Pc Building Simulator

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. It carries 12 MB of shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the platform itself is dual-channel. In synthetic workloads, the CPU posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11912 and a single-core score of 1681, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 7413 and a single-core score of 2224. These figures place it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 13516.

For Pc Building Simulator, a simulation title, the CPU's role is primarily about maintaining consistent frame pacing rather than pushing extreme thread counts. The 4-core/8-thread configuration is sufficient for the game's logic, which tends to be single-thread-bound in menu-heavy or build-phase interactions. The 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and the PassMark single-thread score of 3444 indicate strong per-core performance, which matters for a game that often simulates component interactions serially. The CPU's 3DMark 16-thread score of 4051 is nearly identical to its max-thread score of 4023, showing that the extra threads (beyond the 4 physical cores) yield minimal gains — a pattern consistent with a game that does not scale well beyond a handful of threads.

When paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, the CPU does not appear to be a bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 346.9 FPS, which is well above typical display refresh rates; even at 1080p Ultra, it holds 193.7 FPS. The CPU's 3DMark 2-thread score of 1659 and 4-thread score of 2859 show that it can feed the GPU ample instructions, but the real limitation emerges at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 62.9. That drop is more attributable to the GPU's workload than to the CPU's compute capacity, as the CPU's single-thread performance remains constant regardless of resolution.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i3-12100F compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-7700K?

A: The i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516, which is 1.8% higher than the i7-7700K's score of 13280. This puts the i3 slightly ahead despite having fewer cores, thanks to its newer architecture and higher single-thread efficiency.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all tested graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER sits in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 42576. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, scores 42653, which is only 0.2% higher — a negligible difference in real-world terms.

Q: Does the CPU's 4-core design limit frame rates in Pc Building Simulator?

A: Benchmark results indicate no systemic CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 346.9 FPS, and at 1440p Low it reaches 260.1 FPS. The CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 14015 and 3DMark 8-thread score of 4026 show adequate throughput for the game's demands, which rarely exceed 8 threads.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance?

A: The Cinebench R23 single-core score is 1681, while the multi-core score is 11912 — a ratio of roughly 7:1. This indicates that while the chip has decent parallel capability, its per-core strength (3DMark single-thread score of 893) is what carries the game's frame pacing.

Q: What memory configurations does this CPU support?

A: The i3-12100F supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, using a dual-channel memory bus. The platform does not support ECC memory, which is consistent with its desktop market segment.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 SUPER's performance close to any other GPU in the database?

A: The GPU's average score of 42576 is 1.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 580X's score of 41991 and 1.6% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla M40's score of 41897. The closest rival, the RTX A6000, is only 0.2% behind, making the two effectively equivalent in aggregate.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. Starting at 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 205.4 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 High, the average drops to 130.1 FPS — a 36.7% reduction. At 3840x2160 High, the average falls to 64.4 FPS, which is a 68.6% reduction from the 1080p figure. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, where the RTX 4070 SUPER's rendering workload scales with pixel count while the CPU's frame generation stays consistent.

The Low settings row reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 346.9 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 260.1 FPS; at 4K Low, it falls to 136.9 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 25.0%, and from 1440p to 4K is 47.4%. These percentages are smaller than the High-settings drops, which suggests that at Low settings, the game's rendering pipeline is less demanding, allowing the CPU to play a larger role. Still, the overall trend points to the GPU as the primary limiter at 4K, since the CPU's compute capacity (as measured by its 3DMark max-thread score of 4023) does not change with resolution.

The Ultra settings show the most pronounced scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 193.7 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 123.4 FPS; at 4K Ultra, it falls to 62.9 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure is the lowest of any measured row, and it sits just below the 60 FPS threshold that many users consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. This indicates that at maximum quality and 4K, the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being fully utilized, with the GPU's 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 compute being the binding constraint. The CPU's contribution, by contrast, remains static — its 4 cores and 8 threads are not the limiting factor at any resolution.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 297th out of 1769 tested combos in Pc Building Simulator. This places it in the top 16.8% of all combinations, which is a strong showing given the CPU's budget-oriented position. The rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU's performance; the RTX 4070 SUPER's 84th percentile standing among GPUs is the dominant factor, while the CPU's 72nd percentile among CPUs is secondary.

