To The Core

# FAQ

Q: What is the comboRankInGame for this configuration?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 226th out of 3,725 tested combinations in To The Core. This places it in the top 6% of all tested combos, indicating a very strong overall pairing for this particular game.

Q: Does this game favor the CPU or GPU more based on the measured FPS data?

A: The data suggests this is a CPU-limited scenario at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 552 FPS average, while at 4K Low it drops to 212 FPS. The RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, which is more than sufficient for an idle game; the dramatic FPS scaling with resolution indicates the CPU's 20 cores and 5.30 GHz boost clock are the primary driver at lower settings.

Q: What is the best preset for smooth gameplay at 4K?

A: Medium at 3840x2160 provides the best measured balance, with an average of 180 FPS, a minimum of 153 FPS, and a maximum of 207 FPS. This is the only 4K preset with both min and max FPS recorded, and the 153 FPS minimum ensures consistent frame delivery without dips below high-refresh-rate thresholds.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 7 265 compare to its nearest rival in CPU benchmarks?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64,640, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (64,438) and 0.7% higher than the AMD EPYC 7343 (64,202). It trails the AMD EPYC 4464P by 0.3% (64,823) and the AMD EPYC 9124 by 0.7% (65,104). Its 93rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs confirms near-top-tier performance.

Q: Is the RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes. The RTX 4080's 16 GB GDDR6X memory with a 716.8 GB/s bandwidth is far more than an idle game like To The Core requires. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 125 FPS average, showing no VRAM-related bottleneck even at maximum settings. The GPU's 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are ample for the workload.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 371 FPS, while Ultra averages 219 FPS. This represents a 152 FPS drop (approximately 41% reduction) from Low to Ultra. The Medium preset sits in between at 314 FPS, making it a strong middle-ground choice for those prioritizing both visual quality and frame rate.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset emerges as the most balanced choice across all three resolutions tested. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 467 FPS average with a 397 FPS minimum and 537 FPS maximum—the only preset at this resolution with complete frame data. The minimum of 397 FPS still exceeds the refresh rate of virtually all mainstream monitors, making this an excellent choice for competitive play.

At 2560x1440, Medium maintains 314 FPS average with a minimum of 267 FPS and maximum of 361 FPS. This level of performance comfortably drives high-refresh-rate 1440p displays while retaining visual fidelity between Low and Ultra. The 267 FPS minimum is notable because it remains well above the 240 Hz threshold that many esports-grade monitors now support.

For 4K gaming, Medium again proves optimal with 180 FPS average, 153 FPS minimum, and 207 FPS maximum. This is the only 4K preset with min/max data, and the 153 FPS floor ensures no perceptible stutter even during intense on-screen activity. The jump from Low (212 FPS average) to Medium (180 FPS) costs only 32 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High (156 FPS) costs 24 FPS, and High to Ultra (125 FPS) costs 31 FPS.

The data shows diminishing returns at Ultra across all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra (326 FPS) is 141 FPS slower than Medium (467 FPS); at 1440p, Ultra (219 FPS) is 95 FPS slower; at 4K, Ultra (125 FPS) is 55 FPS slower. Given that an idle game likely has minimal visual differences between Medium and Ultra, the Medium preset provides the best experience-per-frame ratio in the measured data.

Users with 360 Hz or faster monitors at 1080p should consider Low (552 FPS average) to maximize frame rates. However, for the vast majority of display configurations, Medium delivers the ideal combination of smoothness and quality.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 brings substantial hardware to To The Core, and the measured FPS reflects that. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, the GPU provides 716.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth—far more than an idle game would ever saturate. The memory runs at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective), which contributes to the card's strong 4K performance.

The GPU's compute capabilities are extensive: 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs deliver 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s indicate the card can handle any rasterization workload this game presents. The Ada Lovelace architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, provides efficient execution.

In the GPU benchmark hierarchy, the RTX 4080 scores 54,247 average, ranking in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54,209 (0.1% higher), while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828 (1.1% higher). The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698 (2.6% higher) and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55,757 (2.7% higher). These narrow deltas suggest the RTX 4080 sits in a tightly contested performance band.

