To The Core

The pairing of AMD's Ryzen 7 5800XT with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 targets a sweet spot for high-refresh gaming, but its performance in To The Core requires a close look at the data to understand where the bottlenecks lie. This analysis examines the measured frame rates across resolutions and settings to characterize this combo's behavior in the idle game. The benchmark data reveals a configuration that scales predictably, though the game's relatively light load means the architecture is rarely stressed to its limits.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling in To The Core shows a predictable, yet not perfectly linear, drop in performance as pixel count increases. At the High preset, the system delivers 316 FPS at 1920x1080, which scales down to 213 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally settles at 122 FPS at 3840x2160. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a 32.6% reduction in frame rate, while moving from 1440p to 4K introduces a further 42.7% reduction. This pattern indicates that the game remains heavily CPU-bound even at 1440p, with the GPU only beginning to take a more significant role at the 4K resolution.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K at the High preset shows a performance hit that is slightly steeper than the raw pixel count difference would suggest, indicating a shift towards GPU limitation. However, the fact that the system still pushes past 120 FPS at 4K on High settings is a strong indicator of the headroom available in this title. The data suggests that To The Core is not particularly demanding on the GPU, even at higher resolutions. The 2160p result of 122 FPS is still well above the refresh rate of most high-refresh 4K displays, making the resolution a non-issue for this combination.

Looking at the Low preset, the scaling is even more dramatic, with 432 FPS at 1080p dropping to 166 FPS at 4K. This 61.6% decrease from 1080p to 4K highlights the increased importance of the GPU at lower settings, but the absolute numbers remain exceptionally high. The gap between the Low and High presets at 4K is 44 FPS, whereas at 1080p, the gap is 116 FPS. This narrowing gap at higher resolutions confirms that the CPU is the primary limiting factor at 1080p, holding back the frame rate even when the GPU has plenty of performance to spare.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, provides a substantial foundation for this title. The memory clock speed of 1313 MHz and the boost clock of 2475 MHz are more than sufficient to handle the demands of To The Core. The GPU's substantial compute resources, including 5888 shading units and 184 texture mapping units, ensure that it is never the bottleneck in this scenario. The card's performance is further evidenced by its strong showing in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Geekbench OpenCL score of 154858.

The RTX 4070's role in To The Core is almost secondary, as the game's simple 2D/2.5D visuals and idle mechanics place minimal stress on the graphics processor. The GPU's capabilities, such as its 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, are rarely, if ever, fully utilized. The data suggests that the RTX 4070 is capable of handling the game at its maximum settings with ease, and the limiting factor is far more likely to be the CPU or the game's own engine logic. The card's high texture fill rate and memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s are more than adequate for the game's art assets.

The GPU's performance in the Passmark G3D test, scoring 26927, places it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. This indicates that while it is a high-end card, it is not at the absolute top of the performance stack. However, in the context of To The Core, the RTX 4070 is complete overkill, delivering frame rates that are multiple times higher than what is needed for a smooth experience. The game's reliance on simple 2D sprites and UI elements means that the GPU's raw power is largely untapped, making it a non-factor in the overall performance equation.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested configurations, this specific CPU-GPU combination holds the 860th rank out of 3725 total combos. This places the pairing in the top 23.1% of all tested configurations, which is a solid result. The ranking indicates that this combo provides a high level of performance relative to other pairings that have been benchmarked. It reflects the balance of the Ryzen 7 5800XT and the RTX 4070, suggesting they work well together without either component creating a significant bottleneck.

The ranking is largely influenced by the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance, which is a key factor for the game's simulation and background tasks. The Ryzen 7 5800XT's multi-threaded score of 28053 in Passmark is a strong result, and it is this capability that likely helps it maintain high frame rates even when the game is running in the background or processing game logic. The CPU's 8-core, 16-thread configuration ensures that it can handle any background tasks without impacting the game's frame pacing.