In the context of the database, this combo outperforms many pairings that use higher-end CPUs with weaker GPUs. The data shows that the CPU's 3DMark 4-thread score of 2859 and PassMark single-thread score of 3444 are sufficient to avoid leaving GPU performance on the table. The combo's rank of 297 out of 1769 implies that roughly 1472 other combinations score lower, which reflects the GPU's ability to carry the system in a simulation title. However, it also means that 296 combos score higher, likely featuring top-tier CPUs like the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (which scores 13534, just 0.1% above this i3) or more powerful GPUs.

The nearest CPU rival, the Intel Core i7-1250U, scores 13462 (0.4% higher), while the i3-10105 scores 13430 (0.6% higher). These differences are within noise, indicating that the i3-12100F is not a performance outlier in either direction. For the GPU, the closest rival is the RTX A6000, which scores 42653 (0.2% higher) — again, a negligible margin. The combo's rank is thus a product of two components that each sit near the middle of their respective performance bands, but the GPU's higher percentile ensures the pair lands in the upper quartile of all combos.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 346.9 FPS, Medium produces 292.1 FPS, High produces 205.4 FPS, and Ultra produces 193.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 54.8 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 11.7 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns from High to Ultra. The 1080p results are all well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on gaming monitors, so the GPU is never the limiting factor at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop noticeably. Low settings yield 260.1 FPS, Medium yields 183.6 FPS, High yields 130.1 FPS, and Ultra yields 123.4 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is most severe at Low settings (86.8 FPS reduction) and least severe at Ultra (70.3 FPS reduction). This pattern indicates that at higher settings, the GPU's workload is more uniform across resolutions, while at lower settings, the CPU's frame generation becomes relatively more important, and the resolution change exposes the GPU's limits more sharply.

At 3840x2160, the averages fall to 136.9 FPS at Low, 96.2 FPS at Medium, 64.4 FPS at High, and 62.9 FPS at Ultra. The 4K results show the largest relative drops from 1440p: Low falls by 123.2 FPS, Medium by 87.4 FPS, High by 65.7 FPS, and Ultra by 60.5 FPS. Notably, the difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 1.5 FPS, which is within measurement noise. This suggests that at 4K, the Ultra preset's additional effects (likely shadows and reflections) are not meaningfully more demanding than High, or that the GPU is already saturated at High settings. The 4K Low figure of 136.9 FPS is the only 4K row that remains above 100 FPS, confirming that the RTX 4070 SUPER can handle 4K only when visual quality is reduced.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For users targeting 60 FPS as a baseline, the 4K Ultra preset at 62.9 FPS is technically playable, but the margin is thin. The 4K High preset at 64.4 FPS is nearly identical, offering the same average with slightly less visual fidelity. Given that the difference between High and Ultra at 4K is just 1.5 FPS, the High preset is the better choice at this resolution — it delivers comparable performance while leaving headroom for scene-to-scene variation. The 4K Medium preset at 96.2 FPS provides a much safer buffer above 60 FPS, and the 4K Low preset at 136.9 FPS is the only 4K option that approaches high-refresh territory.

At 2560x1440, the data shows a clear sweet spot. The Ultra preset averages 123.4 FPS, which is above 120 Hz and suitable for high-refresh displays. The High preset at 130.1 FPS offers a marginal improvement of 6.7 FPS over Ultra, but the visual quality difference may not justify the change. For users who prioritize frame rate over fidelity, the Medium preset at 183.6 FPS is an excellent middle ground, and the Low preset at 260.1 FPS is overkill for most displays.

At 1920x1080, all presets exceed 190 FPS, so the choice is purely visual. The Ultra preset at 193.7 FPS is the best option for maximum quality, as it remains well above the 144 Hz threshold. The High preset at 205.4 FPS provides a slight performance boost with minimal visual compromise. The Medium preset at 292.1 FPS and Low preset at 346.9 FPS are only relevant for users with 240 Hz or 360 Hz displays, or for those who want to ensure zero frame drops in complex build scenes.

Overall, the data recommends the High preset at 4K (64.4 FPS) for a balanced experience, the Ultra preset at 1440p (123.4 FPS) for high-refresh quality, and the Ultra preset at 1080p (193.7 FPS) for maximum fidelity. The Low and Medium presets are best reserved for competitive play or systems targeting extreme refresh rates.