Outriders

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a dataset where the CPU’s modest 4-core / 8-thread design squares off against a flagship GPU. Across the measured resolutions and settings, the combination still shows a clear GPU bottleneck at 4K, but at 1080p the CPU begins to constrain the output. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS numbers, explains the interplay between the components, and gives a practical verdict for owners of this pair.

Resolution Scaling

Outriders responds to resolution changes in ways that reveal where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the average FPS is 182 at 2560×1440 and 212 at 1920×1080. At 4K it drops to 143 FPS. The gap from 1080p to 4K is 69 FPS; the GPU is clearly not the only limit, because a 4‑times and area jump only reduces the framerate by about 33% (from 212 to 143). This indicates that while the GPU is still the main rendering component, the CPU’s 4 physical cores and single‑threaded power are holding back the highest‑refresh‑rate scenario.

When settings increase, the GPU starts to absorb more load. At High, the 1920×1080 average is 170 FPS, which falls to 146 FPS at 1440p and 78 FPS at 4K. The 4K/1080p halving shows the RTX 4080’s raw performance is still responsible for the major drop, but the CPU is not completely irrelevant. At Ultra, the gap is even more pronounced: 150 FPS at 1080p, 108 at 1440p, and 56 at 4K. The fact that the 4K Ultra result is barely above 60 FPS tells us that the graph is fully GPU‑bound at that setting; the CPU’s 4‑cores are able to feed the GPU enough work to draw these frames.

The 4K Medium results show an average of 104 FPS with a min of 88 and max of 119, while 4K Low runs at 143 FPS. This is the actual GPU ceiling: it can handle the 4K load, but a lighter quality preset reduces the pixel power needed. Meanwhile, at 1080p Low the pair reaches 212 FPS; the CPU is likely the limiting factor because doubling resolution to 1440p only dampens that to 182 FPS. Even a full core‑affinity test would not give the i3‑12100F enough threads to fully feed the RTX 4080 at 1080p.

In short, the resolution‑scaling data shows a component that flips from a CPU‑bottleneck regime at low resolution/settings to a GPU‑bottleneck regime at 4K/Ultra. The RTX 4080 is so fast that the i3‑12100F’s high per‑core performance (boost 4.30 GHz) is adequate for most tasks, but the 4 cores start to show at 1080p Low.

FAQ

Q: Does the Core i3-12100F bottleneck the RTX 4080 in Outriders?

A: Yes, but only at low resolutions and low settings. At 1080p Low, the combo yields 212 FPS; by dropping to 1440p (which raises GPU load) it only falls to 182 FPS. The relatively small drop suggests the CPU is not able to feed the GPU fast enough at 1080p Low, so the framerate limited by the i3’s 4 cores/8 threads. At 4K, the GPU becomes the main constraint, as the 4080’s 9728 cores and 16 GB GDDR6X take over.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate achievable with these components?

A: The highest measured average is 212 FPS at 1920×1080 with Low settings. Ultra at 1080 yields 150 FPS. With Medium settings, the same resolution reaches 189 FPS with a minimum of 160 FPS, enough for a 160 Hz monitor but not enough for a 200+ Hz.

Q: Should I keep the CPU or upgrade to get more headroom at 1440p?

A: At 1440p Low, the pair produces 182 FPS, while 1440p High gives 146 FPS and Ultra gives 108 FPS. The CPU’s IPC (Cinebench R23 single‑core score of 1674) is strong, but the 4‑core limit means that at very high refresh rates (e.g., a 240 Hz 1440p panel) the CPU will hold back the 4080. However, for a standard 1440p monitor (144 Hz) the 146 FPS High result is adequate.

Q: What is the best setting to play at 4K without losing 60 FPS?

A: The measured numbers show that 4K Ultra yields 56 FPS, just below the 60 FPS target. Dropping to High gives 78 FPS, and to Medium gives 104 FPS. So the Medium preset is the best for a steady 100+ at 4K, and High also maintains well above 60.

Q: What percentiles do the individual components rank at?

A: The CPU has a percentile of 68, meaning it outperforms 68% of all tested CPUs. The GPU sits at 86, so it is in the top 14% of all GPUs. The combo’s rank of 561 out of 3710 means that 84.9% of other tested combos are slower, so this is a well‑matched pair.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i3‑12100F’s average benchmark score is 13494, which puts it within 0.3% of the Intel Core i5‑9500, 0.7% below the Intel Core 5 120UL, and 1.1% above the Intel Core i7‑1250U. In practice, the small variations have little impact on Outriders; the real limit is the 4 physical cores.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3‑12100F is part of the Alder Lake‑S family, with 4 cores and 8 threads, a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its L3 cache is 12 MB shared, and it uses the Intel Socket 1700. In the benchmark suite, it scores 11860 in Cinebench R23 multi‑core and 1674 in single‑core, while Geekbench 6 yields 7252 multi‑core and 1932 single‑core. Its 3DMark ‑16 thread score is 4051, and 8‑thread score 4026, showing that the CPU has peak capacity for a handful of threads.

