Ready Or Not

Ready Or Not presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the Intel Arc B370, and the measured data reveals a system that is firmly constrained by its graphics solution. The combination ranks 2710 out of 2947 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations, which sets the stage for a benchmark analysis focused on managing expectations and optimizing within hardware limits.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and clearly illustrates where the bottleneck resides. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 89 FPS at 1920x1080 to 56 FPS at 2560x1440, a 37% reduction, and then further down to 29 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a 67% drop from the 1080p baseline. This pattern is a textbook example of GPU-bound scaling; the pixel count increases dramatically, and the Arc B370, which ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, simply lacks the raw fill rate to maintain performance at higher resolutions.

The trend persists across all quality presets. At Low settings, the frame rate declines from 113 FPS at 1080p to 71 FPS at 1440p and finally to 37 FPS at 4K. Even at the least demanding settings, the 4K result is less than one-third of the 1080p result, confirming that resolution is the dominant factor in performance degradation. The scaling is not linear, which suggests that memory bandwidth and pixel throughput are being saturated as resolution increases.

Interestingly, the gap between 1080p and 1440p is substantial but not catastrophic, while the jump to 4K causes a disproportionate collapse in performance. For instance, at Ultra settings, the 1080p average of 63 FPS drops to 40 FPS at 1440p, a 36.5% loss, but then plummets to 21 FPS at 4K, a 47.5% loss from the 1440p figure. This indicates that the GPU's 20 ROPs and 40 TMUs are overwhelmed when the pixel workload quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

The data suggests that 4K is not a viable target for this combo, regardless of settings. The best 4K result is 37 FPS on Low, which is still below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The limiting component is unequivocally the Intel Arc B370; the Core i5-12600KF, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, provides more than enough processing headroom, as evidenced by its 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this combo is achieved at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This preset delivers an average of 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS, providing a balanced compromise between visual fidelity and playability. The minimum frame rate of 83 FPS is particularly important, as it indicates that the system can maintain a reasonably consistent experience without severe drops.

For players prioritizing smoothness over visuals, 1920x1080 on Low settings offers the highest average at 113 FPS, but the visual trade-off may be significant for a tactical shooter where spotting enemies is crucial. The High preset at 1080p, yielding 89 FPS average, is also a strong contender, providing better texture and lighting quality without sacrificing too much performance. However, the Medium preset's minimum of 83 FPS makes it the safer choice for sustained play.

At 2560x1440, the experience becomes more compromised. Medium settings produce an average of 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a genre that benefits from high refresh rates. High settings at 1440p drop to 56 FPS average, and the margin for error in firefights narrows considerably. Low settings at 1440p, with 71 FPS average, are acceptable but still fall short of the 1080p Medium experience.

Ultra settings are not recommended for this hardware. At 1080p, Ultra averages 63 FPS, which is below the Medium preset's minimum. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 40 FPS, and at 4K, it reaches only 21 FPS. The visual uplift from Ultra is rarely worth the 35% performance penalty compared to Medium at 1080p, especially when the minimum frame rate at Ultra is not even recorded, indicating potential instability.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is a 3 nm part with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. It features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The GPU's memory is system shared, with bandwidth that is system dependent, which is a critical factor in its performance scaling.

The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s. These specifications, while modest, are consistent with its 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The benchmark data shows a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184, placing it in close competition with older discrete GPUs like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which score 1186 and 1190 respectively.

The system shared memory configuration is a significant limitation. Unlike dedicated VRAM, the GPU must share bandwidth with the CPU, and the "System Dependent" bandwidth means performance can vary based on the rest of the system. This explains why the frame rate drops so precipitously at higher resolutions, where memory bandwidth requirements increase substantially. The GPU's 20 ROPs are also a constraint; at 4K, the pixel fill rate is insufficient to maintain playable frame rates, with the best average at that resolution being 37 FPS on Low settings.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility ensure it can run the latest APIs, but raw performance is lacking. The 25 W TDP and IGP form factor suggest this is not a high-performance part, and the data confirms that it is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. The CPU, by contrast, has a TDP of 125 W and is designed for desktop workloads, indicating a mismatch in capability that the benchmark results reflect.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear hierarchy across settings. Low settings deliver the highest average at 113 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 98 FPS, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS. High settings average 89 FPS, while Ultra settings drop significantly to 63 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 44% reduction in average frame rate, highlighting the cost of higher visual fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance envelope tightens. Low settings average 71 FPS, which is a 37% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 62 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. High settings average 56 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 40 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 44%, similar to the 1080p scaling, but the absolute numbers are all lower.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal for playability. Low settings average 37 FPS, Medium settings average 32 FPS with a minimum of 28 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS, High settings average 29 FPS, and Ultra settings average 21 FPS. The minimum frame rate at Medium (28 FPS) is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and the maximum at Low (37 FPS) is still low. The data indicates that 4K is not a practical resolution for this combo, as even the best case scenario fails to hit 40 FPS.

