To The Core

FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 in To The Core?

A: This combo ranks 1270th out of 2991 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the database for this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, scores 49196, which is 0.4% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49228 (0.5% higher), while the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and Intel Core i5-14600K score 48698 (0.6% lower) and 48618 (0.8% lower) respectively.

Q: What are the maximum FPS figures at 1080p across all settings?

A: At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 334 FPS on Low, 282 FPS on Medium, 245 FPS on High, and 197 FPS on Ultra settings.

Q: Does the GPU support modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes, the RTX 5060 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the memory configuration of the GPU?

A: The RTX 5060 features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance?

A: In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 4648 in single-core and 32924 in multi-core, showing a roughly 7x scaling ratio. The PassMark single-thread score is 4394, while the multithread score is 38706.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the GeForce RTX 5060 occupies the 1270th position out of 2991 tested combinations in To The Core. This places it in the 58th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms more than half of the configurations in the database. The ranking suggests a balanced pairing that sits comfortably in the mid-to-upper tier for this idle game.

Looking at the benchmarks, the combo's position reflects both components' strengths. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all processors indicates strong computational capability, while the GPU's 72nd percentile among all graphics cards shows solid graphics performance. The combination of these two components creates a system that handles To The Core's demands well, though it doesn't crack the top tier of configurations.

The deltaPct values against the CPU's nearest rivals show tight competition. The Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and Ryzen 9 7900 both edge out the Ultra 5 245 by less than 1%, while the Xeon Gold 5318H and Core i5-14600K trail by similar margins. This clustering indicates that the CPU's performance is highly competitive within its price and performance segment.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals present a similar picture. The Radeon 860M and GeForce MX550 both score within 0.3% of the RTX 5060's average benchmark score of 26331, while the RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary trails by 0.8% and the RX 6750 XT leads by 1.2%. This suggests the RTX 5060 sits in a densely packed performance band where minor architectural differences make the difference.

The measured FPS data reveals that this combo performs admirably across all tested resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the system never drops below 197 FPS even on Ultra settings, and at 4K, it maintains playable frame rates above 76 FPS across all presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is built on the Arrow Lake architecture with a 3 nm process from TSMC. It features 14 cores and 14 threads, operating at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The 65W TDP makes it a power-efficient choice for desktop builds, with support for DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus delivering 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration supports the 17,800 million transistors packed into a 243 mm² die. The processor also includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units, though the discrete GPU handles the rendering workload in this configuration.

Benchmark results show the CPU's strengths. In Cinebench R15, it scores 3318 in multi-core and 468 in single-core. The R20 test yields 13828 multi-core and 1952 single-core scores. The R23 results demonstrate strong scaling with 32924 in multi-core and 4648 in single-core. PassMark tests reveal balanced performance: 400942 in data compression, 30236 in encryption, 33304 in extended instructions, 120548 in floating point math, and 91187 in integer math.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 90 among all processors indicates it outperforms 90% of tested CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 48995 places it in a tight cluster with its nearest rivals, showing that the Arrow Lake architecture delivers competitive performance in synthetic workloads.

For To The Core, an idle game, the CPU's role is less about raw frame generation and more about maintaining consistent background computations and game logic. The high single-thread score of 4648 in Cinebench R23 ensures responsive game state updates, while the 14 cores handle any auxiliary tasks efficiently. The 3 nm process node and 65W TDP suggest the CPU can sustain boost clocks without thermal throttling, which is beneficial for extended gaming sessions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the combo delivers 94 FPS on High settings, 128 FPS on Low, 109 FPS on Medium, and 76 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a range of 92 to 125 FPS, indicating some frame time variance. The gap between Low and Ultra is 52 FPS, representing a 68% performance difference between the lowest and highest quality presets.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), the frame rates increase substantially. High settings produce 165 FPS, Low settings reach 225 FPS, Medium averages 190 FPS with a range of 161 to 218 FPS, and Ultra maintains 132 FPS. The scaling from 4K to 1440p shows roughly a 75% improvement in frame rates across all settings, reflecting the reduced pixel count.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the performance is exceptional. Low settings deliver 334 FPS, Medium averages 282 FPS with a range of 240 to 325 FPS, High produces 245 FPS, and Ultra maintains 197 FPS. The 1080p results show that this combo can drive high-refresh-rate monitors at maximum quality settings, with even Ultra preset exceeding 144 FPS.

