To The Core

To The Core is an idle game that, on paper, should be trivial for a high-end desktop pairing like the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080. Yet, the measured frame rates reveal a complex performance landscape where settings and resolution dramatically alter the experience, pushing this combo from a 4K powerhouse to a 1080p beast that often exceeds display refresh rates. The data suggests that while the GPU is a formidable force, the CPU's 3D V-Cache and high core count play a pivotal role in ensuring the frame pacing stays smooth, especially at lower resolutions where the game's logic can become the bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo in To The Core?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 552, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9900X3D compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, in general benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762, which is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF's score of 55093.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the RTX 4080 show its lowest average performance in this game?

A: The lowest average performance is 125 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 (4K) resolution with the Ultra settings preset.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 outperform its direct successor, the RTX 4080 SUPER, based on the provided data?

A: No, the RTX 4080's average benchmark score is 54247, which is 0.1% lower than the RTX 4080 SUPER's score of 54209.

Q: Is there a settings preset where the frame rate at 1440p is higher than the 1080p Ultra preset?

A: Yes, the 2560x1440 Low preset averages 371 FPS, which is higher than the 326 FPS average seen at 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset.

Q: What is the rank of this specific CPU and GPU combination among all tested combos in To The Core?

A: This combo ranks 226th out of 3725 tested combinations, placing it in the top 6% of all configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for To The Core presents a clear hierarchy among the four settings presets. The Low preset consistently delivers the highest frame rates across all resolutions, but the sheer speed of this hardware means that even the most demanding Ultra preset remains highly playable. The optimal choice depends entirely on the user's display refresh rate and resolution.

At 1920x1080, the data shows a massive performance headroom. The Low preset hits 552 FPS, which is an absurdly high number, likely exceeding the refresh rate of even the most competitive gaming monitors. The Medium preset drops to 467 FPS, and High to 405 FPS. Even the Ultra preset, which averages 326 FPS, provides a frame rate that is far beyond the 144Hz or 240Hz typical of high-refresh-rate 1080p panels. For this resolution, the "best" experience is arguably the Ultra preset, as it maximizes visual fidelity while still maintaining a frame rate that is nearly triple the refresh rate of a standard high-end monitor. The data implies that the game is so lightweight that visual quality can be maxed out without any perceptible sacrifice in smoothness.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptionally high. The Low preset averages 371 FPS, and the Ultra preset still produces a robust 219 FPS. For a 1440p monitor with a 165Hz or 240Hz refresh rate, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation, as its 219 FPS average exceeds the capabilities of most displays in this category. The High preset at 272 FPS would also be an excellent choice, but it leaves performance on the table that the hardware can easily deliver. The Medium preset's 314 FPS is also viable, but given the small performance delta between Medium and Ultra, the latter provides a significantly better visual experience for a relative small frame rate cost.

At 3840x2160, the data reveals a more balanced workload. The Low preset averages 212 FPS, which is still very high for 4K. The Medium preset averages 180 FPS, and High drops to 156 FPS. The Ultra preset, which averages 125 FPS, is the only one that dips below the 144Hz refresh rate threshold that many 4K gamers target. For a 4K 120Hz or 144Hz display, the High preset (156 FPS) offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, ensuring the display is fully utilized. The Medium preset is a safer choice for those who want to ensure a rock-solid frame pacing, as its 180 FPS average provides more headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 125 FPS is still playable, but it represents the only configuration in the entire dataset where the frame rate might not be able to keep up with a high-refresh-rate display's maximum capability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of raw frame rate in To The Core. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for an idle game's textures and assets. The data confirms that the GPU scales predictably with resolution; as pixel count increases, the average FPS decreases. However, the scale of the drop is modest, indicating the game is not heavily GPU-bound.

The RTX 4080's clock speeds are a key factor in its performance. The base clock of 2205 MHz and boost clock of 2505 MHz allow the 9728 shading units to process the game's simple scenes at incredibly high speeds. This is evident in the 1080p Low preset result of 552 FPS, which suggests the GPU is nowhere near its limit. The GPU's average benchmark score of 54247 places it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, and it is a near-tie with its immediate rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54209, a delta of just 0.1%. This indicates that the RTX 4080 is performing exactly as expected for its class.

