To The Core

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS for this combo at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combo produces an average of 484 FPS at 1920x1080 on Medium settings, with a minimum of 411 FPS and a maximum of 556 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU rank among all tested processors?

A: The Core i7-13700K ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, scores 46971, a delta of -0.2%, meaning the Intel chip trails by a negligible margin.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory configuration?

A: The RTX 5080 features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. Its memory clock runs at 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective).

Q: What is the combo’s rank in “To The Core” out of all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 190th out of 3725 tested configurations, placing it in the top 5.1% of all tested combos for this game.

Q: What are the CPU’s core and thread counts?

A: The Core i7-13700K has 16 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This is a 10 nm Raptor Lake-S part with a TDP of 125 W.

Q: What is the GPU’s FP32 performance in TFLOPS?

A: The RTX 5080 delivers 56.28 TFLOPS in FP32 and the same number in FP16 (1:1), based on its 10752 shading units and 336 tensor cores.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor built on Intel’s Raptor Lake architecture. It runs at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. This high core count and boost clock directly influence “To The Core,” which is an idle game—such titles often rely heavily on single-thread performance for simulation ticks, but can also leverage multiple threads for background calculations. The CPU’s benchmark results show a strong multi-core showing: 3dmark_max_threads scores 12412, while 3dmark_16_threads hits 10717. Single-thread performance is also solid, with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1136 and a geekbench_singlecore score of 2529.

In “To The Core,” the combo’s 190th rank out of 3725 suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at most resolutions. The CPU’s nearest rivals—AMD Ryzen 9 5900, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX, and Intel Xeon w3-2535—are all within 0.5% of the i7-13700K’s average score, so the chip is competitive with other top CPUs. The CPU’s percentile of 89 means it outperforms 89% of all processors in the database, but in this game, the real bottleneck shifts to the GPU at lower resolutions, where FPS exceeds 400 and even 500, challenging the CPU’s ability to feed frames. The 16-core design helps maintain high minimum FPS, as seen in the 1080p Medium minimum of 411, which is still far above playable thresholds.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with a 5 nm process node, 45,600 million transistors, and a die size of 378 mm². It features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 2295 MHz and boost clock is 2617 MHz, with a memory clock of 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective). The GPU has 10752 shading units, 336 tensor cores, and 84 RT cores, delivering 56.28 TFLOPS in FP32 and FP16 (1:1). The 360 W TDP and 750 W suggested PSU indicate a high-power part, but the measured FPS in “To The Core” shows it is well-suited for this title.

The GPU’s percentile rank is 87%, with an average benchmark score of 56083. Its nearest rivals—AMD Radeon 8060S, AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, and AMD Radeon Pro W5700X—are within 0.6% to 2.3% of its score, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE is -2.2% behind. In “To The Core,” the GPU’s role becomes clear: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 130, which is still high, but the scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a 57% drop in FPS from 572 to 220 at Low settings, indicating that the GPU is heavily utilized at higher resolutions. The 16 GB VRAM is more than enough for the game’s needs, and the high memory bandwidth supports fast texture loads, but the data shows that the GPU is not the bottleneck until you reach 4K Ultra, where FPS dips to 130.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 190th out of 3725 tested combinations in “To The Core.” This means it sits in the top 5.1% of all combos tested. The CPU’s 89th percentile and GPU’s 87th percentile individually place both components well above average, but the combo’s rank reflects that many other pairings—especially those with more specialized high-end CPUs—achieve higher FPS in this idle title. The rank is driven by the fact that “To The Core” is not demanding enough to utilize the RTX 5080’s full power at lower resolutions, so the CPU becomes the limiting factor at 1080p.

The combo’s rank is 190, which is strong but not elite. For reference, the top combos would likely pair CPUs with even higher single-thread scores, such as the i9-13900K or Ryzen 7 7800X3D, though those are not in the FACT PACK. The deltaPct values for the CPU’s rivals show that the i7-13700K is within 0.5% of its closest peers, but the GPU’s rivals (AMD Radeon 8060S and RX 6750 GRE) have similar performance, so the combo’s rank is more about the game’s CPU-bound nature at low settings. The 190th rank out of 3725 means it beats 95% of combos, but the top 5% are likely achieving higher FPS due to better single-core CPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 220 FPS average
• Medium: 186 FPS average (min 158, max 214)
• High: 161 FPS average
• Ultra: 130 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 385 FPS average
• Medium: 326 FPS average (min 277, max 374)
• High: 282 FPS average
• Ultra: 227 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 572 FPS average
• Medium: 484 FPS average (min 411, max 556)
• High: 420 FPS average
• Ultra: 338 FPS average

At 1080p, the FPS scales from 572 (Low) to 338 (Ultra), a drop of 41% from Low to Ultra. At 1440p, the drop is 41% (385 to 227), and at 4K, it is 41% (220 to 130). This consistent scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher settings, but the CPU’s influence is still present at 1080p Low, where 572 FPS is achieved. The medium settings have minimum FPS above 400 at 1080p, which is far above playability, so the combo is overkill for most users.

Settings Recommendations

The data shows that the Ultra preset at 4K yields 130 FPS average, which is still smooth for most displays, but the High preset at 4K gives 161 FPS, a 24% improvement over Ultra. At 1440p, the High preset delivers 282 FPS, which is 24% higher than Ultra’s 227. At 1080p, High gives 420 FPS versus Ultra’s 338, a 24% difference. The Medium preset at 1080p gives 484 FPS, which is 15% higher than High, but the minimum FPS of 411 is still very high.

Given that the game is an idle tile, the best experience per the measured rows is to prioritize lower settings for higher FPS, but the difference between Medium and High is minimal. The sweet spot is High at any resolution: at 4K, High gives 161 FPS; at 1440p, 282 FPS; and at 1080p, 420 FPS. These are all well above 60 FPS, and the visual fidelity improvement from High to Ultra is likely marginal for an idle game. Therefore, the High preset is recommended for the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, while Medium offers a slight FPS boost with negligible visual trade-off. The Ultra preset is not recommended due to the 24% FPS drop, but it is still playable at 4K with 130 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS from 1080p to 4K decreases by 57% at Low (from 572 to 220), 62% at Medium (from 484 to 186), 61% at High (from 420 to 161), and 61% at Ultra (from 338 to 130). This consistent drop suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a bottleneck as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU’s 16 cores and 5.4 GHz boost clock are sufficient to drive the RTX 5080, but at 4K, the GPU’s 960 GB/s bandwidth and 16 GB VRAM are being taxed, causing a 60% reduction in FPS. The data shows that the limiting component is the GPU at 4K, while at 1080p, the CPU is likely the constraint, as the FPS exceeds 500, which is far beyond what most games require. The combo is balanced but with a strong CPU bias, as the GPU’s performance is only fully utilized at 4K Ultra, where it still delivers 130 FPS.