Undisputed

# Undisputed with Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 produces a fascinating split personality in Undisputed, a sports title released on 2023-10-10. At 1080p Low, this combo delivers 361.7 FPS, which is extraordinarily high, yet at 4K Ultra it drops to 61.8 FPS. The data reveals a system where the quad-core CPU can keep pace with the GPU at lower resolutions, but the relationship inverts dramatically as pixel count rises. This combination ranks 480th out of 1580 tested combos in this game, placing it in the upper 30% of all configurations tested, a solid but not elite position given the RTX 3080's standing in the GPU hierarchy.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep but not uniform across settings. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p sees a reduction from 361.7 FPS to 262.6 FPS, a 27% decline, and then to 166.3 FPS at 4K, another 37% drop. This scaling pattern indicates the RTX 3080 is the primary limiting component at Low settings — the GPU is being pushed harder as resolution increases, while the CPU has ample headroom given the low graphical load.

At Ultra settings, the scaling tells a different story. 1080p Ultra produces 135.3 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 99.5 FPS (26% reduction), and 4K Ultra falls to 61.8 FPS (38% reduction from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops suggest that even at Ultra, the GPU remains the bottleneck throughout the resolution range. However, the absolute numbers reveal something crucial: at 4K Ultra, this combo barely maintains 60 FPS, which is often considered the minimum for smooth gameplay in a sports title, whereas at 1080p Ultra it has 135.3 FPS of headroom.

The scaling from High to Ultra at each resolution is particularly revealing. At 1080p, High delivers 216.7 FPS while Ultra drops to 135.3 FPS, a 38% penalty for the highest preset. At 4K, High produces 99.2 FPS and Ultra falls to 61.8 FPS, a 38% penalty as well. This consistency suggests the Ultra preset applies similar relative demands regardless of resolution, reinforcing that the GPU's compute and memory resources are being taxed proportionally.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz can boost to 4.30 GHz, and it carries 12 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11912 and a single-core score of 1681. The passmark multithread score of 14015 and single-thread score of 3444 further characterize its capabilities.

Undisputed appears to be a title that does not heavily tax the CPU based on the measured results. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 361.7 FPS, which would strain most processors, yet the i3-12100F sustains it. This implies the game's engine is well-optimized for lower core counts, or the 8 threads are sufficient for the simulation and physics load. The CPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all CPUs (avg benchmark score 13516) places it near the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, which scores 13534 (0.1% higher), and ahead of the Intel Core i7-7700K, which scores 13280 (1.8% lower).

The fact that this 4-core processor can drive frame rates above 360 FPS at 1080p Low suggests the game is not CPU-bound in typical scenarios. However, the data also shows that at 4K Ultra, the frame rate collapses to 61.8 FPS, which is far below what the CPU could theoretically support. This indicates the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions — the GPU is. The i3-12100F's performance in this game aligns with its strong single-threaded results, as the 3dmark single-thread score of 893 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681 demonstrate solid per-core throughput.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is a formidable piece of hardware from the Ampere architecture, fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. It features 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation pipelines. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1440 MHz with a boost clock of 1710 MHz, and its 10 GB of GDDR6X memory runs at 19 Gbps effective, delivering 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth across a 320-bit bus.

This GPU's 80th percentile ranking among all GPUs (avg benchmark score 35787) places it in the upper echelon, though its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro Duo at 35860 (0.2% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE at 36101 (0.9% higher). The RTX 3080's passmark G3D score of 25086 and 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4407 provide additional context for its capabilities.

In Undisputed, the RTX 3080's role becomes dominant as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the GPU is barely taxed, allowing the CPU to push 361.7 FPS. But at 4K Ultra, the GPU's pixel and texture throughput becomes the ceiling — 61.8 FPS represents the RTX 3080's limit for this game at maximum settings. The 164.2 GPixel/s pixel rate and 465.1 GTexel/s texture rate are the specifications that dictate this performance ceiling. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is not explicitly tested by resolution changes in the data, but the consistent performance degradation suggests memory bandwidth and compute capacity are the key constraints, not capacity.

