To The Core

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers exceptional frame rates in To The Core, an idle genre title, with the data showing this combo ranks 26th out of 2991 tested combinations. The measured performance is characterized by a significant dependence on resolution, with the RTX 5090 D’s raw power driving even 4K Ultra past 150 FPS, while the i7-12700K’s 12 cores and 20 threads ensure the CPU never becomes a limiting factor at lower resolutions. This pairing is a top-tier performer for this game, and the benchmark results indicate that users can expect a fluid experience across all settings, with the primary trade-off being the expected FPS reduction from 1080p to 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data for this combo shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p, the average FPS across all settings is exceptionally high, ranging from 393 FPS at Ultra to 614 FPS at Low. Moving to 1440p, there is a noticeable but moderate drop, with averages between 265 FPS (Ultra) and 448 FPS (Low). At 4K, the performance is still very strong, but the reduction is more pronounced, with averages from 151 FPS (Ultra) to 256 FPS (Low). This scaling behavior indicates that the RTX 5090 D is the primary component determining frame rates in this game, as the CPU’s performance headroom is ample for the game's demands.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p sees a reduction in average FPS of roughly 30-34% across the different settings. For example, High settings drop from 489 FPS at 1080p to 329 FPS at 1440p, a 160 FPS difference. Similarly, Low settings drop from 614 FPS to 448 FPS, a 166 FPS difference. This is a substantial decline, but it is a typical result for a high-end GPU, where the pixel throughput demand increases significantly at 1440p. The data suggests that the GPU is still able to maintain a very high level of performance, but the workload is clearly scaling with resolution.

The step from 1440p to 4K results in an even larger performance hit. High settings go from 329 FPS at 1440p to 188 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 141 FPS. Ultra settings see a similar drop, from 265 FPS to 151 FPS, a 114 FPS reduction. The most significant absolute drop is observed at Low settings, where the average falls from 448 FPS to 256 FPS, a difference of 192 FPS. This pattern confirms that the game is heavily GPU-bound at 4K, as the RTX 5090 D’s memory bandwidth and shader throughput are being taxed more heavily. The fact that even at 4K Low, the average FPS is 256, indicates the GPU has substantial headroom for this title.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is not linear, with the largest percentage drops occurring between the lower resolutions. For instance, Ultra settings lose about 32% of their average FPS going from 1080p to 1440p, but only about 43% going from 1440p to 4K. This non-linearity suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a bottleneck as resolution increases, but even at 4K, the performance is far from being insufficient. The data shows that this combo can handle To The Core at any resolution with high fluidity, and the limiting component is clearly the GPU, which is expected given the RTX 5090 D’s specifications.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for To The Core, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D holds a strong position. The combo rank is 26 out of 2991 tested combos, placing it in the top 1% of all configurations. This rank reflects the raw performance of both components, but particularly the GPU, which is a top-tier part. The data indicates that this system is capable of outperforming the vast majority of other tested setups in this game, making it a high-end choice for players seeking maximum frame rates.

The GPU itself, the RTX 5090 D, has a percentile rank of 92 among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 77712. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT with an average score of 76904 (a 1.1% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with 78940 (-1.6% delta), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants with scores around 79396 and 79605. While these are synthetic test comparisons, they provide context for the GPU's overall compute capability. The RTX 5090 D is clearly a high-performance part, and its position in the game's ranking reflects that.

On the CPU side, the Intel Core i7-12700K has a percentile rank of 84 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13600T (average score 35305, delta -0.1%), the Intel Core i7-12700KF (35365, -0.2%), and the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403, -0.3%). These deltas are very small, indicating that the i7-12700K's compute performance is nearly identical to its closest competitors. In the context of To The Core, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU's, as the game is not heavily multithreaded, but a strong CPU is still necessary to avoid bottlenecking the high frame rates the GPU can produce.

The rank of 26th out of 2991 combos is a direct result of the GPU's dominance in this game. The data shows that the RTX 5090 D is capable of producing frame rates that are only surpassed by a very small number of other tested combinations, which likely feature even more powerful GPUs or overclocked variants. The i7-12700K, while not the absolute fastest CPU, provides more than enough processing power to keep up with the GPU's output, ensuring that the combo achieves its high ranking. This pairing is a prime example of a balanced high-end system for this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's display resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, all settings are playable, but the Ultra preset delivers an average of 393 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any high refresh rate monitor. The High preset at 489 FPS offers a slight increase, but the visual difference may not be worth the extra 96 FPS for most users. The data suggests that Ultra is the best choice for 1080p, as it provides a visually rich experience while still maintaining a very high frame rate.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset yields an average of 265 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive or high-refresh gaming. The High preset at 329 FPS is also a strong option, but the difference between High and Ultra is less pronounced at this resolution. Given that the RTX 5090 D has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, there is no concern about VRAM limits, so users can safely select Ultra to maximize visual quality. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU has enough headroom to handle Ultra without any significant compromise, making it the recommended setting for 1440p.