The resolution scaling demonstrates the GPU's bandwidth capabilities. The 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth from the GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus appears sufficient for 1080p gaming, but the drop to 76 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests the 8 GB VRAM capacity may become a limiting factor at higher resolutions with demanding settings.

Comparing settings within each resolution, the performance tiering is consistent. Low to Medium typically provides a 15-20% improvement in frame rate, Medium to High shows a 10-15% improvement, and High to Ultra incurs a 20-25% performance cost. These deltas are consistent with typical graphics scaling for modern GPUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process from TSMC. The GB206 chip contains 21,900 million transistors on a 181 mm² die, with a transistor density of 121.0M per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective).

The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This configuration delivers a pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s. The GPU features 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 30 RT cores, and 120 tensor cores, offering 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 19.18 TFLOPS of FP16 performance (1:1 ratio).

The RTX 5060's benchmark results show a PassMark G3D score of 20891 and a GPU compute score of 10899. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 3628. Geekbench results include 112787 in OpenCL and 113321 in Vulkan. DirectX performance in PassMark varies: 127 in DX10, 200 in DX11, and 77 in DX12. The 2D graphics score is 1154.

The GPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs and average benchmark score of 26331 place it in a competitive segment. Its nearest rivals show tight competition, with the Radeon 860M and GeForce MX550 within 0.3% of its score. The RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary trails by 0.8%, while the RX 6750 XT leads by 1.2%.

In To The Core, the GPU's role is central to the measured FPS results. The 145W TDP and dual-slot design with a single 8-pin power connector make it suitable for a wide range of systems. The PCIe 5.0 x8 interface provides ample bandwidth for the GPU's data transfer needs.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a consideration at 4K resolution with Ultra settings, where the combo drops to 76 FPS. The 128-bit memory bus, while efficient for GDDR7, limits the total bandwidth compared to wider buses. However, the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for the majority of scenarios in this idle game, as evidenced by the strong 1080p performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset delivers 197 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most mainstream monitors (144Hz or 165Hz). This makes Ultra the recommended setting for 1080p, as it provides the best visual quality without compromising frame rates.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset produces 132 FPS, which is suitable for 144Hz monitors but falls short of 165Hz displays. The High preset at 165 FPS matches the 165Hz refresh rate exactly, making it the optimal choice for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors. For users with 144Hz displays, Ultra at 132 FPS is viable, though High provides additional headroom.

The 4K resolution presents a trade-off. The Ultra preset at 76 FPS is playable but may not satisfy users with high-refresh-rate 4K monitors. The High preset at 94 FPS offers better fluidity, while Medium at 109 FPS provides a balanced experience. For the smoothest 4K experience, the Low preset at 128 FPS is recommended, though it comes with visual quality compromises.

The Medium preset consistently offers the widest FPS range across resolutions, indicating more variable frame pacing. At 1080p, Medium ranges from 240 to 325 FPS; at 1440p, it ranges from 161 to 218 FPS; and at 4K, it ranges from 92 to 125 FPS. This variability suggests that Medium may not be the ideal choice for users sensitive to frame time fluctuations.

Given the idle genre of To The Core, where frame rates above 60 FPS are generally sufficient for smooth gameplay, the Ultra preset is viable at all resolutions. The 76 FPS minimum at 4K Ultra exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, making it the best visual quality option even at the highest resolution. For competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays, the High preset offers the best balance of quality and performance across all resolutions.