Evolve

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB delivers a performance profile in Evolve that is heavily dictated by resolution and graphics settings. The data reveals a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but one that becomes progressively GPU-limited as pixel count rises. The measured frame rates, combined with the component benchmark scores, paint a picture of a balanced pairing where the CPU headroom is ample for the GPU’s capabilities at lower resolutions, while the GPU’s workload dominates at higher settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all quality presets, indicating a clear transition from a CPU-bound scenario to a GPU-bound one. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 222.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average falls to 150.9 FPS, a reduction of 72 FPS or roughly 32%. At 4K Low, the average drops further to 83.7 FPS, which is a 62% decline from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern shows that even at Low settings, the higher resolution demand quickly saturates the GPU.

The trend is similar for High settings, though the absolute FPS values are lower. At 1080p High, the average is 134.7 FPS. This falls to 89.1 FPS at 1440p High, a 33.8% drop, and then to 48.5 FPS at 4K High, a further 45.5% reduction from the 1440p result. The delta between 1440p and 4K is larger than between 1080p and 1440p, suggesting the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are being taxed more heavily as the resolution increases. The 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely contributing factors to this steep falloff.

Ultra settings exhibit the most severe scaling. The 1080p Ultra average is 96 FPS, which is respectable, but this plummets to 63.9 FPS at 1440p Ultra and then to a marginal 33.1 FPS at 4K Ultra. The difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is a 65.5% drop, making 4K Ultra effectively unplayable for smooth competitive action. The data shows that this combo is most efficient at 1080p, where the CPU can feed the GPU sufficiently; at 4K, the GPU becomes the definitive limiting component, with the 33.1 FPS result at Ultra highlighting the lack of headroom for high-fidelity 4K gaming.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong single-thread performance, with a 3dmark single-thread score of 893 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2224. This is critical for Evolve, which, as an FPS title, often relies on strong single-core performance for game logic and physics. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681 further confirms this capability.

In multi-threaded tests, the processor shows its limits due to its 4-core design. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 11912, and the 3dmark max-threads score is 4023. This is modest compared to higher-core-count rivals, but the data indicates it is sufficient for this game at lower resolutions. The 3dmark 8-thread score of 4026 is nearly identical to the max-threads score, suggesting the 8 threads are being fully utilized. However, the frame rates at 1080p Low (222.9 FPS) and 1080p High (134.7 FPS) suggest that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at these settings; the GPU is still able to keep up.

The CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support provide adequate data throughput. The processor’s performance relative to other CPUs, with a percentile vs all CPUs of 72, indicates it sits above average. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, which has an average score of 13534 and a delta of -0.1%, and the Intel Core i7-7700K with an average score of 13280 and a delta of 1.8%. This places the i3-12100F in a competitive position, showing that its single-thread strength compensates for its lower core count in this game’s workload. The data implies that the CPU is not the limiting factor until frame rates exceed roughly 220 FPS, which only occurs at 1080p Low.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested combinations, this pairing sits at rank 720 out of 1695 combos for Evolve. This places it in the 42.5th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms roughly 42% of systems but is beaten by the majority. This ranking reflects a mid-range position, not a top-tier one, despite the individual components’ strengths.

The GPU’s benchmark results are a key factor in this ranking. The RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB has an average benchmark score of 2913, which is low relative to its generational peers. Its percentile vs all GPUs is 17, indicating that it outperforms only 17% of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M (score 2913, delta 0%) and the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB (score 2907, delta 0.2%). This suggests that the 8 GB variant is being compared against much older or less capable mobile parts, which skews its relative performance perception. The combo rank of 720 is thus more reflective of the GPU’s limitations than the CPU’s capabilities.

The CPU’s strong performance, with a percentile of 72, does not boost the combo rank as much as one might expect. This is because the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings. For instance, at 4K Ultra, the combo delivers 33.1 FPS, which is below the 48.5 FPS at 4K High, showing the GPU is overwhelmed. The rank of 720 out of 1695 suggests that while this combo is capable at 1080p, it does not compete with higher-end GPU pairings for 1440p or 4K gaming, which is consistent with the resolution scaling data.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and setting combination for this combo in Evolve?*

A: The data shows the highest average FPS is achieved at 1080p Low with 222.9 FPS. For a balance of quality and performance, 1080p High at 134.7 FPS or 1440p Medium at 113.7 FPS are viable options, as they remain above 60 FPS.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Evolve?*

A: It can run at 4K, but with significant compromises. The 4K High setting yields 48.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K Ultra setting drops to 33.1 FPS, making it challenging for smooth gameplay. The 4K Low setting is more playable at 83.7 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516. It is 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (score 13534) and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U (score 13462). It is also 1.8% ahead of the Intel Core i7-7700K (score 13280).

Q: What is the GPU’s relative performance ranking?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB has a percentile vs all GPUs of 17, indicating it outperforms 17% of GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 2913, with its closest rival being the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M at a 0% delta.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 222.9 FPS, which is very high. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at this level, as indicated by its high single-thread performance. The limiting factor shifts to the GPU at 1080p Ultra (96 FPS), where the graphics workload increases.

Q: How does the combo’s performance scale between 1440p and 4K?

A: The frame rate drops significantly. For High settings, it falls from 89.1 FPS at 1440p to 48.5 FPS at 4K, a 45.5% reduction. For Medium settings, it falls from 113.7 FPS to 63.3 FPS, a 44.3% reduction. This indicates a strong GPU bottleneck at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 4352 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Its base clock is 2310 MHz with a boost clock of 2535 MHz. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. These specs are modest for a 40-series card, and the benchmark data reflects this.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 2913 places it in the 17th percentile of all GPUs. This low score suggests that despite its modern architecture, the 8 GB memory configuration and 128-bit bus limit its compute throughput in synthetic tests. The nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M with a 0% delta, which is a much older part, indicating the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB is not performing at a level expected of its generation. The RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB is only 0.2% behind, showing that the extra memory does not significantly affect the average score.

In Evolve, the GPU’s role is clearly dominant at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 33.1 FPS and 4K High result of 48.5 FPS show the GPU struggling to maintain playable frame rates. The 8 GB VRAM may be insufficient for large textures at 4K Ultra, although the specific settings are not detailed in the data. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is also a limiting factor for high-resolution data transfer. The GPU’s TDP of 160 W and suggested PSU of 450 W indicate it is a power-efficient part, but this does not translate to high-end performance. The data clearly shows that while the CPU can push high frame rates at 1080p, the GPU is the component that determines the playability ceiling at 1440p and 4K.