To The Core

To The Core pairs the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, a combination that places 23rd out of 1756 tested combos in this title. The data shows a system capable of extreme frame rates across all resolutions, with the RTX 5090’s immense compute headroom ensuring that even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS remains far above typical display refresh rates. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across three resolutions and four settings presets, interprets the scaling behavior, and provides guidance on how to best utilize this hardware in an idle game context.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a distinct pattern in how performance scales from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 539.7 FPS, which drops by 21.3% to 424.9 FPS at 2560x1440, and then by another 42.7% to 243.4 FPS at 3840x2160. This scaling indicates that at lower resolutions, the frame rate is likely constrained by CPU throughput, as the Ryzen 7 5800XT's single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 959) becomes the limiting factor when the GPU is not fully utilized.

The transition from 1440p to 4K shows a more pronounced drop across all settings, which is characteristic of the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck. For instance, at High settings, the 312.5 FPS at 2560x1440 falls by 43.7% to 175.8 FPS at 4K. This percentage drop is nearly identical to the 42.7% reduction seen at Low settings, suggesting that the RTX 5090’s rendering pipeline is handling the increased pixel count in a consistent manner, regardless of the quality preset.

Notably, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (539.7 FPS) and Ultra (371.7 FPS) is 168 FPS, or 31.1%. At 4K, this gap narrows to 98.9 FPS (243.4 vs 144.5 FPS), which is a 40.6% reduction. This behavior implies that at higher resolutions, the GPU’s fill-rate and shading resources are being consumed by the resolution increase itself, leaving less headroom for the additional effects and geometry that the Ultra preset demands. The data suggests that for this idle game, the RTX 5090 provides such massive compute resources that even at 4K Ultra, the system remains far from being constrained by the GPU’s peak capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a combo rank of 23 out of 1756 tested combinations in To The Core, placing it in the top 1.3% of all tested configurations. This high ranking is primarily driven by the RTX 5090’s exceptional performance, as the GPU holds a 94th percentile rank among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84306. The CPU, while older, still performs respectably with an 86th percentile rank and an average benchmark score of 29774.

When comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 5800XT shows minimal performance deltas. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS by just 0.3% in average benchmark score (29774 vs 29856) and is also 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (29868). Conversely, it leads the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE by 0.1% (29740) and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 by 0.3% (29682). These negligible differences suggest that the CPU choice is unlikely to be a determining factor in this game’s frame rates, especially given the massive GPU headroom available.

For the GPU, the RTX 5090’s nearest rival comparisons show similar tight clustering. It is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D (84241) and 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (84171). It also leads the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 by 1.3% (83209) but trails the NVIDIA CMP 40HX by 1.6% (85637). These small deltas indicate that the RTX 5090 is at the top of the performance hierarchy, and the 23rd overall combo ranking reflects that this specific pairing is one of the most capable configurations tested for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 539.7, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This indicates that the system can push frame rates well beyond what most displays can show, even at the most demanding quality preset.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1080p Low?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 144.5 FPS, which is 73.2% lower than the 539.7 FPS at 1080p Low. Despite this significant drop, the 4K Ultra frame rate remains exceptionally high and suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at lower resolutions?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes more relevant at 1080p, as the frame rate differences between Low (539.7 FPS) and Ultra (371.7 FPS) are larger in percentage terms than at 4K. The Ryzen 7 5800XT’s single-thread score of 959 in 3dmark indicates it can handle high throughput, but the GPU’s raw power dominates at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the performance delta between the RTX 5090 and its closest rival?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 84306, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D (84241) and 0.2% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (84171). It is 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (83209) but 1.6% behind the NVIDIA CMP 40HX (85637).

Q: How does the combo rank compare to all tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 23rd out of 1756 tested combos in To The Core, placing it in the top 1.3% of all configurations. This top-tier ranking is consistent with the RTX 5090’s 94th percentile position among all GPUs.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield 358 FPS, while High settings produce 312.5 FPS. This represents a 12.7% performance drop when moving from Medium to High, which is a relatively small cost for the visual quality improvement.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience according to the measured data, the High preset at 2560x1440 offers an excellent balance, delivering 312.5 FPS. This is more than sufficient for any display refresh rate and provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium (358 FPS) without the 19.2% performance penalty seen when moving to Ultra (253 FPS). At 4K, the High preset at 175.8 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains high frame rates while avoiding the 17.8% drop to 144.5 FPS that Ultra incurs.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p (539.7 FPS) is the clear winner, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p (512.1 FPS) is a better recommendation for most users, as it retains more visual detail while only losing 5.1% performance compared to Low. At 4K, the Medium preset (204.6 FPS) is a strong middle ground, offering 16.4% more performance than High while still providing a richer visual experience than Low (243.4 FPS).

Given the idle game genre, where frame rates above 60 FPS provide diminishing returns, the Ultra preset at 1440p (253 FPS) or even 4K (144.5 FPS) is viable for those who want maximum visual quality without worrying about competitive frame rate demands. The data indicates that this combo has such massive headroom that the choice of preset should be driven entirely by visual preference rather than performance necessity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 539.7 FPS average — the highest measured frame rate across all configurations.
• Medium: 512.1 FPS average, a 5.1% reduction from Low.
• High: 463.4 FPS average, a 14.1% reduction from Low.
• Ultra: 371.7 FPS average, a 31.1% reduction from Low, showing the cost of maximum effects.

2560x1440:

• Low: 424.9 FPS average, a 21.3% drop from the 1080p Low result.
• Medium: 358 FPS average, a 15.7% drop from the 1080p Medium result.
• High: 312.5 FPS average, a 32.6% drop from the 1080p High result.
• Ultra: 253 FPS average, a 31.9% drop from the 1080p Ultra result.

3840x2160:

• Low: 243.4 FPS average, a 42.7% drop from the 1080p Low result.
• Medium: 204.6 FPS average, a 42.8% drop from the 1080p Medium result.
• High: 175.8 FPS average, a 62.1% drop from the 1080p High result.
• Ultra: 144.5 FPS average, a 61.1% drop from the 1080p Ultra result.

Across all resolutions, the RTX 5090’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensure that memory bandwidth is never a bottleneck, even at 4K Ultra. The lowest measured FPS of 144.5 remains exceptionally high, confirming that this combo is overkill for To The Core but delivers a consistently smooth experience at any setting.