To The Core

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 lands at rank 453 out of 1756 tested combos in To The Core. That places it in the top quarter of all configurations, a strong showing for a desktop pairing built around a 12-core Zen 5 processor and an Ada Lovelace GPU. The combo sits in a competitive middle zone where either component could be the bottleneck depending on resolution and settings, and the measured frame rates suggest the system has headroom to spare in this idle-genre title.

How This Combo Ranks

The 453rd position out of 1756 combos means roughly 74% of tested configurations fall behind this pairing. That is a solid result, though not a top-tier one, and the ranking reflects a balance between the CPU’s 94th percentile standing among all processors and the GPU’s 81st percentile among all graphics cards. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 54450 is nearly identical to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, which scores 54681, a delta of just -0.4%. The Intel Core i7-14700F trails by 0.7% at 54097, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K and 245KF lead by 1.5% and 1.8% respectively. These margins are tiny, indicating the 9900X is well-matched against its immediate competitors in raw compute. The GPU, meanwhile, sits within 2.5% of its nearest rivals, with the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37507 (-0.6%) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A at 38008 (-1.9%). The data suggests this combo’s rank is driven more by the CPU’s slight edge over its peers than by GPU dominance, since the RTX 4070’s average score of 37283 is only modestly above the RX Vega 56’s.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 brings 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock runs at 2475 MHz, with a base of 1920 MHz, and the chip packs 5888 shading units alongside 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores. In To The Core, an idle game that does not stress graphics hardware heavily, these specs translate into frame rates well above display refresh rates at every resolution tested. The GPU’s 81st percentile ranking and 26927 Passmark G3D score indicate it is a capable mid-range part, but the measured FPS reveals it is rarely the limiting factor here. At 1080p Ultra, the combo hits 255.1 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it drops to 101.1 FPS, a 60% reduction that points to the GPU becoming more relevant as pixel count rises. The 12 GB VRAM is ample for this title’s demands, and the 21 Gbps effective memory speed ensures data transfer is not a constraint even at 4K. The RTX 4070’s 200 W TDP and dual-slot cooler suggest it runs efficiently, though power draw is not directly measured in the FPS data.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior. At Low settings, the combo delivers 430.4 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 290.9 FPS at 1440p (-32%) and then to 164.9 FPS at 4K (-62% from 1080p). This steep decline at 4K indicates the GPU is being pushed harder, while the CPU still has headroom. At Ultra settings, the drop is even more pronounced: 255.1 FPS at 1080p falls to 170 FPS at 1440p (-33%) and then to 101.1 FPS at 4K (-60%). The consistency of the percentage drops across settings suggests the scaling is resolution-driven rather than setting-driven. The 1440p to 4K transition costs roughly 40% of the frame rate in every preset, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario at higher pixel counts. Conversely, the 1080p to 1440p drop is smaller in absolute terms, hinting that at 1080p the CPU may be the primary limiter, especially at Low settings where 430.4 FPS approaches the practical ceiling for many processors. The data implies that for this idle game, 1440p is the sweet spot where the combo balances both components, while 4K leans more heavily on the RTX 4070.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces 430.4 FPS on Low, 362.8 FPS on Medium, 313.5 FPS on High, and 255.1 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 175.3 FPS, a 41% reduction, showing that settings have a moderate impact at this resolution. Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers drop to 290.9 FPS Low, 246.3 FPS Medium, 214.8 FPS High, and 170 FPS Ultra. The Low-to-Ultra spread narrows to 120.9 FPS, a 42% reduction, similar to 1080p. At 3840x2160, the measured averages are 164.9 FPS Low, 139.1 FPS Medium, 121.3 FPS High, and 101.1 FPS Ultra. Here the Low-to-Ultra gap shrinks to 63.8 FPS, a 39% reduction. The relative consistency of these percentages across resolutions indicates that the RTX 4070 scales predictably with settings, while the absolute FPS numbers remain high enough to exceed 100 FPS even at 4K Ultra. The lowest recorded average is 101.1 FPS, which is still smooth for an idle game, and the highest is 430.4 FPS, which is far beyond any display’s refresh rate. These measurements confirm the combo is never truly stressed, even at maximum settings and 4K.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested configurations in To The Core?

A: It ranks 453rd out of 1756 combos, placing it in the top 26% of all tested systems.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average is 430.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, the average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 101.1, which is above 100 FPS and smooth for this game.

Q: How much faster is the CPU than its closest rival?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X scores 54450 on average, which is 0.4% lower than the Ryzen 9 9900X3D at 54681, but 0.7% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700F at 54097.

Q: What is the GPU’s average benchmark score and percentile?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37283 and sits in the 81st percentile among all GPUs.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low averages 290.9 FPS and Ultra averages 170 FPS, a difference of 120.9 FPS.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It boosts up to 5.60 GHz from a 4.40 GHz base, with 64 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 per core. In To The Core, an idle game that likely relies on single-threaded performance for game logic, the CPU’s 6555 Cinebench R23 single-core score and 46438 multi-core score are more than sufficient. The 3dmark single-thread score of 1286 and 16-thread score of 12552 show strong scaling, but the game’s demands are modest. The CPU’s 94th percentile ranking and 54450 average benchmark score place it above most processors, and its nearest rivals are within 2% of its performance. At 1080p Low, the 430.4 FPS average suggests the CPU is near its limit for this title, since idle games often have per-frame logic that cannot fully utilize many cores. The 12 cores and 24 threads provide headroom for background tasks, but the game itself likely benefits more from the 5.60 GHz boost clock and high single-core throughput. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and DDR5 support ensure the CPU is not starved for data, and the 4 nm process node keeps power efficiency high at 120 W TDP. The data indicates the 9900X is overkill for this game, but it ensures the GPU is never held back at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, all settings exceed 255 FPS, so players with 144 Hz or 240 Hz monitors can comfortably use High or Ultra for better visuals without sacrificing smoothness. The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 255.1 FPS, which is still above most high-refresh displays. At 1440p, High settings provide 214.8 FPS, a good balance for 144 Hz monitors, while Ultra drops to 170 FPS, still above 144 Hz. Medium at 1440p gives 246.3 FPS, which is ideal for 240 Hz panels. At 4K, the choice narrows: High settings yield 121.3 FPS, which suits 120 Hz displays, while Ultra drops to 101.1 FPS, just above 100 Hz. Low and Medium at 4K offer 164.9 and 139.1 FPS respectively, but the visual compromise may not be worth the extra frames. For most users, High at 4K or Ultra at 1440p appears to be the optimal preset, as it maximizes visual quality while keeping frame rates above 100 FPS. The data shows no setting combo drops below 100 FPS, so the recommendation is to prioritize graphical fidelity at 1440p and 4K, while at 1080p even Ultra is far beyond necessity.