To The Core

To The Core is an idle game that, despite its genre, demonstrates surprisingly demanding GPU scaling across resolutions. Benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination show a system capable of high frame rates even at 4K, though the performance curve reveals distinct bottlenecks depending on the settings and resolution chosen. The data indicates a powerful pairing where the RTX 4070 often leads, but the CPU’s capabilities become a defining factor at lower resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 offers the ideal balance of visual fidelity and performance. At High settings, the combo produces 213 FPS, which is nearly double the 122 FPS seen at 3840x2160 on the same preset, while still maintaining a frame rate that far exceeds display refresh rates.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile by 1.3%, which scores 38135.

Q: What is the CPU's core and thread configuration?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K features 16 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its architecture is Raptor Lake-S, built on a 10 nm process node.

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

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 432 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is significantly higher than the 255 FPS average seen at the same resolution on Ultra settings.

Q: Does the CPU’s benchmark performance influence the game’s frame rates?

A: Yes, particularly at lower resolutions. In the 3DMark tests, the CPU scores 12412 with max threads and 1136 for single-thread. At 1080p, the FPS gap between Low (432 FPS) and Ultra (255 FPS) is substantial, indicating that CPU processing limits the maximum frame rate before the GPU becomes fully saturated.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a total bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for the game’s demands across all tested resolutions and settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the primary driver of visual output in To The Core. Its specifications, including 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, define its raw processing capability. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1920 MHz provide the operational frequency for these units. The graphics card’s performance is also tied to its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, which operates at an effective speed of 21 Gbps, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

This memory bandwidth is a crucial factor for the game’s texture streaming and scene complexity. At 3840x2160, the data shows a clear progression in frame rates as settings are lowered: from 98 FPS on Ultra to 122 FPS on High, then 140 FPS on Medium, and finally 166 FPS on Low. This scaling indicates that the GPU’s memory and processing resources are heavily utilized at higher settings. The RTX 4070’s 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance provides the computational headroom for the game’s idle mechanics, which may involve complex particle effects or on-screen calculations as the game progresses.

The GPU’s percentile rank of 81 among all GPUs, based on an average benchmark score of 37648, positions it as a high-end part. Its nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507), with delta percentages of 0.1% and 0.4% respectively. This suggests that, while the RTX 4070 is a strong performer, it is closely matched by these alternatives in synthetic tests. However, in To The Core, the measured FPS figures show that it is more than capable of delivering playable frame rates even at the most demanding settings tested.

Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the highest visual quality, the Ultra preset at 2560x1440 yields an average of 171 FPS, which is still exceptionally smooth. However, the data suggests that the High preset provides a more optimal experience. At 2560x1440, High settings deliver 213 FPS, a 24.6% increase over Ultra, while likely offering only a marginal visual difference in an idle game. At 1920x1080, High settings produce 316 FPS, compared to 255 FPS on Ultra. This pattern holds at 4K as well, where High settings achieve 122 FPS versus 98 FPS on Ultra.

The Medium preset offers a balanced alternative for users who prioritize higher frame rates over maximum detail. At 3840x2160, Medium settings produce 140 FPS, which is 18 FPS higher than High and 42 FPS higher than Ultra. The measured data for Medium settings also includes min and max FPS values, showing a range from 119 to 161 FPS at 4K, which indicates a stable performance profile. For competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, the Low preset at 1080p provides the highest average frame rate of 432 FPS, though this comes at the cost of visual fidelity.

The best experience per the measured rows depends on the display. For a 144 Hz 4K panel, High is the clear choice, as it maintains an average above 120 FPS. For a 240 Hz 1440p monitor, High settings are also recommended to stay above 200 FPS. The Ultra preset, while playable, does not offer a proportional performance benefit to justify the frame rate drop in this specific game. The data strongly favors the High preset as the sweet spot for this combination.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested hardware combinations for To The Core, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 holds a combo rank of 860 out of 3725 tested combos. This places it in the top 23.1% of all systems tested for this game. The rank is a composite measure that considers performance across all resolutions and settings.

This ranking indicates that, while the system is powerful, there are many other combinations that achieve higher frame rates in this game. The relative standing is influenced by the fact that To The Core appears to be highly scalable, with top-tier combinations likely featuring even more powerful GPUs or CPUs. The RTX 4070’s average benchmark score of 37648, which is 0.1% higher than the Tesla P4, suggests that the GPU is not the limiting factor in the ranking. Instead, the 860th rank points to the CPU’s performance ceiling in certain scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where the processor becomes the bottleneck.

