To The Core

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X brings 8 cores and 16 threads to the table, with a base clock of 4.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This Zen 4 Raphael chip on the 5 nm TSMC process is a desktop part with a 105 W TDP, and it sits in the 89th percentile versus all CPUs. Its synthetic benchmark scores tell a story of strong multi-threaded capability: Cinebench R23 multi-core hits 30325, while single-core reaches 4281. Geekbench shows 15538 multi-core and 2985 single-core. The 3DMark results scale predictably with thread count, going from 1090 single-thread to 8859 at 16 threads, suggesting the processor scales well with workload parallelism.

For an idle game like To The Core, the data reveals something interesting. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 433.8 FPS — a figure that strongly suggests the CPU is doing heavy lifting to feed the frame pipeline. The fact that 8 threads score 7057 in 3DMark while max threads hit 8852 implies that all 16 threads are being utilized efficiently, which is typical for games that simulate many independent agents or systems. The CPU's nearest rivals show how tight the competition is: the Intel Core i5-13500 trails by just 0.4%, and the Intel Core i7-12800HX is 0.5% behind. The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and AMD EPYC 4244P are each 0.8% ahead. This clustering indicates that the 7700X is not leaving performance on the table — it is right in the expected band for its class.

The data implies that in To The Core, the CPU's role is to maintain high minimum frame pacing, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. A passmark single-thread score of 4190 and a 3DMark 2-thread score of 2112 suggest that even lightly threaded workloads are handled with ease. This is crucial for an idle game where background simulation may run continuously regardless of player interaction.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process. It carries 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective speed. The core operates between a 1920 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost. With 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, the GPU also includes 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores. Its FP32 throughput is 29.15 TFLOPS, and the texture rate is 455.4 GTexel/s.

The GPU's benchmark profile places it at the 81st percentile versus all GPUs. The Passmark G3D score of 26927 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854 indicate solid rasterization performance. Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores of 168006 and 157352, respectively, show strong compute capability. Interestingly, the nearest rivals for this GPU are a mixed bag — the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 is 0.6% ahead, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A is 1.9% ahead, and the RTX 4080 Mobile is 2.2% ahead. The AMD Radeon RX 5300M trails by 2.5%. This wide spread of rivals, including both older and mobile parts, suggests the RTX 4070's average benchmark score of 37283 is positioned in a crowded field.

In To The Core, the GPU's role becomes more apparent as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 95.7 FPS, which is still playable but shows the GPU becoming a limiting factor. The 12 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for this idle game's asset streaming, but the bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s may matter more at higher resolutions where texture fetch demands increase. The data suggests the RTX 4070 is capable of driving the game at high frame rates, but the scaling pattern points to a GPU that is not the bottleneck until the resolution and settings are pushed to their extremes.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows clear resolution scaling trends across all settings. At Low settings, the combo goes from 433.8 FPS at 1080p to 288.7 FPS at 1440p, then to 163.3 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33.5% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and an additional 43.4% drop from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is similar for Medium settings, which fall from 364.3 to 245.6 to 143.2 FPS across the same resolutions. High settings show 317.9 at 1080p, 210.5 at 1440p, and 123.7 at 4K. Ultra settings follow the same trend: 256.6, 173.5, and 95.7 FPS.

The relative consistency of these drops across settings is telling. At 1080p Low, the system is producing 433.8 FPS — this is almost certainly CPU-limited, as the GPU is nowhere near its maximum throughput. The fact that 1440p Low still yields 288.7 FPS suggests the CPU continues to be a significant factor even at this resolution. By 4K Low, the FPS drops to 163.3, which is a 62.4% reduction from 1080p Low. This magnitude of drop indicates the GPU is now the primary limiter.

The ratio between settings at a given resolution also reveals the balance. At 1080p, Ultra produces 256.6 FPS versus Low's 433.8 — a 40.9% reduction. At 4K, Ultra produces 95.7 versus Low's 163.3 — a 41.4% reduction. The near-identical percentage drop suggests that settings scaling affects the GPU uniformly regardless of resolution. This implies that the game's rendering load scales predictably with both resolution and quality settings, and the limiting component shifts smoothly from CPU at 1080p Low to GPU at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 achieves a combo rank of 429 out of 1756 tested combinations in To The Core. This places it in the top 24.4% of all combos tested. The rank reflects the combined capabilities of both components, and given that the CPU is in the 89th percentile and the GPU is in the 81st percentile, the result is consistent with what the individual benchmarks would predict.

