Downfall

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB lands at rank 707 out of 1741 tested combinations in Downfall. This places the combo in the upper-middle portion of the database, meaning it outperforms the majority of tested systems while still leaving headroom above for higher-end configurations. The rank reflects the aggregate measured performance across all resolution and settings combinations, so it is a useful summary metric for where this pairing sits in the broader landscape.

Looking at the CPU side, the Core i3-12100F holds a 72nd percentile ranking among all processors tested in the benchmark suite. Its average benchmark score of 13516 places it within a tight cluster of rivals: it trails the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX by just 0.1%, leads the Intel Core i7-1250U by 0.4%, and sits 0.6% above the Intel Core i3-10105. The closest competitor, the Intel Core i7-7700K, is 1.8% behind. These deltas are small, indicating that the i3-12100F delivers compute performance essentially on par with those four alternatives despite being a lower-tier part in its own generation.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB posts an average benchmark score of 2913, which corresponds to a 17th percentile ranking among all graphics cards. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M, matches it exactly with a 0% delta, while the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB version is 0.2% ahead. The GeForce GT 650M trails by 0.7%, and the GeForce GTX 860M is 1.5% behind. These near-identical scores suggest that, at least in this particular benchmark metric, the 8 GB variant performs indistinguishably from its 16 GB sibling and from much older mobile GPUs — a surprising result that underscores how game-specific performance can diverge from synthetic averages.

The combination of a mid-pack CPU and a low-percentile GPU benchmark score produces the 707th rank in Downfall. The data indicates that the GPU is the more limiting factor in this pairing, as its percentile ranking is significantly lower than the CPU's. This is consistent with the measured FPS results, which show the combo handling most settings and resolutions comfortably, but the GPU's modest standing relative to other cards suggests it will be the first component to bottleneck if workloads become more demanding.

Settings Recommendations

Across all three resolutions, the measured FPS data reveals a consistent pattern: Low settings deliver the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra producing the lowest averages. At 1920x1080, Low settings yield 265.5 FPS, Medium drops to 217.2 FPS, High falls to 174.5 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 109.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial — more than halving the frame rate — but even Ultra remains above 100 FPS at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same ordering holds: Low produces 187.6 FPS, Medium 155.1 FPS, High 128.9 FPS, and Ultra 79.8 FPS. Here, Ultra drops below the 80 FPS mark, which may be noticeable for users with high-refresh displays. At 3840x2160, Low still manages 115.3 FPS, Medium 97.9 FPS, High 78.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 47.2 FPS — the only measured configuration that fails to reach 60 FPS.

For the best balance between visual fidelity and frame rate, the data suggests High settings at 1080p or 1440p. At 1080p, High delivers 174.5 FPS, which is well above typical display refresh rates while providing a meaningful visual upgrade over Low and Medium. At 1440p, High's 128.9 FPS remains smooth and is only 47.0 FPS below Medium's 155.1 FPS, making it the recommended preset for players prioritizing image quality without sacrificing responsiveness. Ultra at 1440p, at 79.8 FPS, is playable but leaves little margin for frame-time spikes, while Ultra at 4K at 47.2 FPS is best avoided unless the user accepts sub-60 FPS gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K illustrates how the load shifts between CPU and GPU. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo reaches 265.5 FPS, which is so high that the CPU likely becomes the primary constraint; the i3-12100F's four cores and eight threads cannot push frame rates higher even though the GPU has spare capacity. This is supported by the fact that the CPU's nearest rivals all score within 1.8% of it, indicating that the processor is the ceiling at low graphical loads.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, Low drops to 187.6 FPS — a 29.3% reduction from 1080p. The GPU begins to take on more work, but the frame rate remains high enough that the CPU still matters. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 115.3 FPS, a further 38.5% drop. This scaling pattern suggests that at Low settings, the GPU is increasingly the limiting factor as pixel count grows, but the CPU still contributes to overall throughput.

