To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a robust performance profile in To The Core, an idle game that scales decisively with graphical settings. The measured data shows this combination produces exceptionally high frame rates across all tested configurations, positioning it solidly within the upper tier of tested hardware combos.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a predictable yet significant drop in performance as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 209 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Ultra preset, the average declines to 141 FPS, representing a reduction of approximately 32.5% from the 1080p result. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average falls further to 81 FPS, which is 61.2% lower than the 1080p Ultra figure.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system produces an average of 355 FPS. At 1440p Low, this drops to 239 FPS, and at 4K Low, it settles at 136 FPS. The 4K Low result is 61.7% below the 1080p Low figure, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, even with the lowest graphical load.

The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 300 FPS at 1080p, 202 FPS at 1440p, and 115 FPS at 4K. The High preset follows the same pattern with 260 FPS at 1080p, 175 FPS at 1440p, and 100 FPS at 4K. Across all settings, the transition from 1440p to 4K consistently produces a larger percentage drop than the transition from 1080p to 1440p, confirming that pixel throughput becomes increasingly demanding as resolution climbs.

This scaling behavior indicates that at 1080p, the system is likely constrained by the CPU in certain scenarios, as the frame rates exceed what the RTX 3070 would typically deliver in more demanding titles. At 4K, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor, with the 8 GB VRAM buffer and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth dictating the upper limits of performance. The data shows a smooth degradation curve, suggesting the combination handles resolution scaling efficiently without any abrupt bottlenecks.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 serves as the primary driver of frame rate variance in this game. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves sufficient for the visual demands of To The Core at all tested resolutions. The GPU's 5888 shading units and 96 ROPs are responsible for the substantial frame rate differences between Low and Ultra settings.

The clock behavior of the RTX 3070 shows a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz. These clocks, combined with the Ampere architecture's 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, enable the card to maintain high frame rates even at 4K. The data indicates that at 4K Ultra, the GPU is working near its capacity, delivering 81 FPS average, which is 43.9% lower than the 4K Low result of 136 FPS.

The RTX 3070's position relative to its nearest rivals is notably tight. The data shows the GPU's average benchmark score is 17208, placing it within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (score 17083) and 1.1% of the AMD Radeon HD 7970M (score 17019). It trails the NVIDIA Tesla K40c by 1.5% (score 17468). This clustering indicates that the RTX 3070 sits in a competitive performance band, though its specific strengths in this game's rendering pipeline may differ from synthetic benchmark averages.

The GPU's percentile ranking at 61 among all GPUs suggests it outperforms a majority of available graphics cards. In To The Core, the measured results show that even the most demanding 4K Ultra preset maintains an average above 60 FPS, indicating the card has sufficient headroom for this title. The VRAM capacity of 8 GB does not appear to cause any frame rate anomalies in the measured data, as the game's requirements are evidently well within this limit.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the gameplay experience. At 1080p, the High preset delivers an average of 260 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any display refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 1080p produces 209 FPS, still exceptionally smooth, but the 19.6% reduction from High to Ultra may not be justified unless visual fidelity is the absolute priority.

At 1440p, the Medium preset shows a strong balance with 202 FPS average and a minimum of 172 FPS. The High preset at 175 FPS remains highly playable, while Ultra at 141 FPS is still well above the threshold for smooth motion. For users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, the Medium preset offers the best combination of visual quality and performance headroom, as it maintains a minimum above 170 FPS.

At 4K, the Medium preset emerges as the recommended choice. It delivers an average of 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 FPS and a maximum of 133 FPS. This preset provides a consistent experience without approaching the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 100 FPS is also viable, but the Medium preset's tighter minimum frame rate of 98 FPS versus High's unmeasured minimum suggests better consistency. The Ultra preset at 81 FPS is playable but leaves less margin for demanding scenes, making Medium the most reliable option for 4K.