The GPU's 2205 MHz base clock and 2505 MHz boost clock operate under a 320 W TDP, drawing power through a single 16-pin connector with a 700 W suggested PSU. At 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 125 average from 180 at Medium—a 55 FPS reduction—suggesting the GPU is engaging more heavily at higher settings, but the absolute performance remains high for an idle game.

The RTX 4080 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring full API compatibility. Its PCIe 4.0 x16 interface provides ample bandwidth, and the triple-slot design with 310 mm length indicates substantial cooling capacity for sustained performance.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Core Ultra 7 265 and RTX 4080 deliver exceptional frame rates. Low settings produce 552 FPS average, Medium 467 FPS (with 397 min and 537 max), High 405 FPS, and Ultra 326 FPS. The progression shows a consistent 44-85 FPS drop per settings tier, with Low to Medium being the largest single step (85 FPS). The Medium preset's min/max range of 397-537 FPS indicates a 140 FPS spread, suggesting some frame-time variance but no problematic stutters.

At 2560x1440, performance remains very high. Low averages 371 FPS, Medium 314 FPS (267 min, 361 max), High 272 FPS, and Ultra 219 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 152 FPS, while Medium to High costs 42 FPS and High to Ultra costs 53 FPS. The Medium min of 267 FPS guarantees smooth output even in demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, performance scales down but remains impressive. Low averages 212 FPS, Medium 180 FPS (153 min, 207 max), High 156 FPS, and Ultra 125 FPS. The 4K Medium min/max spread is 54 FPS, which is tighter than at lower resolutions, indicating more consistent frame pacing at higher GPU load. The Ultra preset at 125 FPS still exceeds 60 FPS by a wide margin, making max settings viable for 4K gaming.

Comparing resolution scaling: 1080p Low (552) → 1440p Low (371) → 4K Low (212) shows a 32.8% drop from 1080p to 1440p, then a 42.9% drop from 1440p to 4K. For Medium: 467 → 314 → 180 (32.8% then 42.7%). For High: 405 → 272 → 156 (32.8% then 42.6%). For Ultra: 326 → 219 → 125 (32.8% then 42.9%). The consistency of these percentages across settings indicates the scaling behavior is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven.

The 4K to 1080p ratio at each setting is roughly 2.6x for Low, 2.6x for Medium, 2.6x for High, and 2.6x for Ultra—suggesting pixel count is the dominant factor. This is expected for an idle game where geometry complexity is likely low and fill-rate demands scale with resolution.

# How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 226 out of 3,725 tested combinations places this system in the 93.9th percentile of all tested hardware pairings in To The Core. This top-6% position reflects the synergy between the Core Ultra 7 265 and RTX 4080.

To contextualize this rank, consider the CPU's individual standing: the Core Ultra 7 265 scores in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark of 64,640. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4464P, scores 64,823 (0.3% higher), while the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F scores 64,438 (0.3% lower). The EPYC 7343 (64,202) and EPYC 9124 (65,104) bracket this CPU within a narrow 0.7% performance band.

The GPU's 86th percentile ranking (avg score 54,247) is slightly lower than the CPU's 93rd percentile, yet the combo still achieves a 93.9th percentile rank in-game. This suggests the CPU contributes more significantly to To The Core performance than the GPU, which aligns with the idle genre's typically light graphics load.

The delta between combo rank (226/3725) and the CPU's percentile (93) indicates that while the CPU is near top-tier, the GPU's slightly lower standing prevents the pair from reaching the absolute top of the rankings. The 3,725 combo pool includes pairings with faster GPUs (e.g., RTX 4080 SUPER, which edges out the RTX 4080 by 0.1% in GPU benchmarks), which likely occupy higher ranks.

