To The Core

# To The Core with Intel Core i7-14700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

The pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a consistently high frame rate experience in To The Core, an idle genre title released in 2024. The measured data shows that this combination produces average frame rates ranging from 94.3 FPS at 4K Ultra to 411.5 FPS at 1080p Low, placing the combo at rank 536 out of 1756 tested configurations. This indicates a strong but not top-tier position, with a substantial portion of the performance headroom available at lower resolutions and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance at higher resolutions, with the CPU demonstrating ample headroom throughout. At 1080p High, the combo produces 300.7 FPS, which drops to 206.5 FPS at 1440p High, and further to 117.8 FPS at 4K High. This represents a 60.8% reduction from 1080p to 4K at High settings, indicating that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count.

The scaling behavior changes depending on the preset. At Low settings, the 1080p result of 411.5 FPS drops to 280.7 FPS at 1440p (a 31.8% decrease) and then to 161 FPS at 4K (a 60.9% decrease from 1440p). The diminishing returns at higher resolutions suggest that the RTX 3080's 10 GB GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth become increasingly taxed as resolution climbs, while the 20-core CPU with a 5.40 GHz boost clock remains largely unconstrained.

At Ultra settings, the pattern shifts. The 4K result of 94.3 FPS is the lowest measured across all configurations, while 1080p Ultra reaches 242.6 FPS. The delta between Medium and Ultra at 4K is 40 FPS (134.3 vs 94.3), which highlights how the most demanding preset places significant stress on the GPU's 8704 shading units. The data indicates that resolution scaling is the dominant factor in frame rate variation, with settings changes providing a secondary but still substantial impact.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this combo in To The Core?*

A: The highest measured average is 411.5 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The lowest is 94.3 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 35787, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35860) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon 880M (35646). It also trails the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE by 0.9% and leads the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile by 1%.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 536 out of 1756 tested combinations in To The Core, placing it in the upper third of all configurations tested.

Q: How much of a performance drop occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 206.5 FPS at 2560x1440 to 117.8 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 88.7 FPS or approximately 43%.

Q: Does the CPU show any signs of bottlenecking at lower resolutions?

A: The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 411.5 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra it achieves 242.6 FPS. The consistent scaling across settings at 1080p suggests the CPU can sustain very high frame rates without becoming a limiting factor.

Q: What is the difference in frame rate between Medium and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Medium produces 134.3 FPS while Ultra produces 94.3 FPS, a difference of 40 FPS. This indicates that the Ultra preset imposes a significant additional rendering load.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 536 out of 1756 tested configurations places it in the 69.5th percentile of all tested combos in To The Core. While this is a solid position, it shows that many other combinations achieve higher frame rates in this title. The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's 94th percentile standing among all CPUs and the GPU's 80th percentile among all GPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score provide context: the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X scores 54450, which is 0.6% higher, while the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 scores 53469, which is 1.2% lower. The i7-14700F's average benchmark score of 54097 sits between these processors, indicating it is competitive with high-end desktop and workstation parts.

For the GPU, the RTX 3080's average benchmark score of 35787 places it near the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35860, 0.2% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36101, 0.9% higher). The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile trails by 1% with a score of 35435. These narrow margins suggest that the GPU is positioned firmly in the upper-midrange of current hardware, which aligns with its measured performance in To The Core.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings yield 411.5 FPS, Medium produces 348.9 FPS, High reaches 300.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 242.6 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 41% reduction in frame rate, demonstrating that the settings presets have a significant impact at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected reduction. Low settings produce 280.7 FPS, Medium achieves 233.1 FPS, High delivers 206.5 FPS, and Ultra reaches 165.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 115.3 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the 1080p gap of 168.9 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops more sharply. Low settings still manage 161 FPS, Medium produces 134.3 FPS, High delivers 117.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 94.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 66.7 FPS, which is a smaller absolute gap than at lower resolutions but represents a 41.4% reduction from Low to Ultra.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset provides a balanced middle ground. At 1080p, Medium is 37.9 FPS higher than High but 62.6 FPS lower than Low. At 1440p, Medium is 26.6 FPS higher than High and 47.6 FPS lower than Low. At 4K, Medium is 16.5 FPS higher than High and 26.7 FPS lower than Low.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its 33 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 provide a robust foundation for gaming workloads. The CPU's benchmark results show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and a single-core score of 5003, along with a Geekbench multi-core score of 16571.

In To The Core, an idle genre game, the CPU's role appears to be primarily about maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 411.5 FPS, which is well beyond typical display refresh rates. This suggests the CPU can keep pace with the GPU's output without becoming a bottleneck, even at the highest frame rates measured.

The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54097, places it firmly in the high-performance tier. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, scores only 0.6% higher, indicating that the i7-14700F is competitive with top-tier desktop processors. The 65 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it a practical choice for a wide range of systems.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting the highest possible frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 411.5 FPS, which is suitable for competitive play or extremely high refresh rate displays. However, the Medium preset at 1080p still achieves 348.9 FPS, providing a substantial improvement in visual quality with only a 15.2% reduction in frame rate compared to Low.

At 1440p, the Medium preset offers 233.1 FPS, which remains well above the 165.4 FPS of Ultra. This makes Medium the recommended choice for 1440p gaming, as it provides a balanced experience with frame rates that exceed most high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 1440p delivers 206.5 FPS, which is still excellent and may be preferable for those who prioritize visual fidelity.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset produces 161 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration that exceeds 160 FPS. The Medium preset at 134.3 FPS is the best balance of quality and performance at this resolution, as it maintains a frame rate above 130 FPS while offering better visuals than Low. The Ultra preset at 94.3 FPS is playable but represents a significant sacrifice in smoothness compared to Medium.

Overall, the data indicates that the Medium preset provides the best experience across all resolutions, with frame rates ranging from 134.3 FPS at 4K to 348.9 FPS at 1080p. The High preset is a viable alternative for those who want slightly better visuals at 1440p or 4K, with frame rates of 206.5 FPS and 117.8 FPS respectively.