Minimum

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i3-12100F sits in a narrow performance band where several processors deliver nearly identical average benchmark scores. The database places this CPU at the 68th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 13,494. The closest rival is the Intel Core 3 N355, which scores 13,492, a delta of 0%. This effectively means the two processors are interchangeable in terms of overall compute performance. The Intel Core i5-9500 trails by only 0.3% with a score of 13,452, while the Intel Core 5 120UL leads by 0.7% at 13,594. The Intel Core i7-1250U sits 1.1% ahead with 13,351. In practical terms, any of these four processors would produce nearly identical frame rates in Minimum, assuming the GPU is the limiting factor. The differences are within measurement noise for gaming workloads.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, the GPU ranks at the 58th percentile among all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 15,290. The nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, which scores 15,283, a delta of 0%. The AMD Radeon 680M follows at 15,270, just 0.1% behind. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15,199, a 0.6% deficit, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15,171, 0.8% behind. These four GPUs would deliver essentially equivalent performance in this game. The RTX 2060's Turing architecture brings features like ray tracing cores and tensor cores, but for Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter, the raw rasterization performance is what matters, and these rivals match it closely.

When pairing the i3-12100F with the RTX 2060, the combined performance profile is well-matched. The CPU provides strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,674. The GPU delivers 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 336.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Neither component drastically outstrips the other, so the system behaves as a balanced mid-range configuration. Users upgrading from the GTX 580 or moving from a Radeon 680M iGPU solution would see similar frame rates, though the RTX 2060 adds modern API support including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data for Minimum reveals how the CPU and GPU split responsibilities across resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 152.7 FPS average. This high frame rate indicates that the GPU is processing frames quickly, but the CPU must keep up with draw calls and game logic. The i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads, with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, appear sufficient to feed the RTX 2060 at this resolution. Moving to Medium settings at 1080p drops the average to 120.7 FPS, and High settings yield 102.3 FPS. Ultra settings at 1080p produce 78.4 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 74.3 FPS reduction, which is roughly a 49% drop. This large scaling factor points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck at higher presets, as increased shading and texture work load the RTX 2060's 1,920 shading units and 120 texture mapping units.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop substantially. Low settings average 99 FPS, Medium 77.5 FPS, High 63.6 FPS, and Ultra 48.8 FPS. The resolution jump from 1080p to 1440p increases pixel count by 78%, and the data reflects this: at Low settings, 99 FPS versus 152.7 FPS, a 35% reduction. This is a larger drop than the pixel count alone would predict, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s and its 192-bit bus are becoming limiting factors. The CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases because the GPU takes longer to rasterize each frame, giving the CPU more idle time. The i3-12100F's 3DMark 4-thread score of 2,859 and 8-thread score of 4,026 indicate it can handle the game's thread utilization, but the GPU is clearly the constraint at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the bottleneck. Low settings average 55.1 FPS, Medium 41.3 FPS, High 32.7 FPS, and Ultra 27.8 FPS. The 4K resolution has 4 times the pixels of 1080p, and the frame rates reflect this pressure. The CPU's performance becomes nearly irrelevant at this resolution; even a significantly faster processor would not raise these numbers because the RTX 2060 cannot render frames faster than these averages. The data shows that Minimum is a GPU-bound title at 1440p and 4K, while at 1080p the balance shifts slightly toward the GPU at higher presets. For users targeting high refresh rates at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom, but the GPU limits Ultra settings to 78.4 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested hardware combinations in the database for Minimum, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i3-12100F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2,876 out of 3,712 combos. This places it in the 22nd percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 78% of tested configurations perform better. The rank is driven primarily by the GPU's 58th percentile standing and the CPU's 68th percentile. While each component individually sits above the median, the combination lands lower in the overall ranking because many tested systems pair higher-tier CPUs with more powerful GPUs. The rank of 2,876 indicates this is a mid-to-low-tier configuration for Minimum specifically, despite the components being reasonably capable for other workloads.

The combo rank reflects the game's demands. Minimum is a 2014 title, and modern hardware easily exceeds its requirements at lower resolutions. However, the database includes many systems with flagship GPUs and high-core-count CPUs, which push this combo down the ranking. At 1080p, this system delivers playable performance across all settings, so the rank is not indicative of a poor experience. The rank is more a measure of raw performance headroom relative to other tested systems. Users with this combo should expect solid 60 FPS gameplay at 1080p and 1440p, but not the extreme frame rates that top-tier systems achieve.

