SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i5-12600K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

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

Build Configuration

Select your components

PROCESSOR (CPU)

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GRAPHICS CARD (GPU)

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88 Score

Top 12% Ranking

88 / 100

HIGH-END

Power Build

Top 12% of systems. Excellent for 1440p Ultra or 4K High gaming.

1440p Ultra4K High

System Balance Analysis

CPU vs GPU performance ratio

Well Balanced

CPU

88%

GPU

89%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core i5-12600K

27,578 Benchmark Score

Top 12% Market Ranking

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GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

15,199 Benchmark Score

Top 11% 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

# Balance and Bottleneck

The Intel Core i5-12600K pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM in a configuration where the CPU substantially outclasses the GPU in raw compute potential. The CPU sits at the 79th percentile among all processors, while the GPU occupies the 57th percentile among all graphics cards. This 22-percentile gap indicates that in most gaming and GPU-accelerated workloads, the RTX 3050 OEM will be the limiting factor, capping frame rates well below what the i5-12600K could theoretically feed to a more powerful graphics card.

The CPU's multi-threaded benchmark scores reinforce this imbalance. In 3DMark, the 16-thread test returns 7,975 points, while the max-thread score is 7,966 — nearly identical, suggesting the processor scales efficiently across its full thread count. The single-thread score of 1,016 and 2-thread score of 1,989 show strong per-core performance that will not bottleneck even at lower resolutions where CPU overhead is more pronounced. However, with a GPU like the RTX 3050 OEM, the CPU will rarely be pushed to its limits in gaming scenarios; the graphics card's 8 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth will constrain performance first.

In CPU-bound tasks such as data compression, encryption, or physics calculations, the i5-12600K becomes the relevant component. The PassMark data compression score of 344,071 and integer math score of 87,776 indicate heavy multi-threaded lifting capability. Conversely, GPU compute workloads will see the RTX 3050 OEM's PassMark GPU compute score of 5,779 become the ceiling. This pairing makes sense for users who need strong CPU performance for productivity while gaming at 1080p with moderate settings — the GPU handles the graphics, but the CPU ensures system responsiveness and quick task completion.

The FPS scaling picture is one of CPU headroom. Because the i5-12600K scores 3,926 in PassMark single-thread testing and 7,975 in the 3DMark 16-thread test, it can maintain high minimum frame rates even when the GPU is saturated. The bottleneck in this system is overwhelmingly the GPU for gaming, and the CPU for non-graphics workloads where the GPU's compute capabilities are irrelevant. For mixed use, the balance tilts toward CPU-heavy tasks being well-served, while GPU-heavy tasks will leave performance on the table.

Benchmark Performance

The Core i5-12600K delivers an average benchmark score of 27,578, placing it at the 79th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, which scores identically at 27,578 with a 0% delta. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800 trails by just 0.2% at 27,535, while the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X leads by 0.2% at 27,636, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H scores 27,507, a 0.3% deficit. This places the i5-12600K in a tightly contested mid-range bracket where performance differences are negligible in real-world terms.

Cinebench results further characterize the CPU. The R23 multi-core score of 17,491 paired with an R23 single-core score of 1,907 shows strong scaling efficiency; the multi-core figure is roughly 9.2 times the single-core result, which is respectable for a 10-core, 16-thread processor. Geekbench scores of 12,599 multi-core and 2,190 single-core corroborate this profile. The PassMark multi-thread score of 27,608 and single-thread score of 3,926 confirm that the CPU is competitive in both heavily parallelized and lightly threaded workloads.

The GPU side presents a different story. The RTX 3050 OEM averages 15,199 in benchmark scores, placing it at the 57th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 at 15,171 (0.2% lower), while the AMD Radeon 680M scores 15,270 (0.5% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15,283 (0.5% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 scores 15,290 (0.6% higher). The RTX 3050 OEM sits at the bottom of this cluster, meaning it trades blows with integrated graphics in some scenarios and older discrete GPUs in others.

The combined picture is a system at the 68th overall percentile. This suggests a balanced-enough pairing for mainstream use, but the CPU is clearly the stronger component. Users comparing this build to a Ryzen 7 5700X system with a faster GPU would see the GPU become the differentiator. Conversely, pairing this CPU with a weaker GPU would not meaningfully change CPU-bound productivity results. The benchmark data indicates that for gaming at 1080p with high refresh rates, the GPU will hold back the CPU; for productivity, the CPU will excel regardless of the GPU.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i5-12600K is a 10-core, 16-thread desktop processor built on the Alder Lake architecture using Intel's 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel setup, and the CPU provides 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 offers a fallback display output, though this build pairs it with a discrete GPU.

