To The Core

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a remarkably strong showing in To The Core, an idle-genre title that still pushes hardware in ways that make the measured FPS data useful for understanding component scaling. This combo ranks 226th out of 3,725 tested combinations, placing it in the top 6.1% of all systems evaluated. The benchmark results show a system that is never truly stressed at lower resolutions, but the scaling pattern reveals where each component takes over as the workload intensifies.

FAQ

*Q: What is the combo’s overall rank in To The Core?*

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 226th out of 3,725 tested combos, which places it in the 94th percentile of all systems benchmarked for this game.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The highest average FPS is 552, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only setting/resolution pair that exceeds 550 FPS in the dataset.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4080 compared to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209) but 1.1% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828). The deltaPct values show the RTX 4080 is essentially tied with the SUPER variant.

Q: What is the CPU’s single-thread performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 4,071 points in Cinebench R23 single-core, which contributes to its 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs tested. This single-thread strength is relevant for an idle game that may rely on one or two threads for logic.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for Ultra settings at 4K?

A: The RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus with 716.8 GB/s bandwidth. The measured data shows 4K Ultra runs at 125 FPS average, so the memory capacity is sufficient for this workload, though the frame rate drops significantly from High settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to the Core i7-12700K specifically?

A: The i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35,365, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i7-12700K (35,287). The two are effectively identical in synthetic performance, with the KF variant lacking integrated graphics.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 226 out of 3,725 is a strong result, but the context of the game matters. To The Core is an idle genre title, which typically means the computational demands are different from a fast-paced shooter or simulation. The data shows this system is far above average, but the rank also reflects that many other high-end combos exist in the database. The RTX 4080’s 86th percentile among all GPUs and the i7-12700KF’s 85th percentile among all CPUs indicate both components are solidly above the median, yet neither is at the extreme top of its respective chart.

Looking at the nearest rivals for the GPU, the RTX 4080 scores 54,247 on average, which is 0.1% ahead of the RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209) but 1.1% behind the Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828) and 2.6% behind the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698). Interestingly, the RX 6750 GRE, a card with a different memory configuration, benchmarks higher on average, but the measured FPS in this game is what ultimately matters. For the CPU, the i7-12700KF’s 35,365 average score is 0.1% behind the Core i7-13700T (35,403) and 0.2% ahead of both the Core i5-13600T (35,305) and the Core i7-12700K (35,287). These deltas are within noise, meaning the CPU’s position in the ranking is not meaningfully different from its closest competitors.

The combo’s rank of 226 out of 3,725 suggests that while the hardware is strong, there are 225 other combinations that outperform it in this specific game. Given that the RTX 4080 is end-of-life and the CPU is from the 12th generation, this is expected. The percentile rankings for each component (85th for CPU, 86th for GPU) align closely with the combo’s overall position, indicating that neither part is a bottleneck that drags the system down relative to its peers.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data includes four settings levels (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) across three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160). At 1080p, the system delivers 552 FPS on Low, 467 FPS on Medium, 405 FPS on High, and 326 FPS on Ultra. These numbers are all far above the refresh rates of typical monitors, so the choice of settings at 1080p should be driven by visual quality rather than performance. The Ultra preset at 1080p still delivers 326 FPS, which is more than enough for any display.

At 1440p, the pattern continues with 371 FPS on Low, 314 FPS on Medium, 272 FPS on High, and 219 FPS on Ultra. Again, all settings provide excellent frame rates, but the Ultra preset’s 219 FPS is the first time the system drops below 250 FPS. For users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors (240 Hz or higher), the High preset at 272 FPS is the best balance, as it remains above the 240 FPS threshold while offering better visuals than Medium.

At 4K, the performance landscape shifts. Low settings produce 212 FPS, Medium produces 180 FPS, High produces 156 FPS, and Ultra produces 125 FPS. The Medium preset includes a minimum FPS of 153 and a maximum of 207, which shows some variance but remains playable. For 4K displays, the Ultra preset at 125 FPS is still smooth, but the High preset at 156 FPS provides a more comfortable margin. The data suggests that for the best experience at 4K, High settings are the sweet spot—they offer 31 FPS more than Ultra while maintaining a high average. If visual fidelity is the priority and the display is 120 Hz, Ultra at 125 FPS is acceptable, but High is the recommended choice for consistency.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows its raw strength. Low settings average 552 FPS, which is the highest number in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 467 FPS with a minimum of 397 and a maximum of 537. High settings average 405 FPS, and Ultra settings average 326 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 226 FPS, meaning the Ultra preset costs 40.9% of the Low preset’s performance. This is a substantial drop, but the absolute numbers remain high enough that even the lowest of these (326 FPS) is well beyond what most displays can show.