The role of the GPU becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 125, which is a 77% reduction from the 1080p Low score. This shows that while the GPU is still delivering excellent absolute numbers, it is the component that is most stressed by the increased workload. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is a future-proofing asset, but for To The Core specifically, it is unlikely to be a limiting factor. The GPU's performance headroom is so vast that it allows the CPU to become the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions, a rare scenario for most modern games.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and RTX 4080 combination holds a rank of 226 out of 3725 tested combos in To The Core. This places it in the top 6.1% of all configurations, which is a strong showing for a high-end pairing. The data implies that while this is a top-tier setup, there are 225 other combinations that have achieved higher measured frame rates in this specific game. Given the game's idle genre, the ranking suggests that the game is highly sensitive to single-thread performance and memory latency, where the 9900X3D's 3D V-Cache excels, but perhaps not as sensitive to raw GPU compute as other games.

This rank is notable because it is not the absolute top. The 3725 combos include a wide range of hardware, and the fact that this combo is not number one indicates that other processors, possibly with higher clock speeds or different cache architectures, might edge it out. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, has a marginally higher average score (-0.6% delta), yet the combo rank suggests that in the context of To The Core, the performance is highly competitive but not dominant. The rank confirms the overall balance of the system, but it also shows that for a game with such high frame rates, every small performance delta matters in the rankings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. Its defining feature is the 128 MB of L3 cache, which is a massive amount of on-die memory. In a game like To The Core, where the simulation and logic loops can be highly cache-sensitive, this large L3 cache can significantly reduce memory latency and improve frame pacing. The CPU's base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz are high, but the 3D V-Cache is the more critical element for this title.

The benchmark data shows the CPU is a multi-threaded powerhouse, scoring 47737 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 13795 in 3DMark max threads. However, its single-thread score of 6739 in Cinebench R23 is also exceptional. For an idle game, the primary thread that manages the game logic is often the bottleneck. The high single-thread performance and the large cache work together to ensure that this primary thread can process the game's tick rate without stalling. The low FPS at 1080p Low (552 FPS) suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at an extraordinary rate.

The CPU's role is most evident when examining the FPS scaling. From 1080p Low to 4K Low, the FPS drops from 552 to 212, a 62% reduction. This drop is primarily due to the GPU's workload increasing, but the fact that the 1080p scores are so high indicates the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. The CPU's 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54762, confirms its top-tier status. Its rivals, like the Intel Core i7-14700F (2.1% higher score), show that the 9900X3D is in a very tight performance bracket, but the 128 MB L3 cache gives it a unique advantage in cache-sensitive workloads like this one.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of this combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high across the board. The Low preset averages 552 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 467 FPS with a minimum of 397 and a maximum of 537. The High preset averages 405 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 326 FPS. These numbers indicate a system with immense headroom, where even the most demanding settings produce frame rates that are multiples of common monitor refresh rates.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. The Low preset averages 371 FPS, the Medium preset averages 314 FPS (min 267, max 361), the High preset averages 272 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 219 FPS. The frame rate deltas between settings are consistent, showing a predictable performance drop of roughly 15-20% for each step up in quality. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 267 is still exceptionally high, suggesting that frame pacing remains stable even under load.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to feel the pressure, but the results are still impressive. The Low preset averages 212 FPS, the Medium preset averages 180 FPS (min 153, max 207), the High preset averages 156 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 125 FPS. The minimum FPS for the Medium preset at 4K is 153, which is still above the 144Hz refresh rate threshold, indicating that the combo can maintain high refresh rates even at 4K with medium settings. The Ultra preset at 125 FPS is the only data point that falls below 144 FPS, but it remains perfectly playable on a 120Hz display.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is a clear indicator of where the bottleneck lies in this system. When comparing the Low settings preset, the FPS drops from 552 at 1080p to 371 at 1440p, a 33% reduction, and then to 212 at 4K, a 62% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is classic for a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, as the rendering workload increases exponentially with pixel count.

However, the scaling is not perfectly linear. The drop from 1080p to 1440p (33%) is more significant than the drop from 1440p to 4K (43% reduction from 1440p). This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is still playing a significant role in limiting the frame rate. The CPU's 128 MB L3 cache and high single-thread performance are able to push the frame rate to 552 FPS, but this is likely near the ceiling for the game's engine logic. As the resolution increases, the GPU's workload takes over as the primary bottleneck, and the CPU's influence diminishes.

This scaling behavior is crucial for understanding the system's capabilities. The data implies that for competitive play or high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p, this combo is overkill, but it will not be CPU-limited in any meaningful way. At 4K, the GPU is the definitive limiting factor, but it is so powerful that it still delivers high frame rates. The fact that the FPS does not drop as steeply from 1440p to 4K as it does from 1080p to 1440p suggests that the game's rendering complexity is not purely pixel-bound, and that the CPU's cache and memory subsystem help to mitigate some of the performance loss at higher resolutions. This makes the combo exceptionally versatile, capable of delivering a smooth experience at any resolution and settings combination, with the only caveat being the 4K Ultra preset's 125 FPS average.