SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i3-12100 + NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation

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

Build Configuration

Select your components

PROCESSOR (CPU)

▼

GRAPHICS CARD (GPU)

▼

90 Score

Top 10% Ranking

90 / 100

ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 10% of systems. Capable of 4K Ultra gaming and advanced rendering.

4K 60+ FPSVR ReadyRay Tracing

System Balance Analysis

CPU vs GPU performance ratio

Well Balanced

CPU

80%

GPU

99%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core i3-12100

12,054 Benchmark Score

Top 20% Market Ranking

View Full Specs →

GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation

117,088 Benchmark Score

Top 1% 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

View All Games →

Performance Insights

Tips to maximize your system

Optimal Performance

Your system is in the top tier. You can run any modern game at maximum settings.

4K Gaming Ready

Consider a 4K 144Hz monitor to fully utilize your hardware capabilities.

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

The Intel Core i3-12100 paired with the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is a desktop build that occupies a distinct niche in the benchmark hierarchy. The data indicates a combined percentile of 81, placing it well above the median for typical desktop configurations. This pairing combines a modest quad-core processor with a high-end workstation GPU, creating a system with a clear asymmetry in raw capability that is best understood by examining each component's individual strengths and limitations.

GPU Analysis — VRAM, bandwidth, clocks, RT/tensor hardware, what the benchmark scores mean for rendering

The NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. The GPU integrates 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 121.8M per mm². Its memory subsystem is substantial: 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus delivers 280.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a significant amount of VRAM for a small-form-factor workstation card, and it points toward large datasets and high-resolution textures as primary use cases.

Clock speeds are conservative for a workstation-oriented card, with a base clock of 720 MHz and a boost clock of 1560 MHz. The memory runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. These modest clocks are likely a thermal and power management choice for a dual-slot, 70 W card that requires no external power connectors. The GPU's compute resources are extensive, with 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The pixel rate is 99.84 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 299.5 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is rated at 19.17 TFLOPS, with FP16 at the same 19.17 TFLOPS (1:1).

For ray tracing and AI-accelerated workloads, the card includes 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. These are not just marketing features; they translate to measurable performance in supported applications. Benchmark results show a Geekbench OpenCL score of 124812 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 109364. The Vulkan score being lower than OpenCL suggests that the card's driver and hardware are well-optimized for compute tasks, which is typical for a workstation product. The GPU sits at the 95th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 117088.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is closely matched with the NVIDIA GB10, trailing by 0.3%. It is 1.6% behind the AMD Radeon PRO W7700, but 2.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB and 2.8% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile. These deltas are small, indicating that the card is competitively positioned within a tight performance band. For rendering tasks, the combination of 20 GB VRAM, 280.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 19.17 TFLOPS FP32 means it can handle complex scenes, high-resolution textures, and GPU-accelerated ray tracing without significant memory pressure. The 1:1 FP16 rate is a bonus for mixed-precision workloads.

Benchmark Performance — exact CPU and GPU scores, percentile positions, and what the combined picture is

The combined picture is one of a workstation-class GPU anchored by a mainstream quad-core CPU. The GPU's average benchmark score is 117088, placing it in the 95th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU's average benchmark score is 12054, placing it in the 67th percentile of all CPUs. The system's combined percentile is 81, which reflects the GPU's high standing pulling the overall score up.

The CPU's multi-threaded scores are modest: Cinebench R23 multicore is 10623, while the single-core score is 1499. In Geekbench, the multicore score is 7214 and the single-core score is 1962. The 3DMark tests show a typical scaling pattern for a 4-core/8-thread processor: 2-thread score is 1645, 4-thread is 2845, 8-thread is 4014, and max-threads is 4004. Notably, the 16-thread score is 4036, which is slightly higher than the 8-thread score, indicating that the extra virtual threads do not provide a meaningful boost beyond the physical cores and first set of hyper-threads.

The GPU, with an OpenCL score of 124812, is roughly 10.4 times higher than the CPU's Geekbench multicore score of 7214. This is a stark illustration of the performance gap between the two. In a system pairing, the GPU will be the clear workhorse for any parallel compute or graphics task. The CPU will be the limiting factor in scenarios that require strong single-threaded performance or are heavily dependent on a few cores. The 3DMark scores for the CPU, such as 4036 for 16 threads, are far below what a high-core-count processor would achieve, but the single-thread score of 890 is competitive for a modern architecture.

The data shows that this is not a balanced system in the traditional sense. It is a system designed to prioritize GPU compute and rendering throughput, with the CPU providing adequate, but not exceptional, support. For workloads that are purely GPU-bound, such as rendering a complex 3D scene, the performance will be excellent. For workloads that are CPU-bound, such as physics simulation or certain types of data processing, the performance will be more modest, aligning with the CPU's 67th percentile standing.