In Outriders, which is an Unreal‑based looter shooter, the game uses fairly light CPU demands but still requires a quad‑core with good single‑thread performance. The i3‑12100F’s Alder Lake architecture delivers enough per‑core IPC (based on the single‑thread seb scores) to avoid obvious stutter in the 1080p Ultra measurement, where the average is 150 FPS. The steeper declines at 4K are due to the GPU filling every pixel, as the 4080’s 9728 shader units are a far larger load.

The nearest rival comparisons reinforce the picture: the Core i3‑12100F sits within ±0.7% of the i5‑9500 and the TGP i5‑1250U, but those other CPUs have fewer cores or lower power. The 12100F’s 4‑core configuration means that in multi‑threaded heavy scenes, threads might hit ‘the’ danger. Yet the game’s frame times are stable, as shown by the Medium setting which has a minimum of 137 at 1440p and 88 at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frames across the three resolutions show that the RTX 4080’s horsepower can deliver playable at every preset, but the i3‑12100F determines when the GPU’s power is actually used.

• 1080p (1920×1080) – If your display is a 165 Hz or higher monitor, you need to be careful. At Low the average is 212 FPS, which is great but clears the refresh. At Medium, the average 189 FPS (min 160) is also above 160. High (170 FPS) and Ultra (150) also remain above the 150‑Hz line. All presets work, but you can dial to High or Ultra without falling below 60. The best experience for a proper 240 Hz screen will stay below the CPU limit.

• 1440p (2560×1440) – This is the comfortable middle ground. Low gives 182 ‑ enough. Medium (163, min 137) gives a good response, while High (146) and Ultra (108) drop but are fine for 144 Hz monitors. If you have a 165 Hz panel, at Medium the min frame is 137, so you may experience occasional drops. High (146) also good.

• 4K (3840×2160) – The 4K results vary from 56 on Ultra to 143 on Low. For a immersive experience, Medium (104 FPS, min 88) is the sweet spot: it keeps above 88 FPS floor and clears 100 FPS average, while still being visually pleasing. High at 78 FPS is also smooth on 60‑Hz screens. Ultra at 56 is not for 60‑Hz owners.

A practical plan: prefer High at 1080p, Medium at 1440p (or High if you want visuals), and Medium at 4K. The obvious choosing factor is the refresh rate of your monitor; the CPU will not allow more than ~200 FPS at 1080p and ~180 at 1440p, so if you own a 240 Hz panel, step down to Medium or Low.

How This Combo Ranks

Outriders, according to this measured data, this configuration ranks 561st out of 3710 tested combos. That means it sits higher than roughly 84.9% of all tested hardware combinations on this site. The CPU itself has a percentile of 68 among all processors, which is about average-upper midrange, and the GPU sits at 86 percentile, near the top. The gap in raw strength is consistent with a high‑end GPU and a mid‑range CPU.

Among the CPU’s nearest rivals, the delta % less than 1.2%, meaning that any of these other quad‑core parts would produce nearly the same numbers in Outriders—the actual bottleneck is the core count, not the exact model. The combo’s strong rank is mostly due to the GPU, which in the measured FPS can push beyond 200 FPS with less settings, but the CPU still limits the at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The table below restates the exact measured averages for each setting and resolution.

1920×1080

• Low: 212 FPS
• Medium: 189 FPS (min 160, max 217)
• High: 170 FPS
• Ultra: 150 FPS

2560×1440

• Low: 182 FPS
• Medium: 162 FPS (min 137, max 186)
• High: 146 FPS
• Ultra: 108 FPS

3840×2160

• Low: 143 FPS
• Medium: 104 FPS (min 88, max 119)
• High: 78 FPS
• Ultra: 56 FPS

These numbers depict an unusual “CPU‑vatced” pattern at the low end and a “GPU‑limited” at the top. The i3‑12100F’s Cinebench single‑core score of 1674 and boost 4.30 GHz still deliver high 1080p averages, while the RTX 4080’s 16GB of GDDR6X and 9728 CUDA cores are not fully exercised until you drop to 4K. For any user who owns this pair, targeting 1440p Medium or High gives the best compromise between image quality and headroom, while 4K Ultra is the only setting that fails to hold 60 FPS, and even then it’s very close at 56.