce 204 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 164 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 41% reduction in performance, with each successive preset tier costing approximately 15-20% of frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings reach 187 FPS, Medium settings reach 158 FPS with a minimum of 134 FPS and maximum of 182 FPS, High settings reach 137 FPS, and Ultra settings reach 110 FPS. The Low to Ultra reduction is again 41%, matching the 1080p pattern.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop further. Low settings produce 107 FPS, Medium settings produce 90 FPS with a minimum of 77 FPS and maximum of 104 FPS, High settings produce 78 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 63 FPS. The Low to Ultra reduction is 41% as well, maintaining the consistent scaling pattern across all resolutions.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones with complete minimum and maximum data. At 1080p, the range spans from 200 to 270 FPS, a 70 FPS spread. At 1440p, the range spans 134 to 182 FPS, a 48 FPS spread. At 4K, the range spans 77 to 104 FPS, a 27 FPS spread. This narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests more consistent frame delivery when the GPU is more heavily loaded.

The average FPS values across all twelve measured configurations form a clear hierarchy. Low settings always deliver the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, then High, then Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is remarkably consistent at 41% across all three resolutions, indicating that the settings presets scale uniformly regardless of resolution.

The 4K Ultra result of 63 FPS is the only measurement below 70 FPS in the entire dataset. This suggests that this combo can maintain high frame rates across most configurations, with only the most demanding combination of resolution and quality pushing it to the edge.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 320 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 2317 MHz with a boost clock of 2572 MHz, and it has 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

The GPU's memory configuration is notable for its modest 8 GB capacity. In To The Core, an idle genre game with relatively simple textures and geometry, 8 GB appears sufficient, as evidenced by the playable frame rates at 4K. However, the 128-bit memory bus and 320 GB/s bandwidth could become limiting factors in more demanding games.

The GPU's benchmarks show a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 and a PassMark G3D score of 17326. Its 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the mid-range tier. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, which is 1.6% faster, and the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, which is 0.6% slower. This positions the RTX 5050 in a tight competitive band.

The GPU's role in To The Core is clearly the primary performance determinant. The uniform 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p and 43% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings indicates that the GPU's rendering throughput is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU, with its 85th percentile ranking, provides ample headroom, leaving the GPU to dictate performance.

The GPU's 13.17 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 205.8 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for this game's demands. The 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores, while not heavily utilized in an idle game, provide headroom for future titles. The pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s aligns with the observed 4K performance, as the GPU processes 8.3 million pixels per frame at 4K resolution.

The 130 W TDP and suggested 300 W PSU indicate this is a power-efficient GPU. The measured performance shows no signs of throttling, as the scaling patterns remain consistent across all tested configurations. The GPU's dual-slot design and single 8-pin power connector suggest it runs relatively cool, supporting sustained performance in extended gaming sessions.