Ready Or Not

Ready Or Not is a tactical shooter that leans heavily on both CPU and GPU, and the Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a split personality depending on the resolution you target. At 1080p, this combo is a high-refresh-rate monster, but it runs out of steam quickly at 4K. The data shows a clear story: the CPU carries the load at lower resolutions, while the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count climbs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS tells a textbook story of bottleneck shifting. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo hits 205.2 FPS average. At 2560x1440 Low, that drops to 130.5 FPS, a 36% reduction. Moving to 3840x2160 Low yields 69.8 FPS, which is another 47% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern—where each resolution step cuts performance by roughly a third to a half—indicates that the GPU is increasingly saturated as resolution rises, while the CPU has headroom to spare.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically with resolution. At 1080p, the spread from Low (205.2 FPS) to Ultra (112.1 FPS) is 93.1 FPS. At 1440p, the same spread is 56.1 FPS (130.5 to 74.4). At 4K, the spread shrinks to 28.8 FPS (69.8 to 41). This compression at higher resolutions is a classic sign that the GPU is becoming the sole constraint—the CPU can no longer mask the GPU’s workload by pushing frames faster than the graphics card can render.

The practical takeaway: this combo is designed for 1080p or 1440p gaming. At 4K, the RTX 2060’s 6 GB of VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply not enough to maintain playable frame rates on High or Ultra presets. The 52 FPS average at 4K High is borderline, but the 41 FPS at 4K Ultra is below the threshold most tactical shooters need for responsive aiming.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores reflect a strong single-thread performer: the 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681 are respectable for a budget chip. The multi-thread results are less impressive—Cinebench R23 multicore hits 11912, which places it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs.

In Ready Or Not, this CPU is more than sufficient for 1080p gaming. The 205.2 FPS at 1080p Low shows the i3 is not a bottleneck at that resolution. The 3DMark 4-thread score of 2859 and 8-thread score of 4026 suggest it can handle the game’s AI and physics calculations without breaking a sweat. The L3 cache of 12 MB shared is modest but adequate for a tactical shooter with limited entity counts.

However, the CPU’s limitations become apparent in sustained multi-threaded workloads. The PassMark multithread score of 14015 and the Cinebench R20 multicore of 5003 indicate that while the chip is fast for its core count, it lacks the parallel headroom of higher-core-count rivals. The nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks—like the Intel Core i7-7700K (1.8% ahead) and Intel Core i3-10105 (0.6% behind)—show that this i3 is competitive with older quad-core designs but not a leap forward. For Ready Or Not, the CPU role is to keep frame times consistent at high FPS, and it does that job well at 1080p and 1440p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture with 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Its boost clock of 1680 MHz and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus deliver 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s benchmark scores are modest: PassMark G3D of 14111 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 of 1242 place it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (0.5% ahead) and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (1.7% behind), showing it sits in a crowded mid-range tier.

The GPU’s role in Ready Or Not is decisive at higher resolutions. At 1440p, the RTX 2060 is already struggling to maintain high frame rates: the Ultra preset only hits 74.4 FPS, which is playable but not smooth for a competitive shooter. At 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck—the 52 FPS at High and 41 FPS at Ultra are both below the 60 FPS target most players want. The 6 GB VRAM is likely a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where texture and shadow quality requirements exceed the available memory.

The GPU’s raw compute—6.451 TFLOPS FP32 and a texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s—is enough for 1080p gaming with ease, but the 4K results show the architecture’s age. The 12 nm process node and 160 W TDP are inefficient by modern standards, but the performance is what matters. For this game, the GPU dictates whether you can play at 1440p or must settle for 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific pairing—Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060—ranks 1398 out of 1748 tested combos in Ready Or Not. That places it in the bottom 20% of all combinations in the database, which is surprising given its 1080p performance. The ranking reflects the fact that Ready Or Not is a demanding game at higher resolutions, and this combo’s 4K performance drags down its overall standing.

The rank is more about the GPU than the CPU. The i3-12100F’s 72nd percentile CPU ranking is solid, while the RTX 2060’s 58th percentile GPU ranking is average. When combined, the pairing is less than the sum of its parts because the GPU becomes a bottleneck at 1440p and above. The combo’s rank suggests that for most players, this is a 1080p-focused system, and it will disappoint anyone expecting 4K capability.

Compared to the nearest rival combos, this pairing is competitive but not exceptional. The CPU’s nearest rivals—like the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (-0.1%) and Core i7-1250U (0.4%)—are within 2% in synthetic benchmarks, but those differences matter little in real gaming. The GPU’s rivals are similarly close, with the RX 7600S just 0.5% ahead. The combo’s rank of 1398 is a warning that this is a mid-tier setup that punches above its weight at 1080p but falls short elsewhere.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings. Low averages 205.2 FPS, Medium 180.8 FPS, High 164 FPS, and Ultra 112.1 FPS. The 1080p results show a smooth, linear degradation as settings increase, with the Ultra preset still maintaining a frame rate that exceeds most monitors’ refresh rates. This is the sweet spot for this combo.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably but remains playable. Low hits 130.5 FPS, Medium 113.3 FPS, High 104.5 FPS, and Ultra 74.4 FPS. The Ultra preset is borderline for competitive play—74.4 FPS is workable but not ideal for a tactical shooter where every millisecond counts. The drop from High to Ultra at 1440p is 30.1 FPS, a significant cost for visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the combo falls apart. Low averages 69.8 FPS, Medium 58.3 FPS, High 52 FPS, and Ultra 41 FPS. Even the Low preset is barely above the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra is unplayable for most players. The 4K results are consistently below what this game needs for smooth aiming and reaction times, making 4K a non-starter for this setup.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, the High preset at 164 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset’s 112.1 FPS is still playable, but the 51.9 FPS drop from High to Ultra is steep for marginal visual gains. Medium at 180.8 FPS is the choice for players with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors who want maximum smoothness without sacrificing too much detail.

For 1440p displays, the High preset at 104.5 FPS is the recommended setting. It provides a solid frame rate that is responsive enough for tactical gameplay, and the visual quality is acceptable. The Medium preset at 113.3 FPS is a good alternative for players who prioritize frame rate over shadows and textures. Avoid Ultra at 1440p—the 74.4 FPS average is too low for a game where quick target acquisition matters, and the 30 FPS drop from High is not justified.

For 4K displays, the Low preset at 69.8 FPS is the only viable option, and even that is marginal. Players with 4K monitors should seriously consider lowering the resolution to 1440p or upgrading the GPU. The Medium preset at 58.3 FPS and High at 52 FPS are below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra at 41 FPS is unplayable. In short, this combo is a 1080p warrior and a 1440p contender, but it should never be paired with a 4K display for Ready Or Not.