Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i3-12100F and Intel Arc B570 combination delivers a specific, measurable experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, with performance that scales predictably across resolutions and presets. The data provided places this pairing in the 80th percentile of tested combos, indicating a configuration that is capable of solid 1080p play but struggles at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the CPU and GPU contributions, answers common questions, and provides a detailed look at the measured frame rates.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 place it as a modern entry-level desktop part. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU shows a clear scaling pattern: the 3DMark score for 2 threads is 1659, which jumps to 2859 for 4 threads and 4026 for 8 threads, before plateauing at 4023 for max threads. This indicates that the processor’s full potential is realized with its 8 threads, and additional workload does not yield further gains.

For Red Dead Redemption 2, a game known for its demanding open-world simulation, the CPU’s role is critical for maintaining minimum frame rates and handling AI, physics, and streaming. The single-thread performance is solid, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1932. This strong single-core showing helps in scenarios where the game engine relies on a few heavily loaded threads. The multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860, is adequate for the game’s broader thread usage but does not provide a massive headroom.

The CPU’s position relative to its nearest rivals is tight. The data shows the Core i3-12100F with an average benchmark score of 13494, placing it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. It sits within a 1.1% delta of three competitors: the Intel Core 3 N355 (13492, 0% delta), the Intel Core i5-9500 (13452, 0.3% faster), and the Intel Core 5 120UL (13594, 0.7% slower). This clustering suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i3-12100F will perform nearly identically to these alternatives, meaning the bottleneck in this system is unlikely to be the processor when compared to its direct peers.

In the measured game results, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 79, which is the highest recorded for this combo. As the resolution increases to 1440p Low and 4K Low, the average FPS drops to 59 and 39, respectively. This progressive decline with resolution, even at the same Low preset, indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises. At 1080p Low, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU, but the Arc B570’s rendering capacity is quickly saturated as resolution climbs. The 4-core, 8-thread design is sufficient to avoid catastrophic frame drops, but it does not boost performance beyond what the GPU can deliver at higher resolutions.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B570 is a Battlemage-generation GPU with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, offering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz, and it features 2304 shading units. The GPU’s 18 ray tracing cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) make it a modern part, though its raw rasterization performance is what matters most for this title. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 20556, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival is the Intel Arc A750 (20582, -0.1% delta), followed by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, 0.1% delta). This indicates the B570 is essentially on par with the previous-generation Arc A750 and a mobile RTX 3070.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU’s role dominates the frame rate at higher resolutions. The data shows a stark contrast between settings at each resolution. At 1080p, moving from Low (79 FPS) to Medium (59 FPS) to High (49 FPS) to Ultra (36 FPS) shows a consistent performance cost for each preset tier. The 10 GB VRAM is likely a contributing factor at Ultra settings, where the game’s high-resolution textures and draw distances can consume significant memory. The 160-bit bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p but become a bottleneck at 4K, as evidenced by the 4K Ultra average of just 18 FPS.

The GPU’s scaling with resolution is steep. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 79 at 1080p to 59 at 1440p (a 25% reduction) and then to 39 at 4K (a 51% reduction from 1080p). This pattern is typical for a mid-range GPU, where the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient for 4K. At High settings, the drop is from 49 FPS at 1080p to 37 FPS at 1440p, and finally 24 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at 4K with 18 FPS, and even at 1440p Ultra, the average of 27 FPS is below a smooth threshold. The GPU’s performance at 1080p Medium (59 FPS) and High (49 FPS) shows that it is well-suited for 1080p gaming, but the 4-core CPU is not the limiting factor at those settings—the GPU is.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all four presets achieve playable frame rates, with Low at 79 FPS and High at 49 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (59 FPS) stays above 60 FPS, while High drops to 37 FPS. At 3840x2160, even Low averages only 39 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core i3-12100F compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, which is within 1.1% of the Intel Core 3 N355 (13492), Intel Core i5-9500 (13452), and Intel Core 5 120UL (13594). This puts it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, indicating a performance level nearly identical to these competitors.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B570 closer to the Arc A750 or the RTX 3070 Mobile?

A: The B570’s average benchmark score is 20556. Its nearest rival is the Intel Arc A750 with a score of 20582, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the B570 is essentially tied with the A750. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is also close at 20534, a 0.1% delta.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 79 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 36 FPS. This represents a 43 FPS difference, or a 54% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 4K?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 39 FPS, which is only half of the 79 FPS at 1080p Low. The CPU’s performance is consistent across resolutions, so the steep drop is attributable to the GPU’s rendering capacity at high pixel counts.

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

A: The combo rank in game is 2335 out of 2902 total combos, placing it in the 80th percentile. This means it outperforms roughly 80% of all tested CPU and GPU pairings for Red Dead Redemption 2.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2335 out of 2902 tested configurations places this pairing in the 80th percentile for Red Dead Redemption 2. This is a strong showing, indicating that the Core i3-12100F and Arc B570 combination performs better than four out of five alternative systems tested. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU’s 68th percentile standing and the GPU’s 65th percentile standing, suggesting that the system is well-matched for this title. The GPU’s performance is the primary driver of the overall rank, as the CPU is not a bottleneck in most scenarios.

When interpreting this rank, it is essential to consider the resolution at which the system is used. The 80th percentile ranking is likely skewed towards 1080p performance, where the combo achieves its best results. At 1440p, the system’s performance drops to a level that would place it lower in the rankings, and at 4K, it would be significantly below average. The data shows that the combo’s strength is in 1080p gaming, where it can achieve 60+ FPS on Low and Medium settings, making it a viable option for competitive or high-refresh-rate play.

The rank also highlights the GPU’s relative strength compared to the CPU. The Arc B570’s near-tie with the Arc A750 and RTX 3070 Mobile in synthetic benchmarks suggests that the GPU is capable of more than the CPU can deliver in CPU-bound scenarios. However, in this game, the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions, which means the rank is more a reflection of the GPU’s capabilities than the CPU’s. The 80th percentile rank is a positive indicator for 1080p users but should be caveated for those expecting 1440p or 4K performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only option, averaging 79 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold but is likely acceptable for most players. The High preset at 1080p averages 49 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 36 FPS, which is below the smoothness threshold and should be avoided.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only one that achieves a playable average of 59 FPS. Medium drops to 44 FPS, High to 37 FPS, and Ultra to 27 FPS. For 1440p gaming, the Low preset is the recommended choice, as it provides a near-60 FPS experience. The Medium preset at 44 FPS is a compromise for better visuals but risks frame drops in busy scenes. At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a playable frame rate, with Low averaging 39 FPS and Ultra dropping to 18 FPS. 4K is not a viable option for this combo in this game.

The best experience per the measured rows is the 1080p Medium preset, which balances the 59 FPS average with the visual improvements over Low. The minimum FPS of 50 and maximum of 68 for this preset show acceptable variance. For players prioritizing frame rate, 1080p Low at 79 FPS is the clear winner. For those wanting higher visual fidelity, 1080p High at 49 FPS is a reasonable trade-off, but it does not provide the consistency of Medium. The data suggests that 1080p Medium is the sweet spot for this hardware combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset combination.

At 1920x1080, the performance ranges from 79 FPS on Low to 36 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset averages 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 and maximum of 68. The High preset averages 49 FPS. This resolution shows the most consistent scaling, with each preset tier costing roughly 10-20% performance.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 59 FPS, Medium averages 44 FPS (min 38, max 51), High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 15 FPS, and from Medium to High is 7 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is 10 FPS, indicating that Ultra is particularly demanding.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 39 FPS, Medium averages 29 FPS (min 25, max 34), High averages 24 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. The performance is below 40 FPS even on Low, confirming that 4K is beyond the capabilities of this combo. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 25 FPS, which indicates significant frame drops in demanding scenes.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset provides the highest frame rates, while Ultra provides the lowest. The data shows that the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases: at 1080p, the difference is 43 FPS, at 1440p it is 32 FPS, and at 4K it is 21 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, as the relative cost of Ultra settings becomes less impactful when the pixel count is already overwhelming the GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 79 at 1080p to 59 at 1440p, a 25% reduction, and then to 39 at 4K, a 51% reduction from 1080p. At High settings, the drop is from 49 FPS at 1080p to 37 FPS at 1440p (24% reduction) and 24 FPS at 4K (51% reduction). This consistent halving of performance at 4K across all presets points directly to the GPU as the bottleneck.

The CPU’s role in this scaling is minimal. The Core i3-12100F’s performance is resolution-independent, as it processes game logic and draw calls regardless of pixel count. The fact that the FPS drop is uniform across Low, Medium, High, and Ultra settings at each resolution transition indicates that the GPU is running out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth. The Arc B570’s 380.0 GB/s bandwidth and 160-bit bus are insufficient for 4K, where the required fill rate and memory access patterns are significantly higher.

The scaling pattern also shows that the CPU is not holding back the GPU at 1080p. At 1080p Low, the 79 FPS is close to the GPU’s maximum capability, and the CPU has enough headroom to feed it. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a plateau at higher resolutions where the FPS remains constant. Instead, the FPS drops proportionally with pixel count, confirming that the GPU is the primary limiter. For this combo, the data indicates that 1080p is the sweet spot, with 1440p being a compromise for lower settings, and 4K being out of reach for a smooth experience.