Minimum

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a benchmark profile that is heavily dependent on resolution and graphical preset. For this 2014 third-person shooter, the data shows a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p, but one that requires careful settings management to maintain a consistent 60 FPS at 4K. The measured FPS indicates a clear performance hierarchy across the three tested resolutions, with the RTX 3070 providing the primary scaling power while the i3-12100F holds its own at lower settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces a wide performance envelope. The average frame rates range from 227.8 FPS on Low settings to 113.3 FPS on Ultra. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still outputs more than double the 60 FPS threshold. High settings produce an average of 147.5 FPS, while Medium yields 176.3 FPS. The scaling between Low and Ultra is a 50.3% reduction in average FPS, indicating that the GPU is the dominant component at this resolution, as the CPU has ample headroom.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but the impact of resolution is evident. Ultra settings average 70 FPS, which is a 38.2% drop from the 1080p Ultra result. High settings produce 98.1 FPS, Medium reaches 112.9 FPS, and Low climbs to 149.7 FPS. The pattern holds: each step down in settings yields significant gains, with Low being 113.9% faster than Ultra. At this resolution, the system still clears the 60 FPS threshold with room to spare on every preset.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens considerably. The Ultra preset, which was playable at 1440p, now averages only 38.2 FPS, falling below the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings manage 48.9 FPS, which is also below the threshold. The system becomes playable at Medium, which averages 61.7 FPS, and Low boosts performance to 80.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 110%, but the key shift is that the two highest quality presets no longer meet the minimum playability standard.

Best Settings per Resolution

The data indicates that the best settings for each resolution are determined by the most demanding preset that remains at or above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1920x1080, every preset exceeds 60 FPS, so the best settings are Ultra, which delivers an average of 113.3 FPS. This leaves substantial headroom for competitive play or high refresh rate displays.

At 2560x1440, the system again allows the maximum quality preset. Ultra settings average 70 FPS, which is 10 FPS above the playability threshold. This is the optimal balance of visual fidelity and fluidity, as the 70 FPS average ensures the game remains responsive without sacrificing any graphical features.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The Ultra preset falls to 38.2 FPS and High sits at 48.9 FPS, both unplayable. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, which averages 61.7 FPS. This is a close margin, but it is a playable result. The data does not include minimum FPS values, so the frame pacing consistency is unknown, but the average suggests this setup can handle 4K gaming on Medium.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals the division of labor between the Intel Core i3-12100F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070. At 1920x1080, the GPU is heavily utilized, as evidenced by the large FPS jumps between settings. The CPU, a 4-core, 8-thread part with a 4.30 GHz boost clock, has enough single-thread performance to keep up with the GPU at this moderate resolution. The 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674 indicate strong single-core capability, which is critical for maintaining high framerates.

At 2560x1440, the resolution increase shifts more work to the GPU. The FPS drops are smaller in percentage terms than the 1080p to 1440p transition, but the absolute numbers remain high. The CPU is still not a bottleneck, as evidenced by the fact that even the most demanding preset at 1440p, Ultra, yields 70 FPS. The i3-12100F’s multi-threaded score of 11,860 in Cinebench R23 suggests it has enough processing power to feed the GPU at this resolution without significant frame drops.

The 4K results reveal where the CPU and GPU balance changes. The GPU becomes the limiting factor, as Ultra and High presets drop below 60 FPS. This is a GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 3070’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the highest quality settings. The CPU is not the limiting factor here; its performance is sufficient to drive the GPU, but the GPU cannot render the scene fast enough at these settings. The shift from 1440p to 4K shows a clear GPU bottleneck at the highest presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested combos, this combination of the Core i3-12100F and RTX 3070 ranks 1582 out of 3712 total combinations. This places it in the top 57.4% of tested systems. The rank indicates that while not a top-tier or extreme setup, it is a solidly mid-to-high range performer for Minimum. The percentile of any hardware is not directly listed, but the CPU’s percentile of 68 and GPU’s percentile of 61 suggest both components are above the average. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 22,214 and the CPU’s avg benchmark score of 13,494 are the drivers of this position. The rank shows that this combo outperforms a majority of other PC configurations, but it is not at the high-end of performance, as the 4K Ultra results demonstrate.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The benchmark data provides nearest rivals for both the CPU and GPU, which can indicate hardware with similar performance potential. For the Intel Core i3-12100F, the nearest rival is the Intel Core 3 N355, which has an identical average score of 13,492, a 0% difference. This means a system with the N355 would likely produce identical CPU-heavy results. The Intel Core i5-9500 is 0.3% faster with a score of 13,452, and the Intel Core 5 120UL is 0.7% slower with 13,594. The Intel Core i7-1250U is 1.1% faster at 13,351. These are all close enough that they would not be a bottleneck difference in this game.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, the nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which has an average score of 17,083, a 0.7% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17,037, which is 1% different. The AMD Radeon HD 7970M has a score of 17,019, 1.1% different, and the NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17,468, which is -1.5% different. In practice, a system with the RX 7600 XT or GTX 6900 would be expected to produce FPS numbers within 1-2% of this RTX 3070 in Minimum, meaning the 4K Medium and 1440p Ultra results would be essentially identical. The Tesla K40c is a compute card, so its gaming performance is less relevant.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset at 1920x1080 that stays above 60 FPS?

A: Ultra settings are the highest quality preset that maintains a playable framerate, with an average of 113.3 FPS. The system is not limited at this resolution.

Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only on Medium or Low settings. The Medium preset averages 61.7 FPS, while High averages 48.9 FPS and Ultra averages 38.2 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 2560x1440?

A: The data shows that the GPU is more important as resolution increases. At 1440p, the Ultra preset still yields 70 FPS, indicating the CPU is not the limiting factor. The bottleneck is the GPU at higher settings.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested hardware?

A: The combination ranks 1582nd out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the top 57%? of tested systems. This is above the average performance level for Minimum.

Q: What is the difference between the Intel Core i3-12100F and its nearest rival?

A: The nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, has an average score of 13,492, which is a 0% difference from the i3-12100F’s 13,494. The Intel Core i5-9500 is 0.3% faster.

Q: What is the GPU’s nearest rival, and how much faster is it?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is the closest rival, with an average score of 17,083 versus the RTX 3070’s 17,208. This is a 0.7% difference, so performance is nearly identical.

The Verdict

The data confirms that this PC can run Minimum, but the definition of "run" is dependent on resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is capable of running the game at Ultra settings with an average of 113.3 FPS, far exceeding the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 2560x1440, it also clears the threshold on Ultra, averaging 70 FPS. The most restrictive case is 3840x2160, where the system cannot achieve 60 FPS on High or Ultra presets. The verdict is clear: Medium is the highest quality preset that is playable at 4K, yielding 61.7 FPS. For the best visual experience without dropping below the standard 60 FPS, the optimal configuration is 1440p with Ultra settings, which balances the quality of the visuals with the performance of the RTX 3070. This is a system that can handle the game at high quality on standard monitors, but it requires a compromise for 4K displays.