To The Core

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers exceptional performance in To The Core, an Idle title where frame rates remain astronomically high across all tested configurations. The data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, yet capable of pushing past 478 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that the CPU’s substantial core and thread resources are more than adequate for this workload. The measured results show a clear hierarchy where resolution scaling impacts performance more dramatically than settings changes, though both factors combine to create a wide spectrum of playable frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a significant and consistent drop in frame rates across all settings presets, highlighting the increasing burden placed on the GPU as pixel count rises. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 351.5 FPS at 1920x1080 to 240.1 FPS at 2560x1440, representing a 31.7% reduction, and then further declines to 135.9 FPS at 3840x2160, a 61.3% drop from the 1080p baseline. This pattern is consistent across presets: Low settings see a decline from 478.2 FPS at 1080p to 323.8 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 183.3 FPS at 4K, while Ultra settings drop from 285.4 FPS to 189.4 FPS and then to 108.8 FPS.

The scaling behavior indicates that at 1080p, the system is likely not fully GPU-bound, as the massive difference between Low and Ultra settings (478.2 FPS versus 285.4 FPS) suggests the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at lower graphical loads. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting component, with even Low settings producing just 183.3 FPS, which is only 38.3% of the 1080p Low result. The data shows that resolution scaling is nearly linear for this title, with each step up in resolution exacting a substantial toll on performance, making 4K the only resolution where the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are consistently taxed.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF brings 20 cores and 28 threads to the table, running at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, which proves to be more than sufficient for To The Core's Idle gameplay mechanics. Benchmark results show this processor achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,557 and a single-core score of 6,290, placing it in the 96th percentile against all CPUs. In the measured FPS data, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p where frame rates exceed 350 FPS on High settings and reach 478.2 FPS on Low, indicating that the processor can sustain extremely high instruction throughput without becoming a bottleneck.

The nearest rival comparisons show the i7-14700KF is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-14700K, with a deltaPct of 0, while it holds a 0.3% advantage over the AMD EPYC 9115 and a 0.4% lead over the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X. These differences are negligible for gaming, and the measured FPS results confirm that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution or settings combination tested. The processor’s 33 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 further ensure that data delivery to the GPU is never starved, allowing the RTX 4070 SUPER to operate at its full potential even when frame rates climb past 400 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, is the primary driver of performance variations in To The Core. With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, the GPU delivers a PassMark G3D score of 29,995, placing it in the 84th percentile against all GPUs. The GPU’s role becomes increasingly pronounced as resolution rises, evidenced by the 4K frame rates ranging from 108.8 FPS on Ultra to 183.3 FPS on Low, a 68.5% spread that directly reflects the GPU’s rendering workload.

The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A6000 with a deltaPct of -0.2, meaning the RTX 4070 SUPER scores slightly higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE trails by 0.3%, and the AMD Radeon Pro 580X is 1.4% behind. The data indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 7,168 shading units and 224 texture mapping units are well-utilized in this title, with the GPU compute score of 17,108 in PassMark suggesting ample headroom for the Idle genre’s simpler rendering demands. However, the 4K Ultra result of 108.8 FPS shows that even this capable GPU begins to strain under maximum graphical load at high pixel densities, though it remains well above playable thresholds.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, the Ultra preset at 1440p delivers 189.4 FPS, which is over three times the refresh rate of a standard 60 Hz monitor and remains highly responsive even on 165 Hz displays. At 4K, the Ultra preset drops to 108.8 FPS, which is still smooth but represents the only tested configuration that falls below 110 FPS, making it a viable option for 4K gaming on high-refresh panels. The High preset offers a more balanced experience, providing 240.1 FPS at 1440p and 135.9 FPS at 4K, with the latter being a substantial improvement over Ultra while maintaining most visual quality.

The Medium preset at 1440p yields 271.7 FPS, which is 43.5% higher than Ultra at the same resolution, while at 4K it achieves 154.1 FPS, a 41.6% improvement over Ultra. For competitive play or maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p produces 478.2 FPS, and even at 1440p it reaches 323.8 FPS, making it the best choice for esports-style responsiveness. The data shows that the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, particularly at 1440p where 271.7 FPS exceeds the capabilities of virtually all consumer displays, while providing a meaningful visual upgrade over Low settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 318th out of 1,756 tested combos in To The Core, placing it in the top 18.1% of all configurations. This ranking is notably lower than the individual component percentiles might suggest, given that the CPU sits in the 96th percentile and the GPU in the 84th percentile, indicating that the game’s Idle nature does not fully stress high-end hardware. The ranking reflects that many other combos, likely with more powerful GPUs, achieve higher frame rates, particularly at 4K where the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 12 GB VRAM and 192-bit bus become more significant factors.

Despite the mid-tier combo ranking, the measured FPS results show that this system delivers exceptional real-world performance, with every tested configuration exceeding 100 FPS. The data suggests that the combo’s ranking is more a function of the game’s low system requirements than any deficiency in the hardware, as the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance and the i7-14700KF's 44,557 Cinebench R23 multi-core score are both well above what To The Core demands. For users with high-refresh monitors, this combo provides ample headroom, with 1440p High settings producing 240.1 FPS and 1080p Medium reaching 406.9 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 478.2 FPS, Medium settings yield 406.9 FPS, High settings achieve 351.5 FPS, and Ultra settings provide 285.4 FPS. The differential between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 192.8 FPS, representing a 40.3% reduction, which indicates that the GPU is the primary scaling factor even at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high but show a clear step down. Low settings achieve 323.8 FPS, Medium settings deliver 271.7 FPS, High settings reach 240.1 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 189.4 FPS. The resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p results in a 32.3% drop at Low settings and a 33.6% drop at Ultra settings, demonstrating consistent scaling behavior.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s workload intensifies significantly. Low settings provide 183.3 FPS, Medium settings achieve 154.1 FPS, High settings deliver 135.9 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 108.8 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest measured frame rate, yet it remains well above 100 FPS, confirming that this combo is capable of smooth 4K gaming. Across all resolutions, the settings presets show a consistent hierarchy, with Low always delivering the highest frame rates and Ultra the lowest, and the gap between them widening as resolution increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 478.2, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF is statistically tied with the Intel Core i7-14700K, showing a deltaPct of 0, and holds a 0.3% advantage over the AMD EPYC 9115.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded in testing?

A: The lowest average FPS is 108.8, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which still exceeds 100 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, as frame rates drop from 183.3 FPS on Low to 108.8 FPS on Ultra, while the CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads remain underutilized.

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

A: It ranks 318th out of 1,756 combos, placing it in the top 18.1% of all systems tested in To The Core.

Q: What settings provide the best experience at 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 deliver 271.7 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors while providing a balanced visual quality.