To The Core

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates in To The Core, an idle game that is far less demanding than its genre peers. The data shows that this pairing is capable of pushing well past 200 FPS at 1080p and remains highly playable even at 4K, making it a robust choice for high-refresh-rate displays.

FAQ

Q: What kind of performance can I expect at 1080p with this combo?

A: The measured data shows exceptional headroom. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 185 on Ultra settings to 313 on Low. The Medium preset averages 265 FPS, while High delivers 229 FPS.

*Q: Is this setup capable of 4K gaming in To The Core?*

A: Yes, it is. At 3840x2160, the combo still produces solid results. The average FPS is 120 on Low, 102 on Medium, and 88 on High. Even at the Ultra preset, it maintains a playable average of 71 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: It ranks in the 54th percentile of tested combos, landing at position 2004 out of 3725 total configurations. This indicates it performs better than a slight majority of other tested pairings.

Q: What is the difference between the High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The performance gap is significant. On the High preset, the average FPS is 154, while the Ultra preset drops to 124 FPS. This represents a 30 FPS difference, which is a notable trade-off for the increased visual fidelity.

Q: Is the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM a bottleneck for this game?

A: The data does not indicate a VRAM bottleneck. The game runs smoothly even at 4K with high settings, suggesting that the 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient for the demands of To The Core.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is effectively tied with its nearest rivals in average benchmark score. It is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and 0.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4364P, while being 0.1% behind the Intel Core i9-13900HX.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the performance scaling across different presets. For players prioritizing the smoothest experience, the Low preset at 1920x1080 yields the highest average frame rate of 313 FPS, which is ideal for maximum refresh rates. However, the game is so well-optimized for this hardware that higher settings are more practical.

At 1080p, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, delivering 265 FPS with better visuals than Low. The High preset at 229 FPS is also an excellent choice for those who want a balance of visual quality and speed. The Ultra preset, while still very fast at 185 FPS, offers diminishing returns on visual fidelity for the performance cost.

For 1440p gaming, the High preset is the recommended choice. It provides an average of 154 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset is a strong alternative if you prefer extra headroom, averaging 178 FPS. While the Ultra preset is playable at 124 FPS, the drop from High is substantial enough that High is generally the better value.

At 4K, the choice depends on your tolerance for frame rate versus visual quality. The Low preset at 120 FPS is the most fluid option. The Medium preset at 102 FPS is a good middle ground, and the High preset at 88 FPS remains entirely playable. The Ultra preset at 71 FPS is acceptable for a slower-paced idle game, but it's the only setting where the frame rate dips below the 90 FPS threshold, making it less ideal for smooth motion.

Based on the measured data, the recommended path is to start with the High preset at your native resolution and adjust from there. For 1080p and 1440p, High provides an excellent experience. For 4K, High is still viable, but Medium or Low will offer more consistent frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark results place this specific pairing at rank 2004 out of 3725 tested combinations for To The Core. This places it in the 54th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms a slight majority of other configurations. The absolute performance is not a concern, as the frame rates are high across all resolutions.

This mid-pack ranking is interesting given the hardware's capabilities. The data suggests that while the Core Ultra 5 235 and RTX 4060 are individually strong components, the combination doesn't push to the top of the charts for this specific game. This could be due to the game's nature as an idle title, where the performance ceiling is reached by many mid-range and high-end parts alike. The high FPS numbers indicate that the game is likely more dependent on single-thread CPU performance and raw GPU throughput, both of which this combo provides in abundance.

The ranking is not a reflection of poor performance. In fact, the measured FPS data shows this combo is exceptionally fast. The percentile ranking simply means that a significant number of other combos are also achieving high frame rates in this game. The practical takeaway is that this system is far more capable than needed for a smooth experience in To The Core, and its mid-tier ranking confirms the game's broad accessibility rather than a limitation of the hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data was recorded at four distinct settings presets across three resolutions. The following breakdown details the exact average frame rates, with minimum and maximum values where available.

At 1920x1080, the performance is exceptionally high. The Low preset averages 313 FPS. The Medium preset averages 265 FPS, with a minimum of 225 and a maximum of 304 FPS. The High preset averages 229 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 185 FPS. The high minimum FPS on Medium indicates excellent frame time consistency.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high. The Low preset leads with an average of 210 FPS. The Medium preset averages 178 FPS, with a minimum of 151 and a maximum of 205 FPS. The High preset averages 154 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 124 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a typical reduction in performance, but the numbers remain well above playable thresholds.

At 3840x2160, the combo continues to deliver. The Low preset averages 120 FPS. The Medium preset averages 102 FPS, with a minimum of 87 and a maximum of 117 FPS. The High preset averages 88 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 71 FPS. Even at 4K, the average FPS never drops below 70, proving the hardware is sufficient for this game at any resolution.

The data shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance scaling. The jump from Ultra to High provides a significant FPS boost at every resolution, while the jump from Medium to Low provides a smaller, but still noticeable, increase. For example, at 1440p, moving from Ultra to High yields a 30 FPS gain, while moving from High to Medium yields a 24 FPS gain.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 plays a critical role in achieving these high frame rates. The GPU's architecture, Ada Lovelace, is built on a 5 nm process and features 3072 shading units. The measured data shows that this GPU is more than capable of handling the graphical load of To The Core.

The GPU's memory configuration is an 8 GB frame buffer of GDDR6 type on a 128-bit bus. This provides a memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The data suggests that this bandwidth is sufficient for the game, as the 4K results show no signs of a severe bottleneck. The core clocks are listed at a base of 1830 MHz and a boost of 2460 MHz, which contribute to the GPU's processing power.

In benchmark tests, the RTX 4060 holds a percentile rank of 61 among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 17639. This places it in a performance tier that is competitive for modern gaming. The GPU's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, has an average score of 17666, which is only 0.2% higher. This close grouping shows that the RTX 4060 is a solid performer in its class.

For To The Core, the GPU's role is clearly to render the game's visuals at high speed. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of performance, with the frame rate scaling consistently with resolution and settings. The GPU's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is more than enough to maintain high frame rates, even at 4K resolution. The 96 ROPs and 96 TMUs ensure efficient pixel and texture processing, which is crucial for maintaining the high fill rates seen in the results.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is the central processing unit in this configuration. It features 14 cores and 14 threads, operating with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This is a desktop processor from the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process.

The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong. It holds a percentile rank of 89 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062. The data shows that its performance is nearly identical to its closest rivals. For instance, it is just 0.1% behind the Intel Core i9-13900HX and 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375.

In To The Core, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics calculations, and frame pacing. The game is an idle genre, which often is not as demanding on the CPU as fast-paced action games. However, the high frame rates achieved in the measured data suggest that the CPU is not a limiting factor. The high boost clock of 5.00 GHz is likely beneficial for the single-threaded tasks that games often rely on.

The CPU's memory support is dual-channel DDR5, providing a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. This is adequate for feeding data to the GPU. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps to keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency. The data indicates that the Core Ultra 5 235 provides ample processing power to keep up with the RTX 4060, allowing the GPU to work at its full potential without waiting on the CPU. The measured FPS results are evidence of this balanced pairing, as the system is able to maintain high performance across all tested settings.