SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i3-12100 + NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000

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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86 Score

Top 14% Ranking

86 / 100

HIGH-END

Power Build

Top 14% 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

91%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core i3-12100

12,054 Benchmark Score

Top 20% Market Ranking

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GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000

21,629 Benchmark Score

Top 9% Market Ranking

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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

# Intel Core i3-12100 + NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000: A Curious Desktop Workstation Pairing

This build pairs Intel's entry-level Alder Lake desktop processor with NVIDIA's professional Turing-era workstation GPU, creating a configuration that targets a specific niche: single-threaded responsiveness combined with high-capacity professional rendering. The CPU sits at the 67th percentile among all processors, while the GPU also lands at the 67th percentile among all graphics cards, placing this combination squarely in the mid-to-upper tier of desktop performance. The data reveals a system that excels in specific workloads but shows clear asymmetries in others, making it a study in trade-offs rather than a balanced all-rounder.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i3-12100 is a 4-core, 8-thread processor built on the Alder Lake architecture using Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, drawing a 60 W TDP. The cache hierarchy consists of 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. With a die size of 163 mm², this is a compact chip designed for efficiency rather than raw core counts.

Benchmark data shows a processor that is remarkably consistent across thread counts. The 3DMark scores tell an interesting story: 1645 in the 2-thread test, 2845 in 4-thread, 4014 in 8-thread, and 4004 in max-threads. The near-identical scores between 8-thread and max-threads (4014 vs 4004) confirm that the 8 threads represent the full computational capacity — there is no hidden headroom beyond what the 4 cores and 8 threads provide. The single-thread score of 890 in 3DMark, combined with a Geekbench single-core score of 1962, indicates strong per-core performance for a budget-oriented chip.

Cinebench results reinforce this picture. The R23 multicore score of 10623 and single-core score of 1499 show a processor that can hold its own in lightly-threaded tasks but will trail higher-core-count competitors in heavily parallel workloads. The R20 scores — 4461 multicore and 629 single-core — follow the same pattern. The Passmark suite adds further nuance: integer math scores 35678, floating-point math scores 28015, and extended instructions score 9702. Data compression hits 142060, while encryption reaches 7222. The single-thread Passmark score of 3173 is respectable, but the find-prime-numbers score of 49 is notably low, suggesting that certain integer-heavy algorithms do not scale well on this architecture.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i3-12100 shows a tight cluster of competition. It sits 0.2% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 6314U, 0.3% ahead of the Intel Xeon Bronze 3408U, and 0.5% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X in average benchmark score. The Intel Core i7-7700 trails by 1.2%. This positioning is curious: the i3-12100 trades blows with server-class Xeon processors and older Ryzen parts despite having far fewer cores. The explanation lies in the architectural efficiency of Alder Lake — the 10 nm process and modern IPC improvements allow 4 cores to match or exceed older 6-core and server chips in aggregate benchmarks. For real workloads, this means the i3-12100 will feel snappy in everyday tasks, handle moderate multitasking without strain, but will hit a wall in heavily threaded rendering or compilation workloads where core count becomes the limiting factor.

The avgBenchmarkScore of 12054 places this CPU in a competitive middle ground. It is not a high-end workstation part, but it is far from entry-level in terms of per-core efficiency. The data suggests that users who prioritize single-threaded responsiveness — such as developers running interactive tools or gamers playing CPU-bound titles — will find this chip more than adequate, while those rendering 3D scenes or encoding video will notice the 4-core ceiling.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The i3-12100 uses the Intel Socket 1700 platform, which provides a clear upgrade path within the Alder Lake generation. The socket supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through dual-channel configuration, giving builders flexibility in memory choice. The platform offers PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU, which is forward-looking despite the budget positioning of the processor itself. The integrated UHD Graphics 730 provides a fallback display output, useful for troubleshooting or basic tasks without the discrete GPU.

Memory support spans two generations, which is unusual and valuable. Builders can choose DDR4 for cost-effective capacity or DDR5 for higher bandwidth, though the memory controller's dual-channel design means bandwidth will be limited by the memory generation chosen. ECC memory is not supported, which may matter for users considering this platform for error-sensitive workloads.

The TDP of 60 W for the CPU is modest, meaning most air coolers will handle it without issue. The GPU, however, draws 230 W and requires a 550 W suggested PSU. This PSU recommendation accounts for the combined load of both components plus system overhead. The power connectors on the GPU — 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin — are standard for this class of card. For a sensible next upgrade, users could move to a higher-core-count Socket 1700 processor while keeping the same motherboard and memory, provided the motherboard's VRM and power delivery can support the increased TDP. The PCIe Gen 5 support from the CPU ensures that future GPUs will not be bottlenecked by the interface, though the current GPU uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Balance and Bottleneck

The performance asymmetry between CPU and GPU creates a clear bottleneck profile. The CPU's average benchmark score of 12054 places it at the 67th percentile, while the GPU's average score of 21629 also sits at the 67th percentile. On paper, these percentiles match, but the nature of the workloads tells a different story. The CPU excels in single-threaded tasks — its 3DMark single-thread score of 890 and Geekbench single-core score of 1962 are strong — while the GPU's strengths lie in massively parallel compute.