The Low preset, while offering the highest frame rates at every resolution, likely sacrifices too much visual quality for an idle game where the graphics may not be the primary focus. The 355 FPS at 1080p Low versus 300 FPS at Medium represents a 18.3% gain, which is marginal in real-world terms. Across all resolutions, Medium provides the best measured balance between the frame rate ceiling and the floor, making it the default recommendation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 355 FPS, the Medium preset averages 300 FPS with a minimum of 255 FPS and a maximum of 345 FPS, the High preset averages 260 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 209 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent degradation of approximately 15-20% per settings tier.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected reduction. Low averages 239 FPS, Medium averages 202 FPS with a minimum of 172 FPS and a maximum of 232 FPS, High averages 175 FPS, and Ultra averages 141 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 172 FPS indicates that even in the most demanding moments, the system maintains a frame rate well above refresh rate requirements.

At 3840x2160, the system demonstrates its capability to handle 4K gaming. Low averages 136 FPS, Medium averages 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 FPS and a maximum of 133 FPS, High averages 100 FPS, and Ultra averages 81 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 98 FPS is notable, as it remains above 60 FPS even during the most intense sequences measured.

The data shows that the RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor in any of these configurations. The frame rates scale smoothly with resolution and settings, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity are sufficient for the game's requirements. The measured results across all 12 configurations provide a comprehensive picture of the system's capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1244 out of 2991 tested combos in To The Core. This places the system in the 58.4th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning it outperforms more than half of the configurations benchmarked in this game.

The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The Ryzen 5 7400F's benchmark performance, with an average score of 32750, places it at the 83rd percentile among all CPUs. This high CPU percentile suggests that the processor is well above average, but the combo rank of 1244 indicates that the GPU may be the limiting factor in achieving a higher position. The RTX 3070's 61st percentile among all GPUs is lower than the CPU's 83rd percentile, supporting this interpretation.

The CPU's nearest rivals show minimal score differences. The Intel Core i5-14600T has an average score of 32707, just 0.1% lower than the 7400F. The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H scores 32697, 0.2% lower. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 scores 32662, 0.3% lower. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H scores 32812, 0.2% higher. These tight margins indicate that the 7400F sits in a competitive cluster of processors, and its specific ranking within this cluster has minimal impact on the overall combo rank.

The combo rank of 1244 out of 2991 is respectable but not top-tier. The data suggests that while the CPU is a strong performer, the GPU's mid-tier positioning prevents this combination from reaching the upper echelons of the rankings. In a game like To The Core, where frame rates are already high across all settings, the combo's ranking is more a reflection of the GPU's overall performance ceiling than any specific limitation in the measured results.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F contributes to the system's performance through its 6 cores and 12 threads, operating at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This Zen 4 architecture processor, built on a 5 nm process by TSMC, provides a solid foundation for the game's computational demands. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth ensure that data flows efficiently to the GPU.

The CPU's benchmark scores indicate strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 21765 in multi-core and 3072 in single-core. The PassMark multithread score of 25645 and single-thread score of 3689 further demonstrate its capability. The CPU's percentile ranking at 83 among all CPUs confirms that it is a well-above-average processor, providing ample headroom for the RTX 3070 in most scenarios.

In To The Core, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU, particularly at higher resolutions. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a pattern consistent with GPU-bound performance, as the percentage drops align with the increase in pixel count. However, at 1080p Low, the 355 FPS average suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at very high frame rates without becoming a significant bottleneck.

The CPU's release date of January 2025, with a launch MSRP of $229, positions it as a modern, affordable option. Its 65 W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it suitable for a range of system configurations. The combination of 6 cores with 12 threads is sufficient for the game's idle genre, which likely does not require extensive multi-threading. The CPU's performance in the measured results shows no signs of limiting the GPU's output, as frame rates remain high even at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The maximum average frame rate is 355 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 3070's average benchmark score of 17208 is 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT's score of 17083, and 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 7970M's score of 17019. It is 1.5% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla K40c's score of 17468.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate measured at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The minimum frame rate at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 98 FPS, with an average of 115 FPS and a maximum of 133 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7400F's average benchmark score compare to the Intel Core i5-14600T?

A: The Ryzen 5 7400F has an average benchmark score of 32750, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600T's score of 32707.

*Q: What percentile does this combo rank in among all tested combinations in To The Core?*

A: The combo ranks 1244 out of 2991 tested combinations, placing it in the 58.4th percentile.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average frame rate is 209 FPS, while at 4K Ultra, it is 81 FPS, representing a 61.2% reduction in average frame rate.