High On Life

The Intel Core i5-12400F pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 to deliver a capable 1080p gaming experience in High On Life, though the data reveals a distinct performance ceiling that shifts depending on resolution and settings. This combination ranks 988th out of 1732 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the three resolutions and four settings presets tell a clear story about which component drives performance in this specific title.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400F brings a 6-core, 12-thread configuration based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide the processing headroom needed to feed a modern GPU in an FPS title like High On Life. The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 indicate a flexible platform, though the benchmark results suggest that at lower resolutions, the processor is not the primary bottleneck.

Looking at the synthetic benchmarks, the i5-12400F scores 16,518 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2,332 in single-core. These scores place it at the 77th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19,221. The nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i7-8700K (0.1% ahead), the Intel Core i5-1335U (0.3% ahead), and the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (0.7% behind). The deltaPct values indicate that the i5-12400F sits in a tightly contested performance band where a single percentage point separates it from several competitors.

In High On Life specifically, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the scaling from 1080p to 1440p. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 169.2 FPS, while at 1440p Low it drops to 113.7 FPS. This 32.8% reduction suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU is increasingly becoming the limiting factor as resolution climbs. The CPU's 3dmark_single_thread score of 909 and passmark_single_thread score of 3,481 indicate adequate per-core performance for game logic and physics, but the data does not show any scenario where the CPU noticeably caps the frame rate.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and packs 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz provide the raw compute power, with 3,072 shading units and 24 RT cores available for rendering tasks. Its FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS places it as a solid mid-range option, and the 66th percentile ranking against all GPUs reflects its position in the broader market.

The GPU's benchmark profile shows a passmark_g3d score of 19,545 and a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 2,302. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (0.6% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (0.7% behind), and the Intel Arc B580 (0.7% ahead). These deltaPct values again show a cluster of GPUs with nearly identical average scores, suggesting that the RTX 4060's performance in synthetic tests is representative of a particular performance tier.

In High On Life, the GPU's influence is most evident at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 32.9 FPS, while 4K Low reaches 70.5 FPS. This dramatic spread across settings at the same resolution highlights how the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus interact with the game's visual demands. The 272.0 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K Ultra result suggests the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of resolution and graphical fidelity.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear resolution scaling pattern that shifts the bottleneck between CPU and GPU. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 169.2 FPS at 1080p to 113.7 FPS at 1440p, a 32.8% decrease, and then to 70.5 FPS at 4K, another 38.0% decrease. This progressive decline indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter even at Low settings, as the CPU's 6-core/12-thread configuration appears capable of sustaining higher frame rates.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The combo delivers 77.9 FPS at 1080p, drops to 55.2 FPS at 1440p (a 29.1% decrease), and falls to 32.9 FPS at 4K (a 40.4% decrease). The fact that the percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is larger than from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra settings suggests that the RTX 4060's memory bandwidth and compute resources become increasingly strained as pixel count grows. The 8 GB VRAM capacity may also be a factor at 4K Ultra, where texture data and geometry can exceed comfortable memory allocation.

The data implies that this combination is optimized for 1080p gaming, where even Ultra settings maintain a playable 77.9 FPS. At 1440p, the combo remains viable with High settings delivering 76.9 FPS, but Ultra drops below the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, only Low settings achieve a smooth experience at 70.5 FPS, while Medium and High dip to 53.1 and 48.3 FPS respectively.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 110.1 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a substantial improvement over Medium's 130.1 FPS in terms of visual quality while maintaining a high refresh rate experience. For players with 144 Hz monitors, the Low preset at 169.2 FPS is the only option that fully saturates that refresh rate, but the visual trade-off may not be worth it.

At 1440p, the High preset at 76.9 FPS offers the best balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. Medium runs at 92.2 FPS, which is smoother but sacrifices graphical detail, while Ultra at 55.2 FPS dips below the 60 FPS threshold and may introduce noticeable stutter on standard 60 Hz displays. The Low preset at 113.7 FPS is viable for competitive play, but the visual downgrade is significant.

For 4K gaming, the data strongly suggests that only the Low preset at 70.5 FPS provides a consistently smooth experience. Medium at 53.1 FPS and High at 48.3 FPS are borderline playable but may exhibit frame pacing issues, while Ultra at 32.9 FPS is not recommended for anything beyond screenshot captures. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K (17.4 FPS) is smaller than the gap between Medium and High (4.8 FPS), indicating diminishing returns on visual quality for the performance cost.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in High On Life?

A: The data shows that at 4K resolution, only Low settings (70.5 FPS) deliver a smooth experience. Medium (53.1 FPS) and High (48.3 FPS) are below the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra (32.9 FPS) is not playable for most users.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p?

A: High settings at 76.9 FPS provide the best balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra drops to 55.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, while Medium at 92.2 FPS offers smoother gameplay with reduced visual fidelity.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23,181, with the AMD Radeon RX 6600M 0.6% behind and the Intel Arc B580 0.7% ahead. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti is also 0.7% behind, showing a tight performance cluster.

Q: Is the i5-12400F a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 169.2 FPS, which suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor. The GPU's performance ceiling appears to cap frame rates, as evidenced by the scaling patterns across resolutions.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the frame rate drops from 110.1 FPS at 1080p to 76.9 FPS at 1440p, then to 48.3 FPS at 4K. This represents a total decrease of 56.2% from 1080p to 4K.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 988th out of 1,732 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings achieve 169.2 FPS, Medium reaches 130.1 FPS, High hits 110.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 77.9 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 53.9% reduction in frame rate, indicating that the RTX 4060's compute resources are heavily taxed by the highest preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease across all settings. Low produces 113.7 FPS, Medium reaches 92.2 FPS, High achieves 76.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 55.2 FPS. The relative gap between settings narrows compared to 1080p, with the difference between Low and Ultra at 51.5%.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings deliver 70.5 FPS, which is the only preset above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium manages 53.1 FPS, High achieves 48.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32.9 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is 80.6% lower than the 1080p Low result, highlighting the GPU's limitations at high pixel counts.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame places this configuration at 988th out of 1,732 tested combos, which translates to roughly the 43rd percentile. This ranking reflects the combination of the i5-12400F's 77th percentile CPU ranking and the RTX 4060's 66th percentile GPU ranking. The synthetic benchmark scores support this positioning, with the CPU's average score of 19,221 being 0.1% behind the Intel Core i7-8700K and 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 23,181 places it 0.7% behind the Intel Arc B580 and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6600M. These marginal differences in synthetic scores do not translate into significant performance gaps in High On Life, as the measured FPS data shows that the combo's in-game performance is more heavily influenced by resolution and settings than by the small deltas between rivals. The ranking suggests that while this is not a top-tier combination, it offers solid performance for 1080p and 1440p gaming in this title, with 4K being a stretch goal that requires significant settings compromises.