To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates in To The Core, an Idle game released on 2024-02-14. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet reveals the CPU's substantial headroom at 1080p. This analysis examines the measured FPS across three resolutions and four settings presets to understand the balance between the Zen 4 processor and the Ada Lovelace graphics card.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a classic pattern of GPU dominance, with the scaling from 1080p to 4K showing a significant performance drop that is consistent across all settings presets. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 405 at 1920x1080 to 272 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 133 FPS, and then further to 156 at 3840x2160. This represents a 61.5% decrease in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the rendering workload at higher resolutions is rapidly overwhelming the GPU's capabilities.

The Low preset shows even more dramatic scaling, with average FPS dropping from 552 at 1080p to 371 at 1440p, and finally to 212 at 4K. The absolute delta between 1080p and 4K here is 340 FPS, which is a larger absolute drop than at High settings. This is curious because Lower settings should theoretically reduce GPU load, but the data suggests that the CPU becomes the limiting factor at 1080p Low, preventing the GPU from reaching even higher frame rates. The fact that the system only achieves 552 FPS at 1080p Low, rather than a much higher number, hints at a CPU bottleneck at this resolution and preset combination.

The Medium preset provides the only min/max FPS data points in the entire set. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 467 FPS with a minimum of 397 and a maximum of 537. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average is 314 FPS with a minimum of 267 and a maximum of 361. At 3840x2160 Medium, the average is 180 FPS with a minimum of 153 and a maximum of 207. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Medium shows a 153 FPS drop, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 134 FPS. This suggests that the performance penalty is not linear, with the transition to 4K having a slightly smaller absolute impact than the transition from 1080p to 1440p, likely due to the GPU already being severely constrained.

The Ultra preset shows the lowest overall performance, with average FPS of 326 at 1080p, 219 at 1440p, and 125 at 4K. The scaling here is telling: the 4K Ultra average of 125 FPS is less than a third of the 1080p High average of 405 FPS. This indicates that the Ultra preset at 4K is heavily taxing the RTX 4080, and the data implies that the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth become the primary constraints at this resolution. The RTX 4080 has a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s, which are substantial, but the demands of 4K Ultra are clearly pushing the hardware to its limits.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested configurations for To The Core, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 holds a combo rank of 226 out of 3725 total combos. This places the pairing in the top 6.1% of all tested systems for this game. The rank is a holistic measure, likely considering average performance across all settings and resolutions, and the data shows that this is a high-performing combination.

The CPU's percentile rank is 79, meaning it outperforms 79% of all CPUs in the benchmark database. Its nearest rivals provide context for its position. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600K both have an average benchmark score of 27578, with a deltaPct of 0.2 compared to the 7600X's average of 27636. This indicates a near-identical performance level, with the 7600X being only marginally faster. Conversely, the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE has a slightly higher average score of 27712, representing a -0.3 deltaPct (meaning the 7600X is slightly slower). The AMD Ryzen 7 5800 scores 27535, a 0.4 deltaPct, showing the 7600X is slightly ahead.

For the GPU, the RTX 4080 has a percentile rank of 86, outperforming 86% of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, with an average score of 54209 and a deltaPct of 0.1, indicating that the standard RTX 4080 is essentially tied with its SUPER variant in synthetic benchmarks. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X has a higher average score of 54828, showing a -1.1 deltaPct. This means that while the RTX 4080 is a top-tier card, the data shows it is not the absolute fastest in every metric, but it is certainly within a close margin of the leaders.

The combination of a top-6.1% combo rank with a CPU that is 79th percentile and a GPU that is 86th percentile suggests that the pairing is well-balanced for this title, though the game's nature as an Idle genre may mean that the high frame rates are more about consistency than raw competitive edge.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael. It has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This high boost clock is crucial for gaming performance, especially in titles that are not heavily multi-threaded. The CPU's benchmark scores reflect its strength: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15236 and a single-core score of 1965. In Geekbench, it scores 13858 multicore and 2603 single-core. These numbers indicate a very capable processor for both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads.

In To The Core, an Idle game, the CPU's role is likely more about maintaining a stable frame pacing than crunching complex simulation data. The fact that the system reaches 552 FPS at 1080p Low suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough draw calls to reach very high frame rates. However, the scaling data implies that at 1080p, the CPU may be the limiting factor at the Low preset. If the CPU were fully capable, the FPS at 1080p Low might be even higher than 552. The 3DMark scores for the CPU show a significant scaling from 2 threads (2028) to 8 threads (5715) and max threads (6845), indicating that it scales well with additional threads, but the single-thread score of 1060 is the foundation for gaming.

