To The Core

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a remarkably consistent high-refresh-rate experience in To The Core, with the data indicating that the GPU becomes the primary scaling factor only at the most demanding settings. The combination is a strong performer, ranking in the 46th percentile of all tested combos, placing it just above the median for this title.

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

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. This configuration, with its 20 MB of shared L3 cache, provides substantial computational headroom for To The Core, an Idle genre game that typically does not demand extreme multi-threaded performance.

Benchmark results for this CPU show a strong single-thread capability with a 3dmark single-thread score of 960 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3634. Its multi-threaded performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21279 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 10971. The processor's 82nd percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it sits well above the average, and its average benchmark score of 25236 is essentially neck-and-neck with its nearest rivals. For instance, it is a mere 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13620H and only 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, showing that its compute potential is competitive with other mid-range options.

In the context of To The Core's measured FPS, the CPU's role appears to be a stable foundation rather than a bottleneck. The fact that frame rates scale so dramatically with resolution and settings—from 358.4 FPS at 1080p Low to 79.1 FPS at 4K Ultra—suggests the workload is heavily influenced by the graphics pipeline. The processor's 16 threads ensure that game logic and draw calls are processed without introducing frame pacing issues, allowing the GPU to be the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The data indicates the CPU is more than adequate for this title, providing a performance ceiling that is rarely, if ever, reached.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, built on the Ampere architecture, is the dominant component in this pairing. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. With a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz, the GPU's compute power is substantial, offering 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The GPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs is respectable, and its average benchmark score of 28238 places it in a tight competitive group. The data shows it is 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, while being 0.6% behind the AMD FirePro S7150. This indicates the RTX 3070 is a well-balanced performer, though not a class leader.

In To The Core, the GPU's role becomes increasingly critical as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p with Low settings, the GPU is clearly not the limiting factor, as the system reaches 358.4 FPS. However, as the visual load intensifies, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and compute capabilities are taxed. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 79.1, a 78% reduction from the 1080p Low figure. This dramatic decline is a direct result of the GPU's inability to maintain the same output when rendering at four times the pixel count with maximum visual fidelity. The performance scaling strongly suggests that the RTX 3070 is the primary bottleneck at high resolutions and settings, while the CPU remains underutilized.

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

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this combo scales across resolutions. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 261.2 to 176.2, a 32.5% decrease. The subsequent jump to 3840x2160 at High settings sees a further decline to 101.2 FPS, which is a 42.6% drop from the 1440p figure. This pattern holds across all settings presets.

This scaling behavior is a textbook example of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's performance, as measured by its benchmarks, is more than sufficient to handle the frame generation at these rates. The consistent percentage drops in FPS correspond closely to the increase in pixel count, which is a strong indicator that the rendering pipeline is the limiting factor. For instance, at Low settings, the FPS drops from 358.4 at 1080p to 237.3 at 1440p (a 33.8% reduction) and then to 135.1 at 4K (a 43.1% reduction from 1440p). The RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM and memory bandwidth are likely being saturated at the higher resolutions, causing the performance to scale almost linearly with the resolution increase. The data confirms that users seeking higher frame rates should prioritize lowering resolution or graphical settings, as the CPU is not the constraint.

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

The measured FPS data for this combination is comprehensive, covering three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across the board. The average FPS ranges from a high of 358.4 at Low settings to 301.1 at Medium, 261.2 at High, and a still-impressive 207.4 at Ultra. These numbers indicate that the system is capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p without any compromise.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's limitations. The average FPS at Low settings is 237.3, which drops to 200.5 at Medium and 176.2 at High. At Ultra settings, the average FPS falls to 140.2, which is still playable for most users but indicates a more significant performance cost. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a 40.9% performance drop, highlighting the impact of the increased graphical load.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The average FPS at Low settings is 135.1, which is still smooth but a far cry from the 1080p numbers. At Medium, the average FPS drops to 119.1, and at High, it is 101.2. The Ultra preset yields an average of 79.1 FPS, which is the lowest measured figure for this combo. This represents a 71.7% drop from the 1080p Low figure, demonstrating the extreme demands of 4K rendering on the RTX 3070.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve over 200 FPS?

A: At 1920x1080, the combo exceeds 200 FPS on all settings, with an average of 207.4 FPS at Ultra. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset achieves over 200 FPS, with an average of 237.3 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25236, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-13620H's score of 25201. It also outperforms the AMD EPYC 9474F by 0.5% but is 0.5% slower than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D.

Q: What is the performance difference between the RTX 3070 and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 28238, which is 0.9% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT's score of 27985. This indicates a slight performance advantage for the NVIDIA card.

Q: At which settings and resolution does the combo deliver the lowest measured average FPS?

A: The lowest measured average FPS is 79.1, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: What is the FPS drop from 1080p High to 4K High?

A: The average FPS drops from 261.2 at 1920x1080 High to 101.2 at 3840x2160 High, a reduction of 160 FPS or 61.3%.

Q: Is the CPU's single-thread performance indicative of a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The CPU's 3dmark single-thread score of 960 and Passmark single-thread score of 3634 are strong, and the FPS scaling across resolutions points to the GPU as the limiting component, not the CPU.

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

For users with a 1920x1080 display, the Ultra preset is the clear choice. The measured average FPS of 207.4 is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay, and the added visual fidelity comes at no meaningful cost to performance. Users can enjoy the highest settings without sacrificing frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the High preset offers the best balance. With an average FPS of 176.2, it provides a significant visual improvement over Medium (200.5 FPS) while maintaining a frame rate that is still high enough for most monitors. While Ultra is playable at 140.2 FPS, the 20.3% performance drop from High may not be worth the marginal visual gains for some users.

At 3840x2160, the situation is different. The Medium preset yields an average of 119.1 FPS, which is a solid experience. However, the High preset at 101.2 FPS is also viable. The Ultra preset, at 79.1 FPS, is the only setting that drops below the 100 FPS threshold. For a 60 Hz display, Ultra is acceptable, but for higher refresh rates, Medium or High is recommended. The data shows that the Low preset at 4K (135.1 FPS) does not provide a substantial advantage over Medium (119.1 FPS) to justify the visual downgrade, making Medium the optimal 4K setting.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 808th out of 1756 tested combos in To The Core. This places it in the 46th percentile of all system configurations, meaning it performs better than 46% of the tested combos but worse than the top 54%. This ranking is indicative of a solid mid-range system that is capable of delivering excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p but falls behind more powerful configurations at 4K.

The rank suggests that while the individual components are strong—the CPU in the 82nd percentile and the GPU in the 72nd percentile—the combination as a whole is not optimized for the highest tier of performance in this specific game. The data implies that the RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM and the CPU's mid-range positioning prevent this combo from breaking into the top tier. Users with this setup should expect a high-quality experience at mainstream resolutions, but they should not anticipate leading-edge performance at 4K Ultra when compared to higher-end combos that occupy the top 46% of the rankings. The benchmark results confirm this is a capable, balanced system that hits a performance sweet spot for 1080p and 1440p gaming.