To The Core

# To The Core with AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070

This combination of an 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in To The Core, an idle game that clearly favors strong single-thread performance. The measured data shows this pairing ranks in the 58th percentile of all tested combos, with average FPS figures that stay above 80 even at 4K Ultra settings. For a game released in February 2024, these results indicate the CPU is doing most of the heavy lifting at lower resolutions, while the GPU becomes more relevant as resolution climbs.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows across three resolutions and four quality presets paint a clear picture: this combo has enough headroom to run To The Core at maximum settings at 1440p, but 4K Ultra requires a compromise. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields 209 FPS average, while Low pushes to 355 FPS and Medium sits at 300 FPS. The gap between Ultra and Low is 146 FPS, which matters for competitive play but is less critical for an idle game where the action is slower-paced. For most players at 1080p, Ultra is the best experience—209 FPS is well above the refresh rate of any mainstream monitor, and the visual quality benefits are worth more than the extra frames.

At 2560x1440, the story becomes more nuanced. Ultra averages 141 FPS, High hits 175 FPS, Medium reaches 202 FPS, and Low tops out at 239 FPS. The 34 FPS difference between Ultra and High is notable, but both are comfortably playable. Given that To The Core is an idle game, the visual fidelity of Ultra at 141 FPS is the recommended sweet spot—it maintains a high refresh rate experience without sacrificing image quality. If you own a 240Hz 1440p monitor, dropping to High or Medium will get you closer to that ceiling, but the measurable gain from 141 to 175 FPS (High) is less impactful than the visual downgrade.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. Ultra averages 81 FPS, High hits 100 FPS, Medium reaches 115 FPS, and Low climbs to 136 FPS. The 19 FPS drop from High to Ultra at 4K is the largest proportional penalty across all resolutions, indicating the RTX 3070's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are stressed at this resolution. For 4K, High settings provide the best balance: 100 FPS average is smooth, and the difference from Ultra is visually minor in an idle game. Medium at 115 FPS is a viable alternative if you prioritize frame rate over detail, but High offers the best experience per the measured rows. Low at 136 FPS is only worth considering if you have a 120Hz+ 4K display and demand maximum smoothness.

The data also shows only the Medium preset includes min/max FPS values, with 4K Medium ranging from 98 to 133 FPS, 1440p Medium from 172 to 232 FPS, and 1080p Medium from 255 to 345 FPS. These ranges suggest frame pacing is consistent, with no severe stutters, which reinforces the recommendation for High at 4K and Ultra at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

This CPU/GPU pairing ranks 1244 out of 2991 tested combos in To The Core, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all configurations. The percentile position is roughly 58%, meaning it outperforms a majority of tested systems but is not in the top tier. This ranking makes sense given the components: the Ryzen 7 9700F is a strong modern CPU with a 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the RTX 3070 sits at the 61st percentile among all GPUs. The combo's overall rank is lower than the CPU's individual percentile, which indicates the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing for To The Core.

The CPU's nearest rivals show how close the 9700F is to other high-end processors. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875 (0.2% ahead), the Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70163 (0.2% behind), the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515 (0.7% ahead), and the Intel Core i7-14700K scores 69355 (0.9% ahead). These deltas are tiny—less than 1% in all cases—meaning the 9700F is statistically tied with these processors in general compute benchmarks. In To The Core specifically, the measured FPS suggests the game is not heavily CPU-bound at higher resolutions, which is why the combo rank is more modest than the CPU's individual standing.

For the GPU, the RTX 3070's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (0.7% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (1% ahead), AMD Radeon HD 7970M (1.1% ahead), and NVIDIA Tesla K40c (1.5% behind). These are older or lower-tier cards, and the tiny deltas again indicate the RTX 3070 is close to its direct competition in synthetic benchmarks. The GPU's 61st percentile ranking is respectable but not elite, which aligns with the combo's overall position.

The takeaway is that this pairing delivers solid, predictable performance in To The Core—not class-leading, but well above the median. The 9700F's strength ensures the CPU never becomes a bottleneck, while the RTX 3070 handles the game's graphics load adequately across all tested settings.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo sufficient for 4K gaming in To The Core?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 81, which is playable. Dropping to High raises it to 100 FPS, and Medium to 115 FPS. The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, so adjusting settings has a significant impact.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700F compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The 9700F is statistically tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% ahead), Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% behind), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% ahead), and Intel Core i7-14700K (0.9% ahead) in average benchmark scores. All deltas are under 1%, meaning performance differences are negligible.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 175. This is well above 144Hz refresh rates, making it ideal for high-refresh monitors. Ultra drops to 141 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 3070 cause issues at 4K?

A: The data doesn't show VRAM capacity as a direct bottleneck, but the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial—from 260 FPS to 100 FPS at High settings. The GPU's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely contributing factors at 3840x2160.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700F a bottleneck for the RTX 3070?

