To The Core

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a remarkably fluid experience in To The Core, an Idle genre title released on February 14, 2024. Across all tested resolutions and settings, the combination never drops below 68.3 frames per second average, with the CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance and the GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory proving more than sufficient for this workload. The data shows a system that scales predictably with resolution, offering headroom for high-refresh-rate displays at 1080p and solid 4K capability.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in To The Core?*

A: The data indicates 1920x1080 is the sweet spot, with average FPS ranging from 171.8 at Ultra settings to 292.7 at Low. Even at 3840x2160, the combo maintains playable averages between 68.3 (Ultra) and 113.5 (Low).

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 171.8 at 1920x1080 to 68.3 at 3840x2160. This represents a significant reduction of approximately 60% in frame rate, highlighting the GPU's role at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this title?

A: Benchmark results suggest no significant bottleneck. The Core i7-12700KF scores 28979 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4091 in single-core, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The data shows consistent scaling across settings, indicating the GPU handles the graphical load without CPU limitation.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER averages 22206 in benchmarks. It sits 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22307), 0.9% ahead of the GeForce GTX TITAN Z (22006), 2.3% behind the RTX 4060 Mobile (22729), and 2.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (21670).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS is 196.2 on Low settings and 112.8 on Ultra. This 83.4 FPS gap demonstrates a substantial performance cost for maximum visual fidelity at this resolution.

Q: Is the i7-12700KF's performance closely matched by other CPUs?

A: Yes, the data shows it is within 0.3% of its nearest rivals. It scores 35355 average, compared to 35336 for the Core i5-14400 (0.1% faster), 35416 for the Core i7-13800H (0.2% slower), 35289 for the Core i9-12900HX (0.2% faster), and 35256 for the Core i5-13600T (0.3% faster).

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture with a TU104 chip, provides the graphical horsepower for this configuration. It operates with a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, paired with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is adequate for To The Core's demands, allowing the card to maintain strong average frame rates even at 3840x2160.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, supporting a pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is rated at 9.062 TFLOPS, which translates into the measured FPS figures. Benchmark results show the card achieving a Passmark G3D score of 18169 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 98316.

In To The Core, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 292.7 (Low) to 171.8 (Ultra), indicating the card is not heavily taxed. However, at 3840x2160, the averages drop to between 113.5 (Low) and 68.3 (Ultra), demonstrating the expected scaling as pixel count quadruples. The 8 GB VRAM buffer is sufficient, as no data suggests memory-related performance cliffs.

The RTX 2070 SUPER's overall benchmark average is 22206, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival in average score is the NVIDIA RTX A400 at 22307, a 0.5% difference. The card also outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 5700 by 2.5% (21670), showing it remains competitive in this metric despite being end-of-life in production status.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 25 MB shared L3 cache. This configuration delivers strong multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28979 and a Passmark multithread score of 34092.

For To The Core, an Idle genre game, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain consistent frame pacing and avoid bottlenecks. The processor's single-thread performance, scoring 4091 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 1043 in 3dmark single-thread, ensures responsive gameplay. Its multi-threaded capabilities, scoring 9983 in 3dmark max threads, provide ample headroom for background tasks and game logic.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 35355 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the Intel Core i7-13800H with an average score of 35416, a 0.2% difference. The data shows the i7-12700KF is essentially tied with these rivals, with delta percentages ranging from 0.1% faster than the Core i5-14400 to 0.3% faster than the Core i5-13600T.

In this game, the CPU's performance is more than adequate. The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU limitation, as frame rates scale smoothly with GPU workload. The processor's TDP is 125 W, and it supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the memory bus is dual-channel. Its 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes provide sufficient bandwidth for the RTX 2070 SUPER, which uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance.

1920x1080: At this resolution, the combo excels. Low settings yield an average of 292.7 FPS, Medium drops to 243.6, High achieves 211.6, and Ultra maintains 171.8. The gap between Low and Ultra is 120.9 FPS, showing the impact of graphical fidelity. Even at Ultra, the frame rate exceeds 170 FPS, making this ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

2560x1440: Performance remains strong at 1440p. Low settings average 196.2 FPS, Medium hits 165.5, High delivers 145.4, and Ultra drops to 112.8. The difference between Low and Ultra is 83.4 FPS. This resolution offers a balanced experience, with all settings maintaining averages above 112 FPS, suitable for smooth gameplay on 144Hz displays.

3840x2160: At 4K, the combo still delivers playable results. Low settings average 113.5 FPS, Medium reaches 94.2, High hits 82.5, and Ultra produces 68.3. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 45.2 FPS drop. While Ultra dips below 70 FPS, it remains fluid for this genre. The data shows that even at 4K, the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to maintain high averages.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings provide the highest FPS, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra. The performance scaling is linear, with no anomalies suggesting driver or hardware issues. The minimum and maximum FPS fields are null, so only average FPS is available for analysis.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested combinations for To The Core, this configuration of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1075 out of 1756 combos. This places it in the upper-middle tier of tested systems, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer, it delivers solid, consistent results.

The rank of 1075 out of 1756 suggests that approximately 61% of tested combos perform better, while 39% perform worse. This positioning is logical given the hardware: the CPU ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU sits in the 65th percentile. The combination's overall rank is likely constrained by the GPU's mid-tier performance relative to more modern cards.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as its average benchmark score of 35355 is competitive with its immediate rivals. The GPU's average score of 22206 is also respectable, but it trails newer architectures. For To The Core, this combo provides a playable experience at all tested settings and resolutions, but users seeking higher frame rates at 4K Ultra may need to consider a more powerful GPU.