To The Core

To The Core is an idle game that, on the surface, would not appear to stress modern hardware, yet the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination reveals a performance profile that scales heavily with resolution and settings. The benchmark results show a pairing that is capable of delivering extremely high frame rates at standard monitor resolutions, but which begins to show its limitations as pixel counts and graphical fidelity increase. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, contextualizes the hardware's standing in the database, and provides a clear picture of what this specific combination offers for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking aspect of the data is how frame rates collapse as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 313 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low sees that figure drop to 210 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it falls further to 120 FPS. This represents a 61.7% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K on the Low preset, indicating that even at the lowest graphical settings, the rendering workload is scaling significantly with pixel count.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced when examining the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 185 FPS, which drops to 124 FPS at 1440p and then to 71 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K on Ultra is 61.6%, nearly identical to the Low preset's scaling. This consistency suggests that the performance limiter is not primarily the CPU or GPU's shader complexity, but rather the sheer volume of pixels being pushed through the rendering pipeline. The RTX 4060's 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth appear to be the constraining factors, as the workload scales almost linearly with resolution.

Examining the Medium preset, which includes minimum and maximum FPS data, provides additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 265 FPS with a minimum of 225 FPS and a maximum of 304 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 178 FPS with a range of 151 to 205 FPS. The 4K Medium result shows an average of 102 FPS with a range of 87 to 117 FPS. The frame time consistency, as shown by the narrow gap between min and max at each resolution, suggests the system is not experiencing stuttering or CPU bottlenecking; instead, it is hitting a smooth, sustained performance ceiling that is tied to the GPU's memory subsystem and pixel fill rate.

The data clearly indicates that the limiting component in this pairing for To The Core is the GPU. The CPU has a 20-core design with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz and a Passmark multithread score of 49682, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. The RTX 4060, while a competent card, has a Passmark G3D score of 19545 and sits in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The CPU is vastly overqualified for this task, meaning the GPU's pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s are what determine the final frame counts. The 1080p results, exceeding 300 FPS, show the CPU is not a constraint; it is only when the GPU is saturated at higher resolutions that the performance ceiling becomes apparent.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060's specifications directly explain its behavior in To The Core. The card features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The base clock is 1830 MHz with a boost clock of 2460 MHz. These clocks, combined with the 3072 shading units, allow the card to process the relatively simple geometry and effects of an idle game with ease, but the memory bandwidth becomes a bottleneck as resolution scales.

The benchmark results show that the GPU's compute capabilities are not the primary limitation. The FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS is more than sufficient for this workload, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. However, the 128-bit memory bus is narrow by modern standards. At 4K, the GPU must access texture and framebuffer data at a much higher rate, and the 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is simply insufficient to maintain the same throughput as at lower resolutions. This is why the 4K Low preset (120 FPS) is slower than the 1080p Ultra preset (185 FPS), despite the latter requiring far more complex shading calculations.

The card's VRAM capacity of 8 GB does not appear to be a limiting factor in these tests, as all presets at all resolutions were able to run without falling back to a lower performance tier. The minimum FPS values recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution (225 at 1080p, 151 at 1440p, 87 at 4K) do not show signs of memory swapping or texture thrashing. The GPU's role is therefore defined by its bandwidth and pixel throughput. It is a card that excels at high refresh rate 1080p gaming and can handle 1440p well, but it is not designed for 4K gaming at high frame rates. The data for To The Core aligns perfectly with this assessment, showing a smooth, predictable decline in performance as the pixel count increases.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 pairing ranks 1586 out of 2991 total combos for To The Core. This places it in the 53rd percentile of all tested systems, which is a middle-of-the-pack result. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the CPU's high performance, but it is a direct consequence of the GPU's mid-tier standing.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks help contextualize its performance. The AMD EPYC 4464P has an average score of 64823, which is 0.3% lower than the Core Ultra 7 265's score of 64640. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265F scores 64438, a 0.3% difference. These are incredibly close margins, indicating that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class. The CPU's percentile rating of 93 means it outperforms 93% of all CPUs in the database, confirming that it is not the source of any performance bottleneck.

