To The Core

# To The Core with Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers exceptional frame rates in To The Core, an idle genre title released on 2024-02-14. The measured data, drawn from 12 resolution/preset combinations, shows this combo achieving triple-digit average FPS at every tested setting, including 109.2 FPS at 4K Ultra and 481.5 FPS at 1080p Low. This pairing ranks 313 out of 1756 tested combos, placing it in the top 17.8% of all configurations. The combination leverages a 16-core, 24-thread Raptor Lake-S processor with a 12 GB Ada Lovelace GPU to produce results that are consistently smooth, though the game's idle nature means the CPU's raw compute headroom is rarely stressed to its limits.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor from the Core 13th Gen series, built on Intel's 10 nm Raptor Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, backed by a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a 3DMark max-threads score of 12412, a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000, and a Geekbench multicore score of 17731, with an average benchmark score of 47282 across all tests.

This processor sits at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, indicating that it outperforms 93% of tested processors. Its nearest rivals show minimal separation: the Intel Core i7-13700KF scores 47334 (0.1% higher), the AMD EPYC 4364P scores 47131 (0.3% lower), and the Intel Core i9-12900F scores 47081 (0.4% lower). The data shows that the 13700K is effectively tied with its direct sibling and slightly ahead of the EPYC and i9-12900F, with deltas of less than half a percent in either direction.

For To The Core, an idle game, the CPU's role is primarily about maintaining a stable baseline rather than pushing extreme single-thread performance. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and PassMark single-thread score of 4333 indicate respectable single-core capability, but the game's measured FPS suggests that even at 4K Ultra (109.2 FPS) the CPU is not the bottleneck. The high thread count (24 threads) and substantial L3 cache (30 MB) provide ample headroom for background tasks and game logic, though an idle title rarely exploits more than a few cores. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures that any single-threaded game logic executes with minimal latency, contributing to the consistently high frame rates observed across all presets.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a chip designated AD104 containing 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU clocks run at 1980 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost, with memory at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The compute configuration includes 7168 shading units, 224 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 56 RT cores, and 224 tensor cores, delivering 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

In GPU benchmarks, the RTX 4070 SUPER scores 4627 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 192684 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 29995 in PassMark G3D, with an average benchmark score of 42576. This places it at the 84th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42653, 0.2% higher), AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42723, 0.3% higher), and AMD Radeon Pro 580X (41991, 1.4% lower). The data indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is virtually on par with the professional-grade RTX A6000 and slightly behind the RX 7650 GRE, though the deltas are within 0.3%.

For To The Core, the GPU is the primary driver of frame rate differences across presets. At 4K, average FPS ranges from 186.7 on Low to 109.2 on Ultra, a 71.4% performance drop when moving from the lowest to the highest preset. At 1440p, the spread is from 323.4 FPS (Low) to 189.1 FPS (Ultra), while at 1080p it spans 481.5 FPS (Low) to 285.8 FPS (Ultra). The 12 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for this idle title, as even at 4K Ultra the GPU maintains 109.2 FPS without hitting memory limits. The 504.2 GB/s bandwidth and 2475 MHz boost clock ensure that texture streaming and rendering tasks are handled efficiently, though the game's simple geometry means the GPU's 80 ROPs and 224 TMUs are rarely saturated.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-13700K compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The 13700K has an average benchmark score of 47282, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i7-13700KF (47334) and 0.3% higher than the AMD EPYC 4364P (47131). It also sits 0.4% above the Intel Core i9-12900F (47081) and 0.5% below the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 (47527). The differences are negligible, indicating near-identical multi-core performance.

Q: What is the best measured FPS for this combo at 1080p, and at which preset?

A: The highest measured average FPS at 1080p is 481.5 FPS on the Low preset. The Medium preset delivers 405.7 FPS, High achieves 350.6 FPS, and Ultra drops to 285.8 FPS. All values exceed 280 FPS, making the combo highly capable at this resolution.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 SUPER outperform the RTX A6000 in this context?

A: Based on average benchmark scores, the RTX 4070 SUPER scores 42576, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A6000's 42653. This means the A6000 holds a marginal lead, but the difference is within measurement noise. The RTX 4070 SUPER also trails the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42723) by 0.3%.

*Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in To The Core?*

A: This combination ranks 313 out of 1756 tested combos, placing it in the top 17.8% of all configurations. This indicates strong overall performance, though there are 312 combos that achieve higher measured frame rates in this specific game.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset yields 323.4 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 189.1 FPS. This represents a 71.0% performance reduction from Low to Ultra, with Medium at 271.4 FPS and High at 235.4 FPS occupying the intermediate steps.

*Q: Is the CPU's cache configuration relevant to To The Core's performance?*

A: The 30 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 per core provide substantial on-die storage for frequently accessed data. In an idle game with simple logic, this cache hierarchy helps maintain consistent frame times, though the measured FPS shows the GPU is the primary performance limiter across all presets and resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal preset depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 4K, the High preset delivers 134.2 FPS, which is a 22.9% improvement over Ultra's 109.2 FPS while still offering high visual quality. The Medium preset at 156.7 FPS provides an additional 16.8% boost over High, making it the best balance for 4K displays with 144 Hz refresh rates. For 1440p, the High preset at 235.4 FPS is sufficient for 240 Hz panels, while Medium at 271.4 FPS and Low at 323.4 FPS cater to higher refresh rates. The Ultra preset at 189.1 FPS remains playable but offers diminishing returns over High.

At 1080p, all presets exceed 285 FPS, so the choice is purely visual. The Ultra preset at 285.8 FPS is recommended for maximum fidelity on high-refresh monitors, as it still clears 240 Hz. The High preset at 350.6 FPS suits 360 Hz displays, while Low at 481.5 FPS is overkill for any consumer display. For the best experience across all resolutions, the High preset provides the most balanced trade-off: it delivers 134.2 FPS at 4K, 235.4 FPS at 1440p, and 350.6 FPS at 1080p, covering the majority of high-refresh gaming scenarios. Users with 4K 120 Hz displays should opt for Medium, which maintains 156.7 FPS with only a modest visual reduction.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 313 out of 1756 tested combos in To The Core, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all configurations. This is a strong result, though not exceptional — 312 combos achieve higher measured performance. The ranking reflects the balance between the 13700K's 93rd percentile CPU standing and the RTX 4070 SUPER's 84th percentile GPU standing, with the combination landing slightly below the CPU's relative position. This suggests that the GPU is the more limiting factor in this pairing, as the CPU has more headroom relative to its peers than the GPU does.

The data shows that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh gaming, with 1080p Ultra hitting 285.8 FPS and 1440p Ultra reaching 189.1 FPS. The rank of 313 indicates that there are faster combinations, likely featuring higher-tier GPUs or CPUs, but the measured FPS values demonstrate that this pairing delivers smooth gameplay at every tested setting. The gap between the 13700K and its nearest CPU rivals is minimal (all within 0.5%), meaning the CPU choice has negligible impact on the combo's rank. Similarly, the RTX 4070 SUPER's rivals are within 1.6% in average score, suggesting that GPU selection is the primary differentiator among similarly-ranked combos. For an idle game like To The Core, this rank is more than sufficient, as even the lowest measured FPS (109.2 at 4K Ultra) exceeds standard 60 FPS targets by a wide margin.