For gaming, the CPU's 4 cores will likely limit frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the constraint. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 15616 suggests it can handle demanding graphics, but the CPU's 8 threads may struggle to feed it in games that scale beyond 4 cores. Conversely, in GPU-bound workloads like 3D rendering with ray tracing, the GPU's 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores will dominate, and the CPU will be secondary.

The Passmark physics score of 776 is telling — this CPU is not built for heavy physics simulation, which often scales with core count. The data compression score of 142060 indicates strong single-threaded performance in that task, but the find-prime-numbers score of 49 shows weakness in algorithms that benefit from multiple cores. This combination suggests a system where the CPU handles interactive tasks well but becomes the limiting factor in batch processing or heavily threaded workloads.

FAQ

Q: How does the i3-12100 compare to 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 12000. Despite having fewer cores, the i3-12100 matches or slightly exceeds the Ryzen in aggregate benchmarks, likely due to architectural efficiency.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity?

A: The Quadro RTX 5000 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective data rate.

Q: Does the CPU support ECC memory?

A: No, ECC memory is not supported by the Intel Core i3-12100. This may be a consideration for users requiring error correction in memory-intensive professional workloads.

Q: What is the combined percentile ranking of this build?

A: The build has a combined percentile of 67, matching both the CPU and GPU individual percentiles. This indicates the pairing is well-matched in overall tier.

Q: What power supply is recommended for this system?

A: The suggested PSU is 550 W, which accounts for the CPU's 60 W TDP and the GPU's 230 W TDP. The GPU requires 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors.

Q: Is the GPU still in production?

A: No, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 is end-of-life. It was released in August 2018 and has been succeeded by Workstation Ampere parts.

Q: What PCIe interface does the GPU use?

A: The GPU uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes. This means the GPU operates at a lower interface generation than the CPU can provide, but this is unlikely to be a bottleneck for most workloads.

Who Should Build It

This build targets users who need professional-grade GPU compute with a budget-conscious CPU. The i3-12100's strong single-threaded performance makes it suitable for developers who compile code interactively or run tools that benefit from fast per-core execution. The Quadro RTX 5000's 16 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth support large datasets in GPU-accelerated applications, making it viable for data scientists and researchers working with big models.

Content creators who work primarily in GPU-accelerated applications — such as video editors using CUDA-accelerated effects or 3D artists using RTX-accelerated rendering — will find the GPU's capabilities well-suited to their needs. The CPU's 4 cores will handle the UI and asset management tasks, while the GPU carries the heavy lifting. Students in computer science or engineering fields will benefit from the platform's upgrade path, allowing them to start with the i3-12100 and move to a higher-core CPU later without changing motherboards.

Small business workstations that run GPU-accelerated software — such as CAD, financial modeling, or scientific visualization — will appreciate the professional driver support and 16 GB VRAM of the Quadro RTX 5000. The dual-slot card with 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C outputs supports multi-monitor setups common in professional environments.

Usage Scenarios

For high-refresh gaming, this system presents a mixed picture. The CPU's 4 cores and 8 threads will likely limit frame rates in modern titles that scale beyond 4 threads, while the GPU's 11.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance can handle high frame rates in less CPU-intensive games. Users targeting 144 Hz or higher refresh rates at 1080p may find the CPU becoming the bottleneck in competitive shooters, while at 1440p or 4K the GPU will be the limiting factor.

Streaming and content creation benefit from the GPU's NVENC encoder, though the Fact Pack does not specify encoder details. The CPU's 60 W TDP leaves thermal headroom for sustained streaming workloads, but the 4-core limit will constrain simultaneous gaming and encoding. The GPU's 16 GB VRAM provides ample space for streaming buffers and video processing.

Video editing in applications like Premiere Pro will leverage the GPU's CUDA cores for effects and rendering, with the 16 GB VRAM handling 4K timelines comfortably. The CPU's single-threaded strength will help with timeline scrubbing and UI responsiveness, but export times will be limited by the 4-core architecture.

3D rendering with RTX-accelerated engines will shine on this system. The GPU's 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores provide hardware acceleration for ray tracing and AI denoising, while the 16 GB VRAM allows large scenes to fit in memory. The CPU will handle scene preparation and physics, but the GPU will dominate render times.

Software development benefits from the CPU's strong single-threaded score of 3173 in Passmark, which speeds up compilation of individual files and IDE responsiveness. However, full project builds that parallelize across cores will be slower than on higher-core-count CPUs. The 12 MB L3 cache helps with frequently accessed code and data.

Student and office work is a strong suit for this build. The CPU's 60 W TDP and the GPU's professional drivers provide a stable platform for productivity applications, web browsing, and document creation. The 16 GB VRAM is overkill for office tasks, but the system's overall responsiveness and upgrade path make it a future-proof investment.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 is a Turing-architecture professional GPU built on TSMC's 12 nm process. The TU104 chip contains 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 25.0M per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 1620 MHz and a boost clock of 1815 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

Memory configuration is substantial: 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This capacity is the card's defining feature — it allows large datasets, high-resolution textures, and complex scenes to reside entirely in GPU memory without spilling to system RAM. The 3072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units provide a balanced compute-to-bandwidth ratio. The 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features, respectively.

