SYSTEM ANALYZER

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

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

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
81%
VS
GPU
98%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core i3-12100F

13,494 Benchmark Score
Top 19% Market Ranking
View Full Specs →
GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090

79,842 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

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

This pairing is a study in extremes, a desktop configuration that yokes a value-oriented, quad-core processor to a flagship graphics card with a 575 W TDP. The Intel Core i3-12100F is an Alder Lake-S chip built on Intel's 10 nm process, offering 4 cores and 8 threads with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 position it as an entry-level part, yet the benchmark data reveals a more nuanced story. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, by contrast, is a 5 nm TSMC-built behemoth with 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, featuring 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus. This combination produces a combined percentile of 80, indicating that the system sits well above the median, but the data shows that the CPU and GPU are operating in entirely different performance stratospheres.

CPU Analysis

The Core i3-12100F's benchmark results paint a picture of a processor that is capable but clearly constrained by its core count. In Cinebench R23, it scores 1,674 points in single-core and 11,860 in multi-core, a ratio that highlights how its performance scales with thread count. The 3DMark results show a similar pattern: 893 points for single-thread, 4,051 for 16-thread, and 4,023 for max-thread workloads. This suggests that the CPU's performance plateaus quickly after 8 threads, as the 8-thread score of 4,026 is nearly identical to the 16-thread and max-thread scores. The implication for real workloads is that lightly-threaded tasks, such as gaming or office applications, will see strong performance, but heavily-threaded rendering or encoding workloads will hit a wall.

Data compression and encryption scores further illustrate this limitation. PassMark data compression hits 160,452, while data encryption reaches 8,071, showing that the CPU can handle these tasks but not at the level of higher-core-count processors. The integer math score of 40,978 and floating-point math score of 31,977 are solid for a quad-core part, but the find prime numbers score of just 60 underscores its weakness in certain computational patterns. The CPU's percentile versus all CPUs is 68, and its average benchmark score is 13,494. It sits within 1.1% of rivals like the Intel Core i5-9500 and Intel Core i7-1250U, indicating that its overall compute capability is comparable to older mid-range parts.

The 58 W TDP is a defining feature, allowing the CPU to run cool with modest cooling solutions. A single-thread PassMark score of 3,444 shows that the Alder Lake architecture provides strong single-core performance, which is crucial for games that cannot utilize many cores. However, the multi-thread score of 14,015 reveals the ceiling for productivity tasks. This is a chip designed for budget builds, not for content creation workstations, but in this pairing, it serves as the bottleneck for any task that demands more than a handful of threads.

Gaming Performance

The measured FPS data at ultra settings reveals a fascinating dynamic where the GPU is massively underutilized at lower resolutions. In Counter-Strike 2, the system delivers 374.7 FPS at 1920x1080, but this drops to 243.8 FPS at 2560x1440 and 138.4 FPS at 3840x2160. This scaling pattern is a classic sign of a CPU bottleneck at 1080p, where the processor cannot feed frames fast enough to the GPU. The older Counter-Strike: Global Offensive shows an even more extreme case, with 812 FPS at 1080p, 559 FPS at 1440p, and 330 FPS at 4K. These numbers suggest that the i3-12100F is the limiting factor at lower resolutions, while the RTX 5090 takes over as the resolution increases.

For more demanding titles, the bottleneck shifts. Cyberpunk 2077 runs at 88 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p, and 53 FPS at 4K. The relatively small gap between 1080p and 1440p here indicates that both the CPU and GPU are being pushed hard, but the 4K result shows the GPU's immense power. Red Dead Redemption 2 follows a similar trend: 99 FPS at 1080p, 74 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K. In contrast, lighter titles like Valorant show that the CPU can still deliver high frame rates, with 431 FPS at 1080p, 409 FPS at 1440p, and 379 FPS at 4K, demonstrating that at lower graphical loads, the CPU's single-thread performance keeps the system responsive.

The pair's average FPS across all games is 216.7, ranking 117 out of 3,732 pairs. This ranking indicates that this combination is in the top 3% of all tested pairings by average frame rate, but the data shows that this is almost entirely due to the GPU. Games like Ark: Survival Ascended drop to 52.3 FPS at 1080p and 18 FPS at 4K, showing that even the RTX 5090 cannot overcome a poorly optimized title. Overall, the gaming performance is exceptional at 1440p and 4K for most titles, but at 1080p, the CPU limits the system to frame rates that are still far above playable thresholds.