The rank of 429 out of 1756 is notable because it indicates that while this is a strong pairing, there are still 428 combos that perform better. Given the CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.8% of its average score, and the GPU's rivals span a wider range, the limiting factor for the combo's rank is likely the GPU. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a higher-tier GPU would likely push the combo significantly higher in the rankings, since the CPU has headroom — evidenced by the fact that at 1080p Low, the system hits 433.8 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show.

The position at 429 also implies that this combo is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming. At 1440p High, the combo produces 210.5 FPS, which is competitive for fast-paced genres. The fact that it falls to 173.5 FPS at 1440p Ultra still keeps it above the 144 Hz threshold. This ranking, combined with the measured FPS, suggests that the combo is positioned to handle demanding scenarios without being overkill for the title.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for settings optimization. At 1080p, every preset exceeds 256 FPS, meaning even Ultra settings at 256.6 FPS are far beyond what any standard display can reproduce. The recommendation at 1080p is straightforward: run Ultra, because the performance headroom is massive and there is no reason to reduce quality. The 433.8 FPS at Low is technically higher, but the difference between 256.6 and 433.8 is imperceptible on a 144 Hz or even 240 Hz monitor.

At 1440p, the situation is more nuanced. Ultra produces 173.5 FPS, which is still above the 144 Hz threshold for most high-refresh displays. High produces 210.5 FPS, and Medium 245.6 FPS. The data suggests that Ultra is the best choice for 1440p if the display supports it, as the drop from High to Ultra is only 37 FPS, which is unlikely to be noticeable. However, if the user has a 240 Hz display, Medium at 245.6 FPS would be the appropriate choice to fully utilize the refresh rate.

At 4K, the recommendations change dramatically. Ultra produces 95.7 FPS, which is below the 100 FPS threshold that many consider for smooth gameplay. High produces 123.7 FPS, which is better, and Medium produces 143.2 FPS. Low produces 163.3 FPS. For 4K gaming, the data suggests that Medium offers the best balance, providing 143.2 FPS — above the 120 Hz threshold — while maintaining higher visual fidelity than Low. Ultra at 95.7 FPS may be acceptable for less demanding players, but the 47.5 FPS gain from dropping to Medium is substantial.

FAQ

*Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in To The Core?*

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combo ranks 429th out of 1756 tested combinations.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU become the bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: The data shows 4K Ultra produces 95.7 FPS, which is the lowest measured result. The scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at this resolution and settings level.

Q: What FPS does the combo achieve at 1080p Low?

A: The combo produces 433.8 FPS at 1080p Low, which is the highest measured result across all resolutions and settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-13500?

A: The Ryzen 7 7700X has an average benchmark score of 34313, which is 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-13500's 34175.

Q: Is the RTX 4070's performance close to any mobile GPU?

A: The data shows the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile has an average score of 38135, which is 2.2% higher than the RTX 4070's 37283.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1440p High and 1440p Ultra?

A: At 1440p High, the combo achieves 210.5 FPS, while at 1440p Ultra it achieves 173.5 FPS, a difference of 37 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low 433.8, Medium 364.3, High 317.9, and Ultra 256.6. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decline, with Ultra being 40.9% lower than Low.

At 2560x1440, the measured average FPS values are: Low 288.7, Medium 245.6, High 210.5, and Ultra 173.5. The drop from Low to Ultra is 39.9%, which is nearly identical to the 1080p pattern, indicating uniform scaling.

At 3840x2160, the measured average FPS values are: Low 163.3, Medium 143.2, High 123.7, and Ultra 95.7. The drop from Low to Ultra is 41.4%, again consistent with the other resolutions. The absolute numbers show that even at 4K Low, the combo maintains 163.3 FPS, which is above the 144 Hz threshold.

Across all resolutions, the delta between Low and Medium is consistent: at 1080p it is 69.5 FPS, at 1440p it is 43.1 FPS, and at 4K it is 20.1 FPS. The delta between Medium and High is 46.4 FPS at 1080p, 35.1 FPS at 1440p, and 19.5 FPS at 4K. The delta between High and Ultra is 61.3 FPS at 1080p, 37 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. These deltas show that the cost of each quality tier is larger at lower resolutions, which is consistent with the GPU being less stressed at 1080p and thus having more headroom to absorb the increased load from higher settings.