To The Core

To The Core is an idle game, and the benchmark results for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 reveal an unusual performance envelope where the CPU is the dominant factor. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings are exceptionally high, indicating that the RTX 4090 is rarely the limiting component. The data shows that this combination ranks 65th out of 1756 tested configurations for this game, placing it in the top percentile of systems, with the CPU sitting in the 84th percentile among all processors and the GPU in the 91st.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is heavily CPU-bound, particularly at lower resolutions. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 452 FPS at 1920x1080 to 304.1 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 147.9 FPS. Moving to 4K, the average further declines to 170 FPS, which is a 62.4% decrease from the 1080p figure. This pattern indicates that the GPU is taking on more work as resolution increases, but even at 4K, the frame rates remain far above what a typical 60Hz or 144Hz display can utilize.

The scaling behavior is even more telling at the Low preset. At 1080p, the system produces 503.2 FPS, which only drops to 409.9 FPS at 1440p, a relatively modest 18.5% decrease. However, at 4K, the average plummets to 236.5 FPS, a 43% reduction from the 1440p result. This steep drop suggests that the game's workload at 4K is finally beginning to stress the GPU, but the absolute numbers still indicate that the processor is the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend, with 475.6 FPS at 1080p, 346.1 FPS at 1440p, and 202.2 FPS at 4K. The most demanding Ultra preset yields 363.9 FPS at 1080p, 241.1 FPS at 1440p, and 136.9 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is relatively linear across all settings, but the jump to 4K introduces a more significant penalty, which is characteristic of a game that becomes more GPU-intensive at higher pixel counts. The RTX 4090's 24 GB of memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are clearly sufficient for these loads, yet the processor's limitations become apparent when the frame rate ceiling is raised.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20655 and a single-core score of 2916. In the 3DMark tests, the processor achieves 6628 points with 16 threads and 901 points in single-threaded tests. These numbers indicate a capable CPU that should handle most gaming workloads, but the data for To The Core suggests that its performance is a limiting factor.

The nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database include the Intel Core i9-9900K, which has an average score of 27043, just 0.7% behind the Ryzen 7 5700's 27220. Similarly, the Intel Core i7-12700H and i7-1370P are within 0.8% of the AMD chip's score. This tight grouping means that the Ryzen 7 5700 is not a standout performer; it is merely average for its class. In To The Core, this translates to frame rates that are high but not maximized, as the processor's single-thread performance of 901 in 3DMark and 3296 in PassMark single-thread tests may not be enough to push the RTX 4090 to its limits.

The game's idle genre typically implies low CPU utilization, but the measured FPS at 1080p Low (503.2) versus 4K Ultra (136.9) shows a 366.3 FPS difference, which is largely due to the GPU becoming the bottleneck at higher settings. However, the CPU's 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate, yet the processor's 65W TDP and 7nm process node are not extraordinary. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1762 and 4-thread score of 3382 indicate that the CPU's multi-threaded scaling is efficient, but for a game that may not utilize all 16 threads effectively, the single-thread performance is what matters most.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset delivers the best experience. At 1080p, the Low preset produces 503.2 FPS, while the High preset yields 452 FPS, a difference of only 51.2 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 363.9 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. Given that the game is an idle title, the visual fidelity at higher settings is likely more important than the marginal frame rate gains at lower settings. The data shows that the High preset at 1080p offers a balanced experience, with 452 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any display.

At 1440p, the High preset achieves 304.1 FPS, while the Medium preset is slightly higher at 346.1 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 241.1 FPS, which is still well above the refresh rate of most monitors. For a smooth and visually pleasing experience, the High preset is recommended, as it provides a substantial improvement over Medium without the performance cost of Ultra. The Low preset at 409.9 FPS offers no tangible benefit over High, given the high base frame rates.

At 4K, the High preset delivers 170 FPS, which is the sweet spot for this resolution. The Medium preset is slightly faster at 202.2 FPS, but the visual quality difference is likely worth the 32.2 FPS reduction. The Ultra preset at 136.9 FPS is still playable, but the drop from High is significant at 33.1 FPS. The Low preset at 236.5 FPS is the fastest, but it sacrifices too much visual quality for a game that does not require such high frame rates. Based on the measured rows, the High preset at any resolution provides the best combination of frame rate and visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this system can achieve in To The Core?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 503.2 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution with the Ultra preset?

A: At 3840x2160 with the Ultra settings, the system produces an average of 136.9 FPS, which is the lowest measured result but still highly playable.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the limiting factor at lower resolutions, as the frame rate drops significantly when moving from 1080p to 1440p, but the GPU becomes more relevant at 4K where the frame rate penalty is steeper.

Q: What is the rank of this CPU-GPU combination among all tested configurations?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 65th out of 1756 total configurations tested for To The Core.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5700 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-9900K?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700 has an average benchmark score of 27220, which is 0.7% higher than the Intel Core i9-9900K's score of 27043.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 2560x1440?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset achieves 409.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 241.1 FPS, a difference of 168.8 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a flagship graphics card with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 384-bit memory bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. Its base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and it features 16384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation units. The GPU's PassMark G3D score is 38194, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 9223, placing it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Tesla T4, which has a score of 66733, just 0.4% higher than the RTX 4090's 66473.

In To The Core, the GPU's role is to render the game at high resolutions and settings, but the data shows that it is often underutilized. The 4K High preset produces 170 FPS, while the 1080p High preset produces 452 FPS, a 282 FPS difference that is largely due to the GPU's workload increasing with resolution. The RTX 4090's 24 GB of memory is more than sufficient for this game, and its 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is far beyond what is needed. The GPU's 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores are not likely to be heavily taxed in an idle game, but they contribute to the card's overall capability.

The benchmark results show that the RTX 4090 is not the bottleneck in this system. Even at 4K Ultra, the GPU produces 136.9 FPS, which is a high frame rate for any game. The GPU's performance is consistent with its high-end positioning, but the processor's single-thread performance limits the maximum frame rates achievable. The data suggests that the RTX 4090 could deliver even higher frame rates if paired with a faster CPU, but in this configuration, the GPU is waiting on the processor to provide instructions, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 901 and PassMark single-thread score of 3296 become the limiting factor.