The GPU's ranking tells a different story. The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which scores 17666, a difference of only 0.2%. This proximity to much older hardware in synthetic tests is notable, though the architectural advantages of the RTX 4060, such as its 24 RT cores and Ada Lovelace features, do not translate to a significant advantage in this particular game. The combo's rank of 1586 out of 2991 is therefore a reflection of the GPU's mid-pack position. The system is faster than 53% of all tested combos, which is a reasonable result for a pairing that combines a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU. The data suggests that for this game, the GPU is the primary determinant of the final ranking.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 313 FPS, Medium 265 FPS, High 229 FPS, and Ultra 185 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 128 FPS, showing that the visual fidelity settings have a significant impact on performance even at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 210 FPS for Low, 178 FPS for Medium, 154 FPS for High, and 124 FPS for Ultra. The scaling is linear, with each step down in settings yielding roughly a 30 FPS increase. The Medium preset at this resolution shows a minimum of 151 FPS and a maximum of 205 FPS, indicating a stable frame delivery with a 54 FPS spread between the minimum and maximum.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more demanding. The Low preset averages 120 FPS, Medium 102 FPS, High 88 FPS, and Ultra 71 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum is 87 FPS and maximum is 117 FPS, showing a 30 FPS spread. The data reveals that 4K gaming is only viable for high refresh rate displays on the Low or Medium presets, while Ultra settings will be relegated to 60 Hz displays.

A key observation is the relative performance gap between settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 40.9% (313 vs 185 FPS). At 1440p, the difference is 41.0% (210 vs 124 FPS). At 4K, the difference is 40.8% (120 vs 71 FPS). This consistency shows that the GPU's performance scaling with settings is uniform across all resolutions, reinforcing the idea that the card is operating within its designed envelope and not encountering any unexpected bottlenecks at any particular resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in To The Core?

A: The maximum average FPS is 313, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset. This is the highest frame rate recorded in the measured data.

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

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 3840x2160, the system averages 120 FPS on Low settings and 71 FPS on Ultra settings. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the Medium preset (102 FPS average) or High preset (88 FPS average) would be suitable.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64640, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD EPYC 4464P (64823 score) and 0.3% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (64438 score). The margins are extremely tight, showing the CPU is performing at its expected level.

Q: What is the FPS difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 210 FPS while the Ultra preset averages 124 FPS. This represents a difference of 86 FPS, or a 41.0% performance drop when switching from Low to Ultra settings.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 4060 cause any issues in this game?

A: The data does not indicate any VRAM-related issues. The minimum FPS values for the Medium preset at all resolutions (225 at 1080p, 151 at 1440p, 87 at 4K) do not show signs of memory capacity limitations causing stutters or frame drops.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: This combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1586 out of 2991 tested combos for To The Core, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all systems.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target display's refresh rate and resolution. For 1080p displays with a 240 Hz refresh rate, the High preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 229 FPS, which is close to the 240 Hz ceiling. The Ultra preset at 185 FPS would also be viable for a 165 Hz display, offering maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

For 1440p displays, the data suggests that the High preset (154 FPS average) is the sweet spot. It provides a significant improvement over Medium (178 FPS) in terms of visual quality while still maintaining a frame rate that exceeds 144 Hz. The Ultra preset at 124 FPS would still be playable on a 120 Hz display, but the 41% performance penalty compared to Low (210 FPS) is substantial. For competitive play where frame rate is paramount, the Low preset is recommended, but for a balanced experience, High is the clear winner.

For 4K displays, the recommendations are more conservative. The Ultra preset (71 FPS average) is suitable for a 60 Hz display, but the Medium preset (102 FPS average) offers a much more comfortable margin for maintaining a stable 60 FPS, especially during intense on-screen action. The High preset (88 FPS average) sits between the two and would be a good choice for a 75 Hz display. The Low preset (120 FPS) is the only option that can drive a 120 Hz 4K display, but it sacrifices significant visual quality. The Medium preset at 4K provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance headroom, ensuring the minimum FPS of 87 stays well above the 60 FPS threshold.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with 30 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. The Passmark multithread score of 49682 further confirms its high-end status.

For To The Core, the CPU's role is minimal. The game is an idle title, which typically does not require complex physics calculations or extensive AI. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 313 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most displays. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor. If the CPU were struggling, we would expect to see frame rates plateau or become inconsistent at lower resolutions, but the data shows a smooth scaling pattern that is directly tied to GPU workload.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals confirms it is operating correctly. The nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4464P, scores within 0.3% of the Core Ultra 7 265, showing that this processor is delivering exactly the expected performance for its architecture and core count. The lack of a performance bottleneck from the CPU means that the system's overall ranking of 1586 out of 2991 is entirely determined by the GPU. This pairing demonstrates a classic case of a high-end CPU being paired with a mid-range GPU, where the GPU becomes the sole arbiter of gaming performance. The CPU's capabilities are essentially untapped in this title, and its high single-thread and multi-thread scores provide ample headroom for any background tasks or future games that might be more demanding on the processor.