Downfall

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 150th out of 3,716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 4% of all configurations. This impressive standing reflects a system that delivers high frame rates across all tested resolutions, though the massive performance disparity between the CPU and GPU creates a bottleneck that becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. The data indicates a combination that excels in raw output, but the benchmark results reveal specific strengths and limitations worth examining.

How This Combo Ranks

The 150th position out of 3,716 tested combos places this pairing in the 96th percentile of all configurations tested for Downfall. This rank is particularly notable because the CPU itself sits at the 68th percentile against all CPUs in the broader benchmark database, while the GPU occupies the 88th percentile against all GPUs. The combo outperforms what either component’s individual percentile might suggest, indicating that Downfall’s engine scales effectively with the GPU’s capabilities even when paired with a more modest processor.

The gap between the combo’s rank and the CPU’s individual standing suggests that the RTX 4090 carries most of the performance weight in this pairing. The i3-12100F’s average benchmark score of 13,494 places it within 0.3% of the Intel Core i5-9500 and just 0.7% behind the Intel Core 5 120UL, while sitting 1.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U. This mid-range CPU performance, when combined with the GPU’s top-tier capabilities, produces a result that outperforms the vast majority of tested systems in Downfall specifically.

The measured FPS data reinforces this ranking. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 384 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 82 FPS. These figures demonstrate that even at the most demanding settings, the system maintains playable frame rates, which contributes to its high rank among the 3,716 tested combinations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 brings substantial specifications to this pairing, including 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units provide the computational foundation for Downfall’s horror visuals. The AD102 chip, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, contains 76,300 million transistors across a 609 mm² die.

Clock speeds reach 2,235 MHz base and 2,520 MHz boost, with memory running at 1,313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The GPU’s 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate explain its ability to drive high frame rates even at 4K resolution. The 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores support advanced rendering features, though Downfall’s 2016 release date means it likely does not utilize these capabilities to their fullest extent.

The data shows the GPU’s dominance in this pairing. At 4K High settings, the combo achieves 132 FPS, which is only 55% of the 4K Low result of 196 FPS. The GPU’s pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and the substantial memory bandwidth allow it to handle the increased resolution demands effectively, though the CPU begins to limit performance at lower resolutions where the GPU could otherwise produce even higher frame rates.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations in Downfall?

A: This pairing ranks 150th out of 3,716 tested combos, placing it in the top 4% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the CPU’s individual performance standing?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F sits at the 68th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13,494. It performs within 0.3% of the Intel Core i5-9500 and 1.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U.

Q: What are the GPU’s memory specifications?

A: The RTX 4090 features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth with memory clocked at 1,313 MHz (21 Gbps effective).

Q: What is the best 4K performance recorded?

A: At 4K Low settings, the combo achieves 196 FPS average. The 4K Medium setting produces 161 FPS average with minimum and maximum of 136 and 185 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the CPU’s core configuration affect performance?

A: The i3-12100F has 4 cores and 8 threads, with base and boost clocks of 3.30 GHz and 4.30 GHz respectively. Its 12 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache support its benchmark scores, including an 11,860 Cinebench R23 multicore result.

Q: What is the GPU’s average benchmark score compared to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4090’s average benchmark score is 60,347, which places it within 0% of the Intel Arc Pro A60, 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, and 2.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO V710.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p resolution, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. The Low preset produces 384 FPS average, Medium yields 358 FPS with a minimum of 304 and maximum of 411, High achieves 296 FPS, and Ultra drops to 185 FPS. These figures show that at 1080p, the system is likely CPU-limited at lower settings, as the difference between Low and Medium is only 26 FPS while the gap between High and Ultra is 111 FPS.

Moving to 1440p, the results remain strong but show the GPU taking on more responsibility. Low settings produce 315 FPS, Medium delivers 258 FPS with a range of 219 to 297 FPS, High achieves 212 FPS, and Ultra drops to 132 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 18% decrease at Low settings, 28% at Medium, 28% at High, and 29% at Ultra, indicating that the GPU handles the additional pixel load consistently across settings.

