Minimum

The Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 570 combination delivers a strictly 1080p experience in Minimum, with 4K and 1440p resolutions proving too demanding for the GPU. The data shows a clear ceiling: the RX 570's 4 GB VRAM and Polaris architecture are the primary constraints, while the i3-12100F provides ample processing headroom. This pairing ranks near the bottom of the database, at 3542 out of 3712 tested combos, indicating that while it is functional, it operates far from the performance frontier.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?*

A: The only resolution where the combo achieves consistently playable frame rates is 1920x1080. At this resolution, average FPS ranges from 40 on Ultra settings to 82 on Low settings, whereas 1440p and 4K averages fall below 53 and 28 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its direct rivals?

A: The i3-12100F's average benchmark score of 13494 places it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, has a nearly identical average score of 13492, representing a 0% delta, while the Core i5-9500 is only 0.3% behind.

Q: Is the RX 570's VRAM a limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus. Given the severe frame rate drops at higher resolutions—such as the 18 FPS average at 4K High—the data strongly suggests that the memory capacity and bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of Minimum beyond 1080p.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at 1080p Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the combo achieved a minimum FPS of 53, an average of 63, and a maximum of 72. This is the only settings level at 1080p where min/max data was recorded.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 570's average benchmark score is 28766, placing it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest competitor, the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, scores 28874, which is a -0.4% delta, meaning the RX 570 is slightly slower.

Q: What is the overall rank of this specific CPU and GPU combination?

A: The combo ranks 3542nd out of 3712 total combinations tested in Minimum. This places it in the bottom 5% of all tested systems, confirming its position as a low-end configuration for this title.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the decisive component in this pairing. Its specifications—the Polaris 20 chip on a 14 nm process, 2048 shading units, and a 256-bit memory bus—are all from a previous generation, and the benchmark results reflect this. The GPU's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory is the most critical limitation. With a memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s, the card struggles to feed the renderer at higher resolutions, leading to the catastrophic drop in frame rates seen when moving from 1080p to 1440p and 4K.

The clock speeds, with a base of 1168 MHz and a boost of 1244 MHz, are modest. The GPU's FP32 performance of 5.095 TFLOPS is the theoretical ceiling, but the actual measured performance in Minimum shows that this raw power is not effectively utilized at high resolutions. The data indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 14, a figure that is unplayable. Even at 1440p, the card's performance is marginal, with averages ranging from 26 FPS on Ultra to 53 FPS on Low.

The GPU's 74th percentile ranking against all GPUs might suggest it is a mid-range part, but its behavior in Minimum tells a different story. The 0.7% delta against the Radeon R9 M295X and the -0.8% delta against the RX 470 show it is clustered with older parts. The 4 GB VRAM is simply not enough for modern third-person shooters at high detail levels, making 1080p the only viable resolution. The card's dual-slot design and 150 W TDP are consistent with its 2017 release, but the end-of-life production status confirms its age.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is drastic and reveals a GPU-bound system. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 53 at 1920x1080 to 34 at 2560x1440, a 36% reduction. Moving to 3840x2160, the FPS halves again to 18, representing a 66% drop from the 1080p figure. This non-linear decline is characteristic of a GPU hitting its memory bandwidth and fill-rate limits.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. On Low settings, the 1080p average of 82 FPS falls to 53 at 1440p and then to 28 at 4K. This shows that even when the graphical load is reduced, the GPU cannot cope with the increased pixel count. The Medium settings data, which includes min/max values, illustrates the instability at higher resolutions: at 1440p, the average is 40 FPS with a min of 34 and max of 46, while at 1080p, the average is 63 with a min of 53 and max of 72.

The data makes it clear that the limiting component is the RX 570. The CPU is not the issue; if it were, we would see a more linear drop in performance relative to resolution. Instead, the exponential FPS loss indicates that the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory subsystem are overwhelmed. The 4K Ultra result of 14 FPS is a hard floor, showing that the card is completely out of its depth. For any playable experience, 1080p is the only option, and even then, users must compromise on settings to maintain high frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 3542 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This is a bottom-tier result, placing the system in the 5th percentile of all configurations. The data indicates that this pairing is far below the median performance level, and it will struggle with modern titles.

The ranking is driven primarily by the GPU. While the CPU's 68th percentile score is respectable, the GPU's 74th percentile score does not translate into gaming performance because the RX 570 is an older architecture. The combo's position suggests that most other tested systems feature more balanced hardware or newer GPUs.

Looking at the individual components, the i3-12100F's nearest rivals are all within a 1.1% performance delta, showing that the CPU is competitive with other mid-range options. However, the GPU's nearest rivals include the RX 6800M, which is a mobile part, and the Quadro RTX 8000, a professional card. The fact that the RX 570 is clustered with these disparate parts highlights its age and lack of modern features. The rank of 3542 is a warning to users that this system is not built for high-refresh-rate gaming or high-resolution displays.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a modern 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. In Minimum, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU, and it does so adequately, as evidenced by the fact that the GPU is the clear bottleneck.

The CPU's benchmark scores are strong for its class. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860 and single-core score of 1674 indicate solid performance. The Geekbench single-core score of 1932 is particularly relevant for gaming, as many titles are still single-thread dependent. The 3DMark 4-thread score of 2859 and 8-thread score of 4026 show that the CPU can handle multi-threaded workloads effectively.

The i3-12100F's 68th percentile ranking puts it ahead of many older i5 processors, and its nearest rival, the Core 3 N355, is a 0% delta, meaning they are performance equals. The 0.3% delta to the Core i5-9500 confirms that this budget i3 punches above its weight class. With a TDP of 58 W and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory, it is a flexible and efficient choice. However, in this combo, its performance headroom is wasted because the RX 570 cannot keep up. The CPU is not the limiting factor; the data shows that the FPS drops are directly correlated with GPU load, not CPU load.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's capabilities across three resolutions and four settings levels.

At 1920x1080, the combo performs best. The average FPS is 82 on Low settings, which is the highest recorded for this system. Medium settings yield an average of 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 72. High settings drop the average to 53 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 40 FPS. These numbers suggest that 1080p is the only resolution where the system can maintain playable frame rates, with Low and Medium settings offering the smoothest experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades significantly. Low settings average 53 FPS, which is the same as 1080p High, showing the cost of the increased resolution. Medium settings average 40 FPS, with a min of 34 and max of 46. High settings drop to 34 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 26 FPS. None of these results are ideal for a smooth experience, and they indicate that the GPU is struggling to fill the extra pixels.

At 3840x2160, the combo is effectively unusable. Low settings average 28 FPS, Medium averages 22 FPS with a min of 19 and max of 25, High averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 14 FPS. These figures are all below the threshold for a playable frame rate, confirming that 4K is out of the question. The data shows a clear trend: the RX 570 is a 1080p card, and the i3-12100F is more than capable of supporting it. Users should stick to 1080p and adjust settings to achieve their desired frame rate, with Low and Medium being the most practical choices.