How This Combo Ranks

This Intel Core i3-12100F + RTX 3080 combination ranks 480th out of 1580 tested combos in Undisputed, placing it in the 30th percentile of all configurations. This is a surprisingly low rank given the GPU's individual 80th percentile standing, which suggests that the CPU is holding back the overall combo in some scenarios, or that other combos with higher-end CPUs paired with similar GPUs achieve better results.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide insight into this ranking. The i3-12100F's average benchmark score of 13516 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13534, -0.1% delta), yet the Threadripper has vastly more cores. This means the i3-12100F achieves its performance through high clock speeds rather than core count, which is beneficial for games like Undisputed that may not scale well beyond 8 threads. The 0.4% advantage over the Intel Core i7-1250U and 1.8% advantage over the i7-7700K reinforce that this CPU punches above its 4-core weight class.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a similar clustering. The RTX 3080's 35787 average score is within 1% of three competing products, indicating that at this performance tier, the differences are marginal. The 0.4% delta to the AMD Radeon 880M and 1% delta to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile suggest that in synthetic benchmarks, these products are nearly interchangeable. Yet in Undisputed, the RTX 3080's 61.8 FPS at 4K Ultra is the absolute performance limit, and any of these rival GPUs would likely produce similar frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show a clear hierarchy across settings. Low delivers 361.7 FPS, Medium drops to 260.3 FPS (28% reduction), High produces 216.7 FPS (40% reduction from Low), and Ultra falls to 135.3 FPS (63% reduction from Low). The gap between High and Ultra is 81.4 FPS, which is substantial and suggests the Ultra preset enables effects that disproportionately impact performance.

At 2560x1440, the pattern repeats with lower absolute numbers. Low achieves 262.6 FPS, Medium 187.1 FPS, High 154.8 FPS, and Ultra 99.5 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 27% at Low to 26% at Ultra, showing a consistent scaling factor of roughly 1.35x for the resolution increase.

At 3840x2160, the results compress significantly. Low produces 166.3 FPS, Medium 116.6 FPS, High 99.2 FPS, and Ultra 61.8 FPS. The 4K to 1440p ratio shows Low dropping 37%, Medium 38%, High 36%, and Ultra 38%. This consistency across settings at the 4K resolution indicates the GPU is fully saturated regardless of quality level, and the frame rate is determined primarily by pixel count rather than settings complexity.

The most striking finding is that at 4K Ultra, the 61.8 FPS average is barely above 60 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra the same combo produces 135.3 FPS. The difference of 73.5 FPS between these two configurations represents the full range of this combo's performance envelope in Undisputed.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra in Undisputed?

A: Yes, but barely. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 61.8 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. There is no headroom for frame drops, so players may experience occasional dips below 60 FPS during intense gameplay moments.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to exceed 144 FPS?

A: At 2560x1440 High settings, the combo produces 154.8 FPS, which exceeds 144 FPS. At 1920x1080, even Ultra settings deliver 135.3 FPS, and Low, Medium, and High all exceed 200 FPS. For 144 FPS gaming, 1440p High is the highest quality setting that achieves this target.

Q: How does the i3-12100F compare to its nearest CPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i3-12100F scores 13516 on average, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13534), 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i7-1250U (13462), 0.6% higher than the Intel Core i3-10105 (13430), and 1.8% higher than the Intel Core i7-7700K (13280). The differences are minimal, indicating similar overall performance.

Q: Is the RTX 3080's 10 GB VRAM sufficient for Undisputed at 4K?

A: The measured data shows playable frame rates at 4K Ultra (61.8 FPS), which suggests 10 GB is adequate for this title. The GPU's 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 320-bit bus are likely more important factors than capacity for this game's performance.

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

A: At 1920x1080, Low delivers 361.7 FPS while Ultra produces 135.3 FPS, a difference of 226.4 FPS. This represents a 63% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to highest quality preset, indicating Ultra settings impose a significant graphical load.

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

A: The combo ranks 480th out of 1580 tested combos, placing it in the 30th percentile. Despite the RTX 3080's 80th percentile GPU ranking, the overall combo rank suggests the CPU is a limiting factor in achieving higher positions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience. For players targeting 60 FPS, 4K Ultra is achievable at 61.8 FPS, but the lack of headroom makes this a risky choice. The safer option is 4K High at 99.2 FPS, which provides 60% more performance headroom while maintaining high visual quality. For 144 FPS gaming, 1440p High at 154.8 FPS is the sweet spot, offering excellent visual fidelity with 10.8 FPS of margin above the target.

At 1080p, the choice depends on the display's refresh rate. For 240 Hz displays, 1080p Low at 361.7 FPS or Medium at 260.3 FPS both exceed the requirement. For 144 Hz displays, 1080p Ultra at 135.3 FPS is slightly below target, so 1080p High at 216.7 FPS is the recommended preset. The data shows that the Ultra preset carries a disproportionate performance cost — at 1080p it costs 81.4 FPS over High, at 1440p it costs 55.3 FPS, and at 4K it costs 37.4 FPS. Players who value smoothness over marginal visual improvements should stick with High settings, as the Ultra preset's visual gains are not quantified in the data but the FPS costs are significant. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, 1440p High at 154.8 FPS emerges as the optimal configuration, providing both high frame rates and a resolution that leverages the RTX 3080's capabilities without overextending the 10 GB VRAM buffer.