Ready Or Not

The pairing of an Intel Core i3-12100F with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is an unusual one, pitting a value-oriented quad-core processor against a flagship-tier graphics card. In Ready Or Not, this combination produces exceptionally high frame rates across all resolutions, but the data reveals a clear story about where the bottleneck shifts. The measured results show that this rig is capable of triple-digit averages even at 4K, making the discussion less about playability and more about maximizing the hardware’s potential.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K in Ready Or Not shows a classic pattern of GPU load increasing with pixel count, but the magnitude of the drops is heavily influenced by the game’s preset. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 469 at 1920x1080 to 296 at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 37%. Moving to 3840x2160 at Low yields 155 FPS, which is a 67% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is doing substantial work as resolution rises, though the absolute numbers remain high enough to suggest the CPU is still holding things back at lower resolutions.

High settings show a similar trend but with a smaller relative drop. The average goes from 372 FPS at 1080p to 235 FPS at 1440p, a 37% decline, and then to 123 FPS at 4K, which is a 67% drop from 1080p. The consistency of these percentages across Low and High presets suggests that the scaling factor is primarily resolution-driven rather than setting-driven. However, the Medium preset tells a slightly different story with its min and max FPS data. At 1440p Medium, the average is 258 FPS with a minimum of 220 and a maximum of 297. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 and a maximum of 155. The spread between min and max at 4K Medium is 40 FPS, which is narrower than the 77 FPS spread at 1440p Medium, indicating that the higher resolution is smoothing out frame time variance.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic resolution scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 261 FPS. This drops to 165 FPS at 1440p, a 37% reduction, and then to 86 FPS at 4K, a 67% drop from 1080p. The fact that the percentage drops are nearly identical for every preset—around 37% for the 1080p to 1440p step and 67% for the 1080p to 4K step—points to a consistent scaling factor that is independent of the visual complexity. This is characteristic of a system where the GPU is the primary limiter once resolution increases, but the CPU’s influence at 1080p is masked by the sheer power of the RTX 4080.

What the data suggests is that at 1080p, the i3-12100F is likely capping performance. The difference between Low (469 FPS) and High (372 FPS) at 1080p is 97 FPS, which is a significant gap. If the GPU were the sole bottleneck, this gap would be smaller because the GPU would be struggling equally across presets. The fact that lowering settings from High to Low yields such a large jump indicates that the CPU is able to feed the GPU more frames when the pixel workload lightens. At 4K, the gap between Low (155 FPS) and High (123 FPS) narrows to 32 FPS, and between Ultra (86 FPS) and High (123 FPS) it is 37 FPS. This narrowing shows that at 4K, the GPU is saturated and the CPU’s headroom is no longer the limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal preset depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 4K displays, High settings at 123 FPS average is the sweet spot. It delivers a massive improvement over Ultra’s 86 FPS—a 43% increase—while only sacrificing some visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 4K offers 135 FPS, which is only 12 FPS higher than High, making High the better choice for visual quality with a minimal performance hit. Ultra at 4K is hard to justify for competitive play, but the 86 FPS average is still above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth single-player experiences.

At 1440p, the situation is more fluid. High settings produce 235 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium is close behind at 258 FPS, and the minimum of 220 FPS ensures consistent frame delivery. Low at 296 FPS is the maximum attainable, but the visual downgrade from High is substantial. For most players, High at 1440p is the recommended balance, as it keeps the average above 200 FPS while maintaining decent image quality. Ultra at 1440p drops to 165 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 30% reduction from High. If the monitor is capped at 144Hz, Ultra might be worth exploring, but High is the safer bet for maintaining a consistent frame rate above typical refresh rate targets.