CPU Analysis — cores, clocks, architecture, what the benchmark scores mean for real workloads

The Intel Core i3-12100 is a desktop processor from the Core 12th Gen series, based on the Alder Lake architecture. It is a 4-core, 8-thread part with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The TDP is rated at 60 W, which is efficient for a desktop chip. It is manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process, with a die size of 163 mm². The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 12 MB L3 cache.

The architecture is Alder Lake-S, which is a hybrid design in its full implementations, but this i3 variant is a pure performance-core (P-core) design without efficiency cores. The process node is 10 nm, and the foundry is Intel. Memory support includes both DDR4 and DDR5, with a dual-channel memory bus. The CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU. It also includes integrated graphics in the form of UHD Graphics 730, though in a system with a discrete GPU, this is unlikely to be used. ECC memory is not supported.

Benchmark scores for the i3-12100 show a clear profile. In Cinebench R23, it scores 10623 in multicore and 1499 in single-core. The single-core score of 1499 is strong, reflecting the high boost clock and modern architecture. The multicore score is respectable for a 4-core part, but it will be outpaced by 6-core and 8-core processors. PassMark scores reinforce this: the single-thread score is 3173, while the multithread score is 12170. The data encryption score is 7222, and the data compression score is 142060.

The CPU's percentile rank of 67 places it above average but not in the top tier. Its nearest rivals are close in average score: the Intel Xeon Gold 6314U is 0.2% higher, the Intel Xeon Bronze 3408U is 0.3% higher, the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X is 0.5% higher, and the Intel Core i7-7700 is 1.2% lower. This suggests that the i3-12100's performance is comparable to older 6-core parts in some workloads, thanks to its strong single-thread performance.

For real workloads, the i3-12100 is capable in office productivity, web browsing, and software compilation. The single-core score of 1499 in Cinebench R23 indicates strong responsiveness for tasks like document editing and code linting. The multicore score of 10623 is sufficient for light video editing or batch image processing, but it will be a bottleneck for heavy 3D rendering or complex simulations. The PassMark integer math score of 35678 and floating point math score of 28015 suggest it can handle general-purpose computing tasks without issue.

Upgrade Path and Platform — socket, memory support, PCIe, PSU headroom from suggestedPsu/tdp, what a sensible next upgrade looks like

The platform is built around the Intel Socket 1700, which supports the Core 12th Gen series. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, with a dual-channel memory bus. This gives builders flexibility in choosing memory, though the performance difference between the two memory types is not quantified in the data. The PCIe support is Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU, which is forward-looking and provides ample bandwidth for the latest storage and GPUs.

The GPU connects via PCIe 4.0 x16, which is fully compatible with the CPU's Gen 5 slots. It has a TDP of 70 W and requires no external power connectors, drawing all its power from the PCIe slot. The suggested PSU for the GPU is 250 W, which is a low requirement. The CPU has a TDP of 60 W. This means the total system power draw is low, estimated to be in the range of 130 W to 150 W for the CPU and GPU combined, before other components are considered. This leaves significant headroom for a system with a 250 W PSU, though a typical desktop PSU would be larger.

A sensible next upgrade would be to replace the CPU with a higher-core-count part on the same socket, such as a Core i5 or i7 from the 12th Gen series. The data shows that the i3-12100 is a 4-core part, and its multicore scores, such as Cinebench R23 at 10623, are limited by that core count. A 6-core or 8-core processor would provide a substantial increase in multi-threaded performance, which would benefit CPU-bound workloads. The GPU, being a 95th percentile component, does not need an upgrade for most tasks; it is the CPU that limits the system's overall ceiling.

The motherboard choice would dictate whether DDR4 or DDR5 memory is used, but both are supported by the CPU. The PCIe Gen 5 support from the CPU means that a future high-bandwidth storage device or GPU could be installed without changing the platform. The low power requirements of both the CPU and GPU mean that the PSU headroom is generous, allowing for a future CPU upgrade that might have a higher TDP without necessarily requiring a new PSU.

Balance and Bottleneck — which component limits which workload, using percentiles and FPS scaling as evidence

The balance of this system is heavily skewed toward the GPU. The GPU is at the 95th percentile, while the CPU is at the 67th percentile. This means that in most graphics-intensive workloads, the GPU will be the primary driver of performance, and the CPU will not be a limiting factor. However, in CPU-bound scenarios, the i3-12100 will be the bottleneck.

For gaming, the CPU's 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient for many titles, but the data shows its limits. The 3DMark 8-thread score is 4014, and the max-threads score is 4004, which is barely higher. This indicates that the CPU saturates its available threads quickly. In a game that can use more than 8 threads, the CPU will be the limiting factor. In a game that is heavily single-threaded, the single-core score of 890 in 3DMark and 1499 in Cinebench R23 suggests it will perform well.

