To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a remarkably strong performance profile in To The Core, an Idle genre title that clearly favors high refresh rate gameplay. The measured data shows this combination is not merely adequate but exceptionally capable, pushing frame rates well beyond the thresholds of standard monitors even at demanding 4K resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, examines the specific roles of the CPU and GPU, and provides actionable advice for optimizing your experience based on the benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is significant but the absolute numbers remain impressive. At the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 313 FPS at 1920x1080 to 210 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 120 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 33% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 43% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The scaling pattern indicates that while the GPU is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions, the CPU is not a limiting factor even at 1080p, where the frame rates are exceptionally high.

Moving to the Ultra preset, the same trend is visible but with lower starting points. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 185, which drops to 124 at 1440p and 71 at 4K. The percentage drops are 33% and 43% respectively, which is nearly identical to the Low preset scaling. This consistency suggests that the game’s rendering load scales uniformly with resolution regardless of the quality preset, pointing to a well-optimized engine that doesn’t introduce variable CPU bottlenecks at higher settings. The fact that 4K Ultra still manages 71 FPS average is notable for a game of this type, making high-resolution gameplay viable.

The data reveals that the RTX 4060’s performance envelope is well-suited for 1440p and 4K gaming in To The Core. At 1440p, even the Ultra preset achieves 124 FPS, which is above the refresh rate of most standard monitors. At 4K, the High preset delivers 88 FPS, which is playable and smooth, while the Low preset at 120 FPS shows that the GPU has headroom to spare if you prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is the steepest, indicating that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and fill rate are the determining factors at that resolution, rather than the CPU’s processing power.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the workhorse of this combination, and its specifications directly explain the measured results. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. For To The Core, an Idle game that likely does not have massive texture requirements, the 8 GB frame buffer appears sufficient, as the game runs smoothly even at 4K Ultra with 71 FPS. The memory clock runs at 2125 MHz, or 17 Gbps effective, which contributes to the GPU’s ability to maintain high frame rates across all tested resolutions.

The GPU’s core clock is set at a base of 1830 MHz and boosts up to 2460 MHz. This boost clock is crucial for sustaining the high average FPS numbers seen in the benchmarks. The Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process, provides 3072 shading units and 96 texture mapping units, which work together to deliver the pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s. These figures correlate with the game’s performance, as the GPU is able to fill the screen with detailed frames at a rapid pace, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU can feed it data quickly.

The RTX 4060’s position in the market is reflected in its percentile rank of 61, which places it above average among all GPUs tested. Its average benchmark score of 17639 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, the AMD Radeon HD 7790 and the AMD Radeon 780M, with delta percentages of -0.2% and 0.3% respectively. This indicates that while the RTX 4060 is a capable card, it is not a performance outlier compared to other mid-range options. However, in the context of To The Core, the GPU’s specific strengths—its high boost clock and efficient architecture—translate into excellent real-world performance that exceeds what its raw benchmark score might suggest.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F plays a supporting but essential role in this combo, ensuring that the GPU is never starved for data. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, this CPU provides ample processing power for To The Core. The base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz are particularly important for this genre, as the game’s logic and simulation loops benefit from high single-thread performance. The PassMark single-thread score of 4691 confirms this, which is a strong result that helps maintain high frame rates even at 1080p where the CPU load is typically higher relative to the GPU.

The CPU’s cache hierarchy, with 32 MB of shared L3 cache, is well-suited for the game’s data access patterns. The 4 nm process node and 8,315 million transistors allow for efficient power consumption, with a TDP of only 65 W, making it a cool and efficient partner for the RTX 4060. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this title, as evidenced by the sustained high FPS at 1080p Low, where the average of 313 FPS is likely near the limit of what the game’s engine can produce. The PassMark multithread score of 36470 and the integer math score of 120788 also indicate that the CPU has significant headroom for any background tasks or game logic that might be running.

