Minecraft

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i3-12100F compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i3-12100F posts an average benchmark score of 13494, placing it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. It is virtually tied with the Intel Core 3 N355 (deltaPct 0), sits 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-9500, and is 1.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U. Interestingly, the Intel Core 5 120UL edges it out by 0.7%.

Q: What is the GPU's standing relative to other graphics cards in the database?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER achieves an average benchmark score of 43223, ranking in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. It is effectively neck-and-neck with the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (deltaPct -0.1), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (deltaPct -0.1), and the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (deltaPct -0.2). The RTX 4090 Mobile holds a 1% lead.

Q: Which resolution and settings combination yields the highest average FPS?

A: The data shows the 1920x1080 Low preset delivers the highest average at 646 FPS. The 2560x1440 Low preset follows at 447 FPS, while 3840x2160 Low reaches 234 FPS. The 1080p Low result is 2.76 times higher than the 4K High figure.

Q: Are there settings where the frame rate drops below 100 FPS?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the average FPS falls to 92. This is the only measured configuration below the 100 FPS threshold. The next lowest is 3840x2160 High at 147 FPS, indicating a substantial performance cliff at 4K Ultra.

Q: How much faster is the CPU in multi-threaded versus single-threaded workloads?

A: In Cinebench R23, the multicore score is 11860 versus a single-core score of 1674, which is a 7.1x difference. However, the 3DMark 16-thread score (4051) is only 4.5x higher than the 2-thread score (1659), and the single-thread score (893) suggests the chip relies heavily on its four physical cores.

Q: What are the memory and cache specifications for this CPU?

A: The processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. It features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes.

GPU Role

The GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, packing 35,800 million transistors onto a 294 mm² die. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory runs across a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1980 MHz and boosts to 2475 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). These specifications place it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs.

In Minecraft, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution climbs. The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern: at 1080p, the frame rates are so high (445 FPS on High) that the GPU is likely idling, waiting on the CPU. But at 4K, the GPU's rendering workload becomes the primary constraint. The 4K High result of 147 FPS versus the 1080p High result of 445 FPS represents a 67% drop, which is far more severe than the pixel count increase alone would suggest — indicating the GPU is being pushed harder at higher resolutions.

The RTX 4070 SUPER's 7168 shading units and 224 texture mapping units are well-suited to Minecraft's block-based geometry. The 80 ROPs handle the pixel output, and the 198.0 GPixel/s pixel rate helps explain why even 4K High maintains a playable 147 FPS. The texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s suggests ample headroom for texture-heavy workloads, though Minecraft's procedural terrain generation may not fully exploit this capability.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 3.30 GHz and boosts to 4.30 GHz, with a 58 W TDP. The chip supports PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes and fits the Intel Socket 1700. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache is divided among the four cores, and each core has 1.25 MB of L2 cache.

Benchmark data shows this CPU outperforms its modest core count might suggest. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11860 is impressive for a 4-core part, while the single-core score of 1674 indicates strong per-thread performance. The 3DMark scores show a scaling pattern: 2-thread at 1659, 4-thread at 2859, and 8-thread at 4026 — the jump from 4 to 8 threads (40.8%) is less than the jump from 2 to 4 threads (72.3%), suggesting diminishing returns from Hyper-Threading.

In Minecraft, the CPU's performance is most visible at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low preset achieves 646 FPS, which is 2.76 times higher than the 4K Low result (234 FPS). This massive gap at the same settings indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor — the GPU could render more frames, but the processor cannot issue draw calls fast enough. The i3-12100F's strong single-thread score of 1674 in Cinebench R23 is critical here, as Minecraft's main game thread is largely single-threaded.

The PassMark results reinforce this picture. The single-thread score of 3444 and the physics score of 985 suggest the CPU handles game logic well. However, the data compression score of 160452 and integer math score of 40978 indicate that heavy multi-threaded workloads are not this chip's forte — but Minecraft's chunk generation and entity updates rarely scale beyond 2-4 threads.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 646 FPS, Medium delivers 561 FPS, High delivers 445 FPS, and Ultra drops to 278 FPS. The step from High to Ultra costs 167 FPS (37.5% decrease), which is a significant penalty for marginal visual gains. For most users at 1080p, the High preset at 445 FPS offers an excellent balance — it is still far above any display refresh rate, and the visual improvements over Medium are likely worth the 116 FPS difference.