The CPU's memory support is DDR5 with a dual-channel bus and a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. This is a high-bandwidth configuration that helps prevent memory bottlenecks in CPU-intensive scenarios. The L3 cache is 32 MB shared, which is a decent amount for a 6-core chip. The data suggests that the CPU's performance is more than adequate for this game, and the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions is clearly the GPU. The 7600X's release date of 2022-09-26 and its active production status indicate it is a current-generation part, and its 105 W TDP is a reasonable power envelope for the performance level.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all combinations of resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: Average FPS of 552.
• Medium: Average FPS of 467, with a minimum of 397 and a maximum of 537.
• High: Average FPS of 405.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 326.

These numbers show a clear hierarchy. The jump from Low to Medium is a 85 FPS drop, from Medium to High is a 62 FPS drop, and from High to Ultra is a 79 FPS drop. The 1080p Low result of 552 FPS is likely near the CPU's maximum capability, as the GPU is not heavily taxed at this resolution.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: Average FPS of 371.
• Medium: Average FPS of 314, with a minimum of 267 and a maximum of 361.
• High: Average FPS of 272.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 219.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is significant. At Low, the FPS drops from 552 to 371, a 32.8% reduction. At High, it drops from 405 to 272, a 32.8% reduction as well. At Ultra, it drops from 326 to 219, a 32.8% reduction. This consistency suggests that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck, as the performance penalty scales proportionally with the resolution increase.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: Average FPS of 212.
• Medium: Average FPS of 180, with a minimum of 153 and a maximum of 207.
• High: Average FPS of 156.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 125.

The 4K results show a more compressed range. The difference between Low (212 FPS) and Ultra (125 FPS) is 87 FPS, which is smaller than the 226 FPS difference at 1080p. This indicates that at 4K, even the Low preset is demanding enough to keep the GPU busy, and the settings have less relative impact on performance. The Ultra preset at 4K, with an average of 125 FPS, is still highly playable, but it is the only combination that dips below the 150 FPS mark.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a powerhouse based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, with the AD103 chip. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. Its base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz, and the memory runs at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective). These specifications are formidable and directly contribute to the high frame rates observed in the data.

The GPU's benchmark scores are equally impressive. It achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 214739, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 263779. In Passmark, it scores 34457 in G3D and 20671 in GPU Compute. The RTX 4080 has a TDP of 320 W, which is substantial, and is designed to be paired with a 700 W power supply. Its production status is "End-of-life", with a release date of 2022-09-19, and its successor is the GeForce 50 series.

In To The Core, the GPU's role is clearly the primary determinant of performance at 1440p and 4K. The data shows that the FPS scales inversely with resolution, which is the expected behavior for a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, even at 4K Ultra. The GPU's pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s are key metrics that explain its ability to maintain high frame rates at 4K, where it still achieves 125 FPS on Ultra. The fact that it scores near its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER (deltaPct of 0.1), suggests that this is a near-flagship level of performance.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 54247 places it in the 86th percentile, which is a clear indicator of its high-end status. The data implies that for an Idle game like To The Core, the RTX 4080 is almost overkill at 1080p, but it provides a smooth and high-refresh-rate experience at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and desired refresh rate.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 326 FPS is the best choice for those with high-refresh-rate monitors (240 Hz or higher). The data shows that all presets exceed 300 FPS, so there is no performance risk. The High preset at 405 FPS is also excellent, but Ultra provides the best visual fidelity with only a 79 FPS penalty compared to High. The Low preset at 552 FPS offers no practical advantage unless the monitor supports an extremely high refresh rate, but the visual quality loss is likely not worth it.

For 2560x1440, the Ultra preset at 219 FPS is the recommended choice. This is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate that is common for 1440p monitors. The High preset at 272 FPS is also viable, but the Ultra preset's higher visual quality is preferable. The Medium preset at 314 FPS is a good fallback for those who prioritize frame rate above all else, but it is not necessary given the GPU's headroom.

For 3840x2160, the High preset at 156 FPS is the sweet spot for a 144 Hz 4K monitor. The Ultra preset at 125 FPS is also acceptable for a 120 Hz display, but it is close to the edge of the refresh rate. The Medium preset at 180 FPS is the best choice for those with a 165 Hz 4K monitor, as it provides a comfortable margin above the refresh rate. The Low preset at 212 FPS is unnecessary, as the visual quality reduction is too severe for an Idle game where the visuals are likely a significant part of the experience.

The data suggests that the High preset at 4K offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with a 156 FPS average that ensures a smooth experience on most high-refresh-rate displays.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 326.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, resulting in a deltaPct of 0.1, meaning they are essentially tied in performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 3840x2160, as FPS scales consistently with resolution increases, showing a 32.8% drop from 1440p to 4K at the High preset.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The only minimum FPS data points are for the Medium preset: 397 FPS at 1080p, 267 FPS at 1440p, and 153 FPS at 4K.

*Q: What is the combo's rank in the database for To The Core?*

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 226th out of 3725 tested combos.

Q: What is the CPU's single-core performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X scores 1965 in the Cinebench R23 single-core test.