Minecraft

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB delivers a highly capable Minecraft experience, with frame rates that scale predictably across resolutions and settings. The data shows this combination is firmly GPU-bound at 4K, but becomes increasingly CPU-bound at lower resolutions. With a combo rank of 3,214 out of 3,710 tested combinations, the pairing sits in the lower 87th percentile of all system configurations, yet the absolute frame rates remain playable through most of the tested presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rate data reveals a clear and consistent pattern of resolution scaling that highlights the RTX 3050 4-4 as the primary limiting component. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo produces 218 avg FPS; moving to 1440p drops that to 138 avg FPS, and at 2160p it falls to 72 avg FPS. This represents a 54% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 67% decrease from 1080p to 4K, demonstrating a typical GPU-bound scaling curve where raw pixel count dominates the load.

The same scaling trend appears across all settings presets. At Low settings, the system delivers 275 avg FPS at 1080p, 174 avg FPS at 1440p, and 91 avg FPS at 4K. This is a reduction of 37% from 1080p to 1440p and a 44% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The slightly flatter curve at Low suggests that the CPU begins to emerge as a factor when the GPU is pushed with fewer shading tasks, but the GPU still dominates the scaling behavior.

For High settings, the 1080p result is 173 avg FPS, 1440p drops to 109 avg FPS, and 4K lands at 57 avg FPS. This is a 37% loss at 1440p and a 67% loss at 4K relative to 1080p. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling: 108 avg FPS at 1080p, 68 avg FPS at 1440p, and 36 avg FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, while the drop from 1080p to 4K is 67%. These numbers indicate that the RTX 3050 4 GB is increasingly overwhelmed as resolution climbs, with the 4K Ultra figure of 36 FPS being the only result that falls below a reasonable threshold for fast-paced gaming.

Overall, the resolution scaling data indicates that the combo is well-balanced at 1080p but the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck at 1440p and especially at 4K. The 4K Medium figure of 72 FPS and 4K High figure of 87 FPS demonstrate that this hardware can still handle 4K at moderate settings, but the Ultra 4K result of 36 FPS shows the limit of the RTX 3050 4 GB for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this pairing in Minecraft is 7,214 out of 3,710 tested combinations, placing it at the 86th percentile of all tested configs. This puts it behind roughly 86% of all combos tested, which is a relatively low position for a modern mid-range GPU and a current-generation CPU. The rank reflects the combination of the RTX 3050 4 GB’s status as an entry-level GPU and the i5-02400’s mid-range standing.

The exact numerical data shows the GPU score the combo in the 50th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 72nd percentile among all CPUs. The gap between the CPU’s percentile rank and the GPU’s lower percentile rank is significant. The CPU is a strong performer, as evidenced by its 72nd percentile score and an average benchmark score of 18,683. This is nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 7643, which holds an average score of 18,697 and a delta of -0.1%, and the Intel Core i7-1355U, which has an average of 18,730 and a -0.3% delta. The CPU also edges out the Intel Core i3-14100F, which scores 18,519 with a +0.9% delta, and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 at 18,811 with -0.7% delta.

However, the CPU’s strong standing does not lift the overall combo rank because the GPU is the limiting factor in Minecraft. The RTX 3050 4 GB has a percentile ranking of 50, meaning it sits at the halfway point of all tested GPUs. The combo’s rank of 7,214 out of 3,710 shows that this pairing, while functional, does not excel in the aggregate ranking of all tested configurations. The data suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck; the GPU’s modest standing holds the combo back from a higher rank.

GPU Role

The GPU is the dominant factor in this combo’s performance, as evidenced by the resolution scaling and the measured frame rates. The RTX 3050 4 GB features 2,048 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. It also includes 16 RT cores and 64 Tensor cores, which are relevant for games that utilize ray tracing or DLSS, though Minecraft typically does not stress these features heavily. The GPU uses 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a known limitation for modern games, especially at higher resolutions where texture data can exceed 4 GB.

The GPU’s clock speeds are a base of 1545 MHz and a boost of 1740 MHz, with memory running at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). These clocks are relatively modest for the GeForce 30-series, but the data shows they are sufficient to push high frame rates in Minecraft at 1080p. The pixel rate is 55.68 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 111.4 GTexel/s, which are solid figures for an entry-level GPU.

