SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i3-12100 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

Get a comprehensive performance analysis of your gaming rig with detailed benchmarks, bottleneck detection, and upgrade recommendations

Build Configuration

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PROCESSOR (CPU)

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GRAPHICS CARD (GPU)

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89 Score

Top 11% Ranking

89 / 100

HIGH-END

Power Build

Top 11% of systems. Excellent for 1440p Ultra or 4K High gaming.

1440p Ultra4K High

System Balance Analysis

CPU vs GPU performance ratio

Well Balanced

CPU

80%

GPU

98%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core i3-12100

12,054 Benchmark Score

Top 20% Market Ranking

View Full Specs →

GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

77,712 Benchmark Score

Top 2% Market Ranking

View Full Specs →

Market Position

How your build compares to others

Budget

0-30

Mid-Range

30-60

High-End

60-85

Enthusiast

85-100

Your Build

Game Performance Benchmarks

Real-world 4K FPS in popular titles

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Performance Insights

Tips to maximize your system

Strong Performance

Excellent for 1440p gaming. Most games will run at high/ultra settings smoothly.

Compatible Games See what you can play Compare CPUs Find upgrades Compare GPUs Find upgrades

Performance Tiers Explained

90-100

Ultimate

4K Ultra gaming, VR ready, ray tracing enabled, professional workloads

4K 60+ FPS VR Ready

70-89

High-End

1440p Ultra or 4K High settings, excellent for modern AAA titles

1440p Ultra 4K High

50-69

Mid-Range

1080p Ultra or 1440p Medium, great value for most gamers

1080p Ultra 1440p Med

30-49

Entry Level

1080p Medium settings, suitable for eSports and older titles

1080p Med eSports

0-29

Legacy

Basic gaming, older titles, consider upgrading for modern games

720p-1080p Low Older Games

# CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i3-12100 is a 4-core, 8-thread desktop processor built on Intel's Alder Lake architecture and manufactured on a 10 nm process. Despite being a budget-oriented quad-core part, its benchmark results reveal a surprisingly strong single-threaded presence. The processor posts a 3DMark single-thread score of 890, a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1499, and a Geekbench single-core score of 1962. These figures indicate that for lightly threaded workloads—such as everyday application responsiveness, web browsing, and older games that rely on one or two primary threads—the i3-12100 performs at a level that belies its modest core count.

However, the multi-threaded picture is more constrained. The processor's 3DMark 16-thread score of 4036, 8-thread score of 4014, and max-thread score of 4004 are nearly identical, which makes sense given that the chip only has 8 threads total. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10623 is respectable for a quad-core but falls well short of what higher-core-count rivals deliver. The PassMark multi-thread score of 12170 and the Geekbench multi-core score of 7214 reinforce this pattern: the i3-12100 is a capable performer for its class, but its 4-core/8-thread configuration means that heavily parallel workloads like video encoding, 3D rendering, or software compilation will hit a hard ceiling.

The cache hierarchy is relatively generous for the segment. The L1 cache is 80 KB per core, L2 is 1.25 MB per core, and L3 is 12 MB shared. This cache configuration helps mitigate some of the performance penalties of a smaller core count in latency-sensitive tasks. The processor also includes integrated UHD Graphics 730, which provides basic display output and hardware acceleration but is not a gaming solution.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 12054 places it at the 67th percentile of all CPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals in terms of average score are the Intel Xeon Gold 6314U at 12026 (0.2% behind), the Intel Xeon Bronze 3408U at 12019 (0.3% behind), the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X at 12000 (0.5% behind), and the Intel Core i7-7700 at 11914 (1.2% behind). This tells a clear story: the i3-12100 is not just competitive with these older or enterprise-oriented parts; it actually edges them out slightly in aggregate performance. The Ryzen 5 3500X, which is a 6-core/6-thread processor, being slightly behind the i3-12100 in average score is particularly notable—it suggests that the i3's higher clock speeds and newer architecture compensate for its fewer threads in the benchmark suite's weighting.

