To The Core

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER places 296th out of 1,756 tested combinations in To The Core. That puts this combo in the top 17% of all recorded results, a strong showing for a mid-range pairing. The ranking reflects a system that is clearly built for high-refresh gameplay, as the measured frames per second across all tested resolutions and settings stay well above the 100 FPS mark, with several configurations exceeding 400 FPS. The data suggests this is not a combo struggling to keep up, but rather one that has headroom to spare in this idle-genre title.

How This Combo Ranks

The 296th position out of 1,756 combos places this configuration firmly in the upper tier of tested systems. The percentile placement is reinforced by the component-level benchmarks: the CPU sits in the 93rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU lands in the 84th percentile among all graphics cards. In practical terms, this means the combination is well balanced, with neither component dragging the other down significantly.

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the i5-14600K posts an average benchmark score of 49,166. That is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which scores 49,062, a difference of just 0.2%. The i5-14600K also edges out the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H by 1%, which scores 48,698. However, it trails the i5-14600KF by 0.4% (49,367) and the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.9% (49,595). These margins are tiny, indicating that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class.

For the GPU, the RTX 4070 SUPER averages 42,576 across its benchmark suite. That is within 0.2% of the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42,653) and 0.3% of the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42,723). It is 1.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 580X (41,991) and 1.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M40 (41,897). The GPU’s average score is essentially at parity with its nearest rivals, confirming that the 4070 SUPER is a consistent performer without unexpected spikes or drops.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K brings 14 cores and 20 threads to the table, running on the Raptor Lake architecture with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and the dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 give this chip a solid foundation for handling both background tasks and the computational loads of To The Core.

In synthetic testing, the CPU demonstrates its strengths. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,881 and single-core score of 4,642 are both above average, while Geekbench results show 15,846 multi-core and 2,803 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score of 38,682 further confirms the chip’s ability to handle parallel workloads. The 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates that this processor outperforms the vast majority of installed hardware, which matters for an idle game that may run many simultaneous calculations in the background.

The TDP of 125 W and the unlocked multiplier suggest this CPU can sustain high clocks when needed, though the benchmark data does not show any throttling concerns. With a launch MSRP of $319, it occupies a mainstream position, but its performance rivals that of higher-tier chips from the previous generation. The 0.2% difference from the Ryzen 9 5950X shows that the i5-14600K delivers comparable processing power, making it a reliable anchor for this combo.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 1980 MHz, boosting to 2475 MHz, which is a modest overclock headroom. The 7,168 shading units and 56 RT cores provide ample parallel processing capability, though To The Core is not a graphically demanding title.

In DirectX benchmarks, the GPU scores 273 in PassMark’s DirectX 11 test and 110 in DirectX 12, while the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 4,627. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 192,684 and Vulkan score of 179,271 both indicate strong compute performance. The PassMark G3D score of 29,995 places the GPU in the 84th percentile, which is respectable but slightly below the CPU’s relative standing.

The 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, as the measured FPS at 4K Ultra remains above 100, suggesting no memory bottlenecks. The GPU’s end-of-life status does not appear to impact its current performance, and its 220 W TDP is reasonable for the frame rates delivered. The nearest rival, the RTX A6000, scores nearly identically, which is notable because the A6000 is a workstation card with different design goals.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combination in To The Core?*

A: The combo ranks 296th out of 1,756 tested combinations, placing it in the top 17% of all results.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600K compare to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X?

A: The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49,166, which is 0.2% higher than the Ryzen 9 5950X’s 49,062.

Q: What is the GPU’s VRAM capacity and memory type?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus.

Q: At which resolution and settings does this combo achieve its highest FPS?

A: The highest measured FPS is 479.8, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the CPU’s boost clock and thread count?

A: The CPU has a boost clock of 5.30 GHz and supports 20 threads across its 14 cores.

Q: How does the GPU’s benchmark score compare to the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER scores 42,576, which is 0.3% lower than the RX 7650 GRE’s 42,723.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear progression as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers 352.2 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that to 238.9 FPS, a 32% reduction. At 3840x2160, the FPS falls further to 137.7, another 42% drop from the 1440p figure. This pattern holds across all settings, with Low settings at 1080p producing 479.8 FPS, 326.1 FPS at 1440p, and 184.8 FPS at 4K.

The scaling suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU has ample headroom. At 1080p, the FPS numbers are extremely high, indicating that the CPU is feeding the GPU enough data to saturate its output. As resolution climbs, the GPU’s rendering load increases, and the FPS drops accordingly. The difference between 1080p High (352.2 FPS) and 4K High (137.7 FPS) is a 61% reduction, which is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario.

At Ultra settings, the trend continues: 282.9 FPS at 1080p, 192.2 FPS at 1440p, and 107.5 FPS at 4K. The fact that even 4K Ultra stays above 100 FPS indicates that this combo is not severely challenged by the game, even at the highest resolution and quality settings. The data shows that the CPU is never the bottleneck in this title, as the FPS remains high even when the GPU is under maximum load.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience depends on the user’s display and preference for smoothness versus visual fidelity. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 352.2 FPS is an excellent balance, providing strong visual quality while staying well above the refresh rate of most monitors. The Ultra preset at 282.9 FPS is also viable if the user wants maximum detail, but the 20% FPS penalty over High may not be worth the marginal visual improvement.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 238.9 FPS, which is still exceptionally smooth. The Medium preset at 271.3 FPS offers a slight FPS boost, but High is the recommended choice for the best visual-to-performance ratio. The Ultra preset at 192.2 FPS is playable, but the drop from High is noticeable.

For 4K, the High preset at 137.7 FPS is the clear recommendation, as it maintains a high refresh rate while preserving detail. The Medium preset at 156.8 FPS provides a bit more headroom, but High offers better visuals without compromising smoothness. The Ultra preset at 107.5 FPS is still above 60 FPS, but it is the first setting where the GPU begins to show strain, so users with 120 Hz or higher 4K displays should stick with High.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset provides the highest FPS but sacrifices too much visual quality for an idle game that does not demand extreme performance. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for this combo, offering the best balance of frame rate and image quality at every tested resolution.