To The Core

Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers exceptional frame rates in To The Core, an idle genre title, across all tested resolutions and settings. The data indicates this combination ranks in the top 22% of all tested combos, with performance headroom that makes even 4K Ultra playable at nearly 100 FPS. The RTX 4070’s 12 GB of GDDR6X VRAM and the Core Ultra 5 225’s 10 cores combine to produce a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower resolutions but remains smooth even at 4K, where the CPU’s single-thread strength becomes more relevant.

FAQ

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 659th out of 2991 tested combos, placing it in the 78th percentile of all configurations tested.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0% delta) and slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2% delta) and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4% delta). It also edges out the Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, -0.5% delta).

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 432 at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The same resolution with Medium settings yields 365 FPS, High yields 316 FPS, and Ultra yields 255 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 show performance parity with any other GPUs in the database?

A: Yes, the RTX 4070's average benchmark score is 37648, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628, 0.1% delta) and AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507, 0.4% delta). It trails the RTX 4080 Mobile (38135, -1.3% delta) and leads the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 (37157, 1.3% delta).

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo records a minimum FPS of 209 and a maximum FPS of 282, with an average of 245 FPS. This represents the only fully populated FPS range in the dataset at that resolution.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Its memory clock runs at 1313 MHz, which translates to 21 Gbps effective.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination sits at rank 659 out of 2991 tested combos in To The Core. This places it comfortably in the top 22% of all configurations, a strong result for an idle game that typically does not stress high-end hardware. The ranking reflects performance that is more than sufficient for the genre, with average FPS figures that exceed 98 at every resolution and settings combination tested.

Breaking down the rank, the combo outperforms roughly 78% of all tested systems. This is notable because To The Core is an idle game, meaning the workload is likely less demanding than AAA titles, yet the hardware still demonstrates headroom. The CPU's average benchmark score of 36938 puts it at the 85th percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU's average benchmark score of 37648 places it at the 81st percentile against all GPUs. Both components are above average, but their combined rank in this specific game suggests that the GPU is the primary driver of FPS, especially at higher resolutions.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 5 225 is statistically indistinguishable from the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (deltaPct 0%) and only 0.2% behind the Ryzen 5 5500X3D. This means that in CPU-bound scenarios, swapping to those alternatives would yield negligible differences. The GPU, similarly, is within 1.3% of the RTX 4080 Mobile and 0.4% of the RX Vega 56, though the RTX 4070 leads the PRO W6400 by 1.3%. For To The Core, the combo's rank suggests that the CPU is rarely the bottleneck; instead, the GPU's raw throughput dictates the FPS ceiling.

The measured FPS data reinforces this interpretation. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo pushes 432 FPS, which is likely beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 98 FPS, still playable but indicating the GPU is working harder. The rank of 659 reflects that while this is a high-performing combo, there are 658 configurations that achieve even higher scores, likely featuring more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4080 or 4090, which are not in this data set.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the dominant component in this combo for To The Core. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X VRAM is ample for an idle game, which typically has modest texture and geometry requirements. The memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, paired with a 192-bit bus, ensures that data transfer is not a limiting factor at any resolution tested. The GPU's base clock of 1920 MHz and boost clock of 2475 MHz provide the computational throughput needed to sustain high frame rates, while its 5888 shading units and 184 texture mapping units handle the rendering workload efficiently.

At 4K resolution, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced. The average FPS drops from 166 at Low settings to 98 at Ultra settings, a 41% reduction. This scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the increase in pixel count and shading complexity directly impacts performance. The RTX 4070's 64 ROPs and 46 ray tracing cores are less relevant for an idle game, but its FP32 performance of 29.15 TFLOPS is sufficient to maintain 122 FPS at 4K High and 140 FPS at 4K Medium. The fact that 4K Medium records a minimum FPS of 119 and a maximum of 161 suggests stable frame delivery, with no severe dips.

The GPU's memory clock of 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s are not stressed by To The Core's likely small texture sets, but they provide headroom for future titles or higher settings. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is more than adequate, as idle games rarely exceed 4-6 GB. The RTX 4070's 81st percentile ranking against all GPUs indicates it is a mid-to-high-tier card, and in To The Core, it delivers performance that is only limited by the game's engine at lower resolutions.

At 1440p, the GPU continues to dominate, with average FPS ranging from 290 (Low) to 171 (Ultra). The gap between Low and Ultra is 41%, similar to 4K, reinforcing that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance. At 1080p, the GPU is so fast that even Ultra settings produce 255 FPS, while Low hits 432 FPS. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU may begin to influence results, but the GPU still has ample headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo spans three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance. At 3840x2160 (4K), the average FPS is 122 at High settings, 166 at Low, 140 at Medium, and 98 at Ultra. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values: 119 and 161, respectively. This indicates that the average of 140 is stable, with only a 21 FPS spread between the lowest and highest observed frames.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), performance scales upward significantly. High settings produce an average of 213 FPS, Low produces 290 FPS, Medium produces 245 FPS, and Ultra produces 171 FPS. The Medium preset again records full min/max data, with 209 FPS minimum and 282 FPS maximum. This 73 FPS spread is larger than at 4K, suggesting more variability in frame delivery, but the average remains high. The jump from 4K to 1440p is substantial: for example, 4K High (122 FPS) rises to 1440p High (213 FPS), a 75% increase, highlighting the GPU's sensitivity to resolution.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the combo reaches its peak performance. High settings deliver 316 FPS, Low delivers 432 FPS, Medium delivers 365 FPS, and Ultra delivers 255 FPS. The Medium preset's min/max range is 310 to 420 FPS, a 110 FPS spread, indicating that at high frame rates, variations are more noticeable but still negligible for gameplay. The scaling from 1440p to 1080p is less dramatic than from 4K to 1440p: for instance, 1440p High (213 FPS) rises to 1080p High (316 FPS), a 48% increase. This suggests diminishing returns as resolution decreases, likely because the CPU begins to cap frame rates.

Across all resolutions, the Low settings preset consistently yields the highest FPS, followed by Medium, High, then Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra at each resolution is roughly 40-50% of the Low value: at 4K, it's 166 to 98 (41% drop); at 1440p, it's 290 to 171 (41% drop); at 1080p, it's 432 to 255 (41% drop). This consistent scaling indicates that the GPU's workload increases linearly with settings, and the RTX 4070 handles each tier predictably.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset for this combo depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 4K, the Ultra preset averages 98 FPS, which is playable for an idle game but may not be ideal for users with high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset at 4K offers a better balance, with 122 FPS, while Medium provides 140 FPS. For most 4K displays (typically 60-120 Hz), Medium or High is recommended, as these presets deliver smooth performance without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. The Low preset at 4K (166 FPS) is unnecessary, as the visual downgrade is unlikely to be justified by the extra frames.

At 1440p, all settings presets produce frame rates above 170 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most 1440p monitors (typically 144-165 Hz). The Ultra preset at 171 FPS is sufficient for a 144Hz display, while High (213 FPS) and Medium (245 FPS) provide additional headroom. For users with 240Hz monitors, the Medium or Low presets (290 FPS) are more appropriate. The data shows that 1440p Ultra is the highest visual quality that still maintains a playable frame rate, but High is the sweet spot for balancing image quality and performance.

At 1080p, the combo is overkill for most displays. Ultra settings produce 255 FPS, which is still above the refresh rate of typical 1080p monitors (144-240 Hz). The High preset (316 FPS) and Medium preset (365 FPS) are both excellent choices, with Low (432 FPS) only necessary for competitive play on 360Hz+ monitors. Given that To The Core is an idle game, visual fidelity is likely more important than raw FPS, so Ultra at 1080p is the recommended preset for most users, as it delivers 255 FPS without any perceptible stutter.

The Medium preset consistently shows the most stable frame delivery, with min/max ranges that are narrower relative to the average. For example, at 4K Medium, the min is 119 and max is 161, a range of 42 FPS around a 140 average. At 1440p Medium, the range is 73 FPS around a 245 average. This stability makes Medium a reliable choice for users who prioritize consistent frame times. However, the performance differences between presets are so large that users can freely select based on their display's capabilities.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 plays a supporting role in To The Core, as the game's idle genre likely does not stress multi-threaded workloads. The CPU features 10 cores and 10 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide adequate data storage for game logic, but the title's simplicity means that single-thread performance is more critical than core count.

The CPU's benchmark scores reveal its strengths. In Cinebench R23, it scores 25891 in multi-core and 3655 in single-core. The single-core score is particularly relevant for To The Core, as idle games often rely on a single thread for simulation updates. The PassMark single-thread score of 4412 confirms this capability. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking against all CPUs indicates it is well above average, but its nearest rivals (Ryzen 5 5600F, Ryzen 5 5500X3D) have nearly identical average scores, suggesting that any of these CPUs would perform similarly in this game.

At lower resolutions, the CPU's role becomes more evident. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 432 FPS, which is likely close to the CPU's maximum frame generation capability. The gap between 1080p Low (432 FPS) and 1440p Low (290 FPS) is 49%, which is less than the gap between 1440p Low and 4K Low (166 FPS, 43% drop). This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU begins to limit FPS, as the GPU has excess capacity. The CPU's boost clock of 4.90 GHz helps mitigate this, but the 10-thread configuration means that background tasks could interfere with game performance.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5, with a dual-channel bus and 102.4 GB/s bandwidth, ensures that data from the GPU and storage is not bottlenecked. Its PCIe Gen 5 interface with 20 lanes provides ample bandwidth for the RTX 4070, which uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 16EU is not used in this configuration, but it offers fallback functionality. The CPU's 65W TDP is modest, and its 3 nm process node (TSMC) contributes to efficient operation, though this is not a factor in To The Core's performance.

In multi-threaded workloads, the CPU's Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 6317 and R15 score of 2609 are respectable, but idle games rarely use more than a few threads. The PassMark multi-thread score of 30459 and integer math score of 65345 indicate that the CPU can handle complex calculations, but these are not leveraged by To The Core. The CPU's 0% deltaPct compared to the Ryzen 5 5600F means that in CPU-bound scenarios, there is no measurable difference, reinforcing that the combo's rank is primarily determined by the GPU. For users upgrading from older Intel CPUs, the Ultra 5 225 offers strong single-thread performance, which is the most relevant metric for this game.