Overpower

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a specific performance profile in Overpower, a title released on 2023-08-14. The data shows a combination that is highly sensitive to graphics settings, with frame rates that scale predictably from 1080p to 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, the role of each component, and how this specific pairing ranks among tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At the "Low" settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 110 FPS at 1920x1080 to 98 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 84 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 23.6% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, indicating that even at lower graphical fidelity, the rendering workload at higher resolutions significantly impacts the frame rate.

The "High" settings preset shows a similar but more pronounced scaling curve. Starting at 64 FPS in 1080p, the average drops to 57 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 49 FPS at 4K. The total decline from 1080p to 4K is 23.4%, which is nearly identical to the Low preset's scaling. This consistency suggests that the performance bottleneck scales primarily with pixel count rather than the complexity of the graphical effects.

The "Ultra" preset exhibits the steepest relative drop. At 1080p, the average is 53 FPS, falling to 47 FPS at 1440p, and down to 40 FPS at 4K. The 24.5% decrease from 1080p to 4K is the largest among all presets, indicating that the combination of maximum settings and 4K resolution places the heaviest load on the rendering pipeline. The "Medium" preset shows an intermediate scaling pattern, with averages of 69 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K.

The data indicates that the Intel Arc B570 GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The consistent percentage drops across presets when moving to 4K point to a GPU-bound scenario where the rendering units and memory bandwidth are saturated. At 1080p, the CPU's role becomes more relevant, as evidenced by the relatively smaller performance gap between Low and Medium settings compared to the gap between Medium and High.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570's specifications directly influence the measured results. With 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, the GPU provides a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. For Overpower, this bandwidth appears sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gameplay across all settings, as the frame rates remain playable. However, at 4K with Ultra settings, the combination of higher pixel throughput and larger texture sets likely stresses the memory subsystem.

The GPU's clock speeds are fixed at 2500 MHz for both base and boost, which is a modest clock for the architecture. The 2304 shading units and 80 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. These figures translate to the observed performance: the GPU achieves 49 FPS at 4K High and 40 FPS at 4K Ultra, suggesting that the raw compute throughput is adequate for the game's demands but not excessive.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate its positioning. The Passmark G3D score of 14195 places it in the 65th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A750 with a deltaPct of -0.1, indicating the B570 performs nearly identically to its predecessor. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844 and OpenCL score of 83514 reflect strong compute capabilities, which are relevant for the rendering techniques used in Overpower.

The 150 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface are adequate for this performance level. The data shows that the GPU's memory configuration of 10 GB is not a limiting factor at the tested resolutions, as even the 4K Ultra preset, which would be the most memory-intensive, still runs at 40 FPS average. The GPU's performance is consistent with its 65th percentile ranking, positioning it as a mid-range solution for this game.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 110 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset. The next highest is 98 FPS at 2560x1440 on Low settings.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 40 FPS. This is 13 FPS lower than the 53 FPS average at 1920x1080 with the same preset, representing a 24.5% performance reduction.

Q: Which settings preset offers the smallest performance gap between 1440p and 4K?

A: The Low preset shows the smallest absolute difference, with 98 FPS at 2560x1440 and 84 FPS at 3840x2160, a difference of 14 FPS. The High preset has an 8 FPS difference, Medium has a 10 FPS difference, and Ultra has a 7 FPS difference.

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck at any resolution?

A: The CPU's 4 cores and 8 threads provide a 3DMark 16-thread score of 4051 and a single-thread score of 893. At 1080p Low, the 110 FPS average suggests the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as the frame rate drops consistently with increased pixel count.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 110 FPS while the Ultra preset averages 53 FPS. This is a 57 FPS difference, indicating that the Ultra preset more than halves the frame rate compared to Low.

Q: Does the GPU's 10 GB VRAM cause any issues in this game?

