To The Core

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a striking performance profile in To The Core, a title whose demands scale dramatically with resolution. The measured data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower resolutions, transitioning to a more balanced, yet still dominant, workload at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The most immediate observation from the measured FPS data is how the combination of the i7-12700KF and RTX 5090 handles increasing pixel counts. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces a staggering 610 FPS average. Moving to Medium settings at the same resolution yields 528 FPS, and High settings still manage 458 FPS. Even at the most demanding 1080p preset, Ultra, the average remains at a very high 369 FPS. The performance headroom at 1080p is immense, indicating the CPU and GPU are not being pushed to their limits by the game's rendering workload at this resolution.

Scaling up to 1440p shows a predictable and linear decrease in raw frame rates, but the system remains exceptionally fast. The Low preset drops to 420 FPS, Medium to 355 FPS, and High to 308 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p produces 248 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 30% across all settings, a consistent scaling factor that suggests the GPU is beginning to take on more work, but is still far from being the sole limiting factor.

The transition to 4K (3840x2160) is where the data becomes most interesting. At this resolution, the frame rates finally descend from the stratosphere, but they remain remarkably playable. Low settings at 4K produce 240 FPS, Medium drops to 203 FPS, and High to 176 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still yields an average of 142 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a reduction of roughly 40-45% in frame rate. This is a larger drop than the 1080p to 1440p step, which is expected as the pixel count increases by a factor of 2.25. This indicates that at 4K, the RTX 5090's rendering capabilities are the primary factor determining performance, while the i7-12700KF provides ample headroom to keep feeding the GPU with data. The data suggests that the system is CPU-limited at 1080p and 1440p, but becomes GPU-limited at 4K, where the sheer number of pixels taxes the graphics card's fill rate and shading power.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark database places this specific configuration in a strong position. With a rank of 79 out of 3,725 tested combos, the i7-12700KF and RTX 5090 pairing sits in the top 2.1% of all systems tested with this game. This high placement is a direct result of the combination's ability to maintain high frame rates even at 4K Ultra, a feat that most other configurations in the database cannot match.

This ranking is particularly noteworthy given the characteristics of the components. The CPU, while a previous-generation part, holds an 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs in the database, indicating it is still a very capable processor. Its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i7-13700T and Intel Core i5-13600T, show score deltas of -0.1% and 0.2%, respectively, placing them in the same performance tier. The fact that this CPU can be paired with the flagship RTX 5090 and achieve the 79th combo rank suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this specific game. The GPU, with its 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, is the primary driver of this high combo position. The data shows that a high-end CPU from the 12th Gen Intel family is fully capable of supporting the fastest consumer graphics card available, at least in the context of To The Core.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend entirely on the target resolution and refresh rate. The data shows that the system is so powerful that it can often run at maximum settings with frame rates far exceeding what most displays can show.

For 1080p displays, there is no practical reason to use anything other than Ultra settings. The system averages 369 FPS at this preset, which is so far beyond the refresh rate of any mainstream monitor that visual quality should be prioritized without any concern for frame rate drops. Lowering the settings to High, Medium, or Low would only serve to reduce visual fidelity while providing no tangible benefit, as the frame rates are already above 450 FPS.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset, with an average of 248 FPS, remains the recommended choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. This frame rate is sufficient for even the fastest 240Hz displays. The High preset at 308 FPS and Medium at 355 FPS offer even more headroom, but the difference between 248 and 355 FPS is unlikely to be noticeable on most displays, while the graphical detail lost by dropping from Ultra is. For users with 360Hz or faster monitors, dropping to High might be a worthwhile trade, but for the vast majority, Ultra is the best experience.