At 4K, the situation changes slightly. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 151 FPS, which is still very smooth for most displays, but the High preset at 188 FPS offers a more substantial performance buffer. For users with 4K 144Hz or 165Hz monitors, the High preset is the better choice to stay closer to the refresh rate cap. The Medium preset at 217 FPS is another viable option, but the visual quality reduction may not be justified for the extra 29 FPS over High. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for 4K, balancing visual fidelity and performance.

Considering all resolutions, the High preset is generally a safe and excellent choice, as it provides a significant FPS boost over Ultra while maintaining high visual quality. For users with the most demanding 4K high-refresh displays, High is the recommended setting, as it achieves 188 FPS, which is close to the 144Hz mark. For 1080p and 1440p, Ultra is the best option to fully utilize the GPU’s power. The measured data shows no cases of the minimum FPS being a problem, with the only recorded minimums being 184 FPS at 4K Medium and 479 FPS at 1080p Medium, so any setting will provide a stutter-free experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the measured average FPS varies significantly with settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 614 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce an average of 564 FPS, with a minimum of 479 FPS and a maximum of 648 FPS. High settings yield an average of 489 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver an average of 393 FPS. These numbers show that even at the most demanding preset, the frame rate is exceptionally high, indicating that the GPU is not heavily taxed at this resolution.

At 1440p, the performance remains very strong. The Low preset averages 448 FPS, while Medium averages 379 FPS, with a minimum of 322 FPS and a maximum of 436 FPS. High settings produce an average of 329 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to an average of 265 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p results in a consistent reduction across all presets, but the absolute values are still far above what most displays can refresh. This resolution is well within the GPU’s comfort zone.

At 4K, the frame rates are lower but still competitive. The Low preset averages 256 FPS, while Medium averages 217 FPS, with a minimum of 184 FPS and a maximum of 249 FPS. High settings produce an average of 188 FPS, and Ultra settings yield an average of 151 FPS. The data shows that the GPU is capable of handling 4K with ease, with the lowest average being 151 FPS at Ultra, which is still above the 144Hz standard. The minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium is 184, indicating that frame time consistency is solid.

The pattern across all resolutions is that the difference between Low and Ultra is substantial. At 1080p, the gap is 221 FPS (614 vs 393), at 1440p it is 183 FPS (448 vs 265), and at 4K it is 105 FPS (256 vs 151). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions reinforces that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the absolute performance difference due to settings becomes smaller when the resolution is more demanding. The measured data is consistent and shows no anomalies, with the Medium preset always having recorded minimum and maximum FPS, while other presets only have averages.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this combo, and its specifications support the high frame rates observed in To The Core. The GPU has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This massive memory capacity is far more than what this game requires, but it ensures that there is no VRAM limitation at any resolution or setting. The high bandwidth also helps with texture loading and rendering at 4K, where the GPU needs to process a large amount of data.

The GPU’s clock speeds are a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). These clocks, combined with the 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, allow the RTX 5090 D to achieve a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS is substantial, which directly translates to the high frame rates seen in the benchmarks. The GPU is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die.

In the context of To The Core, the GPU’s role is clearly the primary determinant of performance. The resolution scaling data shows that frame rates drop as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 77712, and its percentile rank of 92 among all GPUs confirms its high-end status. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and RX 6850M XT, have slightly higher or lower scores, but the RTX 5090 D’s performance in this game is excellent.

The GPU’s power consumption is rated at 575 W TDP, with a suggested PSU of 950 W, but these are not directly reflected in the game’s performance. The data shows that the GPU can deliver over 600 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that it is not thermally or power limited in this test scenario. The 32 GB of VRAM is also a differentiator, as it provides future-proofing and allows for high-resolution textures without any performance degradation. The RTX 5090 D is the engine of this combo, and its capabilities are the reason for the top-tier ranking.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K plays a supporting role in this combo, but its performance is crucial to ensuring that the GPU is not bottlenecked. The CPU has 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It is based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process at Intel, with a die size of 215 mm². The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides ample processing power for game logic and handling the high frame rates generated by the GPU.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-12700K achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19784 and a single-core score of 1850.5. Its Geekbench scores are 15790 for multicore and 2308 for single-core. These numbers show that the CPU is a strong performer, but in To The Core, its role is less demanding than in heavily threaded titles. The game is an idle genre title, which typically does not require high CPU utilization, but the CPU must still be fast enough to feed the GPU with draw calls and game state updates.

The CPU’s average benchmark score is 35287, with a percentile rank of 84 among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-13600T and the i7-12700KF, have nearly identical average scores, with deltas of -0.1% and -0.2% respectively. This indicates that the i7-12700K is a well-balanced CPU that sits in the upper echelon of processors. For this game, the CPU’s single-thread performance is more important than its multicore capabilities, and with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, it is more than capable.

The data shows no evidence of a CPU bottleneck in this combo. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 614, which suggests that the CPU can handle very high frame rates without limiting the GPU. The CPU’s 20 threads ensure that even if the game uses multiple threads for background tasks, there is no contention. The i7-12700K’s TDP is 125 W, and it supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, but these factors do not directly impact the measured FPS. The CPU’s role is to provide a stable platform for the GPU, and the benchmark results confirm that it does so effectively, allowing the RTX 5090 D to perform at its full potential.