The GPU is built on the Ampere architecture with an 8 nm process from Samsung. It has 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, with a transistor density of 43.5M/mm². This power efficiency is good for its class, but the 4 GB memory size is the most significant spec. In Minecraft, this results in the Ultra settings being the most demanding, with 4K Ultra dropping to 36 avg FPS. The 4K Medium result of 72 avg FPS shows that the GPU can handle 4K if the settings are moderated. The 4 GB VRAM is clearly for switching to lower quality settings at higher resolutions, as the Ultra preset at any resolution is the only one that pushes the GPU to its limits.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the most balanced experience is the Medium preset. At 1080p, Medium delivers 218 avg FPS with a minimum of 185 and a maximum of 251. This is a high frame rate that ensures smooth gameplay on most displays, and the min FPS of 185 indicates consistent performance. At 1440p, Medium still delivers 138 avg FPS with a min of 117 and a max of 158, which is excellent for 1440p gamers. Even at 4K, Medium manages 72 avg FPS with a min of 61 and a max of 83, making it the only preset that allows 4K playability above 60 FPS.

High settings are also a strong choice. At 1080p, High produces 173 avg FPS, which is still well above the 144 Hz threshold. 1440p High drops to 109 avg FPS, which is still perfectly playable. However, 4K High falls to 87 avg FPS, which is below the 60 FPS mark. Low settings deliver the highest frame rates, with 275 avg FPS at 1080p and 174 avg FPS at 1440p, but the visual fidelity is reduced. Ultra is not recommended for any resolution, as it produces only 108 avg FPS at 1080p, 68 avg FPS at 1440p, and 36 avg FPS at 4K, with the 4K figure being unplayable.

The data indicates that Medium is the optimal preset for this combo across all resolutions. It is the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS at 4K, and at 1080p and 1440p, it delivers high frame rates with strong minimums. If the user prioritizes visual quality over frame rate, High is a valid choice at 1080p and 1440p, but it fails to maintain 60 FPS at 4K. Low is only recommended for competitive play or if the user wants the highest possible frame rate at 1080p, where 275 FPS is achieved. Ultra is not recommended for any resolution, as it heavily impacts performance and yields the lowest frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a full picture of performance across the three tested resolutions and four settings levels.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 275 avg FPS
• Medium: 218 avg FPS, with a min of 185 and a max of 251
• High: 173 avg FPS
• Ultra: 108 avg FPS

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 174 avg FPS
• Medium: 138 avg FPS, with a min of 117 and a max of 158
• High: 109 avg FPS
• Ultra: 68 avg FPS

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 91 avg FPS
• Medium: 72 avg FPS, with a min of 61 and a max of 83
• High: 87 avg FPS
• Ultra: 36 avg FPS

The 1080p data shows that the combo is exceptionally strong at this resolution, with every preset above 100 FPS and Low delivering 275 FPS. The 1440p results are also strong, with Medium and Low both above 100 FPS, but Ultra drops to 68 FPS. The 4K results show a clear divide: Low and Medium are playable, High is borderline at 87 FPS, and Ultra is not playable at 36 FPS.

The Medium preset’s min and max values at each resolution provide a sense of consistency. At 1080p, the min is 185 FPS, which is excellent. At 1440p, the min is 117 FPS, which is still very high. At 4K, the min is 61 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. This indicates that the Medium preset offers stable frame times across the board.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-02400 is a solid mid-range CPU that is not the primary bottleneck in this combo. It has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU has 18 MB of shared L3 cache and per-core L1 and L2 cache of 80 KB and 1.25 MB, respectively. The CPU’s performance is reflected in its 72nd percentile rank among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18,683.

The CPU’s benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded performance. In Cinebench R23, the multicore score is 15,989, while the single-core score is 2,257. In 3DMark, the max-thread score is 5,890, and the single-thread score is 910. The Geekbench multicore score is 8,564, with a single-core score of 1,848. These figures indicate that the CPU is well-suited for gaming, with a strong single-core performance that is essential for Minecraft’s physics and world generation.

The CPU’s role in this combo is to feed the GPU enough data to maintain high frame rates. At 1080p, the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the frame rates are driven by the GPU’s ability to render the scene. The data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor, as the i5-02400’s performance is above the 72nd percentile. However, at 4K, the CPU’s role is less important because the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are more than enough for this game, and the single-core performance is strong, which is the key for Minecraft.

The CPU’s average score is closely matched with its nearest rivals, with the AMD EPYC 7643 at 18,697 and -0.1% delta, the Intel Core i7-1355U at 18,730 and -0.3% delta, and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 3400 at 18,811 and -0.7% delta. The Intel Core i3-14100F is slightly lower at 18,519, with a +0.9% delta. This indicates that the i5-02400 is a well-rounded CPU in its performance tier, but it does not stand out from its competitors. In this game, the CPU’s role is to provide a stable foundation, which it does effectively, allowing the GPU to be the main variable in frame rate output.