Minimum

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a specific performance envelope for the 2014 third-person shooter, Minimum. The recorded data shows that this combination is heavily resolution-dependent, with playable performance available only at lower resolutions and settings. The exact frame rates across the tested configurations reveal a system that can handle the game at 1080p and 1440p, but falls well short of the 60 FPS threshold at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measurements for this configuration in Minimum show a clear performance gradient from 1080p up to 4K. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest results. With Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 95 FPS, which is the highest recorded average across all tested configurations. Medium settings at 1080p produce an average of 72 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS. High settings at 1920x1080 yield an average of 61 FPS, which sits exactly at the playable threshold. The Ultra preset at 1080p is the only setting at this resolution that fails to clear the threshold, producing an average of 46 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. The Low preset at 1440p averages 61 FPS, which matches the High preset average at 1080p. This means that maintaining the same frame rate at a higher resolution requires dropping from High to Low settings. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS. High settings at 1440p average 39 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops further to an average of 30 FPS. The step from Low to Medium at 1440p represents a 14 FPS drop, while the step from Medium to High represents an 8 FPS drop, and High to Ultra represents a 9 FPS drop.

At 3840x2160, the system is not capable of maintaining playable frame rates at any preset. The Low preset at 4K averages 33 FPS, which is the strongest result at this resolution. Medium settings average 25 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS. High settings average 21 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages just 16 FPS. The scaling between resolutions shows that moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low costs 34 FPS (from 95 to 61), and moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low costs another 28 FPS (from 61 to 33).

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Minimum at 1080p with High settings?

A: Yes. The recorded data shows an average of 61 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, which exactly meets the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable configuration at 2560x1440?

A: Low settings is the only playable preset at 1440p, with an average of 61 FPS. All other settings at this resolution, including Medium at 47 FPS, fall below the threshold.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at any resolution?

A: No. The Ultra preset produces an average of 46 FPS at 1920x1080, 30 FPS at 2560x1440, and 16 FPS at 3840x2160. None of these reach the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the frame rate scale from 1080p to 4K on Low settings?

A: The Low preset averages 95 FPS at 1920x1080, 61 FPS at 2560x1440, and 33 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 36% reduction moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a 46% reduction moving from 1440p to 4K.

Q: What is the recorded minimum frame rate at 1080p Medium?

A: The minimum is 62 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, with a maximum of 83 FPS and an average of 72 FPS. The minimum stays above the playable threshold.

Q: Does the system clear 60 FPS at 4K with any settings?

A: No. The highest average at 3840x2160 is 33 FPS on the Low preset. The verdict data lists no playable settings at this resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU in this configuration, the Intel Core i3-12100F, sits in a specific performance tier according to the database. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355, which has an average score of 13492 and a delta of 0%, meaning the two processors perform essentially identically. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, which is 0.3% lower, and the Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594, which is 0.7% higher. The Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351, which is 1.1% lower. A system built with any of these CPUs would likely deliver similar CPU-bound behavior in Minimum, though the database does not record specific FPS data for those pairings.

On the GPU side, the Intel Arc B390 has a much lower performance standing. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1463 and is 1.3% slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 800M, which scores 1460 and is 1.5% slower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, which is 2.5% slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, which is 2.7% slower. The Arc B390 outperforms all of these, but the margins are small, ranging from 1.3% to 2.7%. A system with any of these GPUs would produce very similar frame rates in Minimum, likely within a few frames of the measurements recorded for the Arc B390.

The combination of a mid-tier CPU with a lower-tier GPU means that frame rates in Minimum are likely constrained by the GPU in most scenarios. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860 and a single-core score of 1674, indicate that it is not the limiting factor at the resolutions and settings where frame rates fall below 60 FPS.

The Verdict

The data shows that this system can run Minimum, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best playable preset at an average of 61 FPS. The Low preset at 1080p is the strongest overall result at 95 FPS, and Medium delivers 72 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p is not playable, as it averages 46 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the only playable setting is Low, with an average of 61 FPS. This is a marginal pass, as the average exactly meets the threshold. Every other preset at 1440p, including Medium at 47 FPS, High at 39 FPS, and Ultra at 30 FPS, falls short.

At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings. The best result is 33 FPS on Low, which is far below the 60 FPS threshold. The verdict data confirms that the playable settings list is empty at this resolution.

For a 60 FPS experience, the system is limited to 1080p with up to High settings, or 1440p with Low settings. The choice between resolution and visual quality is a direct trade-off, as the frame rate at 1440p Low matches the frame rate at 1080p High.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling in Minimum indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint for this combination. The CPU, the Intel Core i3-12100F, has a single-thread benchmark score of 893 in 3DMark and a Geekbench single-core score of 1932, which are respectable numbers for a desktop processor. The GPU, the Intel Arc B390, sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs in the database, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. This low standing relative to other GPUs suggests that it is the component that limits frame rates, especially as resolution increases.

The frame rate data supports this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the system averages 95 FPS, which suggests that the CPU can feed the GPU effectively at lower resolutions. When the resolution increases to 1440p Low, the average drops to 61 FPS, a reduction of 34 FPS. At 4K Low, it drops to 33 FPS, another 28 FPS reduction. This steep scaling with resolution is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would remain more consistent across resolutions.

The settings scaling also points to GPU limits. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium reduces the average from 95 to 72 FPS, and from Medium to High it drops to 61 FPS. At 1440p, the same progression goes from 61 to 47 to 39 FPS. The consistent drops with each settings tier indicate that the GPU is being stressed by the increased rendering load, rather than the CPU.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at the lowest resolution and settings. The 95 FPS average at 1080p Low is the highest recorded value, and it is plausible that the CPU is approaching its limit there, but the data does not show the CPU becoming a bottleneck at any tested configuration. The GPU's percentile rank of 9, compared to the CPU's percentile rank of 68, further supports the conclusion that the GPU is the dominant factor in determining frame rates for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's overall ranking for Minimum, this combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 3299 out of 3712 tested combos. This places it in the lower portion of the rankings, specifically in the 11th percentile of all tested systems. The rank reflects the system's limited ability to run the game at higher resolutions and settings.

The ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data. The system clears the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p for three of four presets, and at 1440p for only the Low preset, but fails entirely at 4K. Many other tested combinations in the database presumably achieve playable frame rates at higher resolutions or with higher settings, which pushes this combo down in the rankings. The GPU's low percentile standing, at 9th among all GPUs, is a major contributor to this ranking, as it limits the system's performance ceiling across all resolutions.