For 1080p, the data shows that the CPU becomes a significant factor. Low settings hit 469 FPS, which is far beyond any monitor’s refresh rate, but High still manages 372 FPS. Medium lands at 409 FPS. Since the difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is 111 FPS (372 down to 261), Ultra is the only preset that might cause a perceptible drop on a 240Hz display. For 144Hz monitors, Ultra at 1080p is still well above the refresh rate cap, making it the visually best option without sacrificing smoothness. The recommended approach is to use Ultra at 1080p unless the player has a 360Hz or higher display, in which case High or Medium would be necessary to fully utilize the refresh rate.

The data also shows that the Medium preset includes min FPS figures, which are useful for understanding worst-case scenarios. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 348 FPS, which is still extremely high. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 220 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it is 115 FPS. These minimums indicate that the game does not have severe frame time spikes with this configuration, even at lower presets. This stability makes Medium a reliable fallback if the player experiences any stuttering on other presets, though the measured averages suggest that High is generally the best trade-off.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this system, and its specifications align well with the measured performance. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This memory configuration is fully adequate for Ready Or Not at 4K, as the game does not appear to exceed this capacity based on the stable frame rates and the lack of min FPS data for most presets indicating no memory-related stutters. The 16 GB capacity is more than sufficient for the game’s texture-heavy environments, even at Ultra settings.

The clock speeds are another factor. The base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost of 2505 MHz. The boost clock is the relevant figure for sustained gaming loads, and the measured performance across resolutions suggests that the GPU is consistently hitting high utilization. The memory clock runs at 1400 MHz with an effective data rate of 22.4 Gbps, which is fast enough to feed the 9728 shading units without creating a bottleneck. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput needed for the game’s lighting and shadow effects, which are demanding in a tactical shooter with dynamic environments.

The RTX 4080’s benchmark scores reinforce its position. It achieves a Passmark G3D score of 34457 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 214739, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 54247, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER’s 54209, a delta of only 0.1%. This near-parity indicates that the standard 4080 is performing as expected, and the measured FPS in Ready Or Not reflects the card’s top-tier status. The card’s direct competition includes the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54828 (1.1% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55698 (2.6% higher), but these differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

The GPU’s role in this pairing is to provide headroom that the CPU cannot fully utilize at lower resolutions. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as evidenced by the scaling patterns. The 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, built on a 5 nm process, deliver the computational power needed to maintain high frame rates in a game that is not heavily optimized but is visually complex. The 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores are present but likely not heavily utilized in Ready Or Not, as the game’s ray tracing implementation is not a major factor in the measured presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured averages are as follows: Low settings produce 469 FPS, Medium produces 409 FPS with a minimum of 348 and a maximum of 471, High produces 372 FPS, and Ultra produces 261 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 208 FPS, which is a wide range that gives players significant control over the visual-to-performance trade-off. The Medium preset’s minimum of 348 FPS is notably lower than its average of 409 FPS, but it is still far above any display’s refresh rate capabilities, making it a non-issue for gameplay smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 296 FPS for Low, 258 FPS for Medium (with a minimum of 220 and maximum of 297), 235 FPS for High, and 165 FPS for Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 131 FPS, which is a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p but still significant. The Medium preset’s minimum of 220 FPS shows that even the worst-case frame times remain above the 144Hz threshold, which is the most common high-refresh-rate target. High settings at 235 FPS provide a comfortable margin above 200 FPS, making this the most versatile preset for 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 155 FPS for Low, 135 FPS for Medium (with a minimum of 115 and maximum of 155), 123 FPS for High, and 86 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset’s maximum of 155 FPS matches the Low average exactly, indicating that Medium at 4K is essentially as fast as Low in the best case. The High preset at 123 FPS is the best balance for 4K, as it is 37 FPS higher than Ultra’s 86 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one that dips below 100 FPS, and its 86 FPS average is still playable on a 60Hz display but would cause noticeable tearing on a 120Hz screen without VRR.

