Minimum

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i7-13700K sits in a tightly contested performance band. Its average benchmark score of 46881 places it within 0.5% of several comparable processors. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 posts an average score of 46971, a delta of -0.2%, meaning the i7-13700K trails that chip by a negligible margin. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022, also -0.2% relative to the i7-13700K. On the other side, the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 both score 46654 and 46653 respectively, putting the i7-13700K ahead by 0.5% in both cases. In practical terms, any of these four processors would deliver nearly identical frame pacing in Minimum, since the differences are well within run-to-run variance. The i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, place it at the 89th percentile among all CPUs tested in the database, so it is not a limiting factor in this pairing.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 shows a different story. Its average benchmark score of 9780 lands at the 47th percentile of all GPUs, a mid-pack position. The nearest rivals are clustered tightly: the AMD FirePro W5000 scores 9803 (-0.2%), the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M scores 9832 (-0.5%), the NVIDIA Tesla M10 scores 9724 (+0.6%), and the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 scores 9716 (+0.7%). All of these sit within a single percentage point of the GTX 1070, so swapping to any of them would produce similar frame rates in Minimum. The GTX 1070's 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth is the relevant specification for texture loading, and its 1920 shading units handle the geometry workload. Users coming from a Quadro M2000M or a Tesla M10 should expect comparable performance, though the GTX 1070 is the only one of this group with a consumer-oriented feature set like DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4 support.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data from the measured FPS table clarifies which component drives performance in Minimum. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 140.5 FPS average. Dropping to 2560x1440 Low yields 89.8 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low it falls to 46.2 FPS. That scaling pattern, a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 49% reduction from 1440p to 4K, points to the GPU as the primary constraint. The CPU is capable of feeding the GTX 1070 at 1080p, but as pixel count climbs, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become the bottleneck.

The preset scaling reinforces this. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium drops the average from 140.5 to 106.5 FPS (a 24% reduction), and Low to Ultra drops to 70.1 FPS (a 50% reduction). At 1440p, the same Low to Ultra comparison goes from 89.8 to 42.6 FPS, a 53% reduction. At 4K, Low to Ultra goes from 46.2 to 22.1 FPS, a 52% reduction. The consistency of these percentage drops across resolutions indicates that the GTX 1070's compute and memory subsystems are saturated regardless of resolution, while the i7-13700K's 3.40 GHz base and 5.40 GHz boost clocks keep up easily. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745 and single-core score of 2116 are far beyond what a 2014 third-person shooter requires. For this game, the GPU is the limiting component at every resolution, and the CPU's role is effectively neutral past 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo clears the 60 FPS threshold at every preset. Low settings produce an average of 140.5 FPS, Medium produces 106.5 FPS, High produces 90.3 FPS, and Ultra produces 70.1 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is exactly a halving of frame rate, but even the heaviest preset stays above 60. No minimum or maximum FPS values were recorded, so only averages are available for analysis.

At 2560x1440, the picture changes. Low settings deliver 89.8 FPS average, which is comfortably playable. Medium drops to 70.8 FPS, still above the 60 FPS threshold. High falls to 57.4 FPS, just under the line, and Ultra drops to 42.6 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at this resolution is 13.4 FPS, a 19% penalty, while the gap between High and Ultra is 14.8 FPS, a 26% penalty. Users targeting 1440p should stick to Medium or below to maintain smooth motion.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. Low averages 46.2 FPS, Medium averages 35.1 FPS, High averages 32.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 22.1 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium at 4K is 11.1 FPS, and between Medium and High it is only 2.2 FPS, suggesting the GPU hits a memory bandwidth wall around Medium. The 8 GB frame buffer and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K with this game's heavier settings, and even Low struggles to maintain a smooth experience. The recorded data shows no settings combination at 3840x2160 that reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific CPU and GPU pairing at 3095 out of 3712 tested combinations for Minimum. That places it in the lower 17% of all combos, which reflects the GPU's age more than the CPU's capability. The i7-13700K alone sits at the 89th percentile of all CPUs, but the GTX 1070 at the 47th percentile drags the pairing down. In a game like Minimum, which is a 2014 third-person shooter, the geometric complexity and draw calls are modest, so the CPU headroom is wasted. The combo's rank is driven almost entirely by GPU throughput. For context, a pairing with the same CPU but a stronger GPU would rank much higher, while a pairing with the same GPU and a weaker CPU would rank only slightly lower. The bottleneck is unambiguous: the GTX 1070 limits the i7-13700K to roughly half of what the CPU could feed in this title. The rank of 3095 out of 3712 means there are 617 tested combos that perform worse, but also a large majority that perform better, most of which pair the i7-13700K with a more modern graphics card.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum, but only at certain resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the verdict is clear: all four presets clear 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 70.1 FPS. That is the best playable configuration at 1080p, offering the highest visual quality while still staying above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the playable settings are Low and Medium, with Medium being the best option at 70.8 FPS average. High and Ultra fall short at 57.4 and 42.6 FPS respectively, so those should be avoided for smooth gameplay. At 3840x2160, no settings reach 60 FPS. The best average at 4K is Low at 46.2 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p Ultra is fully playable, 1440p Medium is the maximum smooth configuration, and 4K is not viable for this game with this hardware. The i7-13700K provides ample CPU headroom, but the GTX 1070's 8 GB memory and 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are the binding constraints at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 60 FPS on a 1080p monitor?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, all four presets average above 60 FPS: Low at 140.5, Medium at 106.5, High at 90.3, and Ultra at 70.1. Ultra is the best playable setting, as it clears the threshold with a 10.1 FPS margin.

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

A: Medium is the best playable setting at 1440p, averaging 70.8 FPS. Low also works at 89.8 FPS, but High (57.4 FPS) and Ultra (42.6 FPS) both fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this combo in Minimum?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best average is Low at 46.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium averages 35.1 FPS, High averages 32.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 22.1 FPS, so no preset reaches a playable level.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its closest rivals in the database?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 9780. The AMD FirePro W5000 scores 9803 (-0.2%), the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M scores 9832 (-0.5%), the NVIDIA Tesla M10 scores 9724 (+0.6%), and the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 scores 9716 (+0.7%). All five are within a single percentage point of each other.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K a bottleneck for the GTX 1070 in this game?

A: No. The i7-13700K ranks at the 89th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 46881, while the GTX 1070 ranks at the 47th percentile. The frame rate scaling between resolutions and presets indicates the GPU is the limiting component at every setting.

Q: What is the best overall configuration for this combo in Minimum?

A: The best playable configuration is 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, which averages 70.1 FPS. At 2560x1440, the best playable configuration is Medium at 70.8 FPS. No playable configuration exists at 3840x2160.