To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a high-refresh-rate experience across all tested settings in To The Core. At 1080p, the system pushes well past the 300 FPS mark in most presets, with the RTX 4070's performance headroom becoming evident as resolutions climb. The dataset shows a system capable of 4K gaming at playable frame rates, though the scaling between presets reveals where the CPU and GPU trade off the workload.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 316 FPS at 1080p to 213 FPS at 1440p, and then to 122 FPS at 4K. That represents a 32.6% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 61.4% reduction from 1080p to 4K. This pattern is typical for a GPU-bound scenario: the rendering load triangles as the pixel count increases, and the frame rate reflects that scaling.

However, the scaling is not uniform across all presets. The Low preset shows a much larger absolute drop: from 407 FPS at 1080p to 290 FPS at 1440p (a 28.7% reduction) and then to 166 FPS at 4K (a 59.2% reduction from 1080p). The Medium preset follows a similar trajectory, going from 365 FPS at 1080p to 245 FPS at 1440p, and then to 140 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the heaviest, starting at 255 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 171 FPS at 1440p, and reaching 98 FPS at 4K.

The fact that the frame rate drops by roughly 60% from 1080p to 4K across all presets suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The pixel count quadruples, yet the frame rate does not drop to a quarter; it drops to roughly 40% of the 1080p value. In an ideal GPU-bound scenario, the frame rate would inversely scale with pixel count, but the data shows a higher rate at 4K than that, indicating the CPU is still contributing some bottleneck relief. Conversely, the 1080p results are high enough that the CPU's ability to feed the GPU may be the limit, though the data shows the CPU can handle the draw calls. The min FPS values for Medium at 4K (119 FPS) and 1440p (209 FPS) and 1080p (310 FPS) show that even the dips are well above 100 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the system is not struggling to maintain smooth frame pacing.

The limiting component shifts as the resolution is raised. At 1080p, the GPU is not the primary constraint; the CPU's single-thread and multi-thread performance become more relevant. At 4K, the GPU's rendering power, including its texture and pixel throughput, becomes the dominant factor. The RTX 4070's 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate and 455.4 GTexel/s texture rate are the data that directly explain the 4K results. The CPU's 3.60 GHz base and 4.40 GHz boost clocks are the relevant figures for the 1080p scenario.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, codenamed Matisse. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its L3 cache is 32 MB, and it supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel configuration. The processor was launched in 2019, and its benchmark scores place it in the 84th percentile against all CPUs, indicating it is a high-performance part, although not at the very top of the range.

For To The Core, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU and manage game logic. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (407 FPS) suggests the CPU is not a serious bottleneck at that resolution, but the frame rates are so high that other components like memory latency could be the limiting factor. The 3700X does not have a vCache3d, which would be a differentiator for some games, but this is an idle genre title that likely does not stress the cache hierarchy as much as a simulation or strategy game might.

The CPU's closest rivals in the database include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, which scores 0.1% higher on the average benchmark, the AMD EPYC 4244P, also at 0.1% higher, the Intel Core i5-13450HX, which is 0.2% lower, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H, which is 0.5% higher. These rivals are all within a 0.5% delta, indicating that the 3700X's global performance is essentially equivalent to these modern parts in terms of average benchmark scores. Its ST performance is below the top-tier, but the game's high frame rates suggest it is not a major limitation.

The relationship between the CPU and the game's results is best seen in the low resolution data. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 407 FPS. This is likely near the CPU's maximum output for this game, as the GPU is not being stressed. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz is the key metric here, as the CPU's single-thread performance determines the frame rate in light workloads. The 3700X's PassMark single-thread score of 2656 is a moderate value, and for a game like To The Core that is likely not utilizing all 16 threads, the single-thread performance is the primary factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with High settings?

A: The average frame rate at 3840x2160 with High settings is 122 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 34260, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, has a score of 34222, which is a 0.1% delta.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded for the Medium preset?

A: The minimum FPS is 119 at 4K, 209 at 1440p, and 310 at 1080p, all for the Medium preset.

Q: What is the CPU's base and boost clock?

A: The base clock is 3.60 GHz and the boost clock is 4.40 GHz.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth?

A: The GPU has 504.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth, with a 192-bit bus width and 12 GB of GDDR6X memory.

Q: How many cores and threads does the CPU have?

A: The CPU has 8 cores and 16 threads.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations, this combo of the Ryzen 7 3700X and the RTX 4070 ranks 1010 out of 3725 in To The Core. This places it in the top 27.1% of all tested combos. The percentile of the GPU is 81, meaning the RTX 4070 is better than 81% of all GPUs in the database. The CPU's percentile is 84, meaning it is better than 84% of all CPUs.

