To The Core

# To The Core — Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 — Benchmark Analysis

FAQ

Q: What average frame rate does this combo achieve at 4K Ultra in To The Core?

A: The system delivers an average of 139 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. That places it well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, even at maximum detail.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-12700K compare to its nearest rivals in CPU benchmark scores?

A: The i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35,287, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i5-13600T (35,305), 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-12700KF (35,365), 0.3% lower than the Intel Core i7-13700T (35,403), and 0.4% lower than the Intel Core 5 213PE (35,428). The differences are minimal, indicating near-identical CPU performance among these four.

Q: What is the performance gap between the RTX 4090 and its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average GPU benchmark score of 60,347. The Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60,326 (0.0% difference), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60,140 (0.3% higher for the 4090), the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896 (2.5% higher than the 4090), and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657 (2.9% lower than the 4090). The 4090 sits in the middle of this pack.

Q: How does frame rate scale from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the average FPS is 516. At 2560x1440 Medium, it drops to 347 FPS (a 32.8% reduction). At 3840x2160 Medium, it falls to 199 FPS (a 61.4% reduction from 1080p). The scaling is steep but the game remains highly playable at all three resolutions.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The lowest average FPS is 139, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. Even at this most demanding configuration, the system stays comfortably above 120 FPS.

Q: Which settings preset delivers the highest FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 411 FPS. Medium follows at 347 FPS, High at 301 FPS, and Ultra at 242 FPS. All presets exceed 240 FPS, making this combination ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors at 1440p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing for To The Core. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, it features 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operations pipelines. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for an idle game like To The Core, where even 4K Ultra settings are unlikely to approach the VRAM capacity.

The GPU's raw compute capabilities — 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s — translate directly into the exceptionally high frame rates observed in the measured data. The RTX 4090 also includes 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores, though To The Core, being an idle genre title, likely does not leverage these features heavily. Its 450 W TDP and triple-slot cooler design with a 1x 16-pin power connector require a suggested 850 W power supply, which is a practical consideration for system builders.

In this context, the GPU is the clear performance driver. The measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 610 average, which is so high that the CPU becomes the limiting factor at lower resolutions and settings. The RTX 4090's benchmark scores reinforce its position: it ranks in the 88th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 60,347. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, 0.0% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60,140, 0.3% delta), showing that while the 4090 is not the absolute top scorer in this specific benchmark set, it remains a high-end part.

Resolution Scaling

Frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals how the system responds to increasing pixel counts. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 610 at 1920x1080 to 411 at 2560x1440 (a 32.6% reduction), then to 235 at 3840x2160 (a 61.5% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline indicates that at Low settings, the GPU is being pushed harder as resolution increases, but the absolute numbers remain extremely high.

At Medium settings, the progression is 516 FPS (1080p), 347 FPS (1440p), and 199 FPS (4K). The 1440p to 4K drop is 42.7%, while the 1080p to 4K drop is 61.4%. This pattern suggests the GPU is still the primary bottleneck at Medium, with the CPU capable of feeding it adequately at lower resolutions.

High settings show 447 FPS at 1080p, 301 FPS at 1440p, and 172 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K reduction is 61.5%, nearly identical to the Medium preset's scaling. Ultra settings produce 360 FPS at 1080p, 242 FPS at 1440p, and 139 FPS at 4K, with a 61.4% drop from 1080p to 4K.

The consistent ~61% reduction from 1080p to 4K across all settings indicates that the GPU is the scaling bottleneck. The RTX 4090's performance drops linearly with pixel count, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high (360-610 FPS) that the CPU may start to limit performance, but the overall pattern remains GPU-dominated. The minimum FPS values recorded only for Medium settings — 439 at 1080p, 295 at 1440p, and 169 at 4K — suggest that even the worst-case frame times stay well above 165 Hz at all tested resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K gaming, the Ultra preset delivers 139 FPS average, which is excellent for a visually rich idle game. The High preset at 4K offers 172 FPS, a 23.7% improvement over Ultra, while Medium provides 199 FPS (43.2% higher than Ultra). Given that To The Core is an idle genre title where visual fidelity may matter less than smoothness, Medium at 4K provides the best balance — 199 FPS average with a minimum of 169 FPS, ensuring no drops below 144 Hz.

