Undisputed

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a significant bottleneck scenario in Undisputed, where the GPU's performance ceiling dictates the experience across all resolutions. The data indicates this combo ranks in the bottom 8% of tested configurations, making it unsuitable for high-refresh-rate play, though it can manage playable framerates at lower settings and resolutions. The benchmark results show a clear pattern: the Arc B370 is the limiting component, and the i7-12700K's substantial processing power is largely left untapped in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals a classic GPU-bound workload. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 68 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings, the average falls to 49 FPS, a reduction of roughly 28%. Pushing further to 4K High yields only 31 FPS, which is a 54% decline from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern indicates that the Arc B370's rendering throughput is the primary constraint; as the pixel count increases, the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities are overwhelmed.

The trend is consistent across all quality presets. At Low settings, the framerate drops from 115 FPS at 1080p to 83 FPS at 1440p and then to 52 FPS at 4K. Even at the lowest settings, the 4K resolution proves too demanding, halving the performance compared to 1080p. The Medium preset tells a similar story, with averages of 83 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. These figures show that the scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, confirming that the CPU is not the limiting factor in any resolution tested. If the i7-12700K were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller performance gap between 1440p and 4K, as the CPU workload would remain constant.

The data suggests that the Arc B370 is most comfortable at 1080p, where it can deliver playable framerates on most presets. At 1440p, the card begins to struggle with the higher-end presets, and at 4K, it is only viable on Low settings, and even then, the 52 FPS average is far from ideal. The 4K Ultra preset is effectively unplayable, with an average of just 20 FPS. The scaling analysis points to a GPU that is designed for entry-level 1080p gaming, not for high-resolution or high-fidelity experiences in this sports title.

Settings Recommendations

For players using this configuration, the choice of settings is critical to achieving a smooth experience. The data shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and framerate, with the most balanced experience found at Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves an average of 83 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS. This provides a stable, fluid experience that is well above the playability threshold. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p only costs 32 FPS on average (from 115 to 83), but the visual improvement in a sports game is typically significant, making Medium the recommended starting point.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is still the best option, delivering an average of 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS. This is right on the edge of what most players would consider smooth, but the minimum framerate indicates that there will be occasional dips. The High preset at 1440p, with its 49 FPS average, is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Ultra preset at any resolution is not recommended; the 44 FPS average at 1080p and 32 FPS at 1440p are too inconsistent for a competitive or even casual experience.

The Low preset is a viable fallback for those seeking the highest possible framerates, particularly at 1440p where it hits 83 FPS. However, the visual compromises are substantial. For 4K, the only playable option is Low, which yields 52 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 38 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets are simply too demanding. The benchmark results indicate that the "sweet spot" for this combo is 1080p Medium, offering a 70 FPS minimum and an 83 FPS average, which provides a good balance of responsiveness and graphical quality. Players with 1440p monitors should also opt for Medium, accepting a lower but still acceptable 60 FPS average.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall performance of this pairing is poor relative to other tested combinations. The combo rank for Undisputed is 2592 out of 2813 tested combos, placing it in the 8th percentile of all systems. This is a very low ranking, indicating that the vast majority of other CPU/GPU pairings deliver better performance in this game. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU, as the Arc B370 sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs based on its average benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad.

The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are older, low-end cards like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (with a score of 1186 and a delta of -0.2%) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (with a score of 1190 and a delta of -0.5%). This comparison highlights the Arc B370's position at the very bottom of the performance spectrum. It is essentially competing with graphics hardware from over a decade ago. In contrast, the Intel Core i7-12700K is a much stronger component, sitting in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13600T and the Intel Core i7-12700KF, with average scores that are less than 1% different, showing that the CPU is a mid-to-high-range performer.

This stark contrast between the CPU's strong standing and the GPU's weak standing explains the combo's low rank. The i7-12700K's potential is severely hampered by the Arc B370's inability to keep up. A system with a more balanced, mid-range GPU would likely rank significantly higher, even if paired with a weaker CPU. The data clearly shows that this specific combination is heavily GPU-limited, and the resulting performance is not representative of what the i7-12700K can achieve.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Undisputed?*

A: Based on the measured frames per second, 1920x1080 is the best resolution. At this resolution, the combo achieves an average of 115 FPS on Low, 83 FPS on Medium, and 68 FPS on High settings, all of which are playable. At 2560x1440, the framerates drop significantly, and at 3840x2160, only the Low preset is marginally playable.

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

A: Yes, but only on the Low preset, where it achieves an average of 52 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 38 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets are not playable, with averages of 31 FPS and 20 FPS, respectively.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700K or the Intel Arc B370 the bottleneck?

A: The benchmark data indicates the Intel Arc B370 is the definitive bottleneck. The framerate scales almost linearly with resolution, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound workload. The CPU is in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 5th percentile, showing a massive performance disparity.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark, the Arc B370 scores 1184. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 with a score of 1186 and a delta of -0.2%, and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 with a score of 1190 and a delta of -0.5%. This shows it is on par with very old, entry-level graphics solutions.

Q: What is the expected framerate on Medium settings at 1080p?

A: The measured average framerate is 83 FPS, with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS. This suggests a stable and fluid experience on this preset.

Q: Is the Ultra preset viable for this game?

A: No. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields an average of 44 FPS. At 2560x1440, it drops to 32 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it falls to 20 FPS. These framerates are too low for a consistently smooth experience, making the Ultra preset unviable for this configuration.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the primary determinant of performance in this configuration, and its limitations are the defining factor of the entire experience. The GPU's architecture is Xe3-LPG, built on a 3 nm process, and it features 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. However, its most significant weakness is its memory configuration, which is "System Shared." This means the GPU has no dedicated video memory; instead, it relies on the system's main memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This is a major handicap for a modern game like Undisputed, which requires fast, dedicated VRAM for textures and frame buffers.

The GPU's performance metrics confirm its low-end status. It has a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s, with an FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS. These numbers are modest by modern standards. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score is 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which are ancient parts, underscoring the Arc B370's position at the bottom of the performance hierarchy.

In Undisputed, the GPU's role is to handle the rendering of the boxing ring, the fighters, and the crowd. The data shows that this workload is too heavy for the Arc B370 at higher resolutions and settings. The 4K High preset averaging only 31 FPS and the 4K Ultra averaging 20 FPS are direct results of the GPU's limited fill rate and memory bandwidth. The card's ability to only deliver 52 FPS at 4K Low suggests that even the most basic rendering tasks at that resolution are a struggle. The GPU's lack of dedicated VRAM is likely a contributing factor to the steep performance drop when increasing resolution, as the system memory bandwidth becomes a bottleneck. The results indicate that this GPU is only suitable for 1080p gaming at low-to-medium settings in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K provides a stark contrast to the GPU, offering a high level of processing power that is largely underutilized in this pairing. This 12th Gen Alder Lake processor features 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It has a substantial 25 MB of shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its synthetic benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19784 and a single-core score of 1850.5. It also achieves a Geekbench multi-core score of 15790 and a single-core score of 2308. The CPU's average benchmark score is 35287, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs.

In Undisputed, the CPU's role is to manage game logic, physics, and AI. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not the limiting factor. This is evidenced by the fact that the framerate scales almost perfectly with resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the framerate would remain relatively constant regardless of resolution, as the CPU workload would be the same. Instead, we see a significant drop in performance from 1080p to 4K, which is the signature of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is likely delivering frames well ahead of what the GPU can process, making the GPU wait.

The i7-12700K's performance is comparable to its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i5-13600T and the Intel Core i7-12700KF, with all average scores falling within a 0.4% delta of each other. This confirms that the CPU is a solid, mid-to-high-end part. However, its power is wasted in this configuration. The data suggests that a much less powerful CPU could achieve the same framerates in Undisputed when paired with the Arc B370, as the GPU's rendering speed is the hard limit. The high clock speeds and core count of the i7-12700K are simply not challenged by this game at the framerates the GPU can produce.