Minimum

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER presents a compelling dataset for evaluating Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014. The recorded measurements cover three resolutions and four quality presets, providing a clear picture of where this combination excels and where it falls short of the 60 FPS playability threshold. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly capable at 1080p and 1440p, but which requires careful settings management at 4K to maintain smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2070 SUPER and Core i7-12700K combination struggles to maintain high frame rates across most presets. The High preset delivers an average of 43.3 FPS, which falls well below the 60 FPS threshold and would likely result in noticeable stutter during fast-paced gunfights. Dropping to Medium improves the average to 47.7 FPS, still short of smooth playability but a measurable gain. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding only 32.9 FPS on average, a figure that suggests the GPU is heavily taxed by the combination of 4K resolution and maximum graphical features. The only workable option at this resolution is the Low preset, which produces an average of 65.8 FPS. This represents a substantial jump over Medium, an improvement of 18.1 FPS, and demonstrates that reducing graphical fidelity can unlock playable performance even at 4K.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture changes dramatically. The High preset averages 76.5 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset reaches 93.5 FPS, offering a smoother experience with moderate visual quality. The Low preset is exceptionally fast at 121.1 FPS, indicating that the system has significant headroom at this resolution for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset averages 61.4 FPS, which barely clears the playability bar. This is an important data point because it shows that even at maximum settings, 1440p remains viable, though users should expect occasional dips below the average in intense scenes.

At 1920x1080, the combination is overwhelmingly strong. The High preset averages 121.9 FPS, which is more than double the playability threshold. The Medium preset reaches 141.8 FPS, and the Low preset hits an exceptional 188.3 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most visually demanding, still averages 91.5 FPS. This means that at 1080p, all four presets deliver frame rates that are not only playable but also smooth enough for high-refresh-rate displays. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 96.8 FPS, highlighting the wide performance range available depending on user preference for visual fidelity versus maximum frame rate.

The recorded data does not include minimum or maximum FPS values, so the analysis relies solely on averages. However, the consistency across presets and resolutions suggests that the i7-12700K's strong multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19784, helps prevent CPU-bound bottlenecks that could cause frame time spikes.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i7-12700K, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i5-13600T, which scores 35305 and is 0.1% behind the i7-12700K's 35287 average. The Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365, a 0.2% difference, while the Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403, a 0.3% difference. The Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, a 0.4% difference. These deltas are negligible, meaning that swapping the i7-12700K for any of these processors would produce nearly identical frame rates in Minimum, assuming the GPU remains the same. The i7-12700K sits at the 84th percentile among all CPUs, indicating that it is a high-end part, but its closest competitors are all within a fraction of a percent in aggregate performance.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, the nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, which scores 20480 and is 1% behind the RTX 2070 SUPER's 20282 average. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, a 1.2% difference, while the Intel Arc B570 scores 20556, a 1.3% difference. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, a 1.5% difference. These deltas are small, so a system with any of these GPUs paired with a comparable CPU would deliver FPS figures very close to those recorded for the RTX 2070 SUPER. The RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, suggesting it is a mid-to-upper tier card in the broader database, but its performance in Minimum is clearly sufficient for most gaming scenarios.

Given these rival scores, the practical implication is that users with hardware in this performance band, such as an RTX 3070 Mobile or an Intel Arc A750, should expect similar results to the measurements recorded here. The differences of 1% to 1.5% in GPU score would translate to frame rate variations of less than 2 FPS in most cases, which is imperceptible in real gameplay.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Minimum at 60 FPS on a 4K monitor?

A: Yes, but only with the Low preset. The recorded average at 3840x2160 with Low settings is 65.8 FPS. The Medium preset falls to 47.7 FPS, and High drops to 43.3 FPS, both below the playability threshold.

Q: What is the best preset at 2560x1440 for a 60 FPS target?

A: The Ultra preset is playable at 1440p, with an average of 61.4 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that clears the threshold, so users can enjoy maximum visual quality at this resolution.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform at 1920x1080?

A: The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 91.5 FPS, which is 31.5 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. This leaves substantial headroom for demanding scenes or higher refresh rates.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER a bottleneck for the i7-12700K in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, where High and Ultra presets drop below 60 FPS. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU's strong multi-core performance, such as a Passmark multi-thread score of 34404, ensures that the GPU is fully utilized without causing CPU-bound frame drops.

Q: What frame rate can be expected with Low settings at 2560x1440?

A: The Low preset at 1440p averages 121.1 FPS, which is more than double the playability threshold. This makes it suitable for competitive play where high frame rates are prioritized over visual fidelity.

