Ready Or Not

Ready Or Not at 1080p with this Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination produces frame rates that are almost absurdly high, but the scaling pattern across resolutions reveals exactly where the bottleneck shifts. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 514.4 FPS average, while High drops to 428.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 301.8 FPS. That 1080p Ultra result is still far beyond what any high-refresh monitor can display, but the gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is the smallest relative drop in the entire dataset, which points to the CPU being the primary limiter.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture changes. Low preset hits 340.5 FPS, High manages 269.5 FPS, and Ultra lands at 189.6 FPS. The percentage loss from Low to Ultra at 1440p is steeper than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is starting to take on more responsibility. At 3840x2160, the pattern completes its shift. Low produces 178 FPS, High yields 141.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 101.7 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that falls below the 144 FPS threshold, which is significant for anyone targeting maximum refresh rates. The data shows that from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls from 514.4 to 101.7, a reduction of roughly 80%. This scaling curve is classic GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions, but the unusually high 1080p numbers suggest the processor is holding the graphics card back from its full potential at lower pixel counts.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor built on Intel's Alder Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node. Its base clock is 3.30 GHz with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, and it carries 12 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this chip scores 11,912 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,681 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 7,413 and single-core of 2,224. The 3DMark 16-thread test produces 4,051 points, while the 2-thread test yields 1,659 points. These numbers place the processor at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13,516.

The nearest rival data shows this chip sits remarkably close to much more expensive hardware. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX scores 13,534, which is only 0.1% higher than the i3-12100F. The Intel Core i7-1250U is 0.4% behind, and the Intel Core i3-10105 is 0.6% behind. The Intel Core i7-7700K trails by 1.8%. This clustering suggests that for multi-threaded synthetic workloads, the i3-12100F's 4-core design with high clocks performs comparably to processors with far more cores, which is relevant for a game like Ready Or Not that may not scale perfectly across many threads.

In practical gaming terms, the 1080p results strongly suggest a CPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the game produces 514.4 FPS, which is an enormous number that the RTX 5090 is unlikely to be the limiting factor for, given its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,411 and Passmark G3D score of 39,650. The i3-12100F's single-thread performance, reflected in its 893-point 3DMark single-thread score and 1,681-point Cinebench R23 single-core score, is strong enough to feed the GPU at 1080p, but the 4-core limit becomes apparent when comparing the 1080p Low to 1440p Low results. The drop from 514.4 to 340.5 FPS is a 34% reduction, which is more than pixel count alone would explain if the GPU were fully saturated at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. It operates at a base clock of 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz, effective 28 Gbps. The card is equipped with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. It has 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, with 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. The GPU's compute capabilities include 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

In benchmark terms, the RTX 5090 scores 14,411 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 380,114 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 379,571 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its Passmark G3D score is 39,650 with a GPU compute score of 26,756. The card sits at the 94th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 84,306. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 5090 D at 84,241 (0.1% lower), the RTX 5050 Mobile at 84,171 (0.2% lower), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 at 83,209 (1.3% lower). The NVIDIA CMP 40HX scores 85,637, which is 1.6% higher.

The GPU's role in Ready Or Not becomes dominant at 4K. The jump from 1440p Ultra at 189.6 FPS to 4K Ultra at 101.7 FPS represents a 46% reduction, which aligns with the pixel count increase from 3.7 million to 8.3 million. The 32 GB VRAM allocation is far beyond what this game needs at any preset, so memory capacity is not a factor. The memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, however, becomes more relevant at 4K where texture streaming and fill rate demands increase. The pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are more than sufficient for the measured workloads, but the data shows the GPU is the clear bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the 101.7 FPS average is the only sub-144 FPS result in the entire dataset.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Ready Or Not?

A: Yes, but only at lower presets. The 4K Low preset produces 178 FPS, Medium drops to 153.5 FPS, High yields 141.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 101.7 FPS. For a 144 Hz 4K display, Low or Medium would be required.

Q: Why is the 1080p Ultra score so much lower than 1080p Low?

A: The 1080p Ultra result of 301.8 FPS versus Low at 514.4 FPS indicates the CPU becomes more involved at lower resolutions. The i3-12100F's 4-core design with 8 threads and 3.30 GHz base clock is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU has ample headroom at 1080p.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13,516, which is 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13,534), 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U (13,462), and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10105 (13,430).

Q: What is the best resolution for maximizing frame rate?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 514.4 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 340.5 FPS. For 4K Low, it falls to 178 FPS. The 1080p results are the highest, but the 1440p Low result still exceeds all 4K presets.

Q: Does the GPU's 32 GB VRAM matter for this game?

A: The measured data does not indicate any VRAM-related performance differences. The RTX 5090's 32 GB GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is far beyond what Ready Or Not requires, so the bottleneck at 4K Ultra is computational rather than memory-related.

Q: How does the GPU rank among all graphics cards?

A: The RTX 5090 is at the 94th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,306. Its nearest rival, the RTX 5090 D, scores 84,241, which is 0.1% lower.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for different display targets. For 4K at 144 Hz, the Low preset at 178 FPS is the only option that clears the refresh rate, though Medium at 153.5 FPS also exceeds 144 FPS. The High preset at 141.5 FPS is slightly below 144 Hz, and Ultra at 101.7 FPS is not viable for high-refresh 4K. For 1440p at 144 Hz, every preset works, with Low at 340.5 FPS, Medium at 293.8 FPS, High at 269.5 FPS, and Ultra at 189.6 FPS all clearing the target. At 1080p, even Ultra at 301.8 FPS is far beyond 144 Hz, so users can max out settings without concern.

For competitive play where maximum frame rate is the priority, 1080p Low at 514.4 FPS is the highest measured result, but the margin over Medium at 467.9 FPS is substantial. The data suggests that Medium is a reasonable compromise for most players, as it retains higher visual quality while still delivering 467.9 FPS at 1080p and 293.8 FPS at 1440p. For cinematic single-player experiences at 4K, the choice between Medium at 153.5 FPS and High at 141.5 FPS is a trade-off between visual fidelity and refresh rate headroom. The Ultra preset at 4K is only suitable for 60 Hz displays, as the 101.7 FPS result still exceeds that threshold by a comfortable margin.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 514.4 FPS average, Medium produces 467.9 FPS, High reaches 428.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 301.8 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 212.6 FPS, which represents a 41% reduction from the fastest setting.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 340.5 FPS, Medium yields 293.8 FPS, High generates 269.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 189.6 FPS. The reduction from Low to Ultra is 150.9 FPS, or 44% of the Low result.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset produces 178 FPS, Medium delivers 153.5 FPS, High provides 141.5 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 101.7 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra is 76.3 FPS, or 43% of the Low score.

Across all resolutions, the Ultra preset consistently costs roughly 40-44% of the Low preset's frame rate. The 1080p results are the most CPU-sensitive, as the 4-core i3-12100F with its 12 MB L3 cache and 4.30 GHz boost clock appears to cap performance below what the RTX 5090 could theoretically deliver at such low pixel counts. The 4K results are the most GPU-bound, with the RTX 5090's 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth being the determining factors. The combo ranks 24th out of 1,748 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the top 1.4% of all tested systems.