In real workloads, the data indicates that the i3-12100 will excel in tasks that favor high single-thread performance, such as office productivity, spreadsheet manipulation, and light code compilation. For multi-threaded rendering or scientific computing, the 4-core limit will be the primary bottleneck. The processor's TDP is 60 W, which makes it a low-power option that produces modest heat, but its performance ceiling in threaded workloads is firmly defined by the core count.

FAQ

Q: What is the core and thread configuration of the Intel Core i3-12100?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100 has 4 cores and 8 threads, based on the Alder Lake architecture.

Q: How does the i3-12100 perform in single-threaded benchmarks?

A: The processor scores 890 in 3DMark single-thread, 1499 in Cinebench R23 single-core, and 1962 in Geekbench single-core, indicating strong single-thread performance.

Q: What is the performance difference between the i3-12100 and its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X?

A: The i3-12100 has an average benchmark score of 12054, which is 0.5% higher than the Ryzen 5 3500X's average score of 12000.

Q: What memory types does the i3-12100 support?

A: The processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration.

Q: Does the i3-12100 have integrated graphics?

A: Yes, it includes Intel UHD Graphics 730.

Q: What is the socket type for the i3-12100?

A: The processor uses Intel Socket 1700.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the i3-12100?

A: The launch MSRP is $122.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a monolithic powerhouse built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB202 chip, fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. The GPU packs 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 122.9 million per mm². This is an enormous chip by any measure, and the specifications reflect that scale.

Memory is a defining feature of this card. The RTX 5090 D comes with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The memory clock is 1750 MHz with an effective data rate of 28 Gbps. This configuration provides massive memory capacity and bandwidth, which is essential for high-resolution textures, large 3D scenes, and AI model workloads that require substantial VRAM. The GPU also integrates 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores, making it a formidable platform for ray tracing and deep learning inference.

The compute capabilities are staggering. The RTX 5090 D has 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation units. The FP32 performance is rated at 104.8 TFLOPS, with FP16 at the same 104.8 TFLOPS (1:1). The pixel rate is 423.6 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 1,636.8 GTexel/s. These numbers place the GPU at the very top of the performance hierarchy for raw compute.

In benchmark results, the RTX 5090 D scores 14326 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 310674 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 376915 in Geekbench Vulkan. The PassMark G3D score is 44065, and the PassMark GPU Compute score is 28396. The average benchmark score is 77712, which places the GPU at the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT at 76904 (1.1% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78940 (1.6% ahead), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB at 79396 (2.1% ahead), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB at 79605 (2.4% ahead). The fact that the RTX 5090 D's closest competitors are a mix of mobile Radeon parts and older Tesla compute cards is telling—it shows that the benchmark suite's weighting does not fully capture the RTX 5090 D's advantage in modern workloads, or that the rivals in this score band are not representative of its true tier.

The GPU's TDP is 575 W, with a suggested PSU of 950 W. It uses a single 16-pin power connector and occupies a dual-slot form factor with dimensions of 304 mm in length, 137 mm in height, and 48 mm in width. Display outputs include 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

For rendering, the RTX 5090 D is in a class of its own. The combination of 32 GB VRAM, 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, and 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute means that GPU-accelerated rendering, real-time ray tracing, and AI denoising will all benefit from extreme throughput. The 170 RT cores will accelerate ray-traced scenes significantly, while the 680 tensor cores provide ample power for DLSS and other AI-based features.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core i3-12100 uses the Intel Socket 1700 platform, which supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The processor provides 16 PCIe Gen 5 lanes from the CPU itself, which is a notable feature for a quad-core chip—it ensures that a high-end GPU like the RTX 5090 D can be connected at full PCIe 5.0 x16 bandwidth. The CPU's TDP is 60 W, which is very low, meaning that the motherboard's power delivery system needs to handle only a modest load from the processor itself.

The RTX 5090 D, however, is an entirely different matter. Its TDP is 575 W, and the suggested PSU is 950 W. This means that any system with this GPU must have a robust power supply and a motherboard with sufficient power delivery to feed the graphics card through its 1x 16-pin connector. The GPU is dual-slot, requiring adequate case clearance for its 304 mm length and 48 mm width.

The upgrade path from the i3-12100 on Socket 1700 is clear: users can move to higher-core-count Alder Lake or newer 12th Gen parts without changing the motherboard. This is a sensible upgrade for those who find the quad-core limit constraining in multi-threaded workloads. However, the platform is not future-proof beyond the LGA 1700 generation, so a more radical upgrade would involve a new motherboard and possibly new memory.

Memory support is dual-channel for both DDR4 and DDR5. The choice between these memory types affects bandwidth and latency, but the CPU's memory bandwidth is not listed in the data, so the exact performance impact cannot be quantified here. The CPU does not support ECC memory, which is relevant for users considering workstation use.

The power supply headroom is a critical consideration. The 60 W TDP of the CPU combined with the 575 W TDP of the GPU totals 635 W before accounting for other components. The suggested PSU of 950 W provides ample headroom for the rest of the system, including storage, fans, and motherboard power. The 1.9-inch width of the GPU is standard for a dual-slot design, so most mid-tower or full-tower cases should accommodate it, provided they have the length clearance.

Balance and Bottleneck

The pairing of the Intel Core i3-12100 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D creates a severe imbalance in performance capabilities. The CPU is a 4-core/8-thread processor with an average benchmark score of 12054, placing it at the 67th percentile. The GPU, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 77712 and sits at the 92nd percentile. The combined percentile is 80, which is dragged down by the CPU's relative weakness.

In gaming workloads, this imbalance will manifest as a CPU bottleneck in most scenarios. The RTX 5090 D is capable of producing extremely high frame rates, but the i3-12100's 4-core/8-thread configuration will limit how quickly the CPU can feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. Single-threaded performance of the i3-12100 is strong, but modern games increasingly use multiple threads, and the quad-core limit will cap performance in CPU-intensive scenes.

The benchmark scores illustrate the disparity. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10623 is far below what a modern high-end CPU would achieve, while the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 14326 is at the top tier. In a balanced system, these scores would be more comparable in relative terms. Here, the CPU is the clear bottleneck for any workload that requires more than 4 cores.

For productivity tasks, the CPU bottleneck is even more pronounced. Rendering, video encoding, and compilation are all heavily multi-threaded, and the i3-12100 will struggle in these scenarios relative to the GPU's immense compute power. The GPU's 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is wasted if the CPU cannot feed it data fast enough.

The FPS scaling evidence is absent from the data, as there are no measured FPS rows for this exact combination. However, based on the benchmark scores, the expected behavior is that at lower resolutions (e.g., 1080p), the CPU will be the limiting factor in many games, while at higher resolutions (e.g., 4K), the GPU will become the primary bottleneck, and the CPU's limitations will be less apparent. The GPU's 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for any resolution and texture quality setting, so the CPU remains the weak link.

Who Should Build It

The target user for this CPU+GPU combination is a professional or enthusiast who prioritizes GPU compute performance above all else and works primarily in GPU-accelerated workloads that do not heavily tax the CPU. This includes AI researchers and developers who need massive VRAM for large model inference or fine-tuning, as the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB memory is a key feature. The 680 tensor cores and 104.8 TFLOPS of FP16 performance make this GPU a compelling choice for deep learning tasks.

Content creators who work in GPU-accelerated rendering, such as those using real-time ray tracing in 3D applications, will benefit from the RTX 5090 D's 170 RT cores and 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate. The GPU's 32 GB VRAM allows for extremely large scenes and high-resolution textures without out-of-memory issues. However, these users must be aware that CPU-bound tasks like scene management, physics simulation, and some compositing operations will be limited by the i3-12100.

Gamers at 4K resolution will see the best balance, as the GPU will be the primary driver of frame rates, and the CPU will be less of a constraint at higher resolutions. At 1080p or 1440p, the CPU bottleneck will be more noticeable, potentially limiting the GPU's full potential. Students and small business workstations that run GPU-accelerated applications but do not require heavy multi-threaded CPU performance would also fit this build, provided they have the power supply and case capacity.

The i3-12100's low 60 W TDP makes it an efficient choice for systems that spend most of their time in GPU-intensive workloads, as the CPU draws minimal power. The 67th percentile CPU score ensures that general productivity tasks are handled adequately, but the system as a whole is optimized for GPU throughput rather than CPU-bound parallel processing.