At 4K resolution, the system still maintains high frame rates. Low settings produce 196 FPS, Medium achieves 161 FPS with a range of 136 to 185 FPS, High drops to 132 FPS, and Ultra falls to 82 FPS. The 4K results show the GPU’s capability to handle demanding resolutions, though the Ultra preset at 82 FPS represents the only setting where the system dips below 100 FPS average.

The complete data set shows a clear pattern: from 1080p Low at 384 FPS to 4K Ultra at 82 FPS, there is a 78.6% reduction in average frame rate. The Medium settings provide the most complete data with min and max values, showing consistent frame delivery across all resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 358 FPS with a minimum of 304 FPS and maximum of 411 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay with headroom above typical high-refresh-rate displays. At 1440p Medium, the 258 FPS average with a 219 FPS minimum maintains excellent smoothness, while 4K Medium at 161 FPS with a 136 FPS minimum still provides a highly playable experience.

For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, the High preset at 4K delivers 132 FPS, which remains well above standard 60 FPS displays. However, the Ultra preset at 4K drops to 82 FPS, which may cause noticeable frame pacing issues on high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1080p and 1440p, Ultra settings remain viable, with 185 FPS and 132 FPS respectively, but the substantial performance cost compared to High (37% reduction at 1080p, 38% at 1440p) suggests that High offers better value for most users.

The Low preset provides the highest frame rates across all resolutions, reaching 384 FPS at 1080p, 315 FPS at 1440p, and 196 FPS at 4K. This setting is only recommended for competitive players seeking maximum responsiveness, as the visual fidelity reduction is significant compared to Medium or High. The data indicates that Medium is the recommended starting point, with adjustments upward or downward based on display refresh rate and personal preference.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F contributes 4 cores and 8 threads based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. The CPU operates at a 3.30 GHz base clock and 4.30 GHz boost clock, with a 58 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory. The 12 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache support its benchmark performance, which includes a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11,860 and single-core score of 1,674.

The CPU’s benchmark results show moderate performance relative to its peers. Its Geekbench multicore score of 7,252 and single-core score of 1,932 indicate reasonable single-threaded capability, while the Passmark multithread score of 14,015 and physics score of 985 reflect its limited core count. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 4,051 and 8-thread score of 4,026 demonstrate that the CPU’s performance plateaus beyond 8 threads, confirming its 4-core, 8-thread design limitation.

In Downfall, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. The transition from 1080p Low at 384 FPS to 1440p Low at 315 FPS represents an 18% decrease, while the same resolution change at Ultra settings shows a 29% decrease from 185 FPS to 132 FPS. This pattern suggests the CPU becomes the limiting factor at 1080p Low, where the GPU could potentially produce higher frame rates if not constrained by the processor’s capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the balance between CPU and GPU limitations. Across Low settings, the progression goes from 384 FPS at 1080p to 315 FPS at 1440p and 196 FPS at 4K, representing an 18% and 49% decrease respectively. This scaling pattern indicates that at Low settings, the CPU imposes a ceiling at lower resolutions, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential.

Medium settings show a similar trend: 358 FPS at 1080p, 258 FPS at 1440p, and 161 FPS at 4K, with decreases of 28% and 55% between resolutions. High settings produce 296 FPS at 1080p, 212 FPS at 1440p, and 132 FPS at 4K, showing 28% and 55% decreases. Ultra settings demonstrate the most consistent scaling: 185 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 82 FPS at 4K, with 29% and 56% decreases.

The data indicates that the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as resolution increases. The larger percentage drops between 1080p and 1440p compared to the drops between 1440p and 4K at Low settings (18% vs 49%) suggest that the CPU bottleneck diminishes at higher resolutions. At Ultra settings, the nearly uniform percentage decreases across resolution steps (29% and 56%) indicate that the GPU is the primary limiting factor throughout the resolution range, with the CPU playing a smaller role as the pixel count increases.