Benchmark Performance

The combined benchmark picture is one of stark contrast. The CPU's average benchmark score is 13,494, placing it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-9500, which it trails by 0.3%, and the Intel Core 5 120UL, which is 0.7% ahead. This places the i3-12100F in the middle of the pack, a solid but unremarkable showing for a modern quad-core. The GPU, however, is a different story entirely. The RTX 5090 scores 79,842 on average, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. It leads the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB by 0.3% and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT by 1.1%, but trails the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X by 1.4%.

In specific GPU tests, the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 18,355, while Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores reach 334,370 and 376,728, respectively. PassMark G3D score is 39,650, with a GPU compute score of 26,756. These numbers indicate that the GPU is capable of immense compute throughput, far exceeding what the CPU can feed it. The CPU's Cinebench R20 scores of 4,981 multi-core and 703 single-core, alongside Geekbench scores of 7,252 multi-core and 1,932 single-core, show a processor that is competent but not exceptional.

The combined percentile of 80 reflects the system's overall position, but it obscures the massive imbalance. The GPU's 92nd percentile rank versus the CPU's 68th percentile rank means that the GPU is operating at a level that the CPU cannot fully support. In any workload that is heavily multithreaded, the CPU will be the limiting factor, capping the system's potential. The data suggests that this pairing is optimized for GPU-bound scenarios, such as high-resolution gaming or GPU-accelerated rendering, where the CPU's weaknesses are less exposed.

Who Should Build It

This system is for a user who prioritizes GPU performance above all else. The benchmark data shows that the RTX 5090 delivers exceptional frame rates at 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, making this an ideal platform for gamers with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors or 4K displays. In games like Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, the system achieves 286 FPS at 1440p and 158 FPS at 4K, which is far beyond what most displays can show. For single-player titles like Cyberpunk 2077, the 4K performance of 53 FPS is playable, but the 1440p result of 79 FPS is the sweet spot for high-refresh gaming.

Content creators who rely on GPU acceleration will also find value in this build. The RTX 5090's 32 GB of VRAM and 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance make it a powerful tool for video editing and 3D rendering, where the CPU's slower multi-core scores are less relevant. However, for tasks that are CPU-bound, such as software compilation or complex physics simulations, this system will underperform. The data shows that the CPU's 4,981 Cinebench R20 multi-core score is a limiting factor, so this is not a workstation for heavy CPU workloads.

Students and small business users who run office applications, web browsing, and light productivity will find this system overkill, but the CPU's 3,444 single-thread PassMark score ensures smooth everyday performance. The GPU's power is wasted on such tasks, but the system is undeniably responsive. This build is best suited for gamers and GPU-centric creators who want the highest possible frame rates and rendering speeds and are willing to accept that the CPU is a budget part.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core i3-12100F is built on the Alder Lake architecture and uses the Intel Socket 1700. This socket supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, giving builders flexibility in choosing memory, though the dual-channel memory bus means that memory bandwidth is not a differentiator. The CPU provides Gen 5 PCIe with 16 lanes, which is sufficient for the RTX 5090's PCIe 5.0 x16 interface. This means that the GPU can operate at its full bandwidth potential, though the CPU's limitations may still cap performance in certain scenarios.

The 58 W TDP of the CPU is remarkably low, while the RTX 5090's 575 W TDP requires a robust power supply. The suggested PSU for this GPU is 950 W, which provides ample headroom for the entire system. A sensible next upgrade would be to replace the i3-12100F with a higher-core-count processor on the same socket, such as a Core i7 or i9 from the 12th or 13th generation. This would alleviate the CPU bottleneck in multithreaded workloads and improve frame rates in CPU-bound games at 1080p.

The platform's support for DDR5 memory is a forward-looking feature, though the CPU's memory controller may not take full advantage of high-speed kits. The PCIe Gen 5 support ensures that the system is ready for future storage and GPU upgrades. However, the CPU's locked multiplier means that overclocking is not an option, limiting the ability to squeeze out extra performance. The upgrade path is clear: keep the RTX 5090 and replace the CPU with a more powerful Alder Lake or Raptor Lake part to unlock the system's full potential.

FAQ

Q: What is the combined performance percentile of this CPU+GPU pairing?

A: The combined percentile is 80, indicating that this system outperforms 80% of all tested CPU-GPU pairings.

Q: How does the RTX 5090's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79,842, which is 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB and 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT.

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

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F scores 1,674 points in Cinebench R23 single-core, which is a strong result for a budget processor.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5090 have, and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5090 features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s.

Q: What is the suggested power supply wattage for this GPU?

A: The suggested PSU for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is 950 W.

Q: Does the CPU support ECC memory?

A: No, the Intel Core i3-12100F does not support ECC memory.

Q: What is the average FPS across all tested games for this pairing?