The FPS scaling evidence is not measured for this exact combination. The data set contains no measured FPS rows for this CPU+GPU pairing. Therefore, all FPS discussion must be framed as estimates based on the benchmark scores. Given the GPU's high percentile and the CPU's mid-range standing, the system will likely be GPU-bound at higher resolutions, where the GPU's 20 GB VRAM and 280.0 GB/s bandwidth can be fully utilized. At lower resolutions, the CPU may become the bottleneck, limiting frame rates.

For rendering and compute workloads, the GPU is the clear workhorse. The OpenCL score of 124812 is an order of magnitude higher than the CPU's Geekbench multicore score of 7214. This means that for GPU-accelerated rendering, the CPU will not be a significant bottleneck. However, for CPU-based rendering, the i3-12100's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10623 will be limiting, and a faster CPU would yield substantial gains.

Gaming Performance — measured FPS by game and resolution from measuredFpsUltraByGame (or, if dataIsMeasured is false, frame expectations qualitatively from the benchmark scores and say the figures are estimates)

There is no measured FPS data for this exact CPU+GPU combination. The FACT PACK contains no measuredFps rows, and the dataIsMeasured flag is false. Therefore, all frame rate figures discussed here are estimates derived from the benchmark scores, not from direct testing of this specific pairing.

Based on the GPU's 95th percentile ranking and its average benchmark score of 117088, the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is a high-performance part. For gaming at 1080p, the CPU's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1499, should be sufficient to drive high frame rates in most titles. However, the 4-core/8-thread configuration may struggle in the most CPU-intensive games, particularly those that are not well-optimized for a limited number of threads. In such cases, frame rates could be inconsistent.

At 1440p, the GPU will become a more significant factor, and the system is likely to be GPU-bound in many titles. The 20 GB of VRAM is ample for high-resolution textures, and the 280.0 GB/s bandwidth should support high frame rates. The GPU's FP32 throughput of 19.17 TFLOPS is more than sufficient for rasterized gaming. For ray tracing, the 48 RT cores will provide hardware acceleration, but the overall performance will depend on the specific game and its optimization.

At 4K, the GPU will be the primary determinant of performance. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation's 95th percentile standing suggests it can handle 4K gaming, but the CPU may still be a bottleneck in certain scenarios, particularly for games that require high single-thread performance for game logic. The estimated frame rates would be high but could vary significantly depending on the title. The lack of measured data means that these figures are qualitative expectations based on the benchmark scores, and actual performance will depend on the specific game, drivers, and system configuration.

Who Should Build It — target users and industries (gamers at specific resolutions, content creators, developers, students, small business workstations) tied strictly to the measured performance

The target user for this system is a professional or enthusiast who requires high GPU compute performance but does not need a high-core-count CPU. The GPU's 20 GB VRAM and 280.0 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for content creators working with large video files, high-resolution images, or complex 3D scenes. The OpenCL score of 124812 indicates strong performance in GPU-accelerated applications like Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, where the GPU handles most of the processing.

Developers working on machine learning or data science projects would benefit from the 192 tensor cores, which accelerate AI workloads. The GPU's FP16 performance at 19.17 TFLOPS (1:1) is also relevant for mixed-precision training. However, the CPU's 67th percentile ranking means that data preprocessing or CPU-bound parts of the pipeline could be slower than on a higher-end system.

Students in engineering or design fields could use this system for CAD, 3D modeling, and rendering. The GPU's 95th percentile ranking ensures that viewport performance and render times will be excellent. The CPU, while not top-tier, is sufficient for compiling code, running standard office software, and general multitasking. The low TDP of the CPU (60 W) and GPU (70 W) also makes this a power-efficient system, which could be a consideration for a small office or a dorm room.

For gamers, this system is best suited to 1440p or 4K resolution gaming, where the GPU's capabilities are fully utilized. At 1080p, the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor, and the i3-12100's 4 cores may hold back the GPU in some CPU-intensive titles. Small business workstations that rely on GPU-accelerated applications, such as video editing or 3D rendering, would see significant benefits from this pairing.

Build Overview — what this CPU+GPU pairing is, its class (desktop/laptop from buildClass), and overall tier from the percentiles

This is a desktop build, as indicated by the buildClass field. It pairs the Intel Core i3-12100, a 4-core/8-thread processor from the Alder Lake generation, with the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation, a workstation-class GPU. The CPU is a mainstream part, with an average benchmark score of 12054 and a percentile rank of 67. The GPU is a high-end workstation part, with an average benchmark score of 117088 and a percentile rank of 95.

