To The Core

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is a high-end combination that lands in the 83rd percentile of all tested combos for To The Core, ranking 298th out of 1756. This placement signals a system that is firmly in the upper echelon of performance, though not at the absolute top, leaving some headroom for more extreme hardware. The data indicates this combo is more than capable of delivering a fluid experience at any resolution, with the primary bottleneck shifting from the GPU at 1080p to a more balanced load as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 298 out of 1756 tested configurations places it in the top ~17% of all systems. This is a strong showing, indicating that the combination of the i7-12700KF and RTX 4070 SUPER is well-matched for this title. The individual components also perform admirably in their respective fields. The CPU sits at the 89th percentile among all processors, while the GPU is at the 84th percentile among all graphics cards. This suggests that neither component is a glaring weak link, and their combined performance is synergistic.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the i7-12700KF's average benchmark score of 35355 is virtually identical to its closest competitors. It is a mere 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14400 (35336) and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i9-12900HX (35289). The differences are so small as to be negligible in real-world gaming. The data shows the i7-12700KF is also 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-13800H (35416) and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13600T (35256). This cluster of scores indicates that in terms of raw processing power, the 12700KF is right in the thick of the competition, trading blows with newer and older generations.

For the GPU, the RTX 4070 SUPER’s average score of 42576 is also closely matched with its nearest rivals. It sits 0.2% behind the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42653) and 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42723). Conversely, it is 1.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 580X (41991) and 1.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M40 (41897). These small deltas suggest that the 4070 SUPER is a consistent performer, delivering a level of graphics throughput that is competitive with much more expensive workstation cards in this specific benchmark context. The overall combo ranking, therefore, reflects a balanced pairing that performs exactly as expected for its class.

FAQ

*Q: What is the combo's overall standing in the benchmark database for To The Core?*

A: This combo ranks 298th out of 1756 tested combinations, placing it in the top ~17% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: How does the Core i7-12700KF compare to its closest rival, the Core i5-14400?

A: The i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35355, which is a negligible 0.1% higher than the Core i5-14400's score of 35336. They are effectively tied in performance.

Q: What is the difference in raw GPU compute power between the RTX 4070 SUPER and the RTX A6000?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average score of 42576, which is 0.2% lower than the RTX A6000's score of 42653, making the difference in performance extremely small.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 482.9, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low graphics settings.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU have a higher percentile ranking among all components?

A: The CPU has a higher percentile ranking. The Intel Core i7-12700KF is in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is in the 84th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the performance delta between the i7-12700KF and the i7-13800H?

A: The i7-12700KF's average score of 35355 is 0.2% lower than the i7-13800H's score of 35416, indicating they are effectively peers in performance.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable pattern of scaling across resolutions. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, with frame rates soaring to an average of 482.9 FPS on Low settings. This is a scenario where the CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads are able to feed the GPU with more than enough data, allowing it to run at its absolute maximum output. The jump from 1080p to 1440p shows a significant but expected drop in performance, and then a further, more pronounced drop when moving to 4K.

The most telling metric is the performance difference between the 1080p and 4K results at the same settings. For example, at High settings, the average FPS drops from 354.6 at 1080p to 132.6 at 4K, a reduction of ~63%. This substantial drop indicates that as resolution increases, the workload shifts decisively onto the GPU. At 4K, the RTX 4070 SUPER becomes the limiting factor, and the massive pixel count demands more from the graphics card's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary bottleneck, while at 4K, the GPU is almost certainly the limiting component. The 1440p results represent a sweet spot where both components are likely working in better balance, with the CPU still able to push high frame rates that the GPU can render.

This pattern is classic behavior for a high-refresh-rate gaming system. The i7-12700KF is powerful enough to push hundreds of frames in less demanding scenarios, but the GPU's rendering capabilities ultimately cap the maximum output at higher resolutions. For players targeting 1080p or 1440p with high refresh rate monitors, this combo will deliver exceptional performance. For 4K, it still provides a very playable experience, but the frame rates are more indicative of a standard 60-144Hz target rather than an esports-level 300+ FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides a comprehensive look at performance across twelve different configurations, combining four resolutions with three graphics presets. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. Low settings yield an average of 482.9 FPS, Medium settings produce 404.6 FPS, High settings hit 354.6 FPS, and Ultra settings still manage a very high 286.8 FPS. These numbers show that the combo has more than enough power to drive any high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor to its maximum capability.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 325.1 FPS, Medium settings average 275.5 FPS, High settings average 238.1 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 188.5 FPS. This is still an outstanding level of performance, making the combo ideal for 1440p gaming at high refresh rates, even with the most demanding visual settings. The system maintains a very fluid experience across the board.

At the demanding 3840x2160 (4K) resolution, the frame rates become more grounded but remain highly playable. Low settings average 183.2 FPS, Medium settings average 154.8 FPS, High settings average 132.6 FPS, and Ultra settings average 109.1 FPS. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the combo is able to maintain an average FPS above 100, which is a solid result for a modern AAA title. The step from High to Ultra at 4K incurs a performance hit of about 23.5 FPS, showing that the Ultra settings are particularly taxing on the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary driver of the frame rates at higher resolutions. Its specifications paint a picture of a capable mid-to-high-end card. The GPU is built on the 5 nm process from TSMC and features 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. The card's boost clock is rated at 2475 MHz, which helps it deliver the high pixel rates seen in the benchmark results.

The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This is a crucial factor in To The Core, as the data shows a significant drop in performance when moving from 1440p to 4K. This drop is characteristic of a GPU that is being taxed by the increased memory demands and pixel fill rate required at 4K resolution. The GPU's 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s are the theoretical limits that the benchmark results are approaching at 4K.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 42576 places it in the 84th percentile, and its performance is closely matched with rivals like the RTX A6000 and RX 7650 GRE. In this game, the GPU's role is clear: it is the primary scaling factor. At 1080p, its performance is often capped by the CPU, but at 1440p and especially 4K, it becomes the definitive bottleneck. The 4070 SUPER proves to be more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and capable of handling 4K with average frame rates well above 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF provides the processing foundation for this combo. With 12 cores (based on the Alder Lake architecture) and 20 threads, it is a highly capable multi-threaded processor. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.00 GHz, which is a significant advantage in games that are sensitive to single-core performance. The CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache is also ample for gaming workloads.

The benchmark data suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p. The fact that frame rates plateau at around 482.9 FPS on Low settings, rather than continuing to scale indefinitely, points to a CPU bottleneck. The CPU is simply not able to process the game's logic and prepare frames fast enough to allow the GPU to run even faster. This is not a criticism of the CPU; it is an indication of how powerful the RTX 4070 SUPER is at lower resolutions.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 35355 places it in the 89th percentile, and its performance is virtually tied with its nearest rivals, including the i5-14400 and i9-12900HX. This shows that for this game, the 12th-gen i7 is not holding back the system. At 1440p and 4K, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU without becoming a significant constraint, as evidenced by the more substantial frame rate drops that occur with resolution increases. The CPU’s role is to provide a stable, high-frequency platform that allows the GPU to stretch its legs, and the data shows it does this admirably.