At 2560x1440, the pattern holds: Low at 447 FPS, Medium at 354 FPS, High at 281 FPS, and Ultra at 176 FPS. The High preset here remains highly playable, and even Ultra stays above 144 Hz. However, the jump from High to Ultra costs 105 FPS (37.4% decrease), mirroring the 1080p ratio. Given that 1440p High at 281 FPS is already 1.6 times faster than a 165 Hz display, users with high-refresh monitors should consider High as the sweet spot.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. Low runs at 234 FPS, Medium at 185 FPS, High at 147 FPS, and Ultra drops to 92 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration below 100 FPS, and it falls below the 144 Hz target that many gamers prefer. The data suggests that 4K High (147 FPS) is the optimal choice for 4K displays — it stays above 144 Hz while offering significantly better visuals than Medium. Ultra should be reserved for users with 60 Hz displays who prioritize image quality over frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 614th out of 3710 tested combos in Minecraft, placing it in the top 16.5% of all configurations. This is a strong result for a CPU that sits in the 68th percentile and a GPU in the 83rd percentile — the pairing appears to punch above its weight in this specific game.

The rank reflects the unusual balance of this combo. The i3-12100F is a budget-oriented 4-core processor, yet the RTX 4070 SUPER is a high-end GPU. In most games, this would result in CPU bottlenecking at lower resolutions. The data confirms this happens in Minecraft: at 1080p Low, the 646 FPS result is likely CPU-limited, as the GPU could theoretically push much higher. However, the CPU's strong single-thread performance keeps the combo competitive.

The fact that this combo ranks higher than the individual component percentiles might suggest suggests Minecraft's workload favors the CPU's strengths (high single-thread performance) while the GPU's high frame rate headroom is less critical at lower resolutions. The 614th rank out of 3710 indicates that roughly 83.5% of tested combos score lower, which is notable given the CPU's modest specifications.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show a clear hierarchy. The Low preset averages 646 FPS, Medium averages 561 FPS with a minimum of 477 and maximum of 645, High averages 445 FPS, and Ultra averages 278 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 477 FPS is higher than the Ultra average, highlighting the massive performance gap between presets.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 447 FPS, Medium averages 354 FPS with a range of 301 to 407, High averages 281 FPS, and Ultra averages 176 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 301 FPS remains above the High average, suggesting that Medium at 1440p is more consistent than High.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 234 FPS, Medium averages 185 FPS with a range of 157 to 213, High averages 147 FPS, and Ultra averages 92 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 157 FPS is close to the High average of 147 FPS, indicating that the frame pacing at Medium is tighter than at High.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent pattern. At 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 57% (646 to 278 FPS). At 1440p, the drop is 60.6% (447 to 176 FPS). At 4K, the drop is 60.7% (234 to 92 FPS). This consistency suggests the graphics settings have a uniform impact across resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals where the bottleneck shifts between CPU and GPU. From 1080p to 1440p, the Low preset drops from 646 to 447 FPS, a 30.8% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, it drops from 447 to 234 FPS, a 47.7% decrease. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 63.8% for Low settings.

For the High preset, the scaling is steeper. From 1080p to 1440p, the drop is from 445 to 281 FPS (36.9%). From 1440p to 4K, it drops from 281 to 147 FPS (47.7%). The total drop is 67.0%. This larger drop at High settings compared to Low suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as visual quality increases.

The Medium preset shows an intermediate pattern: 561 FPS at 1080p, 354 FPS at 1440p (36.9% drop), and 185 FPS at 4K (47.7% drop). The total drop is 67.0%, matching the High preset's scaling. The Ultra preset follows a similar trend: 278 to 176 FPS (36.7% drop) from 1080p to 1440p, then 176 to 92 FPS (47.7% drop) to 4K, for a total of 66.9%.

The consistent ~37% drop from 1080p to 1440p across all settings indicates that the CPU is still playing a significant role at 1440p. The ~48% drop from 1440p to 4K shows the GPU becoming the dominant constraint. The fact that the 1080p to 1440p drop is smaller than the pixel count increase (2.25x) would predict suggests that at 1080p, the CPU limits performance, and moving to 1440p allows the GPU to work harder without being fully constrained. By 4K, the GPU is almost certainly the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 4K Ultra result of 92 FPS, which is below the 100 FPS threshold and indicates the GPU is struggling with the combined load of high resolution and maximum settings.