Minimum

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 1321st out of 3712 tested combinations for Minimum, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all possible pairings. This percentile position suggests a capable setup, but the data reveals that its standing is heavily influenced by resolution choices, with the combo showing its strength at lower resolutions and struggling at 4K. The combination of a 10-core, 16-thread Alder Lake CPU with an Ampere-based GPU delivers a broad performance envelope, but the measured FPS figures show that the 8GB GDDR6X memory buffer and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors as pixel count increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1321 out of 3712 places it in the 64th percentile of all tested CPU-GPU pairings for this title. This is a solid mid-pack result, but not a top-tier showing, which aligns with the hardware’s individual percentiles: the CPU sits at the 79th percentile while the GPU is at the 75th percentile. The data suggests that the pairing does not boost either component beyond its expected performance class, but rather delivers a predictable outcome for a mid-range 12th-gen Intel processor with a high-end Ampere GPU.

Relative to other combos in this benchmark database, the i5-12600KF’s average benchmark score of 27799 places it within 0.3% of the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872), which is a statistical tie. The same 0.3% delta separates it from the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896), indicating that in raw CPU throughput, these three processors are effectively interchangeable for Minimum’s engine. The RTX 3070 Ti’s average GPU score of 29945 is also closely matched by the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (30095, -0.5% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (29783, +0.5% delta), suggesting that the overall combo rank reflects a hardware pairing whose combined output is well-known and consistent.

What is more telling is the gap between the combo’s CPU and GPU percentiles. The CPU’s 79th percentile is notably higher than the GPU’s 75th percentile, hinting that the processor has more headroom than the graphics card in this particular game. This is a subtle indicator that at higher resolutions, the GPU will become the bottleneck sooner than the CPU, a hypothesis supported by the measured FPS data across resolution scales.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the i5-12600KF and RTX 3070 Ti becomes clear when examining FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 244.1 FPS, which drops to 155.2 FPS at 2560x1440 (-36.4%) and then to 80.4 FPS at 3840x2160 (-48.2% from 1440p). This steep decline as resolution increases points to the GPU as the primary limiter, since the CPU workload does not change significantly with resolution while the pixel shader load multiplies.

The CPU’s role is more evident at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 200 FPS. At 1080p Low, the 244.1 FPS figure suggests the i5-12600KF is feeding the GPU sufficiently to avoid a CPU bottleneck, but the 16-thread 3DMark score of 7956 and single-thread score of 1016 indicate that the processor is not the star of this pairing. The scaling between presets at a fixed resolution further clarifies this: at 1440p, moving from Low (155.2 FPS) to Medium (116.3 FPS) costs 25.1% performance, while Low to High (102.1 FPS) costs 34.2%. These are GPU-bound penalties, as the CPU’s workload barely changes with texture quality or shadow detail.

At 4K, the GPU’s dominance becomes absolute. The gap between Low (80.4 FPS) and Ultra (38.9 FPS) is 51.6%, which is a much larger swing than the 39.5% gap seen at 1080p between the same presets. This indicates that the RTX 3070 Ti’s 8GB memory and 169.9 GPixel/s pixel rate are the decisive factors at 2160p, and the CPU’s 20MB L3 cache and 10-core configuration provide no meaningful assistance once the GPU is saturated.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 244.1 FPS average, Medium drops to 187.4 FPS, High yields 155.3 FPS, and Ultra still maintains 120.6 FPS. All of these are far above the 60 FPS playable threshold, with even the most demanding preset providing double the required frame rate. The step from Medium to High is 17.1%, while High to Ultra costs 22.3%, showing diminishing returns as settings increase.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but the margins tighten. Low settings hit 155.2 FPS, Medium achieves 116.3 FPS, High produces 102.1 FPS, and Ultra stays at 79.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 49.0%, which is wider than the 50.6% gap at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is beginning to feel the pressure of additional pixels. However, even Ultra at 79.1 FPS clears the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable 31.8% margin.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low settings average 80.4 FPS, which is still playable, and Medium hits 62.2 FPS, just barely clearing the threshold. High drops to 51.6 FPS, falling below the 60 FPS playable line, and Ultra plummets to 38.9 FPS, which is 35.2% below the threshold. The scaling from Low to Medium at 4K is only 22.6% slower, but Medium to High costs 17.1% more, and High to Ultra is a 24.6% drop, showing that the RTX 3070 Ti’s 8GB frame buffer is insufficient for high-quality textures at this resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872, -0.3% delta), AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896, -0.3% delta), and AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (27887, -0.3% delta). The data shows that all four processors are within 0.3% of each other in average benchmark score, meaning that swapping the i5-12600KF for any of these would yield nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Minimum. The Ryzen 5 8500GE (27712, +0.3% delta) is also a statistical match, making the CPU choice largely irrelevant for this game’s frame pacing.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3070 Ti’s nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (29928, +0.1% delta), AMD Radeon RX 6800 (30095, -0.5% delta), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (29783, +0.5% delta). These three cards would produce nearly identical FPS figures in Minimum, with the RX 6800 being the closest match at 0.5% faster. The AMD Radeon RX 6700 (30433, -1.6% delta) is also close, though slightly faster, suggesting that it would deliver about 1.6% higher frame rates in GPU-bound scenarios. For a user looking at similar performance, any of these GPUs paired with the i5-12600KF would replicate the measured results within a small margin of error.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best setting that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 120.6 FPS. This is the most demanding preset and it still provides double the playable threshold, so there is no reason to lower settings at this resolution. The data shows that all four presets at 1080p exceed the 60 FPS line, with Low hitting 244.1 FPS, but Ultra offers the best visual quality without any playability concern.