The benchmark scores reveal a processor that excels in both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1,016 and 2-thread score of 1,989 indicate strong per-core performance, which is critical for legacy applications and lightly threaded games. The 4-thread score of 3,794 and 8-thread score of 6,144 show progressive scaling, while the 16-thread and max-thread scores of 7,975 and 7,966 respectively demonstrate that the processor reaches its performance plateau at 16 threads — adding more threads beyond this point yields no additional benefit, as expected from a 10-core/16-thread design.

In Cinebench, the R20 multi-core score of 9,821 and single-core score of 1,386 place the CPU in a comfortable mid-range position. The R15 results of 2,555 multi-core and 275 single-core follow the same pattern. PassMark data shows specialized strengths: data compression at 344,071, data encryption at 18,485, extended instructions at 22,002, floating point math at 67,217, and integer math at 87,776. The physics score of 1,525 and random string sorting at 35,704 round out the profile. These numbers indicate that the i5-12600K is well-suited for workloads that mix integer and floating-point operations, such as compilation, video encoding, and scientific computation.

The 79th percentile ranking means this CPU outperforms roughly four out of five processors on the market. Its nearest rivals — all within 0.3% of its average score — include the Ryzen 7 5700X and Ryzen 7 5800 from AMD, as well as the Ryzen 5 7600X and Core Ultra 5 125H. This places the i5-12600K at a performance parity point where no single rival dominates. For real workloads, this means the CPU will handle 1440p gaming without bottlenecking mid-range GPUs, accelerate video editing timelines, and compile code efficiently. The unlocked multiplier allows overclocking headroom beyond the 4.90 GHz boost clock, though the 125 W TDP suggests thermal constraints will require adequate cooling.

FAQ

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600K sits at the 79th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27,578.

Q: How does the RTX 3050 OEM compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GPU averages 15,199 in benchmark scores, placing it at the 57th percentile. It trails the AMD Radeon 680M by 0.5%, the GTX 580 by 0.5%, and the RTX 2060 by 0.6%, while leading the RX 7600 by 0.2%.

Q: Does the CPU support both DDR4 and DDR5 memory?

A: Yes, the i5-12600K supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, though the exact bandwidth figures are not specified in the data.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The RTX 3050 OEM has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Is the CPU's integrated graphics sufficient for basic display output?

A: The i5-12600K includes UHD Graphics 770, which can handle basic display output, but this build is designed around the discrete RTX 3050 OEM.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its single-threaded performance?

A: The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7,975 is about 7.8 times the single-thread score of 1,016, and the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17,491 is roughly 9.2 times the single-core score of 1,907.

Q: What is the overall percentile for this CPU+GPU combination?

A: The combined system ranks at the 68th percentile, reflecting the CPU's higher 79th percentile and the GPU's lower 57th percentile.

Gaming Performance

The FACT PACK contains no measured FPS data for this exact CPU+GPU combination. No measuredFpsUltraByGame entries exist, and the dataIsMeasured flag is false. Therefore, all FPS figures discussed below are estimates derived from the benchmark scores and relative performance positions, not direct measurements.

Based on the RTX 3050 OEM's 57th percentile ranking and its proximity to the RTX 2060 (0.6% lower average score), this GPU should deliver playable frame rates at 1080p with high settings in most modern titles. The 8 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p textures but may struggle with 1440p ultra settings in VRAM-intensive games. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 11,857 and DirectX 12 score of 58 suggest DirectX 12 titles will perform in line with other 57th-percentile GPUs, meaning roughly 60 FPS at 1080p ultra in esports titles and 40-50 FPS in AAA games with reduced settings.

The CPU's strong single-thread performance — a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,016 and PassMark single-thread score of 3,926 — ensures that frame pacing will be consistent, even if absolute FPS is GPU-limited. In CPU-bound scenarios like competitive shooters at low settings, the i5-12600K can push well above 144 FPS, but the RTX 3050 OEM will cap performance at lower levels. The GPU's 18 RT cores and 72 tensor cores provide entry-level ray tracing and DLSS capability, though the 8.087 TFLOPS FP32 throughput limits ray-traced performance to modest settings.

At 1080p, this pairing should deliver a smooth experience for 60 Hz monitors, with the GPU being the primary limiter. At 1440p, users would need to lower settings to maintain playable frame rates. The CPU will not be a constraint in either case, as its 79th percentile ranking provides ample headroom. For high-refresh 1080p gaming, the GPU's 57th percentile means users should target 144 Hz only in lighter titles, while heavier games will hover near 60-75 FPS on high settings. These are estimates; actual results depend on specific game optimizations and driver maturity.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is built on the Ampere architecture using Samsung's 8 nm process, with a die size of 276 mm² and 12,000 million transistors. The GA106 chip contains 2,304 shading units, 72 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation units. It includes 18 RT cores and 72 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DLSS. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1515 MHz and a boost clock of 1755 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The 8 GB GDDR6 memory sits on a 128-bit bus, yielding 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The compute capabilities are modest by current standards. The FP32 throughput of 8.087 TFLOPS, with FP16 at the same 8.087 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), places this GPU at the entry-level tier for rendering and compute tasks. The pixel rate of 56.16 GPixel/s and texture rate of 126.4 GTexel/s are sufficient for 1080p rendering but will struggle at higher resolutions. The 57th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms this positioning: it outperforms integrated graphics like the AMD Radeon 680M by only 0.5% and trails the older GTX 580 by 0.5% and RTX 2060 by 0.6%.

In benchmark terms, the Geekbench OpenCL score of 60,740 and Vulkan score of 57,103 indicate reasonable compute performance for general-purpose workloads. The PassMark G3D score of 11,857 is the headline gaming metric, while the GPU compute score of 5,779 shows limited compute headroom. The DirectX 10, 11, and 12 scores of 61, 86, and 58 respectively suggest that DirectX 11 titles perform best relative to other APIs, while DirectX 12 and 10 titles are slightly weaker. The G2D score of 973 indicates adequate 2D performance for desktop and productivity applications.

The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, making it compliant with modern API requirements. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface provides sufficient bandwidth for the 8 GB frame buffer. The dual-slot design with a single 8-pin power connector and a 300 W suggested PSU keeps power requirements modest. The 242 mm length (9.5 inches) and 112 mm height (4.4 inches) make it compatible with most mid-tower cases. Display outputs include 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, supporting modern monitors. For rendering workloads, the 8 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p projects but will limit texture sizes and scene complexity in 3D applications. The RT and tensor cores provide acceleration for ray-traced renders and AI denoising, though performance will be entry-level.

Who Should Build It

This CPU+GPU pairing targets users who prioritize CPU performance for productivity while maintaining a functional gaming capability. The i5-12600K's 79th percentile CPU ranking makes it a strong choice for content creators who edit video, compile code, or run virtual machines — tasks that benefit from the 10 cores and 16 threads. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17,491 and PassMark multi-thread score of 27,608 indicate that rendering and encoding workloads will complete quickly.

Gamers at 1080p with a 60 Hz monitor will find this build adequate for most titles at high settings, based on the GPU's 57th percentile ranking. The RTX 3050 OEM's 8 GB VRAM handles current game textures at this resolution, and the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures smooth frame delivery. Users at 1440p should look elsewhere or be prepared to lower settings significantly, as the GPU's 224.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8.087 TFLOPS will become limiting.

Software developers will appreciate the CPU's mix of single-thread and multi-thread performance. The PassMark integer math score of 87,776 and data compression score of 344,071 indicate fast compilation and archive operations. The 20 MB L3 cache and DDR4/DDR5 support provide flexibility for memory-intensive workloads. Students and small business users running office applications, spreadsheets, and web development tools will find the CPU far more capable than needed, ensuring a long useful lifespan.

The build is less suited for GPU-intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning training, or high-refresh competitive gaming. For those workloads, a higher-percentile GPU would be a better investment. However, for a mixed-use desktop where CPU tasks dominate and gaming is secondary, this pairing offers a sensible balance. The combined 68th percentile ranking indicates a system that is above average overall, with the CPU carrying most of the weight.

Build Overview

This is a desktop-class build combining the Intel Core i5-12600K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM. The CPU is a 10-core, 16-thread Alder Lake processor with a 125 W TDP, while the GPU is an 8 GB Ampere-based card with a 130 W TDP. The system ranks at the 68th combined percentile, placing it above the majority of desktop configurations.

