Pc Building Simulator

Pc Building Simulator with the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces extreme frame rates that are almost entirely GPU-bound, with the CPU rarely acting as a limiting factor. The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution drops, the already high frame rates scale aggressively, indicating that the RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, while the i5-12400 provides sufficient throughput to keep up with the GPU’s output.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and predictable scaling curve from 1080p to 4K, typical of a simulation title that is not heavily threaded but is sensitive to pixel throughput. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches an average of 349 FPS. Stepping up to Medium reduces that to 307 FPS, High to 260 FPS, and Ultra to 247 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the same settings produce 299, 232, 164, and 156 FPS respectively. At 4K, the averages drop significantly to 171 FPS on Low, 121 FPS on Medium, 86 FPS on High, and 82 FPS on Ultra.

The most telling comparison is the drop from 1080p to 4K at the same setting. At Low, the average FPS falls from 349 to 171, a reduction of roughly 51%. At Medium, it falls from 307 to 121, a 61% drop. At High, it falls from 260 to 86, a 67% drop. At Ultra, it falls from 247 to 82, a 67% drop. This increasing percentage loss as settings rise indicates that the game becomes progressively more pixel-pushing and memory-bandwidth dependent at higher quality presets, which is the RTX 4090’s domain.

This scaling behavior points directly to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. The RTX 4090, with its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, is being tasked with rendering more pixels as resolution climbs. The fact that frame rates nearly double from 4K to 1080p on Low settings suggests that the CPU is not holding back the GPU at lower resolutions; if the CPU were the limit, the frame rates would plateau rather than scale so dramatically. The i5-12400’s six cores and 12 threads are evidently sufficient to feed the GPU at even 349 FPS, which is a high threshold for any processor to sustain.

The data also shows that the gap between settings narrows at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the spread between Low and Ultra is 102 FPS (349 vs 247). At 1440p, that spread shrinks to 143 FPS (299 vs 156). At 4K, the spread narrows further to 89 FPS (171 vs 82). This compression at 4K confirms that the GPU is saturated by pixel count, making the choice of settings less impactful on raw FPS than at 1080p, where the GPU has headroom to render higher-quality effects without hitting its performance ceiling.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p on High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 164 FPS, with no minimum or maximum values recorded.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 bottleneck the i5-12400 in this game?

A: No, the data suggests the opposite. The frame rates scale strongly with resolution changes, from 349 FPS at 1080p Low to 171 FPS at 4K Low, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at for a 240Hz monitor?

A: At 1080p, all settings except Ultra (247 FPS) exceed 240 FPS. At 1440p, Low (299 FPS) and Medium (232 FPS) are close, but only Low comfortably exceeds 240 FPS. For a consistent 240Hz experience, 1440p Low or 1080p High would be the safer choices.

Q: How does the i5-12400’s multi-core score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The i5-12400’s average benchmark score is 18683, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD EPYC 7643’s 18697 and 0.3% lower than the Intel Core i7-1355U’s 18730.

Q: Is the RTX 4090’s performance in this game close to other GPUs in its class?

A: The RTX 4090’s average benchmark score is 60347, which is 0% different from the Intel Arc Pro A60’s 60326 and 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48’s 60140.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded at 4K?

A: The lowest recorded average FPS at 3840x2160 is 82 FPS, achieved on Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience measured in this data, the sweet spot lies at 1440p with Medium settings. This configuration delivers an average of 232 FPS, with a minimum of 197 FPS and a maximum of 267 FPS. This provides a high refresh rate experience without sacrificing the visual quality that Medium settings offer over Low. The minimum FPS of 197 is still well above 144Hz, making it suitable for high-refresh monitors.

If you have a 4K display, the data shows that High settings (86 FPS average) are borderline playable, but Medium (121 FPS average) is the better option for smoother motion. The jump from Medium to High at 4K costs 35 FPS (from 121 to 86), which is a significant loss for a modest visual gain in a simulation title. Low at 4K (171 FPS) is the best choice for pure performance, but the visual downgrade may not be worth it unless you prioritize frame rate above all else.