At 1440p, all settings exceed 240 FPS. The Ultra preset runs at 242 FPS average, which is just above the 240 Hz threshold. For gamers with 240 Hz monitors, Ultra at 1440p is viable. Those with 360 Hz displays should consider High (301 FPS) or Medium (347 FPS) to fully utilize the refresh rate. The Low preset at 411 FPS is unnecessary for most displays.

At 1080p, even Ultra runs at 360 FPS, and Medium hits 516 FPS. The Low preset reaches 610 FPS, which is beyond the capabilities of most consumer displays (typically 360 Hz or 500 Hz). For 1080p, the High preset at 447 FPS is a reasonable choice for maximum quality without sacrificing frame rate. The Medium preset with its 439 FPS minimum ensures no frame drops even in busy scenes.

Overall, the sweet spot for this combination is 1440p High or 4K Medium. Both configurations maintain frame rates well above 144 FPS while preserving visual quality. The Ultra preset is only recommended at 1080p or 1440p, as 4K Ultra, while still playable at 139 FPS, offers diminishing returns over High.

How This Combo Ranks

This pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 115th out of 3,725 tested combinations in To The Core. This places it in the top 3.1% of all tested systems, confirming its high-end status. The rank reflects the combined capability of the CPU and GPU, where the RTX 4090's immense graphics power is complemented by the i7-12700K's strong single-thread performance.

The i7-12700K, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, has an average CPU benchmark score of 35,287 and ranks in the 84th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals — the i5-13600T, i7-12700KF, i7-13700T, and Core 5 213PE — all score within 0.4% of each other, indicating that this CPU tier is tightly competitive. The i7-12700K's 5.00 GHz boost clock and DDR5 support contribute to its performance, though in an idle game like To The Core, the GPU dominates.

The RTX 4090 ranks in the 88th percentile among GPUs with an average score of 60,347. While its nearest rivals show some variance — the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 2.5% faster, and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9% slower — the 4090's position at rank 115 overall demonstrates that few systems can match this level of gaming performance.

Compared to the broader field, this combo's measured FPS at 4K Ultra (139 FPS) is outstanding for an idle game. The rank of 115 out of 3,725 means that only 114 other combinations perform better, likely featuring even newer or more specialized hardware. For the vast majority of gamers, this system provides more than enough power for To The Core at any resolution and settings combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured frame rate data for this combination is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 610 FPS average
• Medium: 516 FPS average, 439 FPS minimum, 594 FPS maximum
• High: 447 FPS average
• Ultra: 360 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 411 FPS average
• Medium: 347 FPS average, 295 FPS minimum, 399 FPS maximum
• High: 301 FPS average
• Ultra: 242 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 235 FPS average
• Medium: 199 FPS average, 169 FPS minimum, 228 FPS maximum
• High: 172 FPS average
• Ultra: 139 FPS average

The minimum FPS values are only provided for Medium settings, where the system maintains a floor of 439 FPS at 1080p, 295 FPS at 1440p, and 169 FPS at 4K. These minimums are all well above standard refresh rates, indicating stable performance without significant frame drops.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: at each resolution, Low > Medium > High > Ultra, with consistent gaps between presets. At 1080p, the gap from Low to Ultra is 250 FPS (610 to 360), while at 4K, the gap narrows to 96 FPS (235 to 139). This narrowing at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU becomes more stressed, but even the worst case (4K Ultra at 139 FPS) remains highly playable.

For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, 1080p Low at 610 FPS is the fastest configuration, though 1440p High at 301 FPS is more balanced for visual quality. The 4K Medium setting, with a 199 FPS average and 169 FPS minimum, offers the best 4K experience without sacrificing smoothness.