The Ultra settings tell a different story. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 109.5 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, 79.8 FPS (a 27.1% drop); and at 4K Ultra, 47.2 FPS (a 40.9% drop from 1440p). The steeper percentage declines at Ultra compared to Low indicate that the GPU is far more heavily loaded when all graphical features are enabled. The RTX 4060 Ti's 8 GB memory buffer and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely strained at higher resolutions with Ultra settings, which explains why the frame rate collapses to below 50 FPS at 4K. The data points to the GPU as the definitive bottleneck at Ultra across all resolutions, with the CPU's role diminishing as resolution climbs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings average 265.5 FPS, Medium 217.2 FPS, High 174.5 FPS, and Ultra 109.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 156.0 FPS, showing that settings choice has a dramatic impact at this resolution. Even the lowest result, Ultra at 109.5 FPS, is comfortably above 60 FPS, so users with 1080p displays can run any preset without dropping below playable thresholds.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 187.6 FPS (Low), 155.1 FPS (Medium), 128.9 FPS (High), and 79.8 FPS (Ultra). The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings: Low falls by 77.9 FPS, Medium by 62.1 FPS, High by 45.6 FPS, and Ultra by 29.7 FPS. This narrowing delta as settings increase indicates that Ultra is already GPU-bound at 1080p, so the additional pixel load at 1440p has a relatively smaller absolute impact.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 115.3 FPS (Low), 97.9 FPS (Medium), 78.9 FPS (High), and 47.2 FPS (Ultra). Low remains above 100 FPS, which is notable for a 4K resolution. Medium stays close to 100 FPS, while High dips to just under 80 FPS. Ultra is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, and its 47.2 FPS average is a 56.9% reduction from the 4K Low result. This suggests that Ultra's additional graphical features — likely including higher-resolution textures and more demanding lighting — overwhelm the GPU's 8 GB memory capacity.

GPU Role

The RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and 22,900 million transistors on a 188 mm² die. Its base clock is 2310 MHz with a boost clock of 2535 MHz, and memory runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective speed. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory uses a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications place the card in the lower tier of the GeForce 40-series lineup, and its 17th percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects that positioning.

In Downfall, the GPU's behavior aligns with its specifications. At 1080p Low, the card can push 265.5 FPS, indicating that it has ample raw throughput for lighter loads. However, the 4K Ultra result of 47.2 FPS reveals a clear limitation: the 8 GB memory buffer appears insufficient for the highest settings at 4K, where texture data and geometric complexity likely exceed available VRAM. The 128-bit bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth further constrain performance when memory pressure rises, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops from High to Ultra at each resolution.

The GPU's benchmark score of 2913, which matches the GeForce GT 555M exactly, is curious given the architectural gulf between the two cards. This may indicate that the synthetic benchmark does not fully capture the RTX 4060 Ti's capabilities in game workloads. In Downfall specifically, the measured FPS at Low and Medium settings shows strong performance, suggesting the card is well-suited to the game's engine when graphical demands are moderate. The Ultra preset, however, exposes the GPU's weaknesses, and users should expect to compromise on settings if they wish to maintain high frame rates at 1440p or above.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Downfall?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F with the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB ranks 707th out of 1741 tested combinations in Downfall.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a smooth experience?

A: High settings at 1920x1080 produce 174.5 FPS, and at 2560x1440 High yields 128.9 FPS. Both are well above 60 FPS, making High the recommended preset for balanced visuals and performance.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings average 115.3 FPS, Medium 97.9 FPS, and High 78.9 FPS. Only Ultra falls below 60 FPS, averaging 47.2 FPS.

Q: Which component acts as the bottleneck in Downfall?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at Ultra settings across all resolutions, with the 4K Ultra result of 47.2 FPS showing clear GPU constraint. At lower settings and 1080p, the CPU's four cores may cap frame rates, as indicated by the high 265.5 FPS Low result.

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

A: The i3-12100F averages 13516 in benchmarks, trailing the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX by 0.1%, leading the Intel Core i7-1250U by 0.4%, and the Intel Core i3-10105 by 0.6%. The Intel Core i7-7700K is 1.8% behind.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB averages 2913 in benchmarks, matching the GeForce GT 555M exactly, sitting 0.2% behind the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB, and leading the GeForce GT 650M by 0.7% and the GeForce GTX 860M by 1.5%.