The rank of 1010 indicates that while this is a solid combo, it is not at the top of the list. The CPU is a 2019 model, and while the GPU is a strong 40-series part, the combination is likely beat by newer CPUs. The nearest rival GPUs to the RTX 4070 are the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (0.1% higher score), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.4% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (1.3% lower). These show that the GPU's performance is closely matched by some other parts, but the RTX 4070 is still a strong performer.

The rank is a combination of the CPU and GPU's performance. The CPU's 84th percentile and the GPU's 81st percentile are both high, but the combination lands in the 27th percentile of combos, meaning there are many combos with better performance. This is likely because the game is not heavily threaded, so the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are not a major factor, but the GPU's ability to render high frame rates is. The 1010 rank out of 3725 combos is a strong result, showing that this system can handle the game at high refresh rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data shows a clear hierarchy of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves the highest frame rates. The Low preset delivers an average of 407 FPS, the Medium preset delivers 365 FPS, the High preset delivers 316 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 255 FPS. The Medium preset also includes min and max values of 310 and 420 FPS, which shows a narrow band of variance, with the min being 85% of the average.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop. The Low preset is 290 FPS, the Medium preset is 245 FPS, the High preset is 213 FPS, and the Ultra preset is 171 FPS. The Medium preset has a min of 209 FPS and a max of 282 FPS, a wider spread of 73 FPS, but still a solid experience.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are lower but still playable. The Low preset is 166 FPS, the Medium preset is 140 FPS, the High preset is 122 FPS, and the Ultra preset is 98 FPS. The Medium preset has a min of 119 FPS and a max of 161 FPS. The data shows that even at 4K, the system is capable of delivering over 98 FPS at the maximum preset, which is impressive for a 4K resolution. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K is 68 FPS, which is a significant performance impact, but the game remains smooth.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the ideal preset depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. For a 1080p 144Hz monitor, the Low preset is overkill at 407 FPS. The Medium preset at 365 FPS is a good balance of visual quality and performance. The High preset at 316 FPS is also a good choice, as it still exceeds the refresh rate of most 1080p displays. The Ultra preset at 255 FPS is also above 144Hz, so any preset is viable at 1080p.

For a 1440p 144Hz monitor, the Low preset is 290 FPS, the Medium preset is 245 FPS, and the High preset is 213 FPS, all above 144Hz. The Ultra preset is 171 FPS, which is also above 144Hz. The Medium preset has a min of 209 FPS, which is above the target, making it a safe choice. All presets are viable at 1440p.

For a 4K 60Hz monitor, the Low preset is 166 FPS, the Medium preset is 140 FPS, the High preset is 122 FPS, and the Ultra preset is 98 FPS. All of these are above 60 FPS. The best experience for a 60Hz display would be the Ultra preset, as it offers the highest visual quality while still maintaining a frame rate well above the refresh rate. The Medium preset offers a higher average FPS, but the Ultra preset is still playable. For a 4K 120Hz display, the Low preset at 166 FPS and Medium at 140 FPS are above 120, but High at 122 is just above, and Ultra at 98 is below 120. So the Medium preset is the sweet spot for 4K at 120Hz.

The data suggests that the system is never CPU-bound at 4K, as the frame rates are high enough. The CPU's role is more pronounced at 1080p, but its high single-thread performance is enough to drive high frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, with a chip of AD104. It has a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz. Its memory is 12 GB of GDDR6X with a 192-bit bus interface, resulting in a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU has 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Its pixel rate is 158.4 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 455.4 GTel/s. The GPU's FP32 performance is 29.15 TFLOPS.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a G3D score of 26927, and it is in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.4% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (1.3% lower), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 (1.3% higher). These are the closest in terms of average benchmark score.

In To The Core, the GPU's role is to render the graphics. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting component, as the frame rates drop to as low as 98 FPS at Ultra settings. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s is sufficient for the 12 GB of memory, and the game's data set does not show any signs of the GPU being bottlenecked by memory. The RTX 4070's boost clock of 2475 MHz is a key factor for the 1080p performance, as the GPU is able to push out high frame rates. The GPU's 64 ROPs and 158.4 GPixel/s pixel fill rate are also relevant.

The GPU's performance is consistent with its position in the benchmark hierarchy. At 4K, the GPU is the dominant factor, and its performance scales with the resolution. The RTX 4070 is a strong GPU for this game, providing high frame rates at all resolutions. The data shows that even at the Ultra preset and 4K resolution, the system is still able to achieve 98 FPS, which is a good result. The GPU's 12 GB of memory is sufficient for this game, and the memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor.