Undisputed

The Intel Core i3-12100F and Intel Arc B580 combination delivers a playable experience in Undisputed, but the data reveals a clear performance ceiling that shifts depending on resolution and settings. At 4K, the combo is strictly a 60 FPS machine on High settings, while at 1080p it can exceed 200 FPS on Low, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, with the CPU becoming more relevant at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic scaling curve from 1080p to 4K, with the most significant drop occurring between 1440p and 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 132 FPS at 1920x1080 to 95 FPS at 2560x1440, then plummets to 60 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K, confirming that the Intel Arc B580 is the limiting component at higher pixel counts.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Medium settings, the drop is from 159 FPS at 1080p to 115 FPS at 1440p, then to 73 FPS at 4K. The Low preset shows a similar trajectory: 221 FPS at 1080p, 160 FPS at 1440p, and 101 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, shows the steepest absolute decline, falling from 85 FPS at 1080p to 61 FPS at 1440p and finally to 39 FPS at 4K.

The resolution scaling data indicates that the GPU's 12 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K results suggest the card is reaching its compute limits. The gap between 1440p and 4K is notably larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p, which is typical for a GPU with this architecture. At 4K, the average frame rate at Ultra settings (39 FPS) is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider minimum for smooth gameplay, while the High preset at 4K just barely achieves 60 FPS.

The scaling behavior also reveals that the CPU is not a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads, with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, are sufficient to feed the GPU at 4K, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across resolution changes. However, at 1080p with Low settings, the 221 FPS result suggests the CPU is approaching its limit, as the frame rate ceiling is likely dictated by the processor'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, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz provide adequate compute power for Undisputed, which is a sports title that typically relies more on GPU performance than CPU multithreading. The processor's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core help maintain consistent frame pacing.

Benchmark results show the i3-12100F achieves a 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and a multi-thread score of 4023, placing it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 scores of 1674 (single-core) and 11860 (multi-core) indicate strong single-thread performance for a budget quad-core, which is beneficial for games that rely on a few heavily threaded tasks. The Geekbench single-core score of 1932 further confirms this, while the multi-core score of 7252 reflects the limits of having only 4 physical cores.

In the context of Undisputed, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The frame rate data shows that at 4K, all settings presets produce frame rates that are clearly GPU-bound, with the CPU having ample headroom. At 1080p, the Low preset's 221 FPS result suggests the CPU is capable of driving very high frame rates, though the 4-core design may cause occasional frame time spikes in complex scenes, particularly those involving multiple fighters or crowd animations.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i3-12100F performs nearly identically to the Intel Core 3 N355, with a delta of 0%. It edges out the Intel Core i5-9500 by 0.3% and trails the Intel Core 5 120UL by 0.7%. The Core i7-1250U is 1.1% ahead, but that processor is a mobile chip with different power characteristics. These small deltas indicate that the i3-12100F is well-positioned within its performance class, though its 4-core limitation may become more apparent in games that are optimized for higher core counts.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation) using TSMC's 5 nm process, with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. It features 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, along with 20 ray tracing cores. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both 2670 MHz, providing a consistent performance profile. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

The Arc B580's compute capabilities are substantial: it achieves 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 27.34 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1 ratio). The pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s indicate strong fill rates that benefit games with high-resolution textures. The GPU's 190 W TDP and dual-slot design make it a power-hungry component, requiring a 450 W power supply and a single 8-pin connector.

Benchmark data shows the Arc B580 sits at the 68th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (0.2% behind), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% ahead), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (0.7% behind). This places the Arc B580 in a performance tier that is competitive with mid-range GPUs from previous generations, though its driver maturity and architectural optimizations may affect real-world game performance.

In Undisputed, the GPU's role is clearly dominant. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows that the Arc B580's performance is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, particularly at Ultra settings where the 4K average drops to 39 FPS. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is not an issue at any resolution tested, as the game does not appear to exceed this amount even at 4K Ultra. The memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s is sufficient for the game's requirements, though the 192-bit bus may limit performance in scenes with heavy texture streaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of the combo's performance across 12 different configurations (3 resolutions × 4 settings presets). At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings: 221 FPS on Low, 159 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 135 and maximum of 183), 132 FPS on High, and 85 FPS on Ultra. These results indicate that the combo is more than capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p, even at the highest settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decline. The Low preset averages 160 FPS, Medium drops to 115 FPS (minimum 98, maximum 132), High averages 95 FPS, and Ultra falls to 61 FPS. The Ultra result at 1440p is notable as it stays just above the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that the combo can handle 1440p Ultra with only minor compromises. The Medium preset's minimum of 98 FPS indicates that frame pacing remains consistent, with no significant drops below the average.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more constrained. The Low preset averages 101 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium drops to 73 FPS (minimum 62, maximum 84), High averages 60 FPS, and Ultra falls to 39 FPS. The 4K results show that the combo is only suitable for Low to Medium settings at this resolution, with High being borderline and Ultra being unplayable for competitive play. The Medium preset's minimum of 62 FPS is close to the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the combo's performance at 4K is near its limits.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the combo performs best at 1080p, where it can max out most settings, and degrades progressively at higher resolutions. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases, suggesting that the GPU's compute resources are the limiting factor at 4K. The lack of min/max FPS data for High and Ultra presets at most resolutions makes it difficult to assess frame pacing, but the available data for Medium presets shows reasonable consistency.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2794 out of 3718 tested combos in Undisputed, placing it in the 25th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking reflects the combo's mid-range performance profile, which is consistent with its component specifications. The rank suggests that while the combo is capable of running the game, there are 3717 other configurations that perform better, indicating that this is not a top-tier setup for this title.

The ranking data must be interpreted in context. The combo's 68th percentile CPU and 68th percentile GPU individually place both components in the upper-mid range of their respective categories, but the combined performance in Undisputed is lower than either component's individual percentile would suggest. This is likely due to the game's specific performance characteristics, which may favor CPUs with higher core counts or GPUs with different architectural strengths.

Given the measured FPS data, the combo's rank of 2794 seems appropriate. At 1080p, the combo delivers excellent frame rates that would satisfy most players, but at 4K Ultra, the 39 FPS result is below playable thresholds. The ranking reflects this variability, positioning the combo as a capable 1080p performer that struggles at 4K. Players using this combo should target 1080p or 1440p for optimal results, with 4K reserved for less demanding settings.

The combo's rank also indicates that there is significant headroom for improvement if either component were upgraded. The i3-12100F's 4-core design may limit performance in CPU-bound scenarios, while the Arc B580's mid-range compute capabilities cap performance at higher resolutions. The 3717 combos ranked above this configuration likely include systems with more powerful CPUs, GPUs, or both, highlighting the trade-offs of this particular pairing.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of running Undisputed at 4K?*

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The measured data shows 101 FPS at 4K Low, 73 FPS at 4K Medium, 60 FPS at 4K High, and 39 FPS at 4K Ultra. For smooth gameplay, 4K Medium is the highest playable setting, with High being borderline at exactly 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this combo?

A: Based on the data, 1440p High at 95 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. For maximum frame rates, 1080p Low delivers 221 FPS, while 1080p Ultra at 85 FPS provides high visual quality without sacrificing playability.

*Q: How does the CPU's core count affect performance in Undisputed?*

A: The i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient for this game, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. The CPU's single-thread score of 893 in 3DMark and 1674 in Cinebench R23 indicate strong per-core performance, which is more important than core count for this title.

Q: Can the Intel Arc B580 handle the game's VRAM requirements?

A: Yes, the 12 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than adequate for Undisputed. The game does not appear to exceed this capacity at any resolution or settings preset, and the 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures smooth texture streaming.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar hardware in terms of performance?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 23021 places it near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% ahead) and RTX 3080 (0.7% behind). The CPU's average score of 13494 is nearly identical to the Intel Core 3 N355 (0% delta) and slightly ahead of the Intel Core i5-9500 (0.3% delta).

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming?

A: The data shows strong performance at both resolutions, but 1080p is clearly the sweet spot. At 1080p, even Ultra settings achieve 85 FPS, while 1440p Ultra drops to 61 FPS. For 1440p, High settings at 95 FPS is the recommended configuration.