Minimum

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a robust experience in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released on 2014-06-25. Benchmark data shows this combination handles the game with high frame rates across all tested resolutions, with the playable threshold set at 60 FPS. The measured results indicate that the RTX 4070's Ada Lovelace architecture, featuring 5888 shading units and 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, provides substantial headroom for this title, while the 10-core, 16-thread Alder Lake processor ensures the system remains fluid.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is High, delivering an average of 61.3 FPS. This is a narrow margin above the playable threshold, meaning 4K gaming is viable but leaves little room for frame rate dips. The data shows that Ultra settings at this resolution fall below the threshold at 48.6 FPS, making them unplayable by the 60 FPS standard. Low and Medium presets also remain playable at 4K, with averages of 96.9 FPS and 76.4 FPS, respectively, but High offers the best visual quality while staying above 60.

Moving to 2560x1440, the combination achieves playable frame rates on all four tested presets. The best visual setting is Ultra, which posts an average of 86.8 FPS. This provides a comfortable cushion above the threshold, allowing for fully maxed-out graphics without compromising smoothness. The scaling from 4K to 1440p is significant; Ultra nearly doubles its frame rate from 48.6 to 86.8, demonstrating that the RTX 4070 has ample compute headroom when pixel count drops.

At 1920x1080, the story is even more favorable. The best setting is again Ultra, with an average of 135.7 FPS. This is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, making the experience exceptionally smooth on standard Full HD displays. The frame rates scale predictably: Low hits 277 FPS, Medium reaches 211.4 FPS, and High achieves 176.8 FPS. For users prioritizing maximum refresh rate utilization, even the highest preset leaves substantial performance on the table, suggesting the CPU or game engine becomes a limiting factor only at very high frame rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear shift in component importance as resolution changes. At 1920x1080, the GPU is less stressed, evidenced by the massive frame rate jump from Ultra (135.7 FPS) to Low (277 FPS) — a difference of roughly 104%. This wide spread indicates that the RTX 4070 is the primary driver of performance at this resolution, but the i5-12600KF with its 4.90 GHz boost clock and 20 MB of L3 cache is sufficient to feed the GPU without bottlenecking, as even the highest settings stay well above 100 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the GPU's workload increases, but the CPU still plays a supporting role. The frame rate gap between Low (177.6 FPS) and Ultra (86.8 FPS) narrows to about 51%, showing that the RTX 4070 is now more heavily utilized. The i5-12600KF's 16 threads handle the game's logic efficiently, but the data suggests that the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth become more critical as pixel count rises. The transition from 1080p Ultra (135.7 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (86.8 FPS) represents a 36% drop, which is attributable almost entirely to the increased rendering load on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the GPU dominates the performance picture. The difference between Low (96.9 FPS) and Ultra (48.6 FPS) is a 50% reduction, and even the best playable setting, High, only reaches 61.3 FPS. This resolution stresses the RTX 4070's 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The CPU's role diminishes significantly; the i5-12600KF's performance is more than adequate at 4K, as the bottleneck is clearly the GPU's pixel throughput. The scaling from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra shows a 44% drop in frame rate, reinforcing that the RTX 4070 is the limiting factor at this resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-12600KF's average benchmark score of 27799 places it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which scores 27896, a mere 0.3% higher. This means users with a Ryzen 7 5800X3D would see nearly identical frame rates in Minimum at all resolutions. Similarly, the Intel Core i9-10900K scores 27872, just 0.3% above the i5-12600KF, indicating that the older 10-core Comet Lake chip performs on par in this game. On the lower side, the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE scores 27712 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U scores 27887 (0.3% higher), both falling within a negligible performance delta.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070's average benchmark score of 37648 puts it in the 81st percentile. Its closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which scores 38135, a 1.3% advantage. This mobile part would deliver essentially the same frame rates in Minimum, though desktop users would need to consider the power and thermal implications. The NVIDIA Tesla P4 scores 37628 (0.1% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507 (0.4% lower), both offering near-identical performance. The AMD Radeon PRO W6400 trails by 1.3% with a score of 37157. For practical purposes, any of these GPUs would produce frame rates within a couple of percentage points of the RTX 4070 in this title.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 48.6 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable preset at 4K is High, which averages 61.3 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable. Ultra provides the best visual quality with an average of 86.8 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D pairing?

A: The i5-12600KF scores 27799 in average benchmarks, while the Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896, a 0.3% difference. In Minimum, this translates to virtually identical frame rates, so the choice between these CPUs would not affect playability.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the GPU is the primary performance driver. The frame rate spread between Low (277 FPS) and Ultra (135.7 FPS) is large, indicating that the RTX 4070's capabilities dictate performance, while the i5-12600KF provides sufficient headroom.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K with Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average frame rate is 76.4 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, offering a smooth experience with moderate visual fidelity.

Q: How close is the RTX 4070 to the RTX 4080 Mobile in performance?

A: The RTX 4070 scores 37648 in average benchmarks, while the RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135, a 1.3% difference. In Minimum, this would result in a negligible frame rate difference, making the two GPUs effectively interchangeable for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows consistently high performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 277 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded for this combo. Medium settings yield 211.4 FPS, High settings deliver 176.8 FPS, and Ultra settings still manage a robust 135.7 FPS. All results are well above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution the most comfortable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the expected decline from 1080p. Low settings average 177.6 FPS, Medium settings average 136.5 FPS, High settings average 116.8 FPS, and Ultra settings average 86.8 FPS. Every preset exceeds the playable threshold by at least 44%, indicating that 1440p users can freely choose any visual configuration without worrying about performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become apparent. Low settings average 96.9 FPS, which is still highly playable. Medium settings drop to 76.4 FPS, and High settings fall to 61.3 FPS — just above the 60 FPS line. Ultra settings average 48.6 FPS, which is below the threshold and not recommended for smooth gameplay. The data shows a clear trade-off between visual quality and frame rate at 4K, with High being the optimal choice for maintaining 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 955th out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the top 26% of all systems evaluated. This ranking reflects the strong performance of both components; the CPU sits in the 79th percentile of all processors, and the GPU in the 81st percentile of all graphics cards. The combo's position indicates that it outperforms the majority of tested systems, though there are many higher-end configurations that achieve better frame rates, particularly at 4K where the RTX 4070's 12 GB of memory and 192-bit bus are not the absolute highest spec available. In practical terms, this ranking means the combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, and it can handle 4K at High settings, making it a versatile choice for Minimum players who prioritize smoothness across multiple display resolutions.