Pc Building Simulator

# Pc Building Simulator — Intel Core i5-12400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

This combination of a 6-core, 12-thread Intel Core i5-12400 and an 8 GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a remarkably consistent frame-rate profile across Pc Building Simulator's four preset levels, with the data revealing that the GPU becomes the dominant constraint only at 4K, while lower resolutions expose a CPU that is more than capable of pushing very high refresh rates. The measured results show a system that scales predictably, but the shape of that scaling — particularly the gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p versus 1080p — hints at where each component's headroom truly lies.

Resolution Scaling

The frame-rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep but not uniform across settings, which tells a clear story about which part of this combo is working hardest. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 225.6 at 1920x1080 to 143.1 at 2560x1440, then down to 71.9 at 3840x2160 — that is a 68% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the drop is from 112.8 to 71.4 to 34.4 over the same resolution steps, a 70% decline overall. The pattern suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is feeding frames faster than the GPU can render them, but as pixel count rises, the RTX 2060 SUPER's rendering workload grows proportionally, and the CPU's advantage fades into the background.

The Ultra preset shows a similar slope: 108.8 FPS at 1080p, 67.0 at 1440p, and 36.3 at 4K. Interestingly, the gap between High and Ultra at 1080p is only 4.0 FPS (112.8 vs 108.8), but at 1440p that gap widens slightly to 4.4 FPS (71.4 vs 67.0), and at 4K it narrows to 1.9 FPS (34.4 vs 36.3 — Ultra actually edges out High). This inversion at 4K is curious: it implies that at very high resolutions, the extra shading work in Ultra does not cost proportionally more, possibly because the simulation's CPU-side logic becomes a larger fraction of each frame's total time. The Medium preset sits predictably between Low and High, with 160.7 FPS at 1080p, 98.8 at 1440p, and 50.0 at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 brings 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19,850. Compared to its nearest rivals, it is virtually tied with the Intel Core i7-9700 (19,831, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Core i7-8700 (19,894, deltaPct -0.2), while sitting slightly ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K (19,771, deltaPct 0.4). The data from Pc Building Simulator suggests that this CPU is rarely the bottleneck: at 1080p Low, the system produces 225.6 FPS, which is a frame rate that implies the CPU can handle the game's simulation logic — building, part selection, and system assembly — without breaking a sweat.

The single-threaded performance is notable: 3dmark_single_thread scores 910, and passmark_single_thread scores 3,456, with a cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 2,249. For a simulation game that likely has a main game thread handling UI and physics, these numbers are strong. The multi-threaded scores (cinebench_r23_multicore 15,935, passmark_multithread 18,747) show that even if the game tries to use more cores, the 12 threads provide ample headroom. The fact that FPS at 1080p Low (225.6) is more than double the 4K Low figure (71.9) strongly implies that at lower resolutions, the GPU is the limiter because the CPU is delivering frames far faster than the GPU can render them.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with 2,176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its clock speeds are 1470 MHz base and 1650 MHz boost, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The GPU's benchmark percentile is 63, with an average score of 19,774, placing it just ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (19,706, deltaPct 0.3) and slightly behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (19,680, deltaPct 0.5 — note the RTX 2070 actually scores lower in this dataset). The GPU's passmark_g3d score is 16,462, and its passmark_directx_12 score is 61, which is low but not unusual for a synthetic test that may not reflect real game workloads.

In Pc Building Simulator, the RTX 2060 SUPER's role becomes evident when looking at the 4K results. At 3840x2160, the difference between Low (71.9 FPS) and Medium (50.0 FPS) is 21.9 FPS, but the jump from High (34.4) to Ultra (36.3) is negligible. This suggests that the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's textures at 4K, but the raw compute power (7.181 TFLOPS FP32) starts to hit a wall as settings increase. The 4K Ultra result of 36.3 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold most gamers prefer, indicating that this GPU is not built for maxed-out 4K in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 108.8 FPS, which is smooth and only 4.0 FPS below High (112.8) — this makes Ultra the clear choice for 1080p, as the visual upgrade costs almost nothing in performance. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset offers 98.8 FPS, which is a solid 60+ experience, while High drops to 71.4 FPS and Ultra falls to 67.0. The data suggests that 1440p High is still very playable, but for those who prioritize frame rate, Medium is the sweet spot. At 3840x2160, the situation reverses: High (34.4) and Ultra (36.3) are both below 60 FPS, and Medium (50.0) is borderline — only Low (71.9) achieves a comfortable frame rate. For 4K, the recommendation is Medium at best, with Low being the only preset that guarantees smooth gameplay.

The takeaway is that this combo is best suited for 1080p Ultra or 1440p Medium/High, where the CPU's strength and the GPU's balance produce frame rates well above playable thresholds. Pushing to 4K requires dropping to Low, which undermines the point of higher resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 1,769 tested combos in Pc Building Simulator, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks at 1,282. That places it in the bottom 28% of all tested configurations, which is surprising given the respectable individual component scores. The CPU's 77th percentile and the GPU's 63rd percentile would suggest a mid-to-upper tier placement, but the rank of 1,282 indicates that many other combos — likely with higher-end GPUs — outperform it in this specific game. The game's simulation nature may not heavily tax the GPU, so combos with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs might not gain as much, yet the sheer number of combos ahead of this one (487) suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions where its 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance shows its age.

The rank also reflects the fact that Pc Building Simulator is not a graphically demanding title, so even mid-range GPUs can achieve high frame rates, and the differentiator becomes the CPU. The i5-12400's 77th percentile is good, but not top-tier, and the 1,282 rank implies that many faster CPUs (with higher benchmark scores) are paired with GPUs that are equally or more capable, pushing this combo down the list.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low 225.6, Medium 160.7, High 112.8, and Ultra 108.8. The range from Low to Ultra is 116.8 FPS, showing a steep drop as settings increase. At 2560x1440, the values are: Low 143.1, Medium 98.8, High 71.4, and Ultra 67.0. The range narrows to 76.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU's load is becoming more uniform across settings. At 3840x2160, the values are: Low 71.9, Medium 50.0, High 34.4, and Ultra 36.3. The range here is 37.5 FPS, but note the anomaly that Ultra (36.3) is slightly higher than High (34.4), which may be a measurement quirk or a sign that the Ultra preset's additional effects do not add significant GPU load at 4K.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset provides roughly double the FPS of High at 1080p (225.6 vs 112.8) and 1440p (143.1 vs 71.4), but at 4K the ratio drops to about 2.1x (71.9 vs 34.4). This consistency suggests that the game's settings scale predictably with resolution, but the absolute frame rates at 4K are too low for competitive or fast-paced play.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 1080p with max settings?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 108.8, which is well above 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to hit 144 FPS?

A: Only 1080p Low achieves 144 FPS (225.6), while 1440p Low (143.1) is just below the 144 FPS mark. No other resolution/setting combination reaches 144 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in this combo?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19,774, which is 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (19,680) and 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (19,706) in the data.

Q: Why does Ultra sometimes perform better than High at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the measured average FPS for High is 34.4 and for Ultra is 36.3. This 1.9 FPS difference could be due to measurement variance or the specific workload distribution, but the data shows Ultra slightly ahead.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the FPS is 98.8, which is significantly lower than the 1080p Medium figure of 160.7. The drop of 61.9 FPS indicates the GPU is becoming the primary constraint, as the CPU's performance is unlikely to degrade with resolution.

Q: What percentile does the CPU rank in globally?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 ranks in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19,850, placing it just 0.1% above the Intel Core i7-9700.