Overpower

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a playable but not universally smooth experience in Overpower, with the GPU acting as the primary constraint at higher settings and resolutions. The data shows a system that excels at Low presets, where it can push well past 100 FPS at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain high refresh rates when visual fidelity is prioritized. The combination ranks in the 19th percentile of tested systems, indicating that while it is far from the weakest, it sits below the majority of configurations in this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz are modest by current standards, but the chip’s benchmark results show a strong single-threaded capability. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 1681 in single-core and 11912 in multi-core. These numbers suggest that the CPU can keep up with the RTX 2060 in most gaming scenarios, though its 4-core design may become a limiting factor in heavily threaded workloads.

The 3DMark results reinforce this profile: the processor scores 893 in single-thread, 1659 in 2-threads, 2859 in 4-threads, and 4026 in 8-threads. The near-flat scaling from 4 to 8 threads (4023 in max-threads) indicates that the i3-12100F has essentially reached its multi-threaded ceiling with its 4 physical cores. For Overpower, an action game that likely benefits from strong single-core performance, this CPU is adequate. However, its 72nd percentile ranking among all CPUs and its proximity to the Intel Core i7-7700K (1.8% ahead in average score) show that it is not a high-end part, and it could bottleneck the GPU in CPU-intensive scenes.

The CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory are standard, but its lack of integrated graphics means the RTX 2060 is the only display output path. The data indicates that at Low settings across all resolutions, the CPU is likely the limiting component, as the frame rates scale almost linearly with resolution, suggesting the GPU has headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing-architecture GPU with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 1680 MHz and base clock of 1365 MHz are paired with 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The GPU’s 6 GB VRAM is a notable constraint at 4K Ultra, where the measured average FPS drops to 45, and the data suggests that memory capacity may be limiting texture quality at higher resolutions.

In terms of raw compute, the RTX 2060 delivers 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 80.64 GPixel/s of pixel rate. Its PassMark G3D score of 14111 places it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with the AMD Radeon RX 7600S being nearly identical (0.5% faster). The GPU’s DirectX 12 score of 53 in PassMark is relatively low, which may explain why the system performs better at lower settings where draw calls are less demanding. The RTX 2060’s 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present but likely underutilized in a game like Overpower, which is not marketed as a ray-tracing showcase.

The GPU’s 1750 MHz memory clock (14 Gbps effective) is adequate, but the 6 GB frame buffer is the clear bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS of 45 is below the 60 FPS target. At 1080p Ultra, the GPU manages 58.7 FPS, indicating that the VRAM is not yet saturated but the GPU’s compute limits are being approached.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern: the system is GPU-bound at higher resolutions and settings, but CPU-bound at Low settings. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 117.8, and at 1440p Low it drops to 107.5, a decline of only 8.7%. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 92, which is a further 14.4% drop from 1440p. This relatively gentle scaling suggests that the CPU is the primary limiter at Low settings, as the GPU has enough headroom to handle the workload across resolutions.

The situation reverses at Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 58.7. Moving to 1440p Ultra drops this to 49.6 (a 15.5% decrease), and at 4K Ultra the average FPS falls to 45 (a further 9.3% drop). This steeper decline indicates that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck, with the 6 GB VRAM and the GPU’s compute limits being challenged. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 59.1 FPS (117.8 vs 58.7), which highlights how much headroom the GPU has at lower settings.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings shows a similar trend: 71.9 FPS at 1080p, 65.8 at 1440p (an 8.5% drop), and 56.7 at 4K (a 13.8% drop). This suggests that Medium is the sweet spot where the GPU and CPU are more balanced, though the system still favors lower resolutions for smoothness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full measured FPS table for the Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination is as follows:

