To The Core

The data for "To The Core" pairs the Intel Core i7-12700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, a combination measured across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions with four settings presets each. This Idle genre title, released on 2024-02-14, shows a combo rank of 888 out of 1756 tested combinations. The CPU holds an 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 73rd percentile, and the measured FPS results reveal how these two components interact under varying loads.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings. At High settings, the combo delivers 240.9 FPS at 1080p, falls to 166.1 FPS at 1440p, and drops to 91.3 FPS at 4K. That means 4K High retains only 37.9% of the 1080p High performance. The pattern holds across the other presets: Low goes from 332 FPS at 1080p to 126.7 FPS at 4K (38.1% retention), Medium from 278.2 to 106.2 (38.1%), and Ultra from 197.6 to 72.4 (36.6%). The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is gentler, retaining roughly 67-69% of the 1080p frame rate across all settings. This near-linear drop with resolution strongly indicates a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The CPU is clearly not the limiting factor at 1080p, as the 332 FPS Low result demonstrates, but the RTX 5060's rendering throughput caps performance as pixel count rises. The 4K Ultra figure of 72.4 FPS remains above the 60 FPS threshold, but the 62-63% reduction from 1080p to 4K shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 888 out of 1756, placing it just above the median of the tested field. This is notably lower than the CPU's individual 89th percentile and the GPU's 73rd percentile, suggesting that the game's engine does not fully leverage the CPU's strength. The CPU's average benchmark score is 35355, and its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the Intel Core i5-14400 scores 35336 (0.1% higher), the i7-13800H scores 35416 (-0.2% lower), the i9-12900HX scores 35289 (0.2% higher), and the i5-13600T scores 35256 (0.3% higher). This 0.3% spread indicates the i7-12700KF is a well-balanced performer, but the combo's mid-pack rank implies the game is not heavily CPU-bound. The GPU's average benchmark score is 30109, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, scores 30097 with a delta of 0%. The RTX 5060 is statistically tied with that card in aggregate benchmarks, yet the combo rank of 888/1756 (50.6th percentile) shows that this pairing lands in the middle of the pack, not at the top. The gap between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's median rank suggests that the game's performance is more dependent on the GPU than the CPU.

GPU Role

The RTX 5060 features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 2280 MHz, boosting to 2497 MHz, while the memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). With 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, the GPU delivers a pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 19.18 TFLOPS, and the TDP is 145 W with a single 8-pin power connector. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 4K Ultra in this Idle title, which still manages 72.4 FPS. The GPU's Passmark G3D score is 20891, and its percentile is 73. The 0% delta with the RX 7700 XT means the two cards are interchangeable in aggregate, but the game's specific engine may favor one over the other. The boost clock of 2497 MHz is relatively high, which helps maintain the 91.3 FPS at 4K High. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is moderate for a 128-bit bus, but the GDDR7 type compensates, and the 28 Gbps effective speed keeps the GPU fed at lower resolutions. The GPU's launch MSRP is 299 USD.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra?

A: The measured average FPS is 197.6.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to the RX 7700 XT in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5060 scores 30109, while the RX 7700 XT scores 30097, a delta of 0%.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations?

A: It ranks 888 out of 1756 combos.

Q: What is the CPU's boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF has a boost clock of 5.00 GHz.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5060 has a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the FPS at 4K High?

A: The measured average FPS is 91.3.

Measured FPS Breakdown

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 332 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 278.2 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 240.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 197.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 225.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 185.5 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 166.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 132.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 126.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 106.2 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 91.3 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 72.4 |

The progression shows a consistent drop of roughly 30-40 FPS between each settings tier at 1080p, and a similar relative drop at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra figure of 72.4 FPS is still above the 60 FPS threshold, making it playable. The 1080p Low figure of 332 FPS is exceptionally high, indicating the CPU is not a limiting factor at that resolution. The 1440p results show a healthy middle ground, with Ultra at 132.7 FPS and Low at 225.1 FPS, making 1440p the sweet spot for high refresh rate monitors.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on Alder Lake, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It has 25 MB of shared L3 cache, and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration. In Cinebench R23, it scores 28979 multi-core and 4091 single-core. The single-core score is particularly relevant for an Idle game, which often relies on a single main thread. The CPU's Passmark single-thread score is 3984, and its multithread score is 34092. The CPU's percentile is 89, and its average benchmark score is 35355. The nearest rival, the i5-14400, is only 0.1% higher, while the i7-13800H is 0.2% lower. The high boost clock of 5.00 GHz and strong single-thread performance (4091 in R23) explain why the combo can hit 332 FPS at 1080p Low. The CPU's 20 threads and 12 cores provide ample headroom for background tasks, but the game's frame rate at 4K is clearly limited by the GPU, as the CPU's performance is more than sufficient to feed the RTX 5060 at lower resolutions. The CPU's launch MSRP is $384. The Cinebench R20 scores of 12171 multi-core and 1718 single-core, along with Geekbench scores of 13596 multi-core and 2526 single-core, further confirm the CPU's capability. The Passmark integer math score of 113521 and floating point score of 87449 show strong arithmetic throughput, which is beneficial for the game's logic calculations. The CPU's TDP is 125 W, and it uses the Intel Socket 1700 platform.