Fivem

Fivem, the multiplayer modification framework for Grand Theft Auto V, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with resolution and graphical settings. For the combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, the measured frame rates reveal a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU holds its own at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and clearly indicates where the graphical load lies. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces an average of 112.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same High settings, the average drops to 76.9 FPS, a reduction of roughly 32%. The jump to 4K is even more punishing, with the average falling to 43.9 FPS. This steep decline—from 112.5 FPS at 1080p to 43.9 FPS at 4K—shows that the rendering resolution has a direct and massive impact on performance.

The pattern holds across other settings as well. At Low settings, the system achieves 180.2 FPS at 1080p, 116.9 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K. The scaling factor between 1080p and 4K is nearly identical across Low and High settings, suggesting that the pixel count is the dominant factor rather than the specific quality presets. Even at Medium settings, the frame rate halves from 142.6 FPS at 1080p to 50.4 FPS at 4K.

This data indicates that at 1080p, the system has ample headroom, with frame rates well above 100 FPS on most settings. At 1440p, performance remains playable but begins to show strain, with Ultra settings dipping to 57.7 FPS. At 4K, the system struggles to maintain a smooth experience, especially at higher quality presets. The Ultra preset at 4K yields only 30.1 FPS, which is a clear indicator that this resolution is beyond the comfortable operating range for this combo under maximum graphical load. The limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU, as the frame rate scales almost linearly with the number of pixels being processed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is a Pascal-architecture card with 11 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 352-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 484.4 GB/s. Its base clock is 1481 MHz with a boost clock of 1582 MHz. These specifications are instrumental in understanding the 4K performance. The 11 GB frame buffer is ample for Fivem, which does not appear to be constrained by VRAM capacity in these tests, as the frame rate drops are consistent with compute and fill-rate limitations rather than memory swapping.

The GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks places it in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19402. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780, scores 19405, a negligible 0% difference. This close grouping shows that the 1080 Ti is a solid mid-range performer by current standards, but it is not a top-tier card for 4K gaming.

The impact of the GPU is most evident when comparing the Low and Ultra settings at 4K. At Low, the card renders 63 FPS, but at Ultra, it drops to 30.1 FPS. This 33 FPS difference is a direct result of the increased shading, texture, and post-processing work demanded by the Ultra preset. The card’s 3584 shading units and 88 ROPs are being pushed to their limits at 4K Ultra. The data suggests that the 1080 Ti is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming and capable 1440p gaming, but 4K gaming is only viable at lower settings. The 250 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for a card of this era, but the performance numbers confirm that it is outclassed by newer architectures for 4K resolution targets.

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. It has 12 MB of shared L3 cache. In this Fivem test, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The benchmark results indicate that the i3-12100F is not the primary bottleneck in this configuration, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU is saturated.

The CPU’s single-threaded performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3444. This is crucial for Fivem, which often relies heavily on a few cores for game logic. The multi-threaded scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11912, show that the 4-core/8-thread design is adequate for the task but not exceptional. The CPU sits in the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13516. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, scores 13534, a delta of -0.1%, indicating that the i3-12100F performs on par with a much more expensive workstation processor in average benchmark terms.

In the game itself, the evidence for CPU sufficiency is that the frame rate scales heavily with resolution. At 1080p Low, the system hits 180.2 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that would stress the CPU’s ability to submit render commands. However, the fact that the frame rate more than doubles from 4K Ultra (30.1 FPS) to 1080p Low (180.2 FPS) suggests that the CPU can handle the low-resolution workload without capping the GPU. The 4-core design with high boost clocks is sufficient for this game's engine, as the bottleneck clearly shifts to the GPU when the resolution increases. The data points to a balanced pairing at 1440p, where the CPU still has headroom and the GPU is working harder, resulting in the 76.9 FPS High setting average.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the i3-12100F and GTX 1080 Ti ranks 1056 out of 1792 combos. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all tested systems. The percentile ranking of the CPU (72nd) is higher than that of the GPU (61st), which confirms that the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing. The combo rank of 1056 reflects a system that is capable for 1080p and 1440p gaming but falls behind more modern or higher-end combinations for 4K.

The data indicates that this combo is not at the top of the charts, nor is it at the bottom. A rank of 1056 out of 1792 suggests that a significant number of other tested combinations achieve higher average frame rates in Fivem. This is likely due to the GPU's age and its mid-pack synthetic benchmark scores. The GTX 1080 Ti's average benchmark score of 19402 is nearly identical to its rival, the GTX 780, which scores 19405. This indicates that in raw computational terms, the 1080 Ti is not a significant upgrade over much older hardware, despite its larger 11 GB memory buffer. The combo’s ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's position in the 61st percentile, which drags down the overall performance relative to systems using newer GPUs that score higher in the 3DMark and Passmark suites.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average frame rate is 112.5 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance drop occurs when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 112.5 FPS at 1080p to 43.9 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 68.6 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling closely with resolution changes and the GPU's lower percentile ranking (61st) compared to the CPU (72nd).

Q: What is the best performance this combo achieves in the measured tests?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 180.2 FPS at 1080p with Low settings.

Q: How does the GTX 1080 Ti's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 19402, which is essentially identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780's score of 19405, a 0% delta.

Q: Where does this specific CPU/GPU combination rank among all tested combos?

A: It ranks 1056 out of 1792 tested combinations.