Minimum

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 98th out of 3,712 tested combinations for Minimum, placing it in the top 2.6% of all systems evaluated. This is a lopsided pairing: a 4-core, 8-thread Alder Lake processor with a 68th percentile CPU score (avg 13,494) sits alongside a flagship Blackwell GPU that ranks in the 92nd percentile of all graphics cards (avg 79,842). The benchmark data shows that despite the CPU’s relatively modest standing, the combo delivers playable frame rates at every resolution tested, with the GPU carrying the workload more heavily as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 98 out of 3,712 tested configurations indicates that this system outperforms the vast majority of tested hardware in Minimum. The RTX 5090’s average benchmark score of 79,842 dwarfs the i3-12100F’s 13,494, yet the pairing still achieves high frame rates because the game appears to scale well with the GPU’s immense compute resources. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 70.7 FPS, which is 10.7 FPS above the playable threshold of 60 FPS. The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at higher resolutions, where the GPU’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth come into play.

The CPU’s nearest rivals—Intel Core 3 N355 (avg 13,492, 0% delta), Intel Core i5-9500 (avg 13,452, 0.3% slower), and Intel Core 5 120UL (avg 13,594, 0.7% faster)—all fall within a narrow band of performance, confirming that the i3-12100F is positioned at a specific performance tier. The GPU’s nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (avg 79,605, 0.3% slower) and AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (avg 78,940, 1.1% slower), show that the RTX 5090 is closely matched only by workstation-class or high-end mobile parts. This suggests that swapping the i3-12100F for a similarly scoring CPU would yield negligible changes, but replacing the RTX 5090 with a slightly slower GPU could drop 4K Ultra below 60 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions reveals a clear division of labor. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 365.5 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 262.8 FPS (a 28% reduction); and at 4K Low, it falls to 140.1 FPS (a 47% drop from 1440p). This steep decline at lower settings indicates that the RTX 5090 is the primary driver, with the CPU’s 4 cores limiting maximum frame rates only in the least demanding scenarios. The i3-12100F’s single-thread score of 893 in 3dmark suggests it can feed frames quickly, but the GPU’s raw throughput becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises.

Preset scaling further clarifies the roles. At 4K, moving from Low (140.1 FPS) to Medium (105.4 FPS) costs 24.8% performance, while High (92.1 FPS) is 12.6% slower than Medium, and Ultra (70.7 FPS) is 23.2% slower than High. At 1080p, the same transitions cost 14.9% (Low to Medium), 15.0% (Medium to High), and 23.8% (High to Ultra). The larger percentage drops at 4K suggest the GPU is fully saturated, whereas at 1080p the CPU begins to constrain the upper limits—evident in the 365.5 FPS Low cap. The RTX 5090’s 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance is more than sufficient for any setting, but the i3-12100F’s 4 cores and 8 threads cannot push beyond the observed 365.5 FPS ceiling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest raw numbers. Low settings produce an average of 365.5 FPS, Medium drops to 310.9 FPS, High to 264.1 FPS, and Ultra to 201.2 FPS. All presets exceed 200 FPS, making 1080p the most comfortable resolution for this pairing. The delta between Low and Ultra is 164.3 FPS, or 45% of the Low figure, indicating that the GPU has ample headroom even at maximum settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 262.8 FPS (Low), 203.8 FPS (Medium), 168.1 FPS (High), and 130.1 FPS (Ultra). The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets: Low falls by 28.1%, Medium by 34.4%, High by 36.3%, and Ultra by 35.3%. This uniform scaling points to the GPU being the dominant factor, as the CPU’s workload remains constant while pixel count increases by 78%. The 1440p Ultra figure of 130.1 FPS is more than double the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, performance compresses significantly. Low averages 140.1 FPS, Medium 105.4 FPS, High 92.1 FPS, and Ultra 70.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 69.4 FPS (49.5% of Low), compared to 45% at 1080p. This suggests the GPU is approaching its limits at 4K Ultra, though it still clears 60 FPS by 10.7 FPS. The min and max FPS values are not recorded in the data, so the analysis relies solely on averages, which are consistently above the playable threshold at every resolution and preset.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K Ultra settings?*

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 70.7, which is 10.7 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict data confirms Ultra is listed as playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13,494, placing it 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-9500 (13,452) and 1.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U (13,351). It is 0.7% behind the Intel Core 5 120UL (13,594). These differences are within 1.1%, so performance would be nearly identical.