For 2560x1440, the optimal choice is also Ultra, with an average of 79.1 FPS. This is 31.8% above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a comfortable margin for demanding scenes. While High at 102.1 FPS would offer higher frame rates, Ultra maintains playability while maximizing visual fidelity, and the 23.0 FPS difference between the two is a reasonable trade-off for the increased settings.

At 3840x2160, the best playable setting is Medium, which averages 62.2 FPS. This is just 3.7% above the 60 FPS line, making it a tight margin. Low at 80.4 FPS is also playable and offers more headroom, but Medium provides better visual quality while still clearing the threshold. High at 51.6 FPS and Ultra at 38.9 FPS are not recommended, as both fall below the playable line.

FAQ

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

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 38.9 FPS, which is 35.2% below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Ultra settings at 4K are not playable with this pairing.

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

A: Ultra is playable at 1440p, with an average of 79.1 FPS. This is 31.8% above the 60 FPS threshold, and all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at this resolution exceed 60 FPS.

Q: How does the i5-12600KF compare to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D for this game?

A: The two CPUs have nearly identical average benchmark scores: 27799 for the i5-12600KF and 27896 for the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, a delta of -0.3%. In practice, they would deliver indistinguishable frame rates in Minimum.

Q: Which GPU is the closest competitor to the RTX 3070 Ti?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 has an average score of 30095, which is 0.5% higher than the RTX 3070 Ti’s 29945. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (29783) is also within 0.5% and would perform nearly identically.

Q: At what resolution does the combo fall below 60 FPS on High settings?

A: At 3840x2160 High, the average FPS is 51.6, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. At both 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, High settings stay above 60 FPS, with 155.3 and 102.1 FPS respectively.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 Low, the combo achieves 244.1 FPS, which suggests the CPU has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU. The GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the 68.3% FPS drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low.

The Verdict

The data confirms that this PC can run Minimum, but the playable experience depends entirely on the chosen resolution. At 1920x1080, the verdict is unequivocal: all presets from Low (244.1 FPS) to Ultra (120.6 FPS) clear the 60 FPS threshold by at least double, making this a high-refresh-rate experience. At 2560x1440, the combo remains fully playable at every setting, with Ultra delivering 79.1 FPS and Low reaching 155.2 FPS, so users can prioritize visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

The 3840x2160 verdict is more qualified. The combo can run Minimum at 4K, but only on Low (80.4 FPS) and Medium (62.2 FPS) settings. High (51.6 FPS) and Ultra (38.9 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS playable line, meaning that 4K users must make significant visual compromises. The RTX 3070 Ti’s 8GB GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors here, as the GPU’s 75th percentile ranking cannot overcome the pixel throughput demands of 2160p. Overall, this is a strong 1080p and 1440p machine for Minimum, but a marginal 4K performer that requires settings discipline.