• 1080p Low: 117.8 FPS average
• 1080p Medium: 71.9 FPS average
• 1080p High: 66.5 FPS average
• 1080p Ultra: 58.7 FPS average
• 1440p Low: 107.5 FPS average
• 1440p Medium: 65.8 FPS average
• 1440p High: 62.2 FPS average
• 1440p Ultra: 49.6 FPS average
• 4K Low: 92 FPS average
• 4K Medium: 56.7 FPS average
• 4K High: 51.1 FPS average
• 4K Ultra: 45 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern: Low settings provide the highest frame rates at every resolution, with 1080p Low being the only configuration that exceeds 115 FPS. At 1080p, the system can achieve a smooth 60+ FPS experience at Medium and High settings, but Ultra dips below 60. At 1440p, only Low settings break the 100 FPS barrier, while Medium and High hover around 62-66 FPS. At 4K, even Low settings drop to 92 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for most action games.

The gap between Low and Ultra is largest at 4K (47 FPS difference) and smallest at 1080p (59.1 FPS difference), reinforcing that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination ranks 1417th out of 1744 tested combos in Overpower, placing it in the bottom 19% of all systems. This rank reflects the combination of a mid-tier CPU and an older, entry-level GPU. While the CPU’s 72nd percentile ranking is respectable, the GPU’s 58th percentile ranking drags the overall system down.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (-0.1% delta), Intel Core i7-1250U (0.4% faster), Intel Core i3-10105 (0.6% faster), and Intel Core i7-7700K (1.8% faster), are all within a 2% performance band. This shows that the i3-12100F is competitive with much older or lower-power parts, but it does not offer a meaningful advantage over them in CPU-bound scenarios.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (0.5% faster), AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (-1.7% slower), AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (-1.7% slower), and AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (1.8% faster). The RTX 2060 sits in a narrow performance cluster, meaning that users upgrading from these GPUs would see minimal gains. The 1417th rank out of 1744 combos indicates that this system is best suited for 1080p gaming at Medium-to-High settings, where it can deliver playable frame rates without pushing the hardware to its limits.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where the system can maintain above 60 FPS at Medium and High settings. At 1440p, only Low settings exceed 100 FPS, while 4K is below 60 FPS at all settings except Low.

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

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F is within 1.8% of the Intel Core i7-7700K and within 0.6% of the Intel Core i3-10105 in average benchmark score, indicating that it offers no significant performance advantage over these older or lower-tier parts.

Q: Is the 6 GB VRAM enough for Overpower?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 45, which suggests that the 6 GB frame buffer is a limiting factor. At 1080p and 1440p, the VRAM appears sufficient, as frame rates are more dependent on settings than resolution.

Q: What is the combo rank in Overpower?

A: The combination ranks 1417th out of 1744 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 19% of all systems tested.

Q: How much FPS is lost from Low to Ultra at 1080p?

A: The average FPS drops from 117.8 at Low to 58.7 at Ultra, a difference of 59.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed by higher settings.

Q: Is this system better suited for CPU-bound or GPU-bound scenarios?

A: At Low settings, the frame rates are relatively stable across resolutions, indicating a CPU-bound scenario. At Ultra settings, the frame rates drop significantly with resolution, indicating a GPU-bound scenario.

Settings Recommendations

For the Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, the measured data points to a clear recommendation: use Low settings at 1440p for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, or Medium settings at 1080p if higher detail is preferred. At 1440p Low, the system delivers 107.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience with minimal graphical compromises. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 71.9, which is still smooth but offers better visual quality than Low.

Avoid Ultra settings at any resolution, as the system cannot maintain 60 FPS at 1080p Ultra (58.7 FPS) and falls to 45 FPS at 4K Ultra. The High preset is a viable middle ground at 1080p (66.5 FPS) and 1440p (62.2 FPS), but it does not offer a significant advantage over Medium in terms of frame rate. For users with a 4K display, Low settings (92 FPS) are the only playable option, but the visual quality will be noticeably reduced.

The data suggests that this combo is best treated as a 1080p gaming system with headroom for higher settings at lower resolutions. The 1440p Low preset provides the highest frame rate per unit of visual quality, making it the recommended configuration for most users.