A: The measured data does not indicate VRAM-related stuttering or frame drops. The minimum FPS recorded at 3840x2160 Medium is 44 FPS, which is close to the average, suggesting memory capacity is sufficient for the tested settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rate data is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 110 FPS, Medium averages 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 and maximum of 79, High averages 64 FPS, and Ultra averages 53 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear hierarchy where Low is the fastest, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 98 FPS, Medium averages 62 FPS with a minimum of 52 and maximum of 71, High averages 57 FPS, and Ultra averages 47 FPS. The 1440p results show a similar ordering, but the gaps between presets narrow slightly compared to 1080p. The Low to Medium difference is 36 FPS, Medium to High is 5 FPS, and High to Ultra is 10 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 84 FPS, Medium averages 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 and maximum of 60, High averages 49 FPS, and Ultra averages 40 FPS. The 4K results show the smallest gaps between presets, indicating that the GPU is becoming the dominant constraint. The Low to Medium difference is 32 FPS, Medium to High is 3 FPS, and High to Ultra is 9 FPS.

The data shows that the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum frame rates, suggesting that this preset provides a stable frame pacing profile. The minimum FPS of 44 at 4K Medium confirms that even the lowest dips remain above the 30 FPS threshold, while the maximum of 79 at 1080p Medium shows headroom for higher refresh rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz provide the computational throughput needed for gaming. The CPU's benchmark scores show a significant difference between single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674 is strong, while the multi-core score of 11860 reflects the limitations of having only 4 physical cores.

In Overpower, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p with lower settings. At 1920x1080 Low, the average frame rate of 110 FPS is the highest recorded in the dataset, suggesting that the CPU can feed the GPU sufficiently at this resolution. The Passmark single-thread score of 3444 and the 3DMark single-thread score of 893 indicate that the processor has adequate per-core performance for the game's logic and draw-call processing.

The CPU's L3 cache of 12 MB shared is relatively modest, but the game's performance at 1080p suggests this is sufficient. The 3DMark 4-thread score of 2859 and 8-thread score of 4026 show that the CPU scales well with its available threads, though the max-thread score of 4023 indicates that the 8 threads provide no additional benefit over 4 cores in this workload.

The CPU's 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs places it in the mid-range for gaming. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-9500 with a deltaPct of 0.3, indicating the i3-12100F is slightly faster. This performance is adequate for the frame rates observed in this game, as the GPU is the primary limiting factor at resolutions above 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance. The average of 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS ensures smooth gameplay, while the maximum of 79 FPS leaves room for minor fluctuations. The High preset at 64 FPS is also viable, but the Medium preset offers a 5 FPS advantage with likely minimal visual difference.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice. The average of 62 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS maintains a playable experience, while the High preset at 57 FPS and Ultra at 47 FPS may introduce noticeable stutter during intense action sequences. The Low preset at 98 FPS is available for competitive play, but the visual fidelity loss is significant.

At 3840x2160, the choices are more constrained. The Low preset at 84 FPS is the only option that provides a high frame rate, but it sacrifices most graphical effects. The Medium preset at 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 FPS is the recommended choice for 4K, as it offers a reasonable balance of visual quality and performance. The High preset at 49 FPS and Ultra at 40 FPS are playable but may feel less responsive, particularly in fast-paced combat.

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset at 1440p is the sweet spot. It provides a 62 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while maintaining a visual quality that is substantially better than Low. The minimum of 52 FPS ensures that frame drops do not become disruptive.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2373 out of 2980 tested combos in Overpower. This places the pairing in the 20th percentile of all configurations, indicating that there are many faster combinations available. However, the ranking must be interpreted in the context of the component choices.

The GPU's 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs is significantly higher than the combo's overall rank, suggesting that the CPU is the limiting factor in the pairing's overall standing. The CPU's 68th percentile ranking is also above the combo's rank, but the combination of a mid-range CPU and mid-range GPU results in a lower overall position due to the demands of the game.

The data shows that this combo is not designed for maximum performance in Overpower. Instead, it represents a balanced mid-range configuration that can play the game at playable frame rates across most settings and resolutions. The 4K performance is modest, with only the Low preset exceeding 60 FPS, while 1080p performance is strong with the Low preset reaching 110 FPS.

The combo's rank of 2373 out of 2980 suggests that users seeking higher performance would need to upgrade either the CPU or GPU. The GPU's nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, performs within 0.1% of the B570, indicating that upgrading the GPU alone would not significantly improve the ranking. Similarly, the CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, performs identically, so a CPU upgrade to a more powerful model would be necessary to move up the rankings substantially.