Q: What is the biggest FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Low settings, the drop from 365.5 FPS (1080p) to 140.1 FPS (4K) represents a 61.7% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop from 201.2 FPS to 70.7 FPS is a 64.9% reduction. The percentage loss is similar across presets, indicating resolution scaling is predictable.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 the limiting factor at any resolution?

A: At 1080p Low, the 365.5 FPS average suggests the CPU may be constraining the GPU, as the RTX 5090’s 3dmark Steel Nomad score of 18,355 indicates far higher potential. At 4K Ultra, the 70.7 FPS result is more likely GPU-bound, as the 32 GB memory and 104.8 TFLOPS are fully exercised.

Q: Does the combo rank among the top performers for this game?

A: Yes. The combo ranks 98th out of 3,712 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.6%. This is driven primarily by the GPU’s 92nd percentile standing, while the CPU’s 68th percentile ranking is below average for top-tier combos.

Q: What are the playable settings at 1440p?

A: All four presets are playable at 2560x1440. Low runs at 262.8 FPS, Medium at 203.8 FPS, High at 168.1 FPS, and Ultra at 130.1 FPS. The best settings (Ultra) still deliver more than double the 60 FPS threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 201.2 FPS. This is 141.2 FPS above the playable threshold, leaving substantial headroom for future patches or background tasks. At 2560x1440, Ultra also remains the best choice, averaging 130.1 FPS—more than double the 60 FPS minimum. At 3840x2160, Ultra is again the most demanding playable preset, with an average of 70.7 FPS. While this is only 10.7 FPS above the threshold, it still qualifies as playable. The data shows that no resolution requires dropping below Ultra to maintain 60 FPS, which reflects the RTX 5090’s dominance.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum at all tested resolutions and presets. The verdict data lists every combination—1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160, each with Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—as playable. The strongest result is at 1080p Ultra, where 201.2 FPS is achieved, while the weakest is at 4K Ultra, where 70.7 FPS still clears the 60 FPS bar. The i3-12100F’s 68th percentile ranking is not a liability here; the game’s demands are met by the RTX 5090’s 92nd percentile performance. For users targeting 4K Ultra, the 70.7 FPS average is playable but leaves only a 10.7 FPS margin. At lower resolutions, the combo is overkill, with 1080p Low reaching 365.5 FPS. The data confirms that this system is fully capable of running Minimum at maximum settings across all standard resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are the Intel Core 3 N355 (avg 13,492, 0% delta), Intel Core i5-9500 (avg 13,452, 0.3% slower), Intel Core 5 120UL (avg 13,594, 0.7% faster), and Intel Core i7-1250U (avg 13,351, 1.1% slower). Swapping the i3-12100F for any of these would produce nearly identical CPU-bound performance, as the largest delta is just 1.1%. The i5-9500, being a 6-core part, is the closest desktop alternative and would behave similarly in this game.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (avg 79,605, 0.3% slower), NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (avg 79,396, 0.6% slower), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (avg 78,940, 1.1% slower), and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (avg 80,959, 1.4% faster). These are workstation or high-end mobile parts, not consumer gaming GPUs. The Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, with a 0.3% delta, would offer virtually identical frame rates in Minimum. The RX 6850M XT, despite being a mobile part, is only 1.1% slower, suggesting that the RTX 5090’s performance is not unique among high-end accelerators. None of these alternatives would change the outcome at any resolution, as all are within 1.4% of the RTX 5090’s average score.