Minimum

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER delivers a playable experience in Minimum at 1080p, though the data shows a clear ceiling imposed by the graphics card at higher resolutions. Benchmark results indicate that the settings preset chosen is the primary determinant of frame rate, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening significantly as resolution increases. For a balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset at 1920x1080 provides the most consistent experience, while the Ultra preset is only suitable for those prioritizing image quality over frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data offers a clear hierarchy of performance across the four available presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 130.6 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure for this combination. Moving to Medium drops the average to 99.1 FPS, while High yields 81.6 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, producing an average of 66.9 FPS at this resolution.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the optimal choice for most scenarios. It provides a substantial frame rate advantage over High, while the visual upgrade from Medium to High is not reflected in a proportional performance cost relative to the drop from Low to Medium. For users with high-refresh-rate displays, the Low preset at 1080p is the only option that approaches the 130 FPS mark. At 2560x1440, the High preset maintains a respectable 56.1 FPS average, but the Medium preset’s 64 FPS average is a safer target for smoother gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls to 42 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a playable frame rate; the High preset manages only 29.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 23.9 FPS. Consequently, the recommendation is the Medium preset for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with High being a viable alternative at 1440p if visual fidelity is prioritized.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the clear limiting factor in this configuration at higher resolutions. The GPU’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the data shows a steep decline in performance at 4K. The card’s boost clock of 1785 MHz and base clock of 1530 MHz provide the raw compute power, yet the 5.027 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 3840x2160.

Benchmark results place the GTX 1660 SUPER at the 55th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14286. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (score 14314, deltaPct -0.2), Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (score 14315, deltaPct -0.2), and AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (score 14389, deltaPct -0.7). These comparisons show the GTX 1660 SUPER performing within a narrow band of its peers, differing by less than 1% in aggregate scores. In Minimum, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at 1440p and 4K, where the frame rate drops are proportionally larger than the resolution increase alone would suggest. The card’s pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s are adequate for 1080p but are overwhelmed by the pixel count at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F provides a solid foundation for this gaming configuration, though its contribution to Minimum’s frame rates is secondary to the GPU. With 4 cores and 8 threads, the CPU has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 and DDR5) are standard for a modern entry-level processor.

The CPU’s benchmark scores indicate strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for gaming. The 3dmark_single_thread score of 893 and the passmark_single_thread score of 3444 are respectable figures. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11912 and single-core score of 1681 show balanced performance across workloads. The CPU ranks at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13516. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (score 13534, deltaPct -0.1), Intel Core i7-1250U (score 13462, deltaPct 0.4), Intel Core i3-10105 (score 13430, deltaPct 0.6), and Intel Core i7-7700K (score 13280, deltaPct 1.8). These deltas show the i3-12100F performing within 2% of much higher-tier processors in aggregate benchmarks.

In Minimum, the CPU’s impact is most visible at 1080p with the Low preset, where the 130.6 FPS average suggests the processor can keep up with the GPU’s output. However, as resolution increases, the frame rate drops are primarily attributable to the GPU, indicating that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing. The 58 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it an efficient choice, but the data does not show any scenario where CPU performance limits the game’s frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 1534 out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum. This placement in the lower 12% of all combinations indicates that this hardware pairing is on the weaker end of the spectrum for this game. The rank reflects the aggregate performance across all tested resolutions and settings, and it is consistent with the GPU’s 55th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

The combo’s rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s performance at 1440p and 4K, where the frame rates fall below playable thresholds. At 1080p, the combo performs adequately, but the overall ranking is dragged down by the 4K results. The CPU’s 72nd percentile ranking does not compensate for the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions. This rank suggests that while the combo is viable for 1080p gaming, it is not suitable for higher-resolution displays in Minimum. The data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in this ranking, as the CPU’s aggregate scores are competitive with much more expensive processors.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drops from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 are dramatic and reveal the GPU as the limiting component. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 81.6 at 1080p to 56.1 at 1440p, a reduction of 31.2%, and then to 29.5 at 4K, a further reduction of 47.4%. This scaling is non-linear, with the 4K penalty being disproportionately severe. At Low settings, the drop is from 130.6 FPS at 1080p to 81.9 FPS at 1440p (37.3% reduction) and then to 45 FPS at 4K (45.1% reduction).

The pattern is consistent across all presets: the transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 30-40% of the frame rate, while the transition from 1440p to 4K costs an additional 45-50%. This indicates that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are exhausted at 4K, confirming that the GTX 1660 SUPER is not designed for this resolution. The CPU’s role in this scaling is minimal, as the frame rate drops are entirely attributable to the GPU’s inability to render the increased pixel count. For users targeting 4K, the data shows this combo is not viable, while 1440p is only playable at lower presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across presets is as follows: Low 130.6, Medium 99.1, High 81.6, Ultra 66.9. The spread between Low and Ultra is 63.7 FPS, representing a 48.8% reduction in frame rate when moving to the highest preset. The Medium preset offers the best balance, with only a 24.1% reduction from Low, while High costs an additional 17.5% over Medium.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 81.9, Medium 64, High 56.1, Ultra 42. The drop from Low to Medium is 21.8%, from Medium to High is 12.3%, and from High to Ultra is 25.1%. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for fast-paced gameplay. The Medium preset at 64 FPS is the only option that maintains a comfortable frame rate at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 45, Medium 36.7, High 29.5, Ultra 23.9. None of these presets achieve a playable frame rate, with even the Low preset falling below 50 FPS. The reduction from Low to Ultra at 4K is 46.9%, which is less severe in percentage terms than at 1080p but results in an absolute difference of only 21.1 FPS. The data shows that the GPU is severely overburdened at 4K, and the frame rates are too low for a competitive or immersive experience. The overall pattern across all resolutions confirms that the GTX 1660 SUPER is best utilized at 1080p, with 1440p being a secondary option at medium settings.