Minimum

Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is a mid-range desktop combination that places at rank 2401 out of 3712 tested combos for Minimum, putting it in the 35th percentile of all tested systems. This is a workable position, not a dominant one, and the measured frame rates confirm that the system's real strength is at 1080p and 1440p rather than at 4K. The data shows a clear pattern: the combo clears the 60 FPS playable threshold at every resolution, but only at specific settings, and the margin shrinks considerably as resolution climbs.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 2401 out of 3712, this PC sits below the median of all tested systems for Minimum. That ranking is a broad statistical statement, but the measured FPS data tells a more useful story. At 1920x1080, the system is firmly in playable territory across all four tested presets, with even the most demanding Ultra preset averaging 87.5 FPS. At 2560x1440, the system still performs well, averaging 74.5 FPS on High, but the Ultra preset drops to 56.3 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, the situation tightens dramatically: only Low settings clear 60 FPS, averaging 62.3 FPS, while Medium averages 44.8 FPS and High averages 38.8 FPS.

The rank of 2401 reflects this mixed performance profile. The system is not a top-tier contender, but it is far from the bottom. For a game released in 2014, the Intel Core i5-12400's single-threaded performance and the RX 7600 XT's raw throughput are more than adequate at lower resolutions. The bottleneck becomes apparent at 4K, where the GPU's 128-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth limit performance. The CPU, with a passmark single-thread score of 3456, is not the limiting factor at any resolution; the data indicates the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best setting is Ultra, which averages 87.5 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, and it does so with a comfortable 27.5 FPS margin. The next step down, High, averages 114.7 FPS, but Ultra is the correct choice for maximum visual quality without sacrificing playability. Medium averages 135.2 FPS, and Low averages 179.7 FPS, but there is no reason to use those unless targeting very high refresh rates.

At 2560x1440, the best setting is High, averaging 74.5 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS threshold by 14.5 FPS. Medium averages 85.3 FPS and Low averages 112.8 FPS, but High offers the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate. Ultra drops to 56.3 FPS, which is below the playable threshold, so it is not recommended at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the best setting is Low, averaging 62.3 FPS. This is the only preset that clears 60 FPS at 4K. Medium averages 44.8 FPS, High averages 38.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 17.5 FPS, which is a significant penalty for one step up in visual quality. The data strongly suggests that 4K gaming on this combo requires Low settings, and even then, the margin above 60 FPS is only 2.3 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The CPU and GPU roles shift predictably across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the GPU is the primary driver of performance, but the CPU is not idle. The Intel Core i5-12400 has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and its cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15989 is substantial. However, the frame rate scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 92.2 FPS difference (179.7 to 87.5), which is a 51% reduction. This is a GPU-bound scenario; the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at lower settings.

At 2560x1440, the GPU becomes more dominant. The frame rate at Low is 112.8 FPS, dropping to 56.3 FPS at Ultra, a 56.5 FPS reduction. The scaling is steeper than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is working harder relative to the CPU. The CPU's performance is still sufficient, as evidenced by the fact that High settings maintain 74.5 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the bottleneck. The frame rate at Low is 62.3 FPS, dropping to 32 FPS at Ultra, a 30.3 FPS reduction. The CPU's role is minimal here; even a much stronger CPU would not meaningfully improve these numbers. The RX 7600 XT, with 2048 shading units and a boost clock of 2755 MHz, is simply not powerful enough for 4K at higher presets. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is ample, but the 128-bit bus limits memory bandwidth, which is critical at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are all within 0.9% of the i5-12400's average benchmark score of 18683. The AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18697, a delta of -0.1%, meaning it is effectively identical in performance. The Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18730, a delta of -0.3%. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18811, a delta of -0.7%. The Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519, a delta of 0.9%. These four CPUs would all behave nearly identically in Minimum, with frame rates within a fraction of a percent. The i3-14100F is particularly notable because it is a lower-tier chip but matches the i5-12400's average score within 0.9%.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are also tightly clustered. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, a delta of 0.3% from the RX 7600 XT's 17083. The AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, a delta of 0.4%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 scores 17208, a delta of -0.7%. The NVIDIA Tesla M4 scores 16932, a delta of 0.9%. The RTX 3070 is the most interesting comparison: it is a much older GPU but scores 0.7% higher on average. In Minimum, the RTX 3070 would produce nearly identical frame rates to the RX 7600 XT, despite having different architectures and memory configurations. The GTX 690 and HD 7970M are older parts but would also deliver comparable performance in this specific game.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 1920x1080 on Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 87.5, which is 27.5 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict by resolution confirms Ultra is the best playable setting at this resolution.

Q: What is the best setting at 2560x1440?

A: High is the best setting at 1440p, averaging 74.5 FPS. Ultra is not playable, averaging 56.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K resolution playable on this combo?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings. The measured average FPS at 4K Low is 62.3, which is above 60 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, averaging 44.8, 38.8, and 32 FPS respectively.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested systems for Minimum?

A: It ranks 2401 out of 3712 combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the distribution, meaning most tested systems perform better, but it is not near the bottom.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck at 3840x2160?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck at 4K. The frame rate drops from 62.3 FPS on Low to 32 FPS on Ultra, a 30.3 FPS reduction. The CPU's performance is sufficient; the GPU's limited memory bandwidth is the constraint.

Q: What GPU would perform similarly to the RX 7600 XT in this game?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 7600 XT's 17083. The GeForce GTX 690 (17037, delta 0.3%) and Radeon HD 7970M (17019, delta 0.4%) are also within 0.4% and would behave nearly identically.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with the best setting being Ultra at 87.5 FPS. At 2560x1440, High, Medium, and Low are playable, with High being the best at 74.5 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low is playable, averaging 62.3 FPS. The system is fully capable of delivering smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p, and it can handle 4K only at the lowest settings. For a 2014 game, this is a solid performance profile, but the 4K limitation is a clear constraint of the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS ranges from 179.7 on Low to 87.5 on Ultra. Medium averages 135.2 FPS, and High averages 114.7 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 92.2 FPS, which is a 51% reduction. This indicates that the GPU has significant headroom at 1080p, and even the most demanding preset leaves a 27.5 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 112.8 on Low to 56.3 on Ultra. Medium averages 85.3 FPS, and High averages 74.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 56.5 FPS. High is the only preset that clears 60 FPS with a comfortable margin; Ultra falls short by 3.7 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 62.3 on Low to 32 on Ultra. Medium averages 44.8 FPS, and High averages 38.8 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 30.3 FPS. Low is the only playable preset, and it clears the 60 FPS threshold by just 2.3 FPS, which is a thin margin. The data shows a steep drop from Low to Medium (17.5 FPS), indicating that the GPU struggles significantly with the transition to higher visual quality at 4K.