Undisputed

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 delivers a playable, though not luxurious, experience in Undisputed, with performance that hinges almost entirely on the graphics card’s 4 GB memory capacity and the selected preset. Across the measured resolutions, the data shows a clear pattern: the combo scales predictably from 1080p to 1440p, but collapses at 4K, particularly when texture quality and detail settings demand more video memory than the GTX 1650 can supply. The 6-core, 12-thread Alder Lake processor is rarely the bottleneck, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate gains when lowering graphical load, making this a textbook case of GPU-limited performance in a modern sports title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across resolutions reveals a steep and consistent penalty as pixel count increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 108.8 FPS, which drops to 80.4 FPS at 1440p (–26%) and further to 51.3 FPS at 4K (–53% from 1080p). This is a sharp decline, indicating that even at the lowest settings, the 4K resolution pushes the GTX 1650’s 128.1 GB/s memory bandwidth and 2.984 TFLOPS of compute to their limits. The scaling is not linear; the jump from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, suggesting that the GPU’s 4 GB frame buffer is being saturated at 3840x2160, causing the renderer to thrash.

Moving to Medium settings, the pattern repeats with a lower ceiling. The combo posts 80.9 FPS at 1080p, 56.2 FPS at 1440p, and 36.1 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 30.5%, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 35.8%. This shows that the relative cost of resolution scaling increases slightly with higher settings, as the GPU spends more cycles on shading and texture filtering. At High settings, the 1080p result is 64.2 FPS, falling to 47.1 FPS at 1440p (a 26.6% loss) and 28.8 FPS at 4K (a 38.8% loss from 1440p). The 4K High result is below the 30 FPS threshold, making it effectively unplayable for smooth motion.

The Ultra settings chart is the most telling. At 1080p, the combo manages 39.8 FPS, which drops to 27.4 FPS at 1440p and a dismal 19.9 FPS at 4K. The 1440p Ultra result already fails to hold 30 FPS, and the 4K Ultra result is less than half of the 1080p Low score. The data strongly indicates that the limiting component at 4K is the GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth, not the CPU. The i5-12400’s single-thread score of 910 in 3dmark and multi-thread score of 5890 in 3dmark_max_threads are sufficient to feed the GTX 1650, as evidenced by the large frame rate differences between Low and Ultra at the same resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, these gaps would be much narrower.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Undisputed at 4K?*

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 51.3 FPS. At Medium, High, and Ultra, the 4K results are 36.1, 28.8, and 19.9 FPS respectively, with the latter two falling below playable thresholds.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware?

A: 1080p is the optimal target. The combo delivers 80.9 FPS at Medium and 64.2 FPS at High, which are smooth for a sports title. 1440p is viable only at Low (80.4 FPS) or Medium (56.2 FPS), but High dips to 47.1 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 8713. It sits within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100, which scores 8761, and is 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon 550X at 8749. It is 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile and 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro P2200, which scores 8671.

Q: Is the Core i5-12400 a bottleneck in this game?

A: The data suggests no. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads provide ample headroom, as the frame rates scale dramatically with graphical settings (e.g., 1080p Low at 108.8 FPS vs 1080p Ultra at 39.8 FPS). This indicates the GPU is the primary limiter.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The gap is 69 FPS. Low settings produce 108.8 FPS, while Ultra produces 39.8 FPS. This 2.7x difference shows the heavy cost of Ultra settings on the GTX 1650.

Q: How does the CPU’s multi-threaded performance compare to its rivals?

A: The i5-12400’s average benchmark score is 19850. It is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-9700, which scores 19831 (0.1% faster). It edges out the Intel Core i5-11600K by 0.4% (19771) and is 0.2% faster than the Intel Core i7-8700 (19894).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, reflected in a 3dmark_single_thread score of 910 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2249. In a game like Undisputed, which is a sports simulation, the CPU is responsible for physics, AI, and game logic, but the benchmark results show that these tasks are not overwhelming this chip.

The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935 and a Passmark multithread score of 18747. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 5873 and 3dmark_max_threads score of 5890 are nearly identical, indicating that the processor saturates its thread count efficiently. However, the game’s frame rates do not improve when the resolution drops, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. For instance, the 1440p High score of 47.1 FPS is only slightly lower than the 1080p High score of 64.2 FPS, but the 4K High score drops to 28.8 FPS. If the CPU were the constraint, the 1080p and 1440p results would be much closer, as the GPU would have more headroom.

The processor’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4/DDR5) are ample for feeding the GPU. The data shows that the i5-12400 is not holding back the GTX 1650; rather, the GTX 1650’s 4 GB memory and 128-bit bus are the decisive factors. The CPU’s Passmark single-thread score of 3456 places it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a capable performer for gaming, but the measured FPS in Undisputed are ultimately capped by the graphics card’s pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s and texture rate of 93.24 GTexel/s.

Settings Recommendations

For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data points to 1080p with Medium settings, yielding 80.9 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, allowing for minor frame dips without noticeable stutter. High settings at 1080p (64.2 FPS) are also viable, offering better visual fidelity while staying above the 60 FPS mark. Low settings at 1080p (108.8 FPS) are excessive for a sports title, as the visual downgrade is not worth the extra headroom.

At 1440p, the recommended preset is Medium, which produces 56.2 FPS. This is close to 60 FPS and offers a good balance between resolution and detail. Low settings at 1440p (80.4 FPS) are also playable, but the visual clarity gain from 1440p over 1080p is partially negated by the reduced texture and shadow quality. High settings at 1440p (47.1 FPS) are playable but not ideal, as the frame rate is below 50 FPS. Ultra settings should be avoided at all resolutions; even at 1080p, the Ultra preset only achieves 39.8 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS threshold for fast-paced action.

For 4K, the data suggests that Low settings (51.3 FPS) are the only way to achieve a playable frame rate. Medium settings at 4K (36.1 FPS) are borderline, while High (28.8 FPS) and Ultra (19.9 FPS) are not recommended for competitive play. The 4 GB memory capacity is the key constraint here; the GTX 1650’s 128.1 GB/s bandwidth cannot keep up with the texture demands of higher presets at 3840x2160. The best experience per the measured rows is 1080p Medium, offering a high frame rate without sacrificing too much visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Undisputed, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 1547 out of 1580 combos, placing it in the bottom 2% of all tested systems. This low ranking is consistent with the GPU’s performance percentile of 43, meaning it outperforms only 43% of all GPUs in the benchmark database. The CPU’s percentile of 77 is significantly higher, but the combo’s overall rank is dragged down by the graphics card’s limitations.

The GTX 1650’s average benchmark score of 8713 is closely matched by its nearest rivals, with the AMD Radeon 550X (8749) and NVIDIA Quadro P2200 (8671) within 0.5% of its performance. This cluster of scores indicates that the GTX 1650 is at the lower end of the performance spectrum, and the Undisputed results reflect this. The combo’s 1080p High score of 64.2 FPS is respectable for a budget card, but the 4K Ultra score of 19.9 FPS is among the lowest measured.

The ranking is a stark reminder that while the i5-12400 is a strong processor, the GTX 1650 is the limiting factor in this pairing. The data shows that the CPU is capable of much higher frame rates, as evidenced by the 1080p Low score of 108.8 FPS, but the GPU cannot sustain those rates at higher settings. The combo rank of 1547 out of 1580 suggests that users seeking a better experience in Undisputed would need to upgrade the GPU before considering any CPU changes. The processor has room to spare, but the graphics card is at the end of its useful life for modern sports titles.