Benchmark Performance

The CPU's benchmark performance is anchored by its average score of 12054, which places it at the 67th percentile of all CPUs. The most relevant rivals are close: the Intel Xeon Gold 6314U is 0.2% behind, the Intel Xeon Bronze 3408U is 0.3% behind, the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X is 0.5% behind, and the Intel Core i7-7700 is 1.2% behind. This indicates that the i3-12100 is a competitive quad-core part that slightly outperforms these alternatives in aggregate.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 77712, placing it at the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT at 76904 (1.1% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78940 (1.6% ahead), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB at 79396 (2.1% ahead), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB at 79605 (2.4% ahead). The tight margin between these scores suggests that the RTX 5090 D's average score is not fully representative of its performance in modern workloads, as the rivals are from different eras and market segments.

The combined picture is a system where the GPU vastly outperforms the CPU. The combined percentile is 80, which reflects the GPU's high standing pulling the average up. The CPU's 67th percentile and the GPU's 92nd percentile create a significant gap—the CPU is the limiting factor in most workloads. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 14326 for the GPU is exceptional, while the CPU's 3DMark max-thread score of 4004 is modest. This disparity is the defining characteristic of the pairing.

Build Overview

This build pairs the Intel Core i3-12100, a 4-core/8-thread desktop CPU, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, a flagship desktop GPU. The build class is desktop. The CPU is a low-power part with a 60 W TDP, while the GPU is a 575 W behemoth requiring a 950 W power supply. The combined percentile of 80 indicates that the system overall sits in the upper tier of performance, but this is driven almost entirely by the GPU.

The CPU's 67th percentile and the GPU's 92nd percentile define a system that is dramatically skewed toward graphics and compute performance. The RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, and 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute make it one of the most powerful GPUs available. The i3-12100, by contrast, is a capable entry-level processor that excels in single-threaded tasks but is limited in multi-threaded workloads.

This is not a balanced build. It is a GPU-centric system where the CPU is an afterthought, suitable for workloads that are almost entirely GPU-bound. The tier from the percentiles places it in the top 20% of all combinations, but the CPU's relatively low standing means that users will see noticeable CPU limitations in any workload that requires more than 8 threads.

Gaming Performance

No measured FPS rows exist for this exact CPU+GPU combination, so all frame rate expectations are estimates based on the benchmark scores. The data clearly indicates that the RTX 5090 D is an extremely powerful GPU that will deliver high frame rates in any game, but the i3-12100's 4-core/8-thread configuration will be the limiting factor in many scenarios.

Based on the CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 890 and the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 14326, the expected behavior at 1080p is that the CPU will bottleneck frame rates in most modern games, especially those that utilize more than 4 cores. At 1440p, the GPU will become more of a factor, but the CPU may still hold back performance in CPU-intensive titles. At 4K, the GPU is likely to be the primary bottleneck, and the CPU's limitations will be less apparent, allowing the RTX 5090 D to deliver near its maximum potential.

The GPU's 32 GB VRAM ensures that texture quality and resolution are never constrained by memory capacity, and the 1.79 TB/s bandwidth provides ample data throughput for high-resolution textures. The 170 RT cores will accelerate ray tracing effects, and the 680 tensor cores enable DLSS, which can boost frame rates further. However, the CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 3173 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1499 indicate that the processor can handle game logic and draw calls adequately, but its multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core of 10623) suggest that games using many threads will see reduced performance.

In summary, gaming performance will be excellent at 4K, where the GPU dominates, but at lower resolutions, the CPU will prevent the system from reaching its full potential. The figures provided here are estimates, not measured results.

Rate My PC: Intel Core i3-12100 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

Power Build

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core i3-12100

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

Market Position

Game Performance Benchmarks

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

Performance Insights

Strong Performance

Performance Tiers Explained

Ultimate

High-End

Mid-Range

Entry Level

Legacy

FAQ

GPU Analysis

Upgrade Path and Platform

Balance and Bottleneck

Who Should Build It

Benchmark Performance

Build Overview

Gaming Performance

4K Gaming Performance

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

1440p Gaming Performance

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

1080p Gaming Performance

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

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