A: No. The CPU's 8 cores, 16 threads, and 5.50 GHz boost clock place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. At 1080p, where CPU load is highest, the combo still achieves 209 FPS at Ultra settings, indicating the CPU is not limiting performance.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 1244 out of 2991 combos, placing it in the 58th percentile. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier result, driven by the strong CPU but limited somewhat by the GPU's mid-range position.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four quality presets, with all rows showing average FPS and only the Medium preset including min/max values. Starting at 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo delivers exceptional performance across the board. Low settings produce an average of 355 FPS, Medium reaches 300 FPS (with min/max of 255/345), High hits 260 FPS, and Ultra still manages 209 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 146 FPS drop, but even the lowest figure is far beyond what any current monitor can display. This resolution is clearly CPU-limited territory, and the 9700F's strong single-thread performance (4691 in Passmark single-thread tests) keeps frame rates sky-high.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers remain impressive but show a clear scaling trend. Low averages 239 FPS, Medium 202 FPS (min/max 172/232), High 175 FPS, and Ultra 141 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 33% across all settings—for example, High goes from 260 to 175 FPS, and Ultra from 209 to 141 FPS. This is a typical resolution scaling penalty, and the RTX 3070's 5888 shading units and 96 ROPs handle the increased pixel count well. The min FPS at Medium (172) is still above 144Hz, confirming smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. Low settings yield 136 FPS average, Medium 115 FPS (min/max 98/133), High 100 FPS, and Ultra 81 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra expands to 55 FPS, which is the largest absolute spread across all resolutions. Notably, the 4K Medium min FPS of 98 is still above 60Hz, so even the worst-case frame rates are playable. The progression from 1440p to 4K shows a more severe drop—High falls from 175 to 100 FPS (43% reduction), and Ultra from 141 to 81 FPS (43% reduction). This consistent percentage drop indicates the GPU is scaling linearly with pixel count, without hitting a hard memory or bandwidth wall.

Comparing settings across resolutions, the relative penalties are consistent. At 1080p, Ultra is 41% slower than Low (209 vs 355 FPS). At 1440p, Ultra is 41% slower than Low (141 vs 239 FPS). At 4K, Ultra is 40% slower than Low (81 vs 136 FPS). This uniformity suggests the game's settings have a predictable impact on GPU load, and the RTX 3070 handles each preset proportionally regardless of resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals important information about which component is limiting performance at each resolution. At 1080p High, the combo hits 260 FPS; at 1440p High, it drops to 175 FPS (33% reduction); at 4K High, it falls to 100 FPS (43% reduction from 1440p, 62% from 1080p). This scaling pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior—as pixel count increases, the workload shifts from the CPU to the GPU, and the RTX 3070's finite processing power becomes the bottleneck.

The CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p, where the 9700F's 8 cores and 5.50 GHz boost clock keep frame rates exceptionally high. The 355 FPS at Low settings far exceeds what most GPUs can deliver, indicating the CPU is not holding back the system. At 1440p, the balance shifts: the GPU's workload increases by 78% compared to 1080p, yet the FPS drop is only 33%, suggesting the system is transitioning from CPU-bound to GPU-bound. By 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor—the RTX 3070's 20.31 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are stretched, and the FPS figures reflect this.

The data shows that To The Core is not a heavily threaded game, despite the 9700F's multi-thread capabilities. The CPU's Passmark multi-thread score of 36470 and 16 threads don't translate into proportionally higher frame rates at lower resolutions—instead, the game appears to rely on single-thread performance, where the 9700F excels with a 4691 Passmark single-thread score. This explains why the combo's 1080p results are so strong: the CPU's high clock speeds and efficient Zen 5 architecture (4 nm process, Granite Ridge codename) are well-suited to the game's demands.

For 4K gaming, the measured results suggest that a more powerful GPU would be the logical upgrade path. The RTX 3070's 61st percentile ranking among GPUs, combined with its 8 GB memory capacity, means it struggles to maintain high frame rates at 3840x2160, particularly at Ultra settings where the average drops to 81 FPS. The consistent ~40% penalty from Low to Ultra at all resolutions indicates the GPU's shading units and ROPs are fully utilized, with no headroom for higher settings without sacrificing playability.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a modern 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture with a Granite Ridge codename. It operates at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boosts up to 5.50 GHz, with a 65 W TDP that keeps thermals manageable. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69996, places it firmly in the high-end desktop segment. Its nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, Intel Core i7-14700KF, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and Intel Core i7-14700K—all score within 0.9% of the 9700F, showing that this chip competes directly with flagship processors from both AMD and Intel.

In To The Core specifically, the CPU's role is evident in the 1080p results, where the combo achieves 355 FPS at Low settings. This is a CPU-bound scenario, and the 9700F's strong single-thread performance (4691 Passmark single-thread score) keeps the game running at extremely high frame rates. The CPU's L3 cache of 32 MB shared across 8 cores, combined with 80 KB L1 and 1 MB L2 per core, provides ample data for the game's logic to reside in fast memory. The DDR5 memory support with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth further ensures the CPU has sufficient memory throughput for an idle game that likely involves frequent state updates.

The 9700F's multi-thread capabilities are less relevant for To The Core, as the game's genre suggests it doesn't scale well across many cores. The CPU's Passmark multi-thread score of 36470 is strong, but the measured FPS doesn't show a dramatic improvement over what a lower-core-count CPU might achieve. Instead, the high boost clock of 5.50 GHz is the key factor—idle games often have single-threaded bottlenecks, and the 9700F's ability to sustain high clocks on one or two cores directly benefits frame rates at 1080p.

The CPU's 4 nm process node from TSMC and 8,315 million transistors on a 70.6 mm² die indicate a power-efficient design, though the measured FPS data doesn't directly reflect power consumption. The 65 W TDP is notably low for a high-performance desktop CPU, which makes it an attractive option for systems where cooling and power draw are concerns. However, in this combo, the GPU's 220 W TDP and 550 W suggested PSU are more significant factors for overall system power requirements.

The benchmark data shows the 9700F is not a bottleneck for the RTX 3070 in To The Core. At 4K Ultra, where the GPU is most stressed, the combo still achieves 81 FPS, and the CPU's contribution is minimal—the frame rate is determined by the GPU's ability to render the scene. Even at 1080p, the CPU's performance headroom means frame rates are limited by the GPU's rendering speed rather than the CPU's processing power. This makes the 9700F a well-matched partner for the RTX 3070 in this game, with neither component significantly holding back the other across the tested resolution and settings range.