To The Core

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers exceptional frame rates in To The Core, a title that clearly favors high refresh rate displays. The data confirms this pairing is not only fast but also well-balanced, landing in the 3rd position out of 1,756 tested combinations. This places the combo in the top percentile of all systems benchmarked, underscoring its high-end status within the database.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a predictable shift in system bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces a staggering 635.2 FPS. This extreme frame rate indicates that the CPU is the primary limiting factor, as the graphics card has ample headroom to render frames far faster than the processor can issue draw calls. Moving to 2560x1440 on Low settings, the average FPS drops to 427.2, a 32.7% reduction from the 1080p figure, showing the GPU beginning to take on more work.

The transition to 4K (3840x2160) on Low settings yields 244 FPS, representing a 61.6% drop from the 1080p Low result. This substantial decrease confirms that at 4K, the workload shifts heavily onto the RTX 5090, and the frame rate is now constrained by the graphics card's raw pixel-pushing capabilities. The scaling pattern across all settings shows a clear trend: the higher the resolution, the more the GPU becomes the limiting factor, which is typical for a flagship graphics card paired with a high-end but not top-tier CPU.

When examining the gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution, the data shows the GPU's influence grows with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 264.5 FPS (635.2 vs 370.7). At 4K, that same gap narrows to 103.3 FPS (244 vs 140.7). This compression at higher resolutions indicates that the RTX 5090's immense compute power is being fully utilized, while at lower resolutions, the CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads cannot keep pace with the GPU's output, leaving performance on the table.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset emerges as the recommended choice. At 3840x2160, the High setting delivers 178.4 FPS, which is a 37.7 FPS improvement over Ultra (140.7 FPS) while likely offering a visually indistinguishable experience in an idle game. The Medium preset at 4K provides 206.5 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High costs only 28.1 FPS, making High the sweet spot for maximizing quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is equally compelling. It produces 313 FPS, which comfortably exceeds the 240Hz refresh rate of most high-end monitors. The Ultra setting at 1440p still delivers a robust 251.3 FPS, but the 61.7 FPS penalty over High is not justified for the marginal visual gains typical of an idle game's Ultra preset. For competitive play or maximum responsiveness, the Low preset at 1440p offers 427.2 FPS, but this is excessive for a genre that does not demand twitch reflexes.

The 1080p results are so high that the choice of settings becomes academic. Even the Ultra preset at 370.7 FPS is far beyond any display's capabilities, and the High preset at 465.4 FPS offers no practical advantage. The data suggests that users with 1080p displays should prioritize image quality by selecting Ultra, as the performance headroom is effectively infinite for this game. However, for users on 4K displays, High is the optimal choice, providing a 26.8% faster frame rate than Ultra while maintaining high visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 3rd out of 1,756 tested combinations is a remarkable achievement, placing it in the top 0.17% of all systems in the database. This position reflects the synergy between the i7-13700K and RTX 5090, which together produce frame rates that are bested by only two other configurations. The ranking is particularly notable given that the CPU and GPU are from different generations, with the processor being a 2022 release and the graphics card a 2025 flagship.

The i7-13700K itself holds a 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 47,282. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, scores 47,334, a negligible 0.1% difference that effectively makes them performance twins. The AMD EPYC 4364P trails slightly with a 0.3% higher score (47,131), while the Intel Core i9-12900F is 0.4% behind at 47,081. The AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 leads this group with 47,527, a 0.5% advantage, but none of these differences translate into measurable FPS changes in To The Core.

The RTX 5090 sits in the 94th percentile for GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,306. Its nearest rival, the RTX 5090 D, scores 84,241 (0.1% higher), while the RTX 5050 Mobile is 0.2% behind at 84,171. The AMD Radeon PRO W6600 trails by 1.3% with 83,209, and the NVIDIA CMP 40HX leads by 1.6% with 85,637. The combo's 3rd place finish in-game demonstrates that the raw benchmark scores translate directly into top-tier real-world performance for this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS ranges from a low of 370.7 on Ultra to a high of 635.2 on Low. The Medium preset delivers 537.9 FPS, while High produces 465.4 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 41.7% performance reduction, reflecting the increasing GPU load as settings improve.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings yield 427.2 FPS, Medium produces 360.4 FPS, and High drops to 313 FPS. The Ultra preset delivers 251.3 FPS, which represents a 41.2% decrease from Low. The difference between 1080p and 1440p at each setting is substantial: Low drops by 208 FPS, Medium by 177.5 FPS, High by 152.4 FPS, and Ultra by 119.4 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still impressive but shows the GPU's limits. Low settings produce 244 FPS, Medium delivers 206.5 FPS, High achieves 178.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 140.7 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 42.3% reduction, nearly identical to the percentage drop at lower resolutions, indicating consistent GPU scaling behavior. The absolute frame rates at 4K are still high enough to drive 144Hz displays at High settings and 120Hz displays at Ultra, making this combo viable for the most demanding visual configurations.

FAQ

*Q: Is this CPU-GPU combo sufficient for 4K gaming in To The Core?*

A: Yes, the data shows excellent 4K performance. At High settings, the combo achieves 178.4 FPS, and even at Ultra it maintains 140.7 FPS, making it suitable for high refresh rate 4K displays.

Q: How does the i7-13700K compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i7-13700K scores 47,282 on average, which is 0.1% behind the i7-13700KF (47,334) and 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 (47,527). It outperforms the AMD EPYC 4364P by 0.3% and the i9-12900F by 0.4%.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p displays?

A: The High preset at 1440p delivers 313 FPS, which is ideal for 240Hz monitors. The Ultra preset still provides 251.3 FPS, but the High setting offers a better balance of quality and speed.

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

A: The RTX 5090 scores 84,306 on average, which is 0.1% lower than the RTX 5090 D (84,241) and 0.2% higher than the RTX 5050 Mobile (84,171). It trails the NVIDIA CMP 40HX by 1.6% but leads the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 by 1.3%.

Q: Is there a significant FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Yes, the difference is 264.5 FPS, with Low producing 635.2 FPS and Ultra producing 370.7 FPS. However, both are far beyond any monitor's refresh rate, so the choice is purely aesthetic.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 3rd out of 1,756 tested combinations, placing it in the top percentile of all systems benchmarked for To The Core.