The 4K resolution presents the most balanced trade-off. The Ultra preset, at 142 FPS, is perfect for 144Hz displays, offering a near-perfect experience. The High preset at 176 FPS could be used for 165Hz or 175Hz monitors, providing a slight frame rate boost. The Medium preset at 203 FPS would be for users with a 240Hz 4K monitor, but this is a rare and expensive category. The data suggests that for most 4K users, the Ultra preset is the sweet spot, as it delivers a smooth, high-fidelity experience that is only slightly below the refresh rate of common high-end displays.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured data provides a clear picture of the system's capabilities across all tested configurations.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high. The Low preset averages 610 FPS. The Medium preset averages 528 FPS, with a minimum of 449 FPS and a maximum of 608 FPS. The High preset averages 458 FPS. Finally, the Ultra preset averages 369 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains very strong. The Low preset averages 420 FPS. The Medium preset averages 355 FPS, with a minimum of 302 FPS and a maximum of 409 FPS. The High preset averages 308 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 248 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system starts to show its limits, though they are still high. The Low preset averages 240 FPS. The Medium preset averages 203 FPS, with a minimum of 173 FPS and a maximum of 234 FPS. The High preset averages 176 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 142 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings is 142 FPS.

Q: How does the system perform at 1080p compared to 4K?

A: At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 610 FPS, whereas at 4K with Low settings, it achieves 240 FPS. This represents a significant drop in performance as resolution increases.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in this game?

A: The data suggests it is not a significant bottleneck. The combo ranks 79th out of 3,725 tested combos, and the CPU's nearest rivals show performance deltas of less than 0.2%, indicating it is a strong performer that can support the flagship GPU.

Q: What settings should be used for a 144Hz 4K monitor?

A: The Ultra preset at 4K, with an average of 142 FPS, is the ideal choice for a 144Hz monitor, as it provides the highest visual quality while matching the display's refresh rate.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the data?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded in the data is 173 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings.

Q: How does the RTX 5090's benchmark percentile compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, has an average score that is 0.3% higher, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X has a score that is 1.4% lower.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. In the context of To The Core, the data indicates that this CPU provides more than enough processing power to support the RTX 5090. The high frame rates at 1080p, reaching 610 FPS, show that the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw calls without becoming a limiting factor.

The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce this. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 28,838, and its single-core score is 4,071. A strong single-core performance is crucial for many game engines, and this score is competitive with its direct rivals, the Intel Core i7-13700T and Intel Core i5-13600T. These rivals show benchmark deltas of -0.1% and 0.2%, respectively, placing the i7-12700KF squarely in their performance class. The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 34,092 and its 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs further confirm its capability.

The fact that the combo achieves a rank of 79 out of 3,725, despite using a CPU released in 2021, demonstrates that for this particular game, the CPU's architecture and clock speeds are more than sufficient. The 5.00 GHz boost clock and the efficient Alder Lake design ensure that the GPU is consistently fed with data, preventing any CPU-induced frame rate dips. While newer CPUs might offer marginal improvements, the data shows the i7-12700KF is not the weak link in this system for To The Core.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the clear driving force behind this combo's impressive performance. Based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, it features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. Its high base clock of 2017 MHz and boost clock of 2407 MHz, combined with 21,760 shading units, allow it to process the graphical data for To The Core at exceptionally high speeds.

The GPU's role becomes most apparent at 4K resolution. The frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K is much more pronounced than the drop from 1080p to 1440p, indicating that the GPU's rendering capabilities are being fully exercised at the higher resolution. The fact that it can still produce 142 FPS at 4K Ultra reflects its raw power. Its massive 32 GB VRAM buffer is also a factor, ensuring that texture data and other assets for the game can be stored locally without any performance penalties.

The GPU's benchmark scores put its performance into perspective. Its PassMark G3D score is 39,650, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 18,355. It holds a 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs. Interestingly, its nearest rivals in the database are not other gaming GPUs, but rather professional and mobile parts like the NVIDIA Tesla P100 and AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT. This highlights the RTX 5090's position at the very top of the performance hierarchy. The data shows that the GPU is the primary reason this combo achieves its high rank, and it is the component that allows for such high frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions.