Minimum

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Minimum with the Intel Core i3-12100F and Intel Arc B370 shows a clear progression across resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, the combination struggles to maintain playable framerates. The High preset averages 19 FPS, while Low reaches 30 FPS. Medium lands at 23 FPS average, with a minimum of 19 FPS and a maximum of 26 FPS. Ultra drops to 15 FPS average. None of these figures approach the 60 FPS threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance improves substantially but still falls short of the playable target. Low settings deliver 55 FPS average, which is close to but not at the 60 FPS mark. High averages 35 FPS, Medium 42 FPS with a minimum of 36 and maximum of 48, and Ultra 27 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 28 FPS, indicating that preset selection has a strong influence on the experience.

At 1920x1080, the combination finally reaches playable territory. Low settings produce 85 FPS average. Medium achieves 65 FPS average, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS. High averages 55 FPS, just under the threshold. Ultra averages 42 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 1080p is significant: Low improves from 55 to 85 FPS, a gain of 30 FPS, while Medium improves from 42 to 65 FPS, a gain of 23 FPS.

The framerate deltas between presets at each resolution follow a consistent pattern. At 1080p, Low beats High by 30 FPS and beats Ultra by 43 FPS. At 1440p, Low beats High by 20 FPS and Ultra by 28 FPS. At 4K, Low beats High by 11 FPS and Ultra by 15 FPS. The gap between presets narrows as resolution increases, which suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher pixel counts.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database places the Intel Core i3-12100F among a tight cluster of CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, has an average score of 13492, essentially identical to the i3-12100F's 13494 with a delta of 0%. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, just 0.3% lower. The Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594, which is 0.7% higher. The Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351, 1.1% lower. In practical terms, any of these processors would produce nearly indistinguishable CPU-bound behavior in Minimum, assuming the same GPU and memory configuration.

The Intel Arc B370 sits in a much weaker position relative to its peers. Its average benchmark score is 1184, and it ranks in the 5th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, a delta of -0.2%, meaning the Arc B370 is essentially on par with a mobile GPU from over a decade ago. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% higher. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, 1.4% lower. Benchmark results indicate that the Arc B370's performance class is far below modern desktop expectations, and this directly explains the low framerates observed at higher resolutions.

For a system builder considering alternatives, the CPU side offers no meaningful upgrade or downgrade within this immediate cluster, but the GPU side reveals that nearly any discrete GPU from the past decade would perform at a similar or better level. The recorded data shows that the Arc B370's nearest rivals are all legacy or low-power parts, which contextualizes the 4K and 1440p results.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component dominates in Minimum. At 3840x2160, the average framerates across all presets sit between 15 and 30 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 15 FPS, and even Low cannot reach 60 FPS. This indicates a severe GPU limitation. The Arc B370, with its 5th percentile GPU ranking, simply cannot push enough pixels at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. Low reaches 55 FPS, which is 83% of the 60 FPS target. The spread from Low to Ultra is 28 FPS. The fact that Low nearly hits the target while Ultra falls to 27 FPS suggests that the GPU is still the primary constraint, but the CPU has enough headroom to let lower presets approach playability.

At 1920x1080, the CPU begins to show its capability. Low hits 85 FPS, Medium 65 FPS, and High 55 FPS. The i3-12100F, which ranks in the 68th percentile among all CPUs, has sufficient single-thread and multi-thread performance to drive these framerates. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11860 and single-core score of 1674 support this conclusion. The bottleneck at 1080p is still the GPU for Ultra and High presets, but the CPU can keep up with Medium and Low.

The delta between 1440p Low and 1080p Low is 30 FPS, while the delta between 4K Low and 1440p Low is 25 FPS. This consistent scaling indicates that resolution is the dominant variable, and the GPU's rendering throughput is the limiting factor across all tested settings. The CPU's role becomes more visible only at 1080p Low, where the framerate exceeds what a severely GPU-limited system would typically produce.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is unambiguous. At 3840x2160, no preset clears the 60 FPS threshold. The best result is Low at 30 FPS, which is exactly half the playable target. At 2560x1440, the situation is similar: no preset reaches 60 FPS. Low comes closest at 55 FPS, but that still falls short. This computer cannot run Minimum at 60 FPS at either 4K or 1440p.

At 1920x1080, the system clears the threshold with two presets. Low averages 85 FPS, and Medium averages 65 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS. The best playable setting is Medium, which delivers 65 FPS average. High falls just below at 55 FPS, and Ultra is far behind at 42 FPS. For a 1080p display, this combination is playable, but only when the user selects Medium or Low quality settings. The minimum framerate at Medium (56 FPS) is within 4 FPS of the 60 FPS target, so occasional dips below 60 are possible, but the average remains comfortably playable.

The data shows that this PC is a 1080p machine for Minimum, not a 1440p or 4K machine. Users with 1440p or 4K monitors should not expect a smooth experience, regardless of preset selection.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, there is no preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. The highest average recorded is 30 FPS at Low, which is far below the threshold. No recommendation can be made for this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the same conclusion applies. The best average is 55 FPS at Low, which misses the 60 FPS target by 5 FPS. The data does not support any preset at this resolution as playable.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium. It averages 65 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS. Low also clears the threshold at 85 FPS, but Medium is the highest quality option that maintains the playable average. High and Ultra do not qualify, as they average 55 FPS and 42 FPS respectively.

The recommendation for a 1080p user is straightforward: select Medium for the best balance of visual quality and performance, or select Low if framerate consistency is the priority. For any user with a higher-resolution display, the system will require a GPU upgrade to achieve playable framerates.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F and Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 3425 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the bottom 8% of all configurations in the database. The rank reflects the GPU's severe limitation more than the CPU's capability. The i3-12100F's 68th percentile CPU ranking and the Arc B370's 5th percentile GPU ranking create a lopsided pairing, where the GPU drags the overall result down.

In context, this combo sits above only 287 other tested configurations. The measured FPS data aligns with this ranking: the system is playable at 1080p Medium and Low, but not at higher resolutions. The rank also explains why the 1440p and 4K results are so poor. The Arc B370's nearest GPU rivals, such as the ATI Radeon HD 5770 and AMD Radeon HD 7650M, are all legacy parts that would similarly struggle with modern titles at high resolutions.

The takeaway from the ranking is that this combination is suitable only for low-demand scenarios at 1080p. In Minimum, that means Medium settings. The CPU is not the weak link; the GPU is. If the user were to pair the i3-12100F with a stronger GPU, the resulting combo would rank significantly higher, but as recorded, the Arc B370 holds the system back. The data indicates that this is a marginal configuration for Minimum, playable only at the lowest resolutions and with reduced quality settings.