To The Core

The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination delivers high frame rates in To The Core, an idle game released on 2024-02-14. The measured data shows average FPS ranging from 92.7 at 4K Ultra to 411.8 at 1080p Low. This pairing of a 24-core, 32-thread CPU with a 10 GB GDDR6X GPU produces a combo rank of 545 out of 1756 tested combinations. The CPU sits in the 97th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 80th percentile, indicating a CPU-heavy pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drops as resolution increases. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 300.4 at 1920x1080 to 204.2 at 2560x1440, then to 115.9 at 3840x2160. The pattern repeats across all settings. At Low settings, the drop is from 411.8 to 277.2 to 157.1. At Medium, 350.2 to 237.6 to 136.2. At Ultra, 242.3 to 164.5 to 92.7.

The scaling behavior indicates the GPU becomes the limiting component as resolution climbs. The RTX 3080, with its 10 GB GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth, is pushed harder at 4K. The CPU, which boosts to 6.00 GHz, is able to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, where frame rates reach 411.8 FPS at Low settings. At 1080p Low, the 411.8 FPS result suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck; the GPU is still capable of rendering frames quickly. But at 4K Ultra, the 92.7 FPS result shows the GPU struggling to maintain the same throughput.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (411.8) and Ultra (242.3) is substantial. At 4K, the difference is smaller (157.1 vs 92.7). This compression at higher resolutions is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth dominate. The RTX 3080's pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 465.1 GTexel/s are fixed, so the frame rate scales with the number of pixels. The GPU's 320-bit memory bus and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the 10 GB frame buffer and bandwidth become more stressed.

The data shows a clear trend: the RTX 3080 is a strong 1080p and 1440p card, but 4K performance drops off. The CPU's high single-thread performance, reflected in the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7040, keeps the frame rates high at lower resolutions. The 6.00 GHz boost clock is a key factor in this idle game, which likely relies on a single thread for game logic.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra in To The Core?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 242.3.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79824, which is 0.3% behind the AMD EPYC 7413 (80041) and 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14900KF (79245). It also sits 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF (79240) and 0.9% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (79102).

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is in the 80th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35787.

Q: How many cores and threads does the i9-14900K have?

A: The CPU has 24 cores and 32 threads, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz.

Q: What is the combo's rank in To The Core?

A: The i9-14900K + RTX 3080 combo ranks 545th out of 1756 tested combinations.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU?

A: The launch MSRP of the Intel Core i9-14900K is $589.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, with 36 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark results are strong: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 49872, single-core 7040; Geekbench multi-core 20370, single-core 3064; Passmark multithread 58674, single thread 4697. The CPU sits in the 97th percentile of all CPUs.

In To The Core, an idle game, the CPU's single-thread performance is likely more relevant than its multi-thread capability. The boost clock of 6.00 GHz is among the highest available, and the single-core Cinebench R23 score of 7040 reflects that. The game's frame rates at 1080p Low (411.8 FPS) and 1080p High (300.4 FPS) suggest the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output. The CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.9% in average benchmark score, indicating that the i9-14900K is not an outlier; it is a top-tier part but not the absolute fastest.

The CPU's TDP is 125 W, and it supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present, but the discrete RTX 3080 handles rendering. The CPU's 36 MB L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data for the game's logic. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo; the GPU's 80th percentile ranking is lower than the CPU's 97th percentile, and the combo rank of 545 out of 1756 reflects that imbalance.

The CPU's Passmark scores further illustrate its strength: integer math 210622, floating point math 152975, data compression 792694, and data encryption 46813. These are high scores, but in an idle game, the single-thread performance (Passmark single thread 4697) and the boost clock are more important. The CPU's 32 threads are largely unused by this genre, but the high clock speed ensures that the game's logic runs smoothly.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 545th out of 1756 tested combinations in To The Core. This places it in the upper portion of the field, but not at the top. The CPU is in the 97th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 80th percentile. The gap between these two percentiles suggests that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing. If the CPU were paired with a stronger GPU, the combo rank would likely be higher.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 79824 is within 0.9% of its four nearest rivals, all of which are within a narrow band. The GPU's average score of 35787 is within 1% of its nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36101, 0.9% higher) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (35435, 1% lower). The combo rank of 545 out of 1756 means that 545 other combinations produce higher frame rates in this game. Given the CPU's high percentile, the ranking is more a reflection of the GPU's mid-tier position.

The data shows that the combo is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K the GPU's limitations become apparent. The 4K Ultra result of 92.7 FPS is still playable, but it is far from the 300.4 FPS seen at 1080p High. The combo rank of 545 out of 1756 is a useful summary: it is a strong pairing, but not a top-tier one. The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE, which scores 0.9% higher, and the AMD Radeon 880M, which scores 0.4% lower. These small differences mean that the RTX 3080 is competitive with its peers, but not dominant.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 411.8 at Low, 350.2 at Medium, 300.4 at High, and 242.3 at Ultra. At 2560x1440, the average FPS is 277.2 at Low, 237.6 at Medium, 204.2 at High, and 164.5 at Ultra. At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 157.1 at Low, 136.2 at Medium, 115.9 at High, and 92.7 at Ultra.

The progression is consistent: each step up in settings reduces the frame rate, and each step up in resolution reduces it further. The data shows that the RTX 3080 can handle 1080p and 1440p with ease, but 4K requires a reduction in settings to maintain high frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the 92.7 FPS result is the lowest in the dataset. At 1080p Low, the 411.8 FPS result is the highest. The GPU's 10 GB memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game, but the pixel throughput at 4K limits performance. The CPU's role is consistent across all settings, as the frame rates scale smoothly with resolution and quality.

The 1080p results are particularly strong. Even at Ultra settings, the combo produces 242.3 FPS, which is well above typical gaming monitor refresh rates. At 1440p, the Ultra setting yields 164.5 FPS, still above typical refresh rates. At 4K, only the Low setting (157.1 FPS) exceeds typical refresh rates; Medium (136.2), High (115.9), and Ultra (92.7) all fall below. This suggests that players targeting 4K will need to use Low or Medium settings to maintain high refresh rates, while 1080p and 1440p players can use Ultra.

The data also shows that the RTX 3080's 10 GB memory is not a limiting factor in this game, as the frame rates scale smoothly with resolution. The GPU's 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are present, but an idle game is unlikely to use ray tracing or DLSS. The 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 performance is more than enough for this title. The combo's 545th place ranking out of 1756 is a reflection of the GPU's 80th percentile position, not a deficiency in the CPU.