Minimum

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a broad range of frame rates in Minimum, scaling from near-maximum refresh rates at 1080p to a playable-but-tight experience at 4K. Measured data shows the combo achieving an average of 280.5 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings, dropping to 134.8 FPS at Ultra. At 2560x1440, the spread runs from 178.6 FPS (Low) down to 89.5 FPS (Ultra). The 3840x2160 results are more constrained, with the Ultra preset falling to 44.4 FPS, while Low and Medium remain fluid at 97.1 and 76.8 FPS, respectively. Across all twelve measured configurations, the average frame rates consistently exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold except for one instance, indicating the hardware is well-matched for the game’s engine demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides average FPS figures for four settings presets at three resolutions, with no minimum or maximum frame rate values recorded. At 1920x1080, the performance envelope is wide: Low settings produce 280.5 FPS, Medium yields 214.4 FPS, High delivers 176.3 FPS, and Ultra still maintains 134.8 FPS. This progression shows a smooth, predictable decline as graphical load increases, with the delta between Low and Ultra amounting to 145.7 FPS. The 1080p results indicate that the CPU and GPU combination is rarely strained, leaving headroom for high-refresh-rate displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS values remain strong but scale downward. Low settings hit 178.6 FPS, Medium settles at 135.0 FPS, High produces 112.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 89.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 89.1 FPS, a tighter spread than at 1080p, suggesting that pixel count begins to exert more influence on the render pipeline. Even at the most demanding preset, the average frame rate stays well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating a comfortable experience for most users.

At 3840x2160, the results expose the first potential limitation. High settings average 63.8 FPS, Medium runs at 76.8 FPS, and Low reaches 97.1 FPS. However, the Ultra preset falls to 44.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The variance across settings is significant: Low to Ultra represents a 52.7 FPS drop. This pattern implies that the RTX 4070’s rendering capabilities are sufficient for lower presets at 4K, but the Ultra setting’s additional effects (likely including higher texture quality and post-processing) outpace the available throughput.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core i5-12400 and RTX 4070 ranks 937th out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the upper quartile of all configurations. This percentile position (roughly the 75th) reflects the hardware’s ability to maintain high frame rates across most settings, as evidenced by the measured FPS data. The rank is driven more by the GPU’s raw performance than the CPU, since the game’s third-person shooter mechanics typically favor graphics card throughput over processor logic.

In the broader database, this combo outranks many older or lower-tier pairings, but it does not reach the top tier reserved for flagship GPUs. The 937th rank suggests that while the RTX 4070 handles Minimum with ease at 1080p and 1440p, the 4K Ultra results prevent a higher placement. For context, the CPU alone sits in the 72nd percentile of all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 81st percentile of all graphics cards; when combined, their integrated performance lands in a similar band, though the game-specific ranking shows how engine optimization can alter expectations.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals a clear division of labor. At 1920x1080, the CPU is likely the primary limiter for very high frame rates, as the RTX 4070’s capabilities exceed what the Core i5-12400 can feed at Low and Medium settings. The jump from 280.5 FPS (Low) to 214.4 FPS (Medium) is a 66.1 FPS reduction, which is substantial but still leaves the system far above the 60 FPS target. The GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at higher presets, where the 134.8 FPS Ultra result suggests the graphics card is now the bottleneck, as the CPU has ample headroom.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts toward the GPU. The frame rate drop from Low to Medium (43.6 FPS) is larger than the drop from Medium to High (22.5 FPS), indicating that the initial increase in resolution and texture load taxes the GPU more heavily. The Ultra preset’s 89.5 FPS shows that the GPU remains the dominant factor, but the CPU still manages to keep up with the 12-thread workload. For 3840x2160, the GPU is unambiguously the limiting component: the Ultra preset’s 44.4 FPS is a clear sign that the RTX 4070’s memory bandwidth (504.2 GB/s) and shading units (5888) are stretched thin, while the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for the game’s logic.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU’s single-thread performance (3dmark single-thread score of 910) is adequate but not exceptional, so frame rates are capped by the processor’s ability to issue draw calls. At 4K, the GPU’s pixel rate (158.4 GPixel/s) and texture rate (455.4 GTexel/s) become the deciding factors, with the Ultra preset’s added effects overwhelming the available compute.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 4K with Ultra settings?*

A: No, the measured average FPS for 3840x2160 Ultra is 44.4, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings at the same resolution average 63.8 FPS, so you would need to lower the preset.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 2560x1440?

A: The Ultra preset is playable at 1440p, with an average of 89.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) exceed the threshold at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070’s average benchmark score is 37648, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507). It trails the RTX 4080 Mobile (38135) by 1.3%.

Q: Is the Core i5-12400 a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At Low settings, the 280.5 FPS average suggests the CPU may limit frame rates, as the GPU has more headroom. However, the CPU’s 3dmark max-thread score of 5890 is sufficient for the game’s demands, and the bottleneck only appears at extremely high frame rates.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1920x1080 with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 214.4 FPS, which is far above the 60 FPS playable threshold and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Does the 4K Ultra result indicate a hardware failure?

A: No, the 44.4 FPS average is a performance limitation, not a defect. The RTX 4070’s 12 GB GDDR6X memory and 192-bit bus are sufficient for most games, but Minimum’s Ultra preset at 4K exceeds its capacity.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 134.8 FPS. This is the optimal choice for maximizing visual quality without sacrificing fluidity. At 2560x1440, Ultra is also the best option, delivering 89.5 FPS, which provides a smooth experience with high detail. For 3840x2160, High is the highest preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 63.8 FPS. Medium (76.8 FPS) and Low (97.1 FPS) also work, but High offers the best balance of fidelity and performance.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum effectively at all three tested resolutions, but with a caveat at 4K. At 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, every preset—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—averages above 60 FPS, meaning the system is fully playable regardless of graphical settings. For 3840x2160, the verdict is more nuanced: High, Medium, and Low all clear the 60 FPS threshold, but Ultra falls short at 44.4 FPS. Therefore, users with a 4K display should stick to High settings to maintain a playable frame rate, while 1080p and 1440p users can enable Ultra without concern. The data confirms that this combination is well-suited for the game’s engine, with the GPU being the primary constraint only at 4K Ultra.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Intel Core i3-14100F has an average benchmark score of 18519, which is 0.9% lower than the Core i5-12400’s 18683. This means a system with the i3-14100F would behave nearly identically in Minimum, with frame rates within a few percentage points. The AMD EPYC 7643 (18697) and Intel Core i7-1355U (18730) are also within 0.3% of the i5-12400, though the EPYC is a server chip and the i7-1355U is a mobile part, so their real-world gaming performance may differ despite similar synthetic scores.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507) is 0.4% slower than the RTX 4070 (37648), so it would produce slightly lower frame rates in Minimum—likely around 62-63 FPS at 4K High instead of 63.8. The NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628) is 0.1% faster, but it is a data-center card with no display outputs, making it unsuitable for gaming. The RTX 4080 Mobile (38135) is 1.3% faster, but its mobile form factor means different thermal and power characteristics. The AMD Radeon PRO W6400 (37157) is 1.3% slower, so it would fall just short of the 4K High threshold, averaging around 62 FPS. In practice, any of these alternatives would deliver a similar experience, with the RTX 4070 offering the best balance of performance and compatibility for desktop gaming.