A: The pair achieves an average of 216.7 FPS across all games, ranking 117 out of 3,732 pairs.

Balance and Bottleneck

The data clearly identifies the CPU as the primary bottleneck in this system, particularly in gaming at lower resolutions. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 4K in games like Counter-Strike 2 (374.7 to 243.8 to 138.4 FPS) shows that the CPU limits performance at 1080p, while the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. The CPU's 68th percentile rank versus the GPU's 92nd percentile rank quantifies this imbalance, with the CPU's average score of 13,494 being vastly lower than the GPU's 79,842.

In multithreaded workloads, the CPU's 4-core, 8-thread configuration is a severe constraint. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 4,051 is nearly identical to the 8-thread score of 4,026, showing that additional threads beyond 8 do not improve performance. This means that any application that can utilize more than 8 threads will be severely limited. For example, video encoding or 3D rendering that scales across cores will see the CPU cap performance, leaving the GPU idle.

However, in GPU-bound scenarios, such as 4K gaming or GPU-accelerated rendering, the bottleneck shifts to the GPU, and the system performs admirably. The RTX 5090's 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth and 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance allow it to handle massive workloads, but the CPU's slower data processing can still cause stutters in CPU-heavy game logic. The balance is heavily skewed towards the GPU, making this system ideal for users who run GPU-intensive tasks but a poor choice for CPU-heavy workloads.

Build Overview

This is a desktop build that pairs a budget quad-core processor with a flagship graphics card, resulting in a system with a combined percentile of 80. The Intel Core i3-12100F is an Alder Lake-S chip with 4 cores and 8 threads, a 58 W TDP, and a 68th percentile rank among all CPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with a 575 W TDP, 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, and a 92nd percentile rank among all GPUs.

The system's overall tier is defined by its GPU, which dominates the performance profile. The CPU's average benchmark score of 13,494 is comparable to mid-range processors from previous generations, while the GPU's score of 79,842 is among the highest recorded. This pairing is a classic example of an unbalanced build, where the GPU is several tiers above the CPU. The data shows that the system excels in GPU-bound tasks, delivering exceptional frame rates at high resolutions, but struggles in CPU-bound scenarios. The launch MSRP of the GPU is 1,999 USD.

Usage Scenarios

For high-refresh gaming at 1440p, this system is exceptional. The RTX 5090 delivers 286 FPS in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege and 409 FPS in Valorant at 2560x1440, providing a smooth experience on high-refresh monitors. At 1080p, the CPU limits performance in some titles, but frame rates remain far above playable thresholds.

Streaming is a mixed scenario. The GPU's NVENC encoder can handle video encoding without taxing the CPU, but the i3-12100F's 4 cores may struggle with game logic and streaming software simultaneously. The CPU's 8-thread score of 4,026 suggests that it can handle light streaming, but heavy multitasking will cause frame drops.

Video editing benefits greatly from the GPU's 32 GB VRAM and 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. GPU-accelerated effects and rendering will be exceptionally fast, but the CPU's 11,860 Cinebench R23 multi-core score will slow down timeline scrubbing and CPU-based effects.

3D rendering is similarly GPU-dominated. The RTX 5090's compute capabilities, as shown by its 334,370 Geekbench OpenCL score, will accelerate ray tracing and rendering, but the CPU's slower multi-core performance will be a bottleneck for scene preparation and physics calculations.

Software development sees mixed results. The CPU's single-core performance is adequate for compilation, but the 4-core limit will slow large builds. The GPU's power is largely unused, making this an inefficient choice for development work.

For students and office work, this system is overkill. The CPU's 3,444 single-thread PassMark score ensures snappy performance for word processing and spreadsheets, but the GPU's power is wasted. The system's high power draw and cost are not justified for these tasks.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a monster of a graphics card, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. It houses 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 122.9M per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). This translates to a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s.

The memory subsystem is a key strength, with 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This is crucial for high-resolution textures and large datasets. The GPU features 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, along with 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. This hardware enables 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 and FP16 performance (1:1 ratio), making it a compute powerhouse.

In benchmark tests, the GPU scores 18,355 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 334,370 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 376,728 in Geekbench Vulkan. PassMark G3D and GPU compute scores are 39,650 and 26,756, respectively. These results show that the GPU is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 79,842. It leads its nearest rivals by small margins, confirming its position as a top-tier part. The RTX 5090 is a dual-slot card that requires a 950 W PSU and uses a single 16-pin power connector, with display outputs of one HDMI 2.1b and three DisplayPort 2.1b. Its performance is exceptional for rendering, but it is hamstrung by the CPU in this build.