To The Core

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers extraordinary frame rates in To The Core, an Idle genre title that proves surprisingly demanding at extreme settings. The data shows a configuration that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower resolutions but reveals a more balanced profile as pixel count climbs, with the measured results indicating headroom for high-refresh-rate displays at nearly every setting combination.

Resolution Scaling

The performance delta between 1080p and 4K is stark and defines the character of this combo. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 572 FPS at 1920x1080 to 220 FPS at 3840x2160, a drop of roughly 61.5%. This massive reduction suggests that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, the rasterization load at 4K becomes the dominant factor, throttling output to a still-excellent 220 FPS.

Moving to Medium settings, the scaling pattern holds. The average at 2560x1440 is 326 FPS, which drops to 186 FPS at 4K, a 42.9% reduction. Interestingly, the gap between 1080p and 1440p at Medium is narrower, with 484 FPS versus 326 FPS, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading power are being more fully utilized as resolution increases. The 4K Medium result also includes a measured minimum of 158 FPS and a maximum of 214 FPS, showing a variance that suggests the engine is hitting periodic bottlenecks, likely related to scene complexity rather than thermal limits.

The High preset reveals a similar trend with slightly lower absolute numbers. At 1440p, the combo averages 282 FPS, while 4K drops to 161 FPS. This represents a 42.9% reduction, nearly identical to the Medium preset scaling, which implies that the performance curve is consistent across these quality levels. At 1080p High, the average is 420 FPS, a figure that is only 31.5% higher than the 1440p result, suggesting that the CPU begins to play a more significant role at this resolution, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs.

Ultra settings present the most demanding scenario. The 4K average is 130 FPS, which is a 61.6% drop from the 338 FPS achieved at 1080p. This scaling is nearly identical to the Low preset drop, indicating that at both extremes of the settings spectrum, the resolution increase exacts a similar toll on performance. The 1440p Ultra result of 227 FPS sits comfortably between the two extremes, reinforcing the notion that this game's rendering pipeline scales predictably with pixel count.

The data indicates that the limiting component shifts based on resolution. At 1080p, the CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads, boosting to 5.80 GHz, are sufficient to drive frame rates above 500 FPS at Low settings, meaning the GPU is the clear constraint. However, at 4K, the RTX 5080's 10752 shading units are taxed heavily, and the frame rates, while still high, become more dependent on the GPU's 960.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The result is a system that is balanced at 1440p, where the CPU and GPU workloads align more evenly.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 plays a pivotal role in these results, and its specifications directly explain the observed performance. With 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card offers 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient to handle the texture and geometry data at 4K without stuttering. The benchmark data shows no signs of memory capacity limits, even at Ultra settings, where the average frame rate remains above 130 FPS.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2617 MHz, are relatively modest for a flagship, but the architecture compensates with raw throughput. The FP32 performance of 56.28 TFLOPS is the key driver behind the high frame rates at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 572 FPS average suggests the GPU is operating near its peak shader output, with the CPU providing enough instruction throughput to avoid stalling.

The VRAM capacity and bandwidth become more critical at 4K. The jump from 220 FPS at Low to 186 FPS at Medium represents a 15.5% reduction, which is less than the 29.4% drop from Medium to Ultra (186 FPS to 130 FPS). This non-linear scaling indicates that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the memory subsystem, likely including higher-resolution shadow maps and more complex post-processing. The 960.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate, but the data suggests that the GPU's 112 ROPs are the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, as the pixel throughput of 293.1 GPixel/s is likely saturated.

Comparing to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, the RTX 5080 holds a 2.2% advantage in average benchmark score. While this is a small margin, the measured FPS in To The Core shows the RTX 5080 is well-positioned to maintain high refresh rates. The GPU's percentile ranking of 87 among all GPUs confirms it is a top-tier part, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8637 points to strong DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant for a modern title like this.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear picture for optimizing the experience. For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 186 FPS is the sweet spot. It offers a 43.0% improvement over Ultra's 130 FPS while delivering a 15.5% reduction from Low's 220 FPS, meaning the visual quality gains are substantial without sacrificing fluidity. The minimum of 158 FPS at 4K Medium ensures that even the most intense scenes stay well above the 144 Hz threshold, making this the recommended choice for high-refresh-rate 4K monitors.