The data reveals that the Medium preset consistently provides the most stable frame delivery, as it is the only preset with min and max values across all resolutions. At 1080p, the min is 348 and the max is 471, which is a 123 FPS range. At 1440p, the range is 77 FPS (220 to 297), and at 4K, it is 40 FPS (115 to 155). This tightening of the frame time variance at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is becoming more consistently loaded, reducing the impact of CPU-driven frame spikes. Players who prioritize consistency over raw averages might prefer Medium, especially at 4K where the min FPS of 115 is only 8 FPS below the High average of 123.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Ready Or Not at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 123 FPS at 4K High settings and 86 FPS at 4K Ultra. Even the lowest measured minimum, 115 FPS at 4K Medium, is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 in this game?

A: The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is limiting performance. The jump from 372 FPS at High to 469 FPS at Low, a 97 FPS difference, indicates the CPU cannot feed the GPU enough frames when the pixel workload is light. At 4K, this bottleneck disappears as the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

Q: Which preset should I use for a 144Hz 1440p monitor?

A: High settings at 1440p produce an average of 235 FPS, which is well above 144Hz. Ultra at 1440p drops to 165 FPS, which is still above 144Hz, so both are viable. High is recommended for a larger margin above the refresh rate.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER’s 54209. It trails the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X by 1.1% and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 2.6%.

Q: Does the game use more than 16 GB of VRAM at 4K?

A: There is no evidence in the data to suggest VRAM is exhausted. The stable frame rates and the absence of min FPS data for most presets indicate that the 16 GB GDDR6X memory is sufficient for Ready Or Not at 4K, even on Ultra.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate achievable with this combination?

A: The highest measured average is 469 FPS at 1080p Low settings. This is the ceiling for this pairing in the tested configurations, and it is limited by the CPU’s single-thread performance rather than the GPU’s capabilities.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its L3 cache is 12 MB shared, which is modest by modern standards. The CPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494. This puts it in the same performance class as the Intel Core 3 N355 (delta of 0%) and the Intel Core i5-9500 (delta of 0.3%). It is slightly ahead of the Intel Core 7 1250U by 1.1% and slightly behind the Intel Core 5 120UL by 0.7%.

In Ready Or Not, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, AI, and physics, which are not heavily multi-threaded in tactical shooters. The i3-12100F’s single-thread performance is respectable, as indicated by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674 and its Passmark single-thread score of 3444. These scores suggest that the CPU can handle the game’s primary thread, but the low core count limits its ability to process secondary tasks simultaneously. This is evident in the 1080p results, where the frame rate drops as settings increase, not because the GPU is struggling, but because the CPU is spending more time on draw calls and physics calculations.

The CPU’s multi-threaded performance is less relevant for this game. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860 and Passmark multi-thread score of 14015 show that it is not a powerhouse for parallel workloads, but Ready Or Not does not appear to scale well with more than a few cores. The 3DMark 8-thread score of 4026 is nearly identical to the max-thread score of 4023, indicating that the processor does not gain significant performance beyond 8 threads. This means the CPU is effectively using all its resources, but the game likely relies on only 2-4 threads for most of its work.

The boost clock of 4.30 GHz is the key factor for gaming. The single-thread performance is strong enough to push frame rates above 200 FPS at 1080p in most presets, but the 4-core limitation becomes apparent when comparing Low to Ultra at 1080p. The 208 FPS difference between these presets suggests that the CPU is struggling to keep up with the increased rendering workload, even though the GPU is more than capable. This is a classic CPU bottleneck scenario, where the GPU is waiting for the CPU to issue draw calls.

At 4K, the CPU’s limitations are masked by the GPU’s workload. The frame rates at 4K High (123 FPS) and 4K Low (155 FPS) are much closer than at 1080p, showing that the GPU is now the limiting factor. The CPU has enough headroom at 4K to feed the GPU without issue, as the rendering time per frame is longer. This makes the i3-12100F an acceptable pairing for 4K gaming with the RTX 4080, but at 1080p, the CPU leaves performance on the table. Players targeting high refresh rates at 1080p would benefit from a stronger CPU, while those gaming at 4K can rely on this configuration without major concerns.