Notably, the combo outperforms what either component's individual percentile might suggest—the CPU is 93rd percentile, GPU is 86th percentile, but the combo is 93.9th percentile. This implies the game's CPU-bound nature at lower settings allows the Core Ultra 7 265's 20 cores and 5.30 GHz boost to shine, propelling the combo above the weighted average of its parts.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is an Arrow Lake-S desktop processor with 20 cores and 20 threads—notably lacking Hyper-Threading—running at a 2.40 GHz base clock and 5.30 GHz boost. Its 65 W TDP is modest for a 20-core part, thanks to the TSMC 3 nm process node with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 30 MB shared L3.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 42,216, while single-core scores 5,960. PassMark multi-thread scores 49,682, and single-thread 4,689. The 522,983 data compression score and 40456 data encryption score indicate robust integer throughput, while 172,776 floating-point math shows strong FPU execution.

The 93rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs is corroborated by its nearest rivals. The AMD EPYC 4464P (avg 64,823, -0.3% delta) and EPYC 9124 (avg 65,104, -0.7% delta) are slightly faster, while the Core Ultra 7 265F (64,438, +0.3%) and EPYC 7343 (64,202, +0.7%) are slightly slower. This places the 265 in a tightly clustered group of high-performance desktop and server processors.

For To The Core, the CPU's role appears dominant. At 1080p Low, the system hits 552 FPS—likely near the CPU's maximum frame generation limit. The 20 cores provide ample parallelism for any game logic or simulation tasks, while the 5.30 GHz boost ensures snappy single-threaded performance for UI updates and input handling typical of idle games.

The memory support for DDR5 across a dual-channel bus provides 102.4 GB/s bandwidth, which is sufficient for feeding 20 cores. The 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes (CPU-only) connect to the GPU via PCIe 4.0 x16, and while the RTX 4080's interface is PCIe 4.0, the Gen 5 CPU lanes ensure headroom for future upgrades.

The lack of ECC memory support and locked multiplier (multiplierUnlocked: false) position this as a mainstream desktop part, yet its benchmark scores rival server-class EPYC processors. The 3 nm process enables high clock speeds at the 65 W TDP, making it a thermally efficient choice for sustained gaming sessions.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about system balance. At each settings tier, the proportional drop is remarkably consistent: approximately 32.8% from 1080p to 1440p, and 42.9% from 1440p to 4K. This uniformity suggests a predictable, resolution-bound performance curve rather than a bottleneck that changes with pixel count.

At Low settings, the system averages 552 FPS at 1080p, 371 FPS at 1440p, and 212 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K ratio is 2.60x, meaning 4K delivers about 38.4% of 1080p performance. This is less than the theoretical 4x pixel-count penalty (1080p has ~2.07M pixels, 4K has ~8.29M pixels, a 4x increase), indicating the system is not purely fill-rate limited even at 4K Low.

At Ultra settings, the pattern holds: 326 FPS at 1080p, 219 FPS at 1440p, 125 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K ratio is 2.61x, nearly identical to Low. This consistency implies the GPU has sufficient headroom at all settings, and the limiting factor is likely a mix of CPU frame generation and GPU rendering that scales proportionally with resolution.

The fact that 4K Ultra (125 FPS) is 1.38x faster than what a 4x pixel increase from 1080p Ultra (326 FPS) would suggest (326/4 = 81.5 FPS) indicates the CPU is still contributing meaningfully at 4K Ultra. If the GPU were fully saturated at 4K, we would expect closer to 81.5 FPS, not 125 FPS.

Conversely, the 552 FPS at 1080p Low likely approaches the CPU's frame generation ceiling. The 20 cores at 5.30 GHz boost can produce frames faster than the GPU can render at higher resolutions, but at 1080p Low, the GPU finishes each frame quickly enough that the CPU becomes the pacing bottleneck.

The scaling behavior indicates that To The Core is CPU-bound at lower resolutions and settings, transitioning toward a more balanced CPU-GPU load at 4K Ultra. The RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth never become limiting factors, as evidenced by the consistent FPS ratios across settings. For users seeking maximum frame rates, 1080p Low exploits the CPU's parallel strength; for visual fidelity, 4K Ultra still delivers 125 FPS—well above the 60 FPS standard.