At 1080p, the data suggests that High (260 FPS) or even Ultra (247 FPS) are viable options, as both exceed the refresh rate of most monitors. The difference between Medium (307 FPS) and High (260 FPS) is 47 FPS, which is noticeable only if you have a 300Hz+ display. For most users, 1080p High offers the best balance of quality and speed, as pushing beyond 260 FPS yields diminishing returns in a game that is not a competitive shooter.

The worst value in the measured data is 4K Ultra, which yields 82 FPS. This is the lowest average FPS recorded and represents the only tested configuration that dips below the 86 FPS of 4K High. Given that the minimum FPS data for Ultra is not recorded, the risk of frame drops is unknown, but the low average suggests that this setting is not recommended for consistent play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of settings shows the GPU’s headroom. Low averages 349 FPS. Medium averages 307 FPS, with a minimum of 261 FPS and a maximum of 353 FPS. High averages 260 FPS. Ultra averages 247 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 102 FPS, which is the largest spread across all resolutions, indicating that at 1080p, the GPU has enough spare capacity to render higher-quality effects without a proportional frame rate penalty.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop but remain high. Low averages 299 FPS. Medium averages 232 FPS, with a minimum of 197 FPS and a maximum of 267 FPS. High averages 164 FPS. Ultra averages 156 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra here is 143 FPS, which is larger in absolute terms than at 1080p, but the percentage difference is similar. The minimum FPS for Medium (197 FPS) is still above 144Hz, making it a strong choice for high-refresh gaming.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to feel the load. Low averages 171 FPS. Medium averages 121 FPS, with a minimum of 103 FPS and a maximum of 140 FPS. High averages 86 FPS. Ultra averages 82 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 89 FPS, which is the smallest absolute spread of any resolution. This compression suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily tasked with pixel fill that the difference between settings becomes less impactful on frame rate. The minimum FPS for Medium (103 FPS) is still above 100 FPS, but High and Ultra sit below 90 FPS, which may be noticeable in a simulation that requires reading text and interacting with UI elements.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the star of this combo, and the measured FPS data confirms its dominance. With 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, it delivers a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s, which is critical for high-resolution rendering. The memory clock is 1313 MHz, with 21 Gbps effective speed. The GPU’s base clock is 2235 MHz and boost clock is 2520 MHz.

Benchmark results place the RTX 4090 in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60347. Its nearest rivals in the data are the Intel Arc Pro A60 (score 60326, 0% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (score 60140, 0.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (score 61896, -2.5% delta). This means the RTX 4090 is statistically tied with the Arc Pro A60 and only slightly behind the W6600M in raw benchmark scores, despite being a much larger and more power-hungry card.

The GPU’s role in Pc Building Simulator is evident from the resolution scaling. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as frame rates drop to 82 FPS on Ultra. The 24 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, which is not likely to exceed even 8 GB of usage, but the raw compute power of 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate drives the high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The RTX 4090 is end-of-life in production status, but its performance here remains top-tier.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on Alder Lake, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It has an 18 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core. Its benchmark scores show a solid mid-range performer: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 15989, single-core scores 2257, and 3DMark max threads scores 5890.

The CPU’s percentile rank is 72, with an average benchmark score of 18683. Its nearest rivals are the AMD EPYC 7643 (score 18697, -0.1% delta), Intel Core i7-1355U (score 18730, -0.3% delta), and AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (score 18811, -0.7% delta). The i5-12400 is also slightly ahead of the Intel Core i3-14100F (score 18519, 0.9% delta). This places it in a competitive position for a mainstream desktop chip.

In this game, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the frame rate reaches 349 FPS, which is a high threshold for any CPU to sustain. The fact that the frame rate scales linearly with resolution reductions indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck. If the i5-12400 were the limiting factor, we would expect to see frame rates plateau at around 300 FPS regardless of resolution. Instead, the 4K to 1080p scaling shows the GPU being progressively less stressed, with the CPU able to keep up.

The i5-12400’s dual-channel memory support and PCIe Gen 5 interface (16 lanes) provide a solid platform for the RTX 4090. The 65 W TDP is modest, but its boost clock of 4.40 GHz is sufficient for single-threaded tasks that simulation games often rely on. The lack of an unlocked multiplier means no overclocking headroom, but the stock performance is evidently enough to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4090 in this title.