Minimum

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 872nd out of 3,712 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the top 23.5% of all systems evaluated. This is a strong position for a game released in 2014, indicating that the combination of a 12-core Alder Lake processor and an Ada Lovelace GPU is more than sufficient for this title. The CPU sits at the 85th percentile among all processors, while the GPU is at the 81st percentile among all graphics cards, so both components are individually high-performing relative to the broader hardware landscape, which helps explain the overall favorable combo ranking.

How This Combo Ranks

The 872nd rank out of 3,712 tested combos means this system outperforms roughly 76.5% of all configurations tested for Minimum. This is a decisive result — the hardware is not merely adequate; it is positioned well above the median experience. The ranking reflects the headroom provided by both the CPU and GPU, as neither component is a bottleneck at the settings where the game becomes demanding. The i7-12700KF's multi-threaded bench scores, such as 28,838 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 34,092 in PassMark multithread, show a processor that can handle the game's logic and physics without strain, while the RTX 4070's PassMark G3D score of 26,927 ensures that rasterization workloads are processed quickly. In context, the combo's rank is close to what one would expect from high-end hardware from the 2021-2023 era, and the data confirms that the system is built to run Minimum with significant performance to spare.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160 (4K), the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 64.9 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset fails to reach the playable threshold, dropping to 45 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K yields 73.1 FPS, while Low produces 95.3 FPS, but High is the best visual quality setting that maintains smooth gameplay. Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), the system can handle Ultra settings with an average of 86.6 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS target. The High preset at this resolution reaches 115.5 FPS, Medium achieves 137.7 FPS, and Low hits 178.9 FPS, but Ultra is the recommended choice for maximum fidelity. At 1920x1080 (1080p), the Ultra preset is also the best option, delivering 138.4 FPS on average. This is a fully playable experience at the highest settings, with High at 176.9 FPS, Medium at 214.6 FPS, and Low at 280.6 FPS. The pattern is clear: beyond 4K Ultra, the system has no trouble maintaining 60 FPS at any resolution/preset combination tested.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor primarily at 4K Ultra, where the frame rate drops to 45 FPS — a 30.8% decrease from the 4K High preset's 64.9 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, the RTX 4070's rendering load is the primary constraint, as the CPU has ample headroom from its 20 threads. Conversely, at 1080p, the CPU's role grows relatively more important, but even then, the frame rates are so high (280.6 FPS at Low, 138.4 FPS at Ultra) that neither component is stressed to its limit. The scaling between resolutions illustrates this: from 1080p Low (280.6 FPS) to 1440p Low (178.9 FPS), there is a 36.2% drop, and from 1440p Low to 4K Low (95.3 FPS), a further 46.7% drop. These reductions are steeper than one would expect if the CPU were the bottleneck, indicating that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth (504.2 GB/s) are the driving factors as resolution increases. At 1440p and below, the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU, as evidenced by the fact that Ultra settings at 1440p (86.6 FPS) are still well above 60 FPS. The practical conclusion is that for Minimum, the RTX 4070 dictates performance at 4K, while the i7-12700KF is never the limiting factor at any tested resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 4K with the highest settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable 4K preset is High, which averages 64.9 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p for a smooth experience?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 86.6 FPS, making it the best visual quality setting that maintains 60 FPS or higher. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution.

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

A: The i7-12700KF's average benchmark score is 35,365, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-13700T (35,403, -0.1% delta), Intel Core i5-13600T (35,305, +0.2% delta), Intel Core 5 213PE (35,428, -0.2% delta), and Intel Core i7-12700K (35,287, +0.2% delta). The differences are within 0.2%, meaning these CPUs would perform almost indistinguishably in Minimum.

Q: Is the RTX 4070's performance close to any other GPUs in this game?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 37,648. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37,628, +0.1% delta), AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507, +0.4% delta), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38,135, -1.3% delta), and AMD Radeon PRO W6400 (37,157, +1.3% delta). These would likely produce similar frame rates in Minimum.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average frame rate is 214.6 FPS. This is far above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating the system has substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Does the game run better at Low settings compared to Ultra at 4K?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 95.3 FPS, while Ultra averages 45 FPS. The difference is 50.3 FPS, or a 111.8% improvement in favor of Low, though High (64.9 FPS) is the recommended balance of visuals and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the system produces an average of 45 FPS on Ultra, 64.9 FPS on High, 73.1 FPS on Medium, and 95.3 FPS on Low. The gap between Ultra and High is 19.9 FPS, which is substantial and indicates that the Ultra preset imposes a significant rendering cost that the RTX 4070 cannot sustain at 4K. The jump from Medium to Low adds another 22.2 FPS, showing that even at 4K, the GPU has more headroom as settings are reduced. At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 86.6 FPS on Ultra, 115.5 FPS on High, 137.7 FPS on Medium, and 178.9 FPS on Low. The scaling here is more linear, with each step down in settings providing a meaningful boost: Ultra to High is +28.9 FPS, High to Medium is +22.2 FPS, and Medium to Low is +41.2 FPS. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 138.4 FPS on Ultra, 176.9 FPS on High, 214.6 FPS on Medium, and 280.6 FPS on Low. The progression from Ultra to Low yields a total increase of 142.2 FPS, demonstrating that at 1080p, the system is heavily GPU-bound at lower settings and can push frame rates beyond 200 FPS comfortably. Across all resolutions, the minimum and maximum FPS values were not recorded in the data, so only averages are available for analysis.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Minimum, and it does so with considerable authority. According to the verdict by resolution, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold at all resolutions except 4K Ultra. At 3840x2160, the best playable settings are High, with an average of 64.9 FPS; Low and Medium also remain above 60 FPS, with 95.3 and 73.1 FPS respectively. At 2560x1440, every preset is playable, with Ultra achieving 86.6 FPS as the highest setting. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 138.4 FPS on Ultra, making it more than capable for high-refresh-rate gaming. The only configuration that fails the playable test is 4K Ultra at 45 FPS, which is a minor caveat given that High at 4K still delivers a smooth experience. For the vast majority of users targeting 1080p or 1440p, this combo is overkill for Minimum, offering frame rates well beyond what is necessary for competitive play.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i7-12700KF's nearest rivals are all within 0.2% of its average benchmark score of 35,365. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35,403 (-0.1% delta), meaning it would perform essentially identically in Minimum. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35,305 (+0.2% delta), the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35,428 (-0.2% delta), and the Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35,287 (+0.2% delta). All four of these processors would produce nearly the same frame rates as the i7-12700KF in this game, so users with any of these chips should see comparable CPU-bound performance. For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070's average benchmark score is 37,648. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37,628, +0.1% delta), which is a datacenter card, and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507, +0.4% delta), both of which would deliver nearly identical frame rates. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38,135, -1.3% delta) is slightly faster, while the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 (37,157, +1.3% delta) is slightly slower, but all are within 1.3% of the RTX 4070's performance. In practice, swapping the RTX 4070 for any of these GPUs would yield a negligible difference in Minimum's frame rates, making them viable alternatives for similar performance.