The Verdict

The recorded data provides a clear answer: this PC can run Minimum, but the experience varies significantly by resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets exceed the 60 FPS threshold. The best settings at this resolution are Ultra, with an average of 78.4 FPS. This means users can enable maximum graphical quality and still maintain smooth gameplay. At 2560x1440, the system clears 60 FPS at Low, Medium, and High settings. The best settings at 1440p are High, with an average of 63.6 FPS. Ultra settings at 1440p fall below the threshold at 48.8 FPS, so users should avoid that preset. At 3840x2160, no settings achieve 60 FPS. The closest is Low settings at 55.1 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. Therefore, 4K gaming is not viable with this combo for Minimum.

The verdict by resolution is straightforward. For 1080p, the system is fully playable at maximum settings. For 1440p, it is playable at high but not ultra. For 4K, it is not playable at any preset. The playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS, and the data shows exactly which settings meet that criterion. Users who prioritize frame rate over visual quality can drop to Low settings at 1080p for 152.7 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh monitors. Those who want a balance of quality and performance at 1440p should choose High settings, which provides 63.6 FPS, just above the threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is presented as average frame rates, with no minimum or maximum values recorded. At 1920x1080, the performance scales as follows. Low settings produce an average of 152.7 FPS. Medium settings produce 120.7 FPS, a 32 FPS reduction from Low. High settings produce 102.3 FPS, an 18.4 FPS reduction from Medium. Ultra settings produce 78.4 FPS, a 23.9 FPS reduction from High. The step from Low to Ultra represents a total drop of 74.3 FPS, or approximately 49% of the Low setting's performance. Each preset increment reduces frame rate by roughly 20 to 30 FPS, indicating consistent scaling in the game's graphical options.

At 2560x1440, the averages are lower across all presets. Low settings average 99 FPS. Medium settings average 77.5 FPS, a 21.5 FPS reduction. High settings average 63.6 FPS, a 13.9 FPS reduction. Ultra settings average 48.8 FPS, a 14.8 FPS reduction. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p is a 50.2 FPS drop, which is proportionally similar to the 1080p scaling. The absolute numbers are lower, but the relative impact of each preset is consistent. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at the same preset is roughly 50 to 60 FPS at Low and Medium, narrowing to about 39 FPS at High and 30 FPS at Ultra. This narrowing gap suggests that at Ultra settings, the GPU is already heavily loaded at 1080p, so the additional resolution has less relative impact.

At 3840x2160, the averages are significantly lower. Low settings average 55.1 FPS. Medium settings average 41.3 FPS, a 13.8 FPS reduction. High settings average 32.7 FPS, an 8.6 FPS reduction. Ultra settings average 27.8 FPS, a 4.9 FPS reduction. The diminishing reductions at higher presets indicate that the GPU is saturated and the differences between presets become smaller as the resolution overwhelms the rendering pipeline. The 4K results are all below the 60 FPS threshold, with the best case being Low settings at 55.1 FPS, which is 4.9 FPS short of playable.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Minimum at 60 FPS on a 1080p monitor?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, all four presets exceed 60 FPS. The lowest average is Ultra at 78.4 FPS, and the highest is Low at 152.7 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 2560x1440?

A: High settings provide the best visual quality while staying above 60 FPS, with an average of 63.6 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 48.8 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 55.1 at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. None of the presets reach 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core i3-12100F compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355?

A: The two processors have nearly identical average benchmark scores. The i3-12100F scores 13,494, and the Core 3 N355 scores 13,492, a delta of 0%. They are effectively equal in performance.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to the AMD Radeon RX 7600?

A: The RTX 2060 scores 15,290 on average, while the RX 7600 scores 15,171. The RTX 2060 is 0.8% ahead. The difference is negligible for gaming performance.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The recorded average is 120.7 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides smooth gameplay.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, with an average of 78.4 FPS. This is the highest quality preset available and it still maintains a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. Users who prefer higher frame rates can select Low settings for 152.7 FPS, but Ultra provides the maximum visual fidelity while remaining playable.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are High, with an average of 63.6 FPS. This preset stays just above the 60 FPS threshold, offering a balance between visual quality and performance. Ultra settings at this resolution average 48.8 FPS, which is below playable, so High is the recommended choice.

At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings. The closest is Low at 55.1 FPS, which is 4.9 FPS below the threshold. The database lists no best settings for this resolution because no preset achieves 60 FPS. Users with 4K displays should reduce resolution to 1440p or 1080p for a playable experience. The recorded data shows that this system is best suited for 1080p gaming, capable at 1440p with settings compromises, and unsuitable for 4K in Minimum.