The Ryzen 7 9700F holds the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69996. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, which is 0.2% faster, and the Intel Core i7-14700KF, which is 0.2% slower. This tight grouping shows that the 9700F is a top-tier performer in its class, and its high boost clock of 5.50 GHz is a key differentiator. In To The Core, this translates to consistent frame delivery, ensuring that the GPU’s output is not hampered by CPU-related stutters or frame drops, which is a common issue in other titles but not evident in this data.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested system combinations for To The Core, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1586 out of 2991 combos. This places it squarely in the top half of all systems tested, which is a strong showing given the mid-range positioning of the GPU. While the rank might not sound exceptionally high, it is important to consider that the list includes many high-end systems with more powerful GPUs that would naturally achieve higher frame rates. The rank of 1586 indicates that this combo performs admirably for its hardware class, delivering a smooth experience that rivals many more expensive configurations.

The combo’s rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s performance, as the CPU is powerful enough to support even faster graphics cards. The data shows that the bottleneck is almost entirely on the GPU side, particularly at 4K resolution where the frame rates drop more significantly. This is a positive sign for the CPU, as it means the Ryzen 7 9700F has longevity and could be paired with a more powerful GPU in the future without becoming a limiting factor. The 1586th rank out of 2991 confirms the balance of this system, offering a level of performance that is greater than the sum of its parts.

For a builder, this rank suggests that the combo is a viable option for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and comfortable 4K gaming at medium to high settings. The ranking also highlights that while the RTX 4060 is not a top-tier card, its performance in To The Core is far from disappointing. The system’s ability to maintain high frame rates across all settings and resolutions makes it a practical choice for this specific game, even if it doesn’t top the charts globally.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this system depend on your target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p users with a 240Hz monitor, the High preset at 229 FPS is a solid choice, but the Low preset at 313 FPS is recommended if you want to maximize frame rates for competitive play or to ensure the absolute smoothest experience. The Medium preset at 265 FPS and Ultra at 185 FPS are also above the 144Hz threshold, so any setting is playable at 1080p, but Low offers the best performance headroom.

At 1440p, the situation is more nuanced. The Ultra preset delivers 124 FPS, which is just shy of 144Hz, so if you have a 144Hz monitor, you might want to lower the preset to High, which averages 154 FPS, to fully utilize your display’s refresh rate. The Medium preset at 178 FPS is another excellent option, providing a significant boost over High with minimal visual impact in this genre. The Low preset at 210 FPS is overkill for most monitors but offers the highest performance for those with 240Hz panels.

For 4K gaming, the High preset at 88 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it provides a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. The Medium preset at 102 FPS is also a great option for those who prefer higher frame rates, and it is the highest setting that breaks the 100 FPS barrier at this resolution. The Low preset at 120 FPS is the best choice for competitive play or for users with high-refresh-rate 4K displays, while the Ultra preset at 71 FPS is only recommended for those who prioritize visuals over frame rate and have a 60Hz or 75Hz monitor. The data clearly shows that Medium or High presets offer the best experience at 4K, providing a significant performance boost over Ultra with a modest reduction in graphical fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in To The Core is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 313 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this system. The Medium preset averages 265 FPS, with a minimum of 225 FPS and a maximum of 304 FPS, showing a narrow range that indicates stable performance. The High preset averages 229 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 185 FPS. These numbers demonstrate that the system is capable of pushing very high frame rates at 1080p, with even the most demanding preset providing a smooth experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 210 FPS, followed by the Medium preset at 178 FPS (with a minimum of 151 FPS and a maximum of 205 FPS). The High preset averages 154 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 124 FPS. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not severe, and the system remains highly playable across all settings. The minimum FPS recorded for Medium is 151, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 120 FPS, the Medium preset averages 102 FPS (with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS), and the High preset averages 88 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 71 FPS. The minimum FPS of 87 at Medium is the lowest recorded for this system but is still comfortably above the 60 FPS playability standard. This data shows that the system can handle 4K gaming, but the settings must be tuned to match your performance expectations. The transition from High to Ultra at 4K results in a 17 FPS drop, which is a significant cost for the visual upgrade, making High the sweet spot for most users.