At 2560x1440, the same settings produce 371 FPS on Low, 314 FPS on Medium (min 267, max 361), 272 FPS on High, and 219 FPS on Ultra. The delta between Low and Ultra is 152 FPS, which is a 41.0% reduction. This consistency with the 1080p result suggests that the game’s scaling is uniform across these two resolutions. The Medium preset’s minimum of 267 FPS is still above the 240 Hz threshold, making it a strong choice for competitive play on high-refresh monitors.

At 3840x2160, the numbers drop more noticeably. Low settings average 212 FPS, Medium averages 180 FPS (min 153, max 207), High averages 156 FPS, and Ultra averages 125 FPS. The reduction from Low to Ultra is 87 FPS, which is a 41.0% decrease—again consistent with the other resolutions. The Medium preset’s minimum of 153 FPS is the lowest in the dataset, but it remains above the 144 Hz threshold. For 4K gaming, the High preset at 156 FPS is the most balanced, while Ultra at 125 FPS is viable for 120 Hz displays.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with an AD103 chip manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The memory clock is listed at 1400 MHz with 22.4 Gbps effective speed. The GPU’s base clock is 2205 MHz, and the boost clock is 2505 MHz. These specifications place the RTX 4080 in the 86th percentile among all GPUs tested.

The GPU’s average benchmark score is 54,247, which is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209, deltaPct of 0.1%). The nearest rivals also include the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828, deltaPct -1.1%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698, deltaPct -2.6%). The fact that the RTX 4080 trails these AMD cards in synthetic benchmarks but still delivers strong FPS in To The Core indicates that the game’s workload favors the NVIDIA architecture’s specific strengths, likely in the shader and RT core configuration.

The GPU has 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. Its pixel rate is 280.6 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 761.5 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 48.74 TFLOPS, which is substantial for a desktop card. The 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores are present but likely underutilized in an idle genre game, which may not rely heavily on ray tracing or AI-based upscaling. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for the measured settings, as even 4K Ultra with 125 FPS does not appear to hit a memory limit based on the stable frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12th-generation Alder Lake-S processor with 12 cores and 20 threads. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz, and its boost clock is 5.00 GHz. The CPU has a TDP of 125 W and fits the Intel Socket 1700. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-12700KF scores 28,838 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4,071 in single-core. The Geekbench multicore score is 14,367, and the single-core score is 2,255. The 3DMark 16-thread score is 9,282, while the max-threads score is 9,983. The PassMark multithread score is 34,092, and the single-thread score is 3,984. These numbers place the CPU in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35,365.

The nearest CPU rival is the Intel Core i7-13700T, which scores 35,403 on average—just 0.1% higher. The Core i5-13600T scores 35,305 (0.2% lower), and the Core i7-12700K scores 35,287 (0.2% lower). The fact that the KF variant is essentially tied with the K variant (which has integrated graphics) confirms that the lack of an iGPU does not impact performance. For To The Core, an idle genre game, the CPU’s single-thread performance is likely more relevant than multicore, as such games often have a primary simulation thread. The 4,071 single-core Cinebench R23 score is strong, and the 5.00 GHz boost clock ensures the CPU can handle any logic-heavy tasks without bottlenecking the GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows how the system scales from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 552 at 1080p to 371 at 1440p (a 32.8% reduction) and then to 212 at 4K (a 42.9% reduction from 1440p). At Medium settings, the progression is 467 to 314 (32.8% drop) to 180 (42.7% drop). High settings show 405 to 272 (32.8% drop) to 156 (42.6% drop). Ultra settings show 326 to 219 (32.8% drop) to 125 (42.9% drop).

The consistent 32.8% reduction from 1080p to 1440p across all settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at these resolutions. The pixel count increases by 77.8% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, but the FPS drops by only 32.8%, which suggests that the game is not purely fill-rate limited. The further reduction from 1440p to 4K (a 125% pixel increase) results in a 42.9% FPS drop, which is more severe and points to the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth becoming more constrained.

The data reveals that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the system produces 552 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that would stress most CPUs. The fact that the system can sustain this suggests the i7-12700KF’s 12 cores and 5.00 GHz boost clock are sufficient to feed the RTX 4080. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the FPS to plateau or show inconsistent scaling between resolutions. Instead, the smooth progression from 1080p to 4K indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint, especially at higher settings where the FPS drops are consistent with the increased pixel workload.

The 4K Ultra result of 125 FPS is notable because it shows the system can handle the most demanding preset at the highest resolution while remaining above 120 FPS. This is a strong outcome for an end-of-life GPU, and it suggests that the RTX 4080’s 716.8 GB/s bandwidth and 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are well-matched to this game’s requirements. The Medium preset’s minimum FPS of 153 at 4K also indicates that even with variance, the system stays well above playable thresholds. Overall, the scaling pattern confirms that this combo is GPU-bound in To The Core, with the CPU providing ample headroom for the GPU to operate at its full potential.