Outriders

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 presents a stark study in bottleneck dynamics within Outriders. The data shows a consistent pattern: the GPU is the dominant force at lower resolutions, but the CPU's architectural limits become increasingly apparent as settings and pixel counts rise. This analysis breaks down the measured average FPS across multiple configurations to identify exactly where the balance of power shifts.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling trend from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 215.2 FPS. This is the highest recorded figure in the dataset. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average drops to 180.8 FPS, a reduction of roughly 16%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 103.8 FPS. This progression shows that even at the lowest settings, the rendering load at 4K is substantial enough to cut performance nearly in half compared to 1080p.

However, the scaling behavior changes when the settings are increased. At High settings, the 1080p average is 170.1 FPS. At 1440p High, it is 108.7 FPS, and at 4K High, it drops to 57.4 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is much steeper than at Low settings. This indicates that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p Low, it becomes a limiting factor at 1440p High, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. At 4K High, the GPU is almost fully saturated, but the frame rate still falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

The Ultra preset provides the clearest evidence of the CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 129.1 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it is 80.6 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it is 44.8 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 1440p Ultra is significant, suggesting that the CPU struggles to maintain the instruction throughput required for the higher physics and AI loads at Ultra settings, even when the pixel count is relatively low. The data suggests that the i3-12100F is a hard ceiling for performance in this title, particularly when the game's complexity is maxed out.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 215.2, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the performance at 4K High compare to 1080p High?

A: At 4K High, the average FPS is 57.4, which is a significant drop from the 170.1 FPS average at 1080p High. The data shows a 66% reduction in frame rate when scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings.

Q: Is there a configuration where the frame rate exceeds 200 FPS?

A: Yes, the only configuration in the dataset to exceed 200 FPS is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the average is 215.2 FPS.

Q: Which setting preset yields the lowest average frame rate at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 yields the lowest average at 80.6 FPS, compared to 180.8 FPS for Low, 148.9 FPS for Medium, and 108.7 FPS for High.

Q: What does the data suggest about the relationship between CPU and GPU at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the performance difference between Low (215.2 FPS) and Ultra (129.1 FPS) is 86.1 FPS. This variance suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at this resolution, as the GPU has headroom to render more complex frames.

Q: Is the frame rate at 4K Ultra playable?

A: The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 44.8, which is below the standard 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The data indicates this setting is the most demanding configuration tested.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor from the Core 12th Gen series, based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its L3 cache is 12 MB shared across the cores. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 11912 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1681 in single-core. Its average benchmark score of 13516 places it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of Outriders, the CPU's role is defined by its core count and clock speed. The game appears to be well-threaded, as the CPU's 8 threads are utilized effectively. The benchmark results show that the 4-core design can deliver high frame rates, but only when the GPU is not overwhelmed. The data indicates that at 1080p with Low settings, the CPU is able to keep the RTX 3080 fed, resulting in 215.2 FPS. However, at higher settings, the CPU's limitations become apparent. The frame rate at 1080p Ultra (129.1 FPS) is significantly lower than at 1080p Low (215.2 FPS), which points to the CPU being unable to handle the increased game logic, physics, and draw calls that the Ultra preset introduces.

The CPU's 4.30 GHz boost clock is a key asset, helping it maintain strong single-threaded performance. This is reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681. This strength is visible in the game's lower-resolution results, where a strong single core is often enough to maintain high frame rates. However, the 4-core/8-thread configuration is a limiting factor when the game's complexity increases. The measured FPS at 1440p Ultra (80.6 FPS) versus 1080p Ultra (129.1 FPS) shows a 48.5 FPS drop, which is a larger absolute drop than what would be expected from a purely GPU-bound scenario. This suggests that the CPU is struggling to keep up with the demands of the Ultra preset, regardless of resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is ranked 495th out of 1693 tested combos for Outriders. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all possible configurations. This ranking is noteworthy because the GPU is a high-end part, but the CPU is a budget-conscious choice. The data shows that this pairing does not achieve the top-tier performance that the GPU alone could potentially deliver.

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, which scores 13534 (a delta of -0.1%), and the Intel Core i7-1250U, which scores 13462 (a delta of 0.4%). This means that in terms of raw processing power, the i3-12100F is statistically on par with these very different processors. However, in a gaming scenario like Outriders, the core count and architecture will matter more than the average benchmark score. The combo rank of 495 indicates that while the system is capable of high frame rates, it is not among the elite performers. The presence of the RTX 3080 places it well above the median, but the CPU prevents it from entering the top echelon of combos.

The ranking implies that for a user with this specific CPU, the GPU is a very capable partner, but the system's overall performance is capped. The data suggests that the combo is strong at lower resolutions and settings, but its ranking suffers because of the CPU's inability to fully unlock the RTX 3080 at higher settings. The 1693 total combos tested indicate a wide field, and this pairing sits just outside the top 30% of all tested combinations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is a high-end graphics card based on the Ampere architecture. It features 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation pipelines. It has a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz. The card is equipped with 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. Its FP32 performance is 29.77 TFLOPS. The GPU's average benchmark score is 35787, placing it in the 80th percentile of all GPUs.

In Outriders, the RTX 3080's role is to render the game's visuals, and its substantial memory bandwidth and compute power are evident in the 4K results. At 4K Low, the card achieves an average of 103.8 FPS, which shows it can handle high pixel counts when the visual complexity is reduced. The jump to 4K High (57.4 FPS) and 4K Ultra (44.8 FPS) demonstrates the immense load that higher settings place on the GPU.

The GPU's performance is consistently high, but the data shows it is often waiting for the CPU. For instance, at 1080p Low, the average is 215.2 FPS, which is likely close to the GPU's maximum output in this scenario. However, at 1080p Ultra, the average is 129.1 FPS. If the GPU were the sole bottleneck, we would expect this number to be higher, given the card's capabilities. The data indicates that the GPU is being underutilized at these lower resolutions due to the CPU's limitations. The GPU's 10 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the measured settings, as there are no signs of memory-related performance drops in the data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across 12 different configurations.

At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 215.2 at Low settings to 129.1 at Ultra. The progression is as follows: Low (215.2), Medium (186.2), High (170.1), and Ultra (129.1). The difference between Low and Ultra is 86.1 FPS, highlighting the significant impact of the CPU at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS falls to a range of 180.8 at Low to 80.6 at Ultra. The values are: Low (180.8), Medium (148.9), High (108.7), and Ultra (80.6). The gap between Low and Ultra is 100.2 FPS. Notably, the drop from 1080p High to 1440p High is 61.4 FPS, which is a larger drop than the 34.4 FPS drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low. This demonstrates that the High preset is more demanding on the GPU, but the Ultra preset is heavily CPU-bound.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is significantly lower. The values are: Low (103.8), Medium (77.1), High (57.4), and Ultra (44.8). The difference between Low and Ultra is 59 FPS. At this resolution, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the pixel fill rate demands more from the RTX 3080. The data shows that the combo can achieve a playable 60+ FPS at 4K only with Low settings. For a stable 60 FPS at High settings, users would need to consider a more powerful CPU or accept the 57.4 FPS average. The 4K Ultra result of 44.8 FPS is the lowest in the dataset, confirming that this configuration is the most demanding on the system.