Overpower

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers a playable but clearly GPU-bound experience in Overpower, with performance scaling that reveals the graphics card as the primary bottleneck across all tested resolutions. The combination ranks in the 29th percentile of tested configurations (2623rd out of 3713), indicating a mid-pack performer that prioritizes 1080p and 1440p gaming over 4K supremacy.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, demonstrating that the RTX 2060 SUPER’s rendering throughput, rather than the CPU’s processing power, dictates the upper limits of performance. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 75 FPS at 1920x1080 to 67 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 10.7%, and then plunges to 57 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 14.9% drop from the 1440p result. The total decline from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 24%, highlighting how the increased pixel count overwhelms the GPU’s 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced at lower graphical presets. At Low settings, the average frame rate sits at 129 FPS at 1080p, falls to 115 FPS at 1440p (an 10.9% reduction), and then drops to 98 FPS at 4K (a 14.8% reduction from 1440p). This consistent ~15% penalty between each resolution step at Low settings suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory are being stressed by the increasing resolution, even when the shading workload is minimal.

At Ultra settings, the performance ceiling is clearly visible. The average frame rate is 62 FPS at 1080p, 56 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 47 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered smooth for action games, and the 1080p Ultra result of 62 FPS is only marginally above it. The data indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting component in this configuration, as the CPU’s 4-core, 8-thread design with a 4.30 GHz boost clock is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions but cannot compensate for the GPU’s architectural limits at higher pixel counts.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the dominant performance factor in this pairing, and its VRAM capacity and clock speeds directly shape the measured results. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz, which are modest figures by modern standards, yet its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for Overpower’s demands, as evidenced by the playable frame rates at 1440p High (67 FPS) and 4K High (57 FPS), but it falls short of maintaining smooth performance at 4K Ultra (47 FPS).

The GPU’s benchmark scores contextualize its in-game behavior. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2011 and the PassMark G3D score of 16462 place it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18093. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (score 18159, delta -0.4%) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (score 18189, delta -0.5%), indicating that the RTX 2060 SUPER is positioned at the edge of its performance class. The AMD Radeon RX 460 (score 18373, delta -1.5%) and Intel Arc A770M (score 18383, delta -1.6%) are slightly ahead in raw benchmark terms, yet the in-game results show that the RTX 2060 SUPER handles Overpower competently, suggesting the game’s engine favors the Turing architecture’s feature set.

The 12 nm process node and 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die contribute to the GPU’s 175 W TDP, which is a moderate power draw for the performance delivered. The 272 tensor cores and 34 RT cores are present but not heavily utilized in Overpower, as the game’s action genre typically prioritizes rasterization over ray tracing. The measured FPS data shows no anomalies that would indicate VRAM capacity issues; for instance, the 4K Medium result of 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 70 FPS suggests that the 8 GB frame buffer is adequate for this title at high resolutions, though the frame time variance increases compared to lower resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 at High settings yields 75 FPS, which is above the smooth threshold, while 2560x1440 at High settings yields 67 FPS. For a 60 FPS target, 1440p High is viable, but 4K High dips to 57 FPS, making 1440p the optimal balance.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, which is 0.4% lower than the RTX 3060 Mobile (18159) and 0.5% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18189). It outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 460 by 1.5% but trails the Intel Arc A770M by 1.6%.

Q: Is the Core i3-12100F holding back the GPU in this game?

A: The CPU’s benchmark scores show a strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core of 1674), and the FPS data does not show a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 129 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for the Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum FPS is 69. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum FPS is 61. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum FPS is 52. These figures indicate that the combo maintains playable frame rates even in demanding scenes.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2623rd out of 3713 tested combinations, placing it in the 29th percentile. This indicates that while it is not a top-tier performer, it sits in the middle of the pack for Overpower.

Q: Does the GPU’s VRAM capacity affect 4K performance?

A: The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory appears sufficient, as the 4K Medium result shows 61 FPS average with a 52 FPS minimum. The 4K Ultra result of 47 FPS is more likely limited by the GPU’s computational throughput than by VRAM capacity.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination holds the 2623rd position out of 3713 tested combos in Overpower, placing it in the 29th percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects a system that is competent for mainstream gaming but not optimized for high-refresh-rate or 4K enthusiast play. The GPU’s percentile rank of 62 among all GPUs is notably higher than the combo’s overall rank, indicating that the CPU component drags the combined score down relative to other pairings.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 13494 places it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rivals being the Intel Core 3 N355 (score 13492, delta 0%), the Intel Core i5-9500 (score 13452, delta 0.3%), and the Intel Core 5 120UL (score 13594, delta -0.7%). These rival CPUs are all within a 1% performance band, suggesting that the i3-12100F is a solid mid-range processor. However, when paired with a GPU that scores at the 62nd percentile, the combined system lands in the 29th percentile, meaning that many other combinations with similar or lower individual component scores achieve better in-game results.

The measured FPS data supports this ranking. The combo achieves 75 FPS at 1080p High, which is respectable, but the 4K Ultra result of 47 FPS is below the threshold for smooth action gameplay. The ranking suggests that while this combo is far from the bottom of the list, it is also far from the top, and users seeking higher frame rates would need to consider a more powerful GPU or accept lower graphical settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing sufficient compute power to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at most settings, but its limitations become apparent in specific scenarios. The CPU features 4 cores and 8 threads with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, built on the Alder Lake architecture using a 10 nm process. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core provide adequate data throughput for gaming workloads.

Benchmark results show the CPU’s capabilities. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860 and single-core score of 1674 indicate strong per-thread performance, which is crucial for games that rely on a few heavily loaded threads. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 4051 and 2-thread score of 1659 show that the CPU scales well with additional threads, but the 4-core design means that multi-threaded workloads beyond 8 threads see diminishing returns. The PassMark multithread score of 14015 and single-thread score of 3444 reinforce this picture of a capable but not high-end processor.

In Overpower, the CPU’s role is evident in the frame rate scaling at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 129 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s limit for this game. The fact that the frame rate drops to 115 FPS at 1440p Low and 98 FPS at 4K Low shows that the GPU is increasingly the bottleneck as resolution rises. The CPU’s 68th percentile rank among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494, places it just ahead of the Intel Core i5-9500 (13452) and just behind the Intel Core 5 120UL (13594). This positioning suggests that the i3-12100F is a capable budget-conscious choice, but it does not provide the headroom needed to push frame rates significantly higher in CPU-bound scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Overpower provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings tiers.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 129 FPS, which is well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings yield 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS, indicating stable performance. High settings produce 75 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 62 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 67 FPS, showing that graphical settings have a significant impact on frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains playable but begins to show the GPU’s limits. Low settings average 115 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium settings average 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS and maximum of 83 FPS. High settings average 67 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 56 FPS. The frame rate reduction from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with the Low setting losing 14 FPS, Medium losing 9 FPS, High losing 8 FPS, and Ultra losing 6 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 98 FPS, which is still playable. Medium settings average 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 70 FPS, showing some frame time variance. High settings average 57 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 47 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the weakest point, falling below the 60 FPS target. The data shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU’s performance remains consistent across resolutions while the GPU’s rendering load increases with pixel count.