The combo's rank is also a reflection of the GPU's high average benchmark score of 37648, which is in the 81st percentile. The combination of a strong CPU and a strong GPU ensures that the system never feels underpowered, even in demanding scenarios. While it is not the absolute fastest configuration, the 860th rank out of 3725 combos underscores that this is a high-performing pair that will provide an excellent gaming experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium settings preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and raw performance, particularly for those with high-refresh monitors. At 1080p, the Medium preset produces 365 FPS, which is only 67 FPS less than the Low preset but offers a noticeable improvement in visual quality. At 1440p, the Medium preset achieves 245 FPS, which is a 74 FPS increase over the High preset while still delivering a 209 FPS minimum frame rate. Even at 4K, the Medium preset's 140 FPS average with a 119 FPS minimum is exceptionally smooth.

The High preset is also a viable option for those seeking slightly better visuals, but the performance cost is significant, especially at higher resolutions. At 4K, the drop from Medium to High costs 18 FPS, a sizeable margin. The Ultra preset, while visually the most demanding, is difficult to recommend for competitive play. Although it produces a very playable 255 FPS at 1080p, the 171 FPS at 1440p and 98 FPS at 4K show that the performance cost is substantial. For the small visual gains, the Ultra preset is not worth the significant performance hit.

The Low preset is only recommended for those seeking the absolute highest frame rates possible, such as in professional esports scenarios. With 432 FPS at 1080p, it is the only way to push the game to its absolute limits. However, the visual compromise is substantial, and the performance difference between Low and Medium is less than the difference between Medium and High. Therefore, the Medium preset provides the best balance, ensuring high frame rates while maintaining a good visual experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data provides a comprehensive look at the system's performance. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 255 FPS, High 316 FPS, Medium 365 FPS, and Low 432 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 310 FPS and a maximum of 420 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 171 FPS, High 213 FPS, Medium 245 FPS, and Low 290 FPS. The Medium preset at this resolution has a minimum of 209 FPS and a maximum of 282 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 98 FPS, High 122 FPS, Medium 140 FPS, and Low 166 FPS. The Medium preset here shows a minimum of 119 FPS and a maximum of 161 FPS.

The data reveals a consistent scaling pattern across all presets. The most significant finding is that the game is exceptionally well-optimized for this hardware, with no configuration dropping below the 98 FPS mark. The frame time consistency is also good, as evidenced by the narrow range between the minimum and maximum FPS values on the Medium preset. The largest gap between the minimum and maximum is at 1080p, with a 110 FPS spread, while at 4K, the spread narrows to 42 FPS, indicating a more consistent frame pacing at higher resolutions.

The performance difference between 1080p and 1440p is significant, with the 1440p results representing a 32-33% reduction in frame rate across most settings. The jump from 1440p to 4K also results in a similar 42-43% reduction. This linear scaling is a hallmark of a well-behaved title that is primarily limited by the CPU at lower resolutions and the GPU at higher ones. The high minimum frame rates are particularly impressive, ensuring a smooth experience without stutters or hitches.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT plays a pivotal role in this configuration's performance. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, it provides a strong foundation for gaming. The CPU's base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz are well-suited for handling the game's logic. While its performance in To The Core is strong, its benchmark scores show it is competitive with the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H, as it is only 0.6% faster than the Ryzen 5 9600X, according to the nearest rivals data.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are its strongest asset, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23794 and Passmark multi-thread score of 28053. In a game like To The Core, which is an idle game with persistent background simulations, these multi-threaded capabilities are crucial. The game's logic, including resource generation and building states, can be delegated to the CPU's many threads, ensuring that the main game loop remains responsive. The single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 score of 3359, is also sufficient to keep the frame rate from being bottlenecked by the processor.

The Ryzen 7 5800XT's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 memory help reduce latency, which is beneficial for gaming. The CPU's 3DMark scores, such as 7683 for 16 threads and 6141 for 8 threads, confirm its strong multi-threaded performance. During gameplay, the CPU is likely not the limiting factor, as the game's simple 2D graphics place most of the burden on the processor's ability to run the game's simulation. The CPU's strong performance ensures that it can feed the RTX 4070 with enough data to maintain high frame rates, a key reason this combo ranks well in the database.