For 1440p, the Ultra preset at 227 FPS is the best option. This resolution is where the combo truly shines, as the CPU and GPU work in harmony to deliver frame rates that exceed the refresh rate of most gaming monitors. The 1440p Ultra result is 31.5% higher than the 4K Medium result, showing that users can enjoy maximum visual fidelity without compromising on smoothness. The High preset at 282 FPS offers diminishing returns, as the jump from High to Ultra only costs 19.5% performance (282 FPS to 227 FPS) but provides the full suite of graphical effects.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 338 FPS is the clear winner for competitive play, as the frame rates are already so high that lower settings provide no tangible benefit. The 572 FPS at Low is impressive from a benchmark perspective, but it is unnecessary for actual gameplay, as any display will be the bottleneck. The Medium preset at 484 FPS offers a balance for those who want to reduce input latency, but the Ultra setting is recommended for the best visual experience.

The data indicates that the Low preset is only useful for maximizing frame rates in esports scenarios, but given the genre of To The Core is Idle, the game's pacing does not demand the absolute highest FPS. Therefore, the Medium preset at 4K and Ultra at 1440p and 1080p are the most logical recommendations, as they provide the best balance of image quality and performance based on the measured rows.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 holds a combo rank of 172 out of 2991 tested configurations in To The Core. This places it in the top 5.8% of all combos, which is a strong showing, though not the absolute top. The ranking reflects the fact that while the CPU is extremely powerful, with a percentile score of 96 among all CPUs, the GPU's percentile of 87 is slightly lower, indicating that other combinations with even higher-end graphics cards may edge it out in this specific title.

The CPU's performance is notable when compared to its nearest rivals. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which is the direct predecessor, scores an average of 83807, just 0.2% lower than the 290K Plus's 84003. This marginal difference suggests that the 290K Plus offers only a minor uplift in general benchmarks, but the 24-core, 24-thread configuration with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz provides ample headroom for gaming. The AMD EPYC 4584PX and EPYC 9135 are 1.1% and 1.2% slower, respectively, which shows that the Intel part leads the pack in this comparison group.

The GPU's ranking against its rivals is similarly tight. The AMD Radeon 8060S is just 0.6% slower, and the RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 0.7% slower, while the RX 9070 GRE is 2.2% faster. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 5080 is competitive but not dominant in raw benchmark scores. However, the measured FPS in To The Core shows that the combo's rank of 172 is solid, and the data suggests that the high CPU performance compensates for any GPU shortcomings, allowing the system to achieve frame rates that are well above the average for most tested setups.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus a significant upgrade over the 285K?

A: The average benchmark score of the 290K Plus is 84003, which is only 0.2% higher than the 285K's 83807. This indicates a marginal improvement in overall performance, though the 290K Plus does feature a higher boost clock of 5.80 GHz.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming at high refresh rates?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 161 FPS at 4K High settings and 130 FPS at 4K Ultra. For a 144 Hz display, the Medium preset at 186 FPS is recommended, as it stays well above the refresh rate threshold.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5080 have, and is it enough?

A: The RTX 5080 comes with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The benchmark results show no indication of memory limitations, even at 4K Ultra settings.

Q: What is the limiting component at 1080p resolution?

A: At 1080p, the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU's 24 threads and 5.80 GHz boost clock are sufficient to drive frame rates up to 572 FPS at Low settings, but the GPU's shading units are still the bottleneck for higher quality presets.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to others in the database?

A: The combo ranks 172nd out of 2991 tested combinations in To The Core, placing it in the top 5.8% of all configurations.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 has a launch MSRP of 999 USD.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination across all tested settings and resolutions.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 161 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 220 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 186 | 158 | 214 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 130 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 282 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 385 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 326 | 277 | 374 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 227 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 420 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 572 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 484 | 411 | 556 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 338 | - | - |

The data shows that the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions, with the 4K configuration showing a minimum of 158 FPS and a maximum of 214 FPS. This variance of 56 FPS indicates that the game's engine can cause significant frame time spikes, but the averages remain consistently high. The 1080p Medium preset shows a tighter range with a minimum of 411 FPS and a maximum of 556 FPS, demonstrating that the CPU's performance at lower resolutions helps to stabilize frame pacing. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown confirms that this combo is capable of delivering a premium experience in To The Core, with the only caveat being the drop to 130 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still perfectly playable for an Idle genre title.