Compute performance is rated at 11.15 TFLOPS for FP32 and 22.30 TFLOPS for FP16 (at 2:1 ratio). These figures support the card's workstation positioning — it handles single-precision workloads common in scientific computing and design, while the FP16 capability accelerates AI inference and training tasks. The pixel rate of 116.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 348.5 GTexel/s indicate strong rasterization throughput for its era.

Benchmark scores confirm the GPU's mid-to-high tier positioning. The Passmark G3D score of 15616 places it at the 67th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 21629. Geekbench OpenCL scores 78999 and Vulkan scores 92309, showing strong compute API performance. The Passmark GPU compute score of 6525 is lower than the G3D score, suggesting the card's compute capabilities are solid but not exceptional compared to its graphics performance.

Compared to nearest rivals, the Quadro RTX 5000 sits 1% below the GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB in average score, 1.2% above the RTX A4000 Mobile, 1.8% above the Radeon HD 8970M, and 2.3% above the Radeon RX Vega M GL. This clustering is surprising given the architectural differences — the professional card trades blows with consumer and mobile parts, indicating that its value lies not in raw benchmark dominance but in its 16 GB VRAM capacity and professional feature set.

Build Overview

This desktop build combines the Intel Core i3-12100 with the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000, creating a system that occupies a specific niche in the workstation market. The CPU is an active production part from the Core 12th Gen series, while the GPU is an end-of-life professional card from the Turing era. The combined percentile of 67 indicates that both components sit at the same tier relative to their respective markets, making this a balanced pairing in terms of overall capability.

The system class is desktop, which means it is designed for stationary use with standard power delivery and cooling. The CPU's 60 W TDP and the GPU's 230 W TDP require a 550 W suggested PSU, which is reasonable for a workstation with professional GPU demands. The platform's Socket 1700 provides a clear upgrade path, while the GPU's end-of-life status means users are buying into a mature product with established drivers.

This is not a high-end build — the GPU predates the CPU by several years, and the GPU's PCIe 3.0 interface is older than the CPU's PCIe Gen 5 support. However, the combination offers a unique value proposition: modern CPU efficiency paired with professional GPU compute and memory capacity. The 67th percentile ranking for both components suggests this system will handle a wide range of tasks competently, without excelling in any single extreme.

Benchmark Performance

The CPU's average benchmark score is 12054, with a percentile ranking of 67 among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are clustered within 1.2%: the Xeon Gold 6314U at 12026 (0.2% behind), the Xeon Bronze 3408U at 12019 (0.3% behind), the Ryzen 5 3500X at 12000 (0.5% behind), and the Core i7-7700 at 11914 (1.2% behind). This tight grouping shows that the i3-12100's 4-core architecture competes effectively with server and older desktop parts.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 21629, with a percentile ranking of 67 among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals show a wider spread: the GTX 1060 6 GB leads at 21856 (1% above), followed by the RTX A4000 Mobile at 21379 (1.2% behind), the Radeon HD 8970M at 21237 (1.8% behind), and the Radeon RX Vega M GL at 21153 (2.3% behind). The GPU's benchmark profile is characterized by strong graphics performance (Passmark G3D 15616) but weaker compute relative to its graphics score (Passmark GPU compute 6525).

The combined picture shows a system where both components perform at the 67th percentile, but with different strengths. The CPU excels in single-threaded tasks — its Geekbench single-core score of 1962 and 3DMark single-thread score of 890 are strong for a 4-core part. The GPU excels in memory capacity and professional features rather than raw compute speed. Together, they create a system that handles interactive tasks responsively and GPU-accelerated workloads with professional reliability.

Gaming Performance

No measured FPS data exists for this exact CPU+GPU combination — the FACT PACK contains no measuredFps rows. All FPS figures discussed here are estimates derived from the benchmark scores and should be treated as approximations rather than measured results.

Based on the CPU's single-threaded strength and the GPU's 11.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance, this system is likely capable of 60+ FPS in most titles at 1080p with high settings. The CPU's 3DMark 2-thread score of 1645 suggests it can handle lightly-threaded game logic well, while the GPU's 16 GB VRAM ensures texture-heavy scenes do not hit memory limits.

At 1440p, the GPU's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 64 ROPs will likely maintain playable frame rates in most games, though the CPU's 4 cores may become a limiting factor in titles that scale beyond 8 threads. At 4K, the GPU's 11.15 TFLOPS will struggle with the most demanding titles at ultra settings, but the 16 GB VRAM prevents texture-related stuttering. For esports titles at 1080p with competitive settings, the CPU's strong single-threaded performance should allow high refresh rates approaching 144 Hz in less demanding games, though the professional GPU's drivers are not optimized for gaming.

Rate My PC: Intel Core i3-12100 + NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000

Power Build

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core i3-12100

NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000

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

CPU Analysis

Upgrade Path and Platform

Balance and Bottleneck

FAQ

Who Should Build It

Usage Scenarios

GPU Analysis

Build Overview

Benchmark Performance

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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