The CPU’s own benchmark scores, such as a 3DMark max threads score of 12412 and a single-thread score of 1136, are robust but not at the absolute top of the range. The CPU’s percentile rank of 89 among all CPUs places it in the upper echelon, but there is still headroom above it. The combination’s rank of 860 of 3725 reflects its balanced performance, but it also highlights that for players targeting the absolute highest frame rates, there are faster configurations available. The data shows that this is a high-midrange to high-end combo, not a top-tier one, in the context of To The Core’s performance demands.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K serves as the central processing unit in this combo, and its role in To The Core is critical, especially where frame rates are exceptionally high. With 16 cores and 24 threads, this processor has substantial multi-threaded capability. Its Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process, features a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache.

The benchmark data reveals the CPU’s strengths and limitations. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 30745 in multi-core and 2116 in single-core tests. The multi-core score is particularly relevant for an idle game, which may run background simulations or calculations. The CPU’s performance in the PassMark tests, such as a multithread score of 45887 and a single-thread score of 4333, further demonstrates its capacity. The 3DMark tests show scaling from 2262 in the 2-thread test to 12412 in the max-thread test, indicating good multi-core scaling.

In the game’s measured FPS, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at 1920x1080. At this resolution, the GPU has less work to do, allowing the CPU to become the limiting factor. The difference between Low (432 FPS) and Ultra (255 FPS) at 1080p is 177 FPS. This gap is not solely attributable to GPU load; it also reflects the CPU’s ability to process the game’s logic and draw calls. At 4K, the gap between Low (166 FPS) and Ultra (98 FPS) is 68 FPS, which is narrower, indicating that the GPU is more saturated at higher resolutions. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.40 GHz is a key asset here, as it helps maintain high frame rates in less demanding scenes, but the data suggests that even this high clock speed cannot fully compensate for the increased workload at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed view of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves high frame rates across all presets. The Low preset yields an average of 432 FPS. Moving up, Medium settings produce an average of 365 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 310 FPS and a maximum of 420 FPS, showing a stable range. High settings result in 316 FPS average, and the Ultra preset drops to 255 FPS. This scaling shows a performance decrease of 41% from Low to Ultra at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected decline. Low settings produce 290 FPS, while Medium settings deliver 245 FPS, with a min-max range of 209 to 282 FPS. High settings achieve 213 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 171 FPS. The decrease from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 41%, consistent with the 1080p scaling. The absolute numbers are lower than at 1080p, but the system remains well above 144 Hz for all presets except Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still strong, but the demand on the GPU becomes more apparent. Low settings produce 166 FPS, Medium settings achieve 140 FPS (with a min-max range of 119 to 161 FPS), High settings yield 122 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 98 FPS. The decline from Low to Ultra at 4K is 41%, similar to other resolutions. However, the minimum FPS of 119 FPS on Medium suggests that performance can dip below 120 FPS in demanding scenes. The data shows that the RTX 4070 is capable of delivering smooth gameplay at 4K, but only on the more moderate presets.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling of frame rates from 1080p to 4K reveals the dominant component in this system. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 316 at 1920x1080 to 213 at 2560x1440, a decrease of 32.6%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 122, which is a 42.7% decrease from 1440p and a 61.4% decrease from 1080p. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is being increasingly stressed as resolution increases, which is expected behavior.

However, the data also suggests that the CPU has a significant role, particularly at 1080p. The fact that the system can reach 432 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with a very high number of frames. The bottleneck at this resolution is often the CPU’s single-thread performance, which is reflected in its 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2116. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.40 GHz helps, but the physics and game logic calculations can still limit the maximum frame rate.

As resolution increases to 4K, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the primary constraints. The RTX 4070’s 504.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate are taxed more heavily. The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is more pronounced at lower settings. For instance, on Low settings, the FPS drops from 432 to 166, a 61.6% reduction. On Ultra settings, the drop is from 255 to 98, a 61.6% reduction as well. This consistent percentage drop across settings indicates that resolution scaling is the primary factor, and the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, while the CPU limits the maximum achievable FPS at 1080p.