Q: Are there any presets that fail to reach 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: No, all four presets at 1080p, from Low at 188.3 FPS to Ultra at 91.5 FPS, exceed 60 FPS. The system has no playability issues at this resolution.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear. At 3840x2160, the only playable setting is Low, which averages 65.8 FPS. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets all fall short of the 60 FPS threshold, with averages of 47.7, 43.3, and 32.9 FPS respectively. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 61.4 FPS, High at 76.5 FPS, Medium at 93.5 FPS, and Low at 121.1 FPS. At 1920x1080, all presets clear 60 FPS by a wide margin, with Low at 188.3 FPS, Medium at 141.8 FPS, High at 121.9 FPS, and Ultra at 91.5 FPS.

This system can absolutely run Minimum, but the experience depends heavily on the display resolution and chosen settings. For 4K users, the Low preset is the only way to maintain smooth gameplay, which means sacrificing visual details such as shadows, textures, and post-processing effects. For 1440p users, the Ultra preset is viable, offering the full visual experience at just above the playability threshold. For 1080p users, there are no compromises needed, as even the most demanding preset runs at 91.5 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the best settings that maintain at least 60 FPS are Low, with an average of 65.8 FPS. This is the only preset at 4K that meets the playability requirement. Pushing to Medium drops the average to 47.7 FPS, which would introduce noticeable judder during gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Ultra, with an average of 61.4 FPS. This allows users to enable all graphical features while staying just above the 60 FPS threshold. The 1.4 FPS margin is thin, so users who prefer a larger safety buffer might consider High, which averages 76.5 FPS, but the data confirms Ultra is technically playable.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 91.5 FPS. This provides a 31.5 FPS margin over the threshold, making it a comfortable choice for consistent performance. Users with 144Hz monitors could also explore Medium, which averages 141.8 FPS, but for maximum visual quality, Ultra remains the top pick.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2141 out of 3712 tested combinations in the database for Minimum. This places it in the upper half of all tested systems, specifically in the 42.3rd percentile. The rank reflects that while this is not a top-tier enthusiast setup, it is significantly more capable than the majority of tested hardware for this game. The i7-12700K's 84th percentile ranking among CPUs and the RTX 2070 SUPER's 65th percentile among GPUs both contribute to this solid overall position. The gap between the CPU and GPU percentiles suggests that the graphics card is the more limiting component, which aligns with the FPS data showing GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.

Compared to the 1571 combinations that rank below it, this system offers substantially better performance, likely due to the i7-12700K's high single-thread and multi-thread scores, such as a Geekbench single-core score of 2308 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 34404. For the 2140 combinations ranked above it, the difference likely comes from more powerful GPUs, such as those with higher Passmark G3D scores than the RTX 2070 SUPER's 18169.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals how the CPU and GPU each contribute to Minimum's performance across resolutions. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The average FPS drops from 65.8 on Low to 32.9 on Ultra, a reduction of 32.9 FPS, or exactly 50%, when moving from the least to most demanding preset. This large swing indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER's pixel throughput, rated at 113.3 GPixel/s, is the limiting resource. The CPU's role is minimal at this resolution because the GPU is saturated with the workload of rendering at 4K.

At 2560x1440, the GPU still matters most, but the CPU begins to show its capability. The difference between Low and Ultra is 59.7 FPS, from 121.1 to 61.4, which is a 49.3% reduction. This is a slightly smaller percentage drop than at 4K, suggesting that the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a 3DMark max threads score of 9979, helps mitigate the performance loss at higher settings. The i7-12700K's 20 threads allow it to feed the GPU efficiently, preventing CPU stalls that could otherwise worsen the frame rate.

At 1920x1080, the CPU becomes more relevant. The difference between Low and Ultra is 96.8 FPS, from 188.3 to 91.5, a 48.6% reduction. However, the absolute frame rates are so high that the CPU's contribution is more about maintaining consistency than pushing peak FPS. The i7-12700K's single-thread performance, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4013, ensures that the game's main thread does not become a bottleneck, even at Ultra settings where draw calls and physics calculations increase.

The scaling between resolutions reinforces this split. At Low settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces FPS by 67.2, from 188.3 to 121.1, while moving from 1440p to 4K reduces it by 55.3, from 121.1 to 65.8. This shows that the GPU is increasingly stressed as resolution climbs, while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant. At Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 30.1 FPS, from 91.5 to 61.4, and from 1440p to 4K is 28.5 FPS, from 61.4 to 32.9. The consistent percentage reductions indicate a balanced scaling pattern where both components share the load, but the GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory are the primary constraints at higher resolutions.

For users seeking to improve performance, the data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield the largest gains at 4K, while the CPU is already sufficient for all tested scenarios. The RTX 2070 SUPER's Turing architecture, with 2560 shading units and 40 RT cores, handles Minimum's 2014-era DirectX workload effectively, but its 9.062 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the ceiling for this system. The i7-12700K, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz and 25 MB of shared L3 cache, provides ample headroom for this game and likely for more modern titles as well.