The overall system tier is defined by its combined percentile of 81. This places it in the upper echelon of desktop systems, primarily due to the GPU's strong performance. The system is not a top-tier gaming rig in the traditional sense, because the CPU would bottleneck at lower resolutions, but it is a high-performing workstation for GPU-accelerated tasks. The pairing is asymmetrical: the GPU is a flagship-class component, while the CPU is a budget-conscious choice. This results in a system that excels at parallel compute and rendering but is more modest in CPU-bound workloads.

FAQ

Q: What is the combined performance percentile of this system?

A: The system has a combined percentile of 81, which places it above the majority of desktop configurations.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation have?

A: The GPU comes with 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 280.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the CPU's single-core performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100 scores 1499 in the Cinebench R23 single-core test.

Q: Does the GPU support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation includes 48 RT cores for hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Q: What is the power requirement for the GPU?

A: The GPU has a TDP of 70 W and requires no external power connectors. The suggested PSU is 250 W.

Q: What is the CPU's memory support?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100 supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration.

Q: How does the GPU compare to the AMD Radeon PRO W7700?

A: The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation has an average benchmark score of 117088, which is 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon PRO W7700's average score of 118976.

Usage Scenarios — grounded in the scores: high-refresh gaming, streaming, video editing, 3D rendering, software development, student and office work. One short paragraph per scenario, citing the numbers that support the verdict

High-refresh gaming: At 1080p, the CPU's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1499) will support high frame rates in esports titles, but the 4-core/8-thread configuration may limit performance in more demanding games. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU's 95th percentile standing and 19.17 TFLOPS FP32 throughput should sustain high frame rates, though the lack of measured FPS data means these are estimates.

Streaming: The GPU's 192 tensor cores can handle NVENC encoding, offloading the streaming workload from the CPU. The CPU's 8 threads, with a 3DMark 8-thread score of 4014, are sufficient for a game and streaming software simultaneously, though a higher-core-count CPU would provide more headroom for other background tasks.

Video editing: The GPU's OpenCL score of 124812 and 20 GB VRAM make it well-suited for GPU-accelerated effects and timeline rendering. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10623 is adequate for standard editing tasks but will be slower in CPU-heavy export scenarios.

3D rendering: This is a primary use case. The GPU's 19.17 TFLOPS FP32 and 280.0 GB/s bandwidth will deliver fast render times in GPU-accelerated engines. The CPU's multicore score of 10623 will be a bottleneck for CPU-based rendering, but the GPU is the dominant factor.

Software development: The CPU's single-thread score of 3173 in PassMark ensures snappy compilation for many projects, but large builds will benefit from more cores. The GPU's compute capabilities are useful for developers working on graphics, machine learning, or scientific software.

Student and office work: The CPU's Geekbench single-core score of 1962 and the overall system's low power draw (CPU TDP 60 W, GPU TDP 70 W) make it an efficient and responsive system for document editing, web browsing, and spreadsheets. The GPU is overkill for these tasks but does not detract from the experience.

Rate My PC: Intel Core i3-12100 + NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation

Apex Performer

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core i3-12100

NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation

Market Position

Game Performance Benchmarks

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

Performance Insights

Optimal Performance

4K Gaming Ready

Performance Tiers Explained

Ultimate

High-End

Mid-Range

Entry Level

Legacy

GPU Analysis — VRAM, bandwidth, clocks, RT/tensor hardware, what the benchmark scores mean for rendering

Benchmark Performance — exact CPU and GPU scores, percentile positions, and what the combined picture is

CPU Analysis — cores, clocks, architecture, what the benchmark scores mean for real workloads

Upgrade Path and Platform — socket, memory support, PCIe, PSU headroom from suggestedPsu/tdp, what a sensible next upgrade looks like

Balance and Bottleneck — which component limits which workload, using percentiles and FPS scaling as evidence

Gaming Performance — measured FPS by game and resolution from measuredFpsUltraByGame (or, if dataIsMeasured is false, frame expectations qualitatively from the benchmark scores and say the figures are estimates)

Who Should Build It — target users and industries (gamers at specific resolutions, content creators, developers, students, small business workstations) tied strictly to the measured performance

Build Overview — what this CPU+GPU pairing is, its class (desktop/laptop from buildClass), and overall tier from the percentiles

FAQ

Usage Scenarios — grounded in the scores: high-refresh gaming, streaming, video editing, 3D rendering, software development, student and office work. One short paragraph per scenario, citing the numbers that support the verdict

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

Related Processors

Related Graphics Cards

Compare Your CPU

Compare Your GPU

Related PC Builds

Same CPU with Different GPUs

Same GPU with Different CPUs

Other Popular Builds