The pairing is asymmetric in performance terms. The CPU's 79th percentile and the GPU's 57th percentile create a 22-point gap, meaning the GPU will be the limiting factor in graphics-bound scenarios. This is a common configuration for budget-conscious builders who want strong CPU performance for productivity but cannot justify a higher-end GPU. The CPU's integrated UHD Graphics 770 provides a fallback if the discrete GPU fails or is removed.

The build class is desktop, meaning it is intended for a stationary tower with adequate cooling and power delivery. The CPU's 125 W TDP and the GPU's 130 W TDP combine for a total that the 300 W suggested PSU should handle comfortably, though the CPU's boost clock of 4.90 GHz may require a capable air cooler or liquid cooler to sustain performance. The overall tier is upper-mid-range, driven primarily by the CPU's strong showing, with the GPU pulling the combined percentile down from what a faster graphics card would achieve.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core i5-12600K uses the Intel Socket 1700 platform, which supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. This gives builders flexibility in choosing memory based on availability and budget. The CPU provides 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes, and the GPU uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, leaving additional lanes for storage or other expansion cards. The socket supports the 12th Gen Core series, meaning an upgrade to a higher-tier 12th Gen processor would be possible without changing the motherboard.

The GPU, at end-of-life production status, offers a clear upgrade path. Its successor, the GeForce 40 series, would provide a significant performance jump over the RTX 3050 OEM's 57th percentile ranking. The 300 W suggested PSU leaves headroom for a more power-hungry GPU, though the 1x 8-pin power connector would need to be checked against a new card's requirements. The CPU's 125 W TDP also allows for a more powerful GPU without exceeding typical 550-650 W PSU capacities.

For a sensible next upgrade, replacing the GPU with a higher-percentile model would yield the most noticeable performance gain in gaming and GPU compute workloads, given the CPU's ample headroom. Alternatively, adding more memory or faster DDR5 would benefit memory-sensitive workloads, though the dual-channel bus means capacity and speed matter more than channel count. The PCIe Gen 4 support ensures that modern NVMe SSDs and next-generation GPUs will run at full bandwidth without platform-level bottlenecks.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: At 1080p, the RTX 3050 OEM's 57th percentile ranking will deliver 60+ FPS in most titles at high settings, but the CPU's 79th percentile and strong single-thread score of 3,926 in PassMark ensure that frame times remain consistent. For 144 Hz monitors, users would need to lower settings in demanding games, as the GPU's 8.087 TFLOPS is the limiting factor.

Streaming: The CPU's 16 threads, evidenced by the 3DMark 16-thread score of 7,975, can handle game capture and encoding overhead. The GPU's NVENC capabilities (implied by the tensor cores and Ampere architecture) would offload encoding, though this is not explicitly measured. The combination should handle 1080p streaming without dropping frames.

Video editing: The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17,491 and PassMark floating point math score of 67,217 indicate fast timeline rendering and export times. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM accelerates effects and color grading at 1080p, though 4K projects may strain the 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

3D rendering: The CPU's multi-threaded performance (PassMark multi-thread score of 27,608) excels at CPU-based rendering, while the GPU's 18 RT cores and 72 tensor cores provide acceleration for ray-traced and AI-denoised renders. The 8.087 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is entry-level, so complex scenes will render slowly, but simple projects are feasible.

Software development: The PassMark integer math score of 87,776 and data compression score of 344,071 make this build effective for compiling large codebases and managing repositories. The 20 MB L3 cache and 16 threads handle parallel builds efficiently, while the single-thread performance of 1,016 in 3DMark keeps IDE responsiveness high.

Student and office work: The CPU's 79th percentile ranking is far beyond what office applications require, ensuring no lag in spreadsheets, word processors, or web browsers. The GPU's 57th percentile provides adequate acceleration for display rendering and occasional light photo editing, while the 8 GB VRAM ensures no memory-related slowdowns in multi-monitor setups.

Rate My PC: Intel Core i5-12600K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

Power Build

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core i5-12600K

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

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

Benchmark Performance

CPU Analysis

FAQ

Gaming Performance

GPU Analysis

Who Should Build It

Build Overview

Upgrade Path and Platform

Usage Scenarios

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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