Pc Building Simulator

Pc Building Simulator presents an unusual testing scenario because its performance is heavily dependent on the simulated hardware load, not just the rendering pipeline. The data for the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination shows a clear pattern: the game scales dramatically with resolution, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher settings, while the CPU holds its own at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a stark contrast between 1080p and 4K performance. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 346.6 FPS, which drops to 167.5 FPS at Ultra settings. Moving up to 1440p, the Low preset still delivers a very high 225 FPS, while Ultra dips to 105.4 FPS. At 4K, the numbers become more demanding: Low settings produce 115.9 FPS, but Ultra falls to just 55.7 FPS.

This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 3080 is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The gap between 1080p and 4K at Ultra settings is significant — 167.5 FPS versus 55.7 FPS, a performance drop of roughly 67%. This suggests that the GPU's rendering workload increases substantially with resolution, and the RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 320-bit bus are being pushed hard at 4K. Conversely, the relatively modest drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low (346.6 to 115.9 FPS) shows that even at lower settings, the pixel count alone can halve performance.

The data also shows that the game is not purely GPU-bound at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Medium settings is 346.6 versus 246.7 FPS, which is a 29% reduction. This suggests that the CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is capable of feeding the GPU at these frame rates, but the GPU's workload per frame still matters. At 4K, the same settings comparison shows a smaller relative drop (115.9 to 79.8 FPS, a 31% reduction), indicating that the GPU is more consistently the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded performance: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15935 and a PassMark multi-thread score of 18747. The single-thread performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2249 and a PassMark single-thread score of 3456.

In Pc Building Simulator, the CPU's role is to simulate the hardware interactions and system logic. The data shows that at lower resolutions, the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system hits 346.6 FPS, which is well above the 144Hz refresh rate most gamers target. Even at 1440p Low, the 225 FPS average demonstrates that the CPU can handle the simulation workload without bottlenecking the GPU.

However, the CPU's performance relative to its rivals is notable. The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, which places it just 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-9700 and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K. It trails the Intel Core i7-8700 by 0.2% and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX by 0.4%. This means that for a simulation game, the i5-12400's multi-threaded capabilities are competitive with older high-end chips but not exceptional. The 12 threads help with the game's simulation logic, but the game does not appear to be heavily CPU-bound based on the FPS data.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is a high-end Ampere architecture GPU with 8704 shading units, 272 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. It has 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's clocks are 1440 MHz base and 1710 MHz boost, with memory running at 19 Gbps effective. Its PassMark G3D score is 25086, and it sits at the 80th percentile among all GPUs.

In Pc Building Simulator, the GPU's role is primarily rendering the 3D interface and visual feedback. The data shows that the RTX 3080 handles the game well at 1080p and 1440p, with even Ultra settings producing 167.5 FPS and 105.4 FPS respectively. At 4K, however, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The 4K Ultra average of 55.7 FPS is just below the 60 FPS target, while 4K High produces 59.9 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 3080's 10 GB VRAM and memory bandwidth are sufficient for the game's textures and effects, but the sheer pixel count at 4K pushes the GPU to its limits.

The GPU's benchmark scores show it is competitive with similar cards. Its average benchmark score of 35787 is 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Duo and 0.9% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE, but 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile. This performance is consistent with what the FPS data shows: the RTX 3080 is a capable card for this simulation game, but it has clear limitations at 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on the target resolution. At 1080p, the High preset at 178.7 FPS offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance, while Ultra at 167.5 FPS is very close and provides better visuals. For gamers with 144Hz monitors, either preset works well. The Medium preset at 246.7 FPS is excessive for most displays but offers headroom for future updates.

At 1440p, the High preset at 109.9 FPS is the sweet spot, delivering smooth gameplay above 100 FPS. The Ultra preset at 105.4 FPS is nearly identical in performance, so the choice comes down to visual preference. The Medium preset at 158.6 FPS is also viable, but the higher presets are recommended given the minimal FPS penalty.

At 4K, the situation is different. The High preset at 59.9 FPS is the only option that consistently stays above 60 FPS, but barely. The Ultra preset at 55.7 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth on high-refresh displays. The Medium preset at 79.8 FPS offers a significant performance boost over High while still providing good visuals. For 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. The Low preset at 115.9 FPS is an option for competitive play, but it may look noticeably worse.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Pc Building Simulator at 4K 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only with the High preset, which averages 59.9 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 55.7 FPS, so you would need to accept occasional frame drops or reduce settings to Medium for 79.8 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the system hits 346.6 FPS, which suggests the CPU is not limiting performance. The GPU is likely the primary bottleneck at higher settings, as shown by the difference between Low and Ultra (346.6 vs 167.5 FPS).

Q: How does the i5-12400 compare to its rivals for this game?

A: The i5-12400's average benchmark score of 19850 is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-9700 and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K. It trails the Intel Core i7-8700 by 0.2% and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX by 0.4%.

Q: What is the RTX 3080's VRAM capacity and how does it affect 4K performance?

A: The RTX 3080 has 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus with 760.3 GB/s bandwidth. At 4K Ultra, the game averages 55.7 FPS, indicating the VRAM is sufficient but the GPU is still limited by pixel throughput.

Q: Is there a big difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: The difference is 158.6 FPS for Medium versus 109.9 FPS for High, a 31% drop. This is a noticeable change, but both are well above 60 FPS, so the choice depends on visual preference.

Q: Does the game benefit from the CPU's multi-threading for simulation?

A: The CPU has 12 threads and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15935, which helps with simulation logic. The high FPS at 1080p Low (346.6) suggests the CPU handles the workload easily, but the game is not heavily CPU-bound.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 346.6 FPS average
• Medium: 246.7 FPS average
• High: 178.7 FPS average
• Ultra: 167.5 FPS average

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 225 FPS average
• Medium: 158.6 FPS average
• High: 109.9 FPS average
• Ultra: 105.4 FPS average

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 115.9 FPS average
• Medium: 79.8 FPS average
• High: 59.9 FPS average
• Ultra: 55.7 FPS average

The data shows a clear hierarchy: at every resolution, the Low preset offers the highest FPS, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the most demanding. The scaling between settings is consistent across resolutions, with Low to Ultra typically showing a 50-60% performance penalty. At 4K, the gap between High and Ultra is only 4.2 FPS (59.9 vs 55.7), suggesting diminishing returns from the highest settings at this resolution. The system ranks 527th out of 1769 combinations tested for this game, placing it in the upper third of all configurations.