The measured FPS data also reveals that the Medium preset consistently provides the widest recorded range, with a 30 FPS spread at both 1080p and 1440p, suggesting more variable performance. Low and High presets do not have recorded minimum and maximum values, but the averages suggest a more stable experience at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12600KF and Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 2710 out of 2947 tested combos in Ready Or Not. This places it in the 8th percentile of all configurations, indicating that it is among the lower-performing setups for this game. The rank is driven by the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is a much stronger component relative to its peers.

The CPU's average benchmark score is 27799, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. The Intel Core i9-10900K scores 27872, a delta of -0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896, also a delta of -0.3%. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE scores 27712, a delta of 0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U scores 27887, a delta of -0.3%. This indicates that the i5-12600KF is performing exactly as expected for its class, with no unusual bottlenecks from the processor side.

In contrast, the GPU's average benchmark score is 1184, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (delta -0.2%), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (delta -0.5%), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (delta -0.7%). The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168 (delta 1.4%). These comparisons show that the Arc B370 is performing right at the level of these older parts, confirming its low standing in the overall GPU hierarchy.

The combination of a 79th percentile CPU and a 5th percentile GPU results in a system that is severely unbalanced for gaming. The rank of 2710 out of 2947 is a direct consequence of this imbalance. The CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU, but the GPU cannot keep up with the demands of Ready Or Not at higher resolutions and settings, dragging the combo's overall rank down.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Ready Or Not?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the average frame rates are consistently above 60 FPS across most settings. At 2560x1440, averages fall to 40-71 FPS depending on settings, and at 3840x2160, averages range from 21-37 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B370 have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The GPU uses system shared memory, with a size and bandwidth that are system dependent. The measured data shows significant performance degradation at higher resolutions, which is consistent with memory bandwidth limitations rather than a fixed VRAM capacity issue.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-12600KF compare to its closest rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 27799, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872, -0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896, -0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (27887, -0.3%). It is 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE (27712).

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 63 FPS, which is 35% lower than the Medium preset's 98 FPS average. The Medium preset also has a recorded minimum of 83 FPS, while Ultra has no recorded minimum, suggesting a less stable experience. The visual gains from Ultra are likely not worth the significant performance penalty.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum frame rate is 53 FPS, with an average of 62 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. This indicates that the system can dip below 60 FPS, which may be noticeable in fast-paced firefights.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF and Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 2710 out of 2947 tested combos in Ready Or Not, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations. This low rank is primarily due to the GPU's 5th percentile performance ranking.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. It has a 20 MB shared L3 cache and a per-core L2 cache of 1.25 MB. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 23391 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3302 in single-core, along with 12137 in Geekbench multi-core and 2157 in single-core.

These scores place the CPU in the 79th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 27799. The CPU's performance is essentially tied with its nearest rivals, showing a delta of -0.3% against the Intel Core i9-10900K and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D. This indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor in the measured FPS results.

In Ready Or Not, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI, and physics, which are typically more dependent on single-thread performance. The CPU's single-thread score of 3302 in Cinebench R23 and 1016 in 3DMark single-thread suggests it has ample power for these tasks. The benchmark results show that even at 1080p Low settings, where the CPU would be most stressed due to high frame rates, the system achieves 113 FPS average, which is well within the CPU's capabilities.

The 10-core, 16-thread configuration provides strong multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by the 7956 score in 3DMark 16-thread tests. However, this headroom is underutilized in this pairing because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to require more CPU throughput. The data indicates that the CPU is consistently waiting on the GPU, confirming that the Intel Arc B370 is the definitive bottleneck in this combo.