To The Core

To The Core is an idle game that, based on the measured data, behaves more like a traditional high-refresh-rate title, with the RTX 5090 D and Ryzen 5 7600 combo delivering frame rates that far exceed display refresh rates at every resolution tested. The data shows a system that is entirely GPU-bound at 4K, transitioning to a more CPU-influenced state as resolution drops, yet still maintaining triple-digit performance even under the heaviest settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, but the absolute numbers remain exceptionally high. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 599 FPS at 1080p to 256 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 343 FPS or roughly 57%. This indicates a massive shift in workload, but the final 4K result is still far beyond the territory of playability concerns, suggesting the GPU has ample headroom.

The scaling pattern across resolutions reveals the limiting component. At 1080p High, the system produces 489 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces this to 329 FPS, a 32.7% drop. The subsequent jump to 4K High brings the average down to 188 FPS, another 42.9% reduction. These large percentage drops, particularly the latter, are characteristic of a GPU that is being saturated by the pixel count. The GPU's fillrate and memory bandwidth, which are substantial, are being taxed more heavily as resolution increases.

Conversely, the gap between resolutions narrows at the highest settings. At Ultra, the 1080p result is 393 FPS, the 1440p result is 265 FPS, and the 4K result is 151 FPS. The deltas are 32.6% and 43.0% respectively. While the percentage drops are similar, the fact that the 4K Ultra result remains above 150 FPS indicates that even the most demanding configuration relies heavily on the GPU's raw compute power, which is immense.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU begins to play a more significant role. The difference between 1080p Low (599 FPS) and 1080p Medium (564 FPS) is only 35 FPS, whereas the difference between 1440p Low (448 FPS) and 1440p Medium (379 FPS) is 69 FPS. This smaller delta at 1080p implies that the CPU is starting to limit the frame rate, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs at the lowest resolution. The 6-core Ryzen 5 7600, with its boost clock of 5.10 GHz, provides a strong foundation, but it becomes a more prominent factor as the GPU's workload per frame decreases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications align perfectly with the observed performance. The GPU's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This massive bandwidth is critical for the 4K results, where the demand for texture data and frame buffer throughput is highest. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains an average of 151 FPS, a figure that would be unattainable without this level of memory subsystem performance.

Clock speeds are also a key factor. The GPU has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. The boost clock, which is where the card operates under load, directly contributes to the high frame rates. The shading units, 21760 in total, work in tandem with these clocks to produce the 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. This raw compute power is what allows the card to process the complex shaders and effects in To The Core at such high speeds.

The benchmark results for the RTX 5090 D confirm its position. It achieves a Passmark G3D score of 44065, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, according to the data, are the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants, with delta percentages of -1.6% and -2.4% respectively. This indicates that while the 5090 D is a top-tier performer, the margin over its nearest competitors in synthetic benchmarks is relatively small, yet in the game's measured FPS, the results are exceptional.

The 4K Medium result, with an average of 217 FPS and a min of 184 FPS, shows the GPU's consistency. The minimum frame rate being close to the average suggests that the GPU is delivering a stable experience without significant stutters. This stability is a product of the GPU's architecture and its ability to maintain high clocks under sustained load. The game's data, measured directly, supports the conclusion that the GPU is the primary driver of performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 599 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D bottleneck the Ryzen 5 7600 in this game?

A: At 4K resolution, the data indicates a GPU-bound scenario, with frame rates scaling down significantly as settings increase. At 1080p, the frame rate deltas between settings are smaller, suggesting the CPU becomes a more limiting factor at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the combo's performance rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 29th out of 2991 tested combos in To The Core.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate observed, and at what settings?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 151 FPS, observed at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Is the performance difference between Medium and High settings significant at 1440p?

A: Yes, the difference is notable. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 379 FPS, while the High preset averages 329 FPS, a difference of 50 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's synthetic benchmark score compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 7600 has an average benchmark score of 26324. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, has a score of 26274, a delta of 0.2%, meaning the 7600 is slightly ahead.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance is extraordinarily high across all presets. The Low preset yields an average of 599 FPS. The Medium preset provides an average of 564 FPS, with a minimum of 479 FPS and a maximum of 648 FPS. High settings average 489 FPS, while the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, still produces an average of 393 FPS. This progression shows a clear and expected decline as visual fidelity increases, but every result is far above the refresh rate of any standard monitor.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings average 448 FPS. The Medium preset averages 379 FPS, with a minimum of 322 FPS and a maximum of 436 FPS. High settings deliver an average of 329 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution averages 265 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a performance hit of roughly 25-33% depending on the preset, which is a typical cost for the increase in pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload becomes much heavier. The Low preset averages 256 FPS, which is still a very high number. The Medium preset averages 217 FPS, with a minimum of 184 FPS and a maximum of 249 FPS. High settings bring the average down to 188 FPS. The Ultra preset, which combines the highest resolution with the highest settings, produces an average of 151 FPS. This is the most demanding configuration in the data set, and the fact that it stays above 150 FPS proves the GPU's capability. The min FPS of 184 at 4K Medium is particularly notable, indicating that even in the most stressful moments, the frame rate does not dip below a high threshold.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, built on a 5 nm process. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz are key to its performance in To The Core. The game's high frame rates at 1080p, which reach nearly 600 FPS, rely heavily on the CPU's single-thread performance to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The Passmark single-thread score of 3910 is a strong indicator of this capability.

The processor's cache hierarchy, with 32 MB of shared L3 cache, helps reduce memory latency, which is critical for maintaining high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. The data supports this, as the 1080p Low result of 599 FPS is the highest in the entire set, suggesting the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at that resolution. However, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a significant drop, even at Low settings (599 to 448 FPS), which indicates that the GPU is beginning to become the bottleneck.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 26324 places it in the 78th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX and Intel Core i9-11900KF, have scores of 26274 and 26212, with deltas of 0.2% and 0.4% respectively. This shows that the 7600 is more than capable of holding its own against higher-tier mobile and older desktop parts. In To The Core, the CPU's role is to ensure that it does not hinder the GPU's performance. The data suggests that at 4K, the CPU is not a limiting factor, as the frame rates are dictated by the GPU's rendering capabilities. At 1080p, the CPU's performance is sufficient to push frame rates to the limits of the GPU's output, but the smaller deltas between settings there hint that the CPU is nearing its ceiling.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing the highest possible frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers the absolute maximum performance, averaging 599 FPS. This is ideal for competitive play or for use with high-refresh-rate monitors that can take advantage of such numbers. However, the visual quality will be reduced.

The Medium preset offers a compelling balance at 1440p, providing an average of 379 FPS with a minimum of 322 FPS. This ensures a smooth experience even during intense scenes, while offering a noticeable visual upgrade over Low. The data shows that the jump from Low to Medium at 1440p costs 69 FPS, but the visual fidelity gain is substantial for an idle game that may have detailed UI elements.

At 4K, the High preset is the recommended choice for a balanced experience. It averages 188 FPS, which is still far above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on many 4K monitors. The Ultra preset, while averaging 151 FPS, may cause the GPU to work harder for diminishing visual returns. Given that even the High preset at 4K produces a min FPS that is likely stable, it is the sweet spot for 4K gaming. The Medium preset at 4K (217 FPS) is also a viable option for those who want even higher frame rates, but the visual differences between Medium and High at this resolution are likely to be less noticeable in an idle game. Ultimately, the data suggests that the High preset at 1440p (329 FPS) or 4K (188 FPS) offers the best combination of visual quality and performance, ensuring the game runs smoothly without pushing the hardware unnecessarily.