Minecraft

# Minecraft with Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D — Benchmark Analysis

This benchmark database entry covers the measured performance of Minecraft running on an Intel Core i7-13700K paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D. The data presented is empirical, collected across three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) and four graphics presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). The combination ranks 18th out of 1,176 tested combos in this title, placing it in the top 1.5% of all configurations. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, and the GPU, with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, both contribute to a system that delivers playable frame rates even at the most demanding settings. The following sections break down resolution scaling, comparative ranking, component roles, and provide precise FPS figures for every measured configuration point.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling at higher settings, while lower presets expose CPU limitations. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 813 at 1920x1080 to 620 at 2560x1440, then to 324 at 3840x2160. This represents a 23.7% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a 47.7% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The magnitude of these drops suggests that even at Low settings, where the GPU workload is minimal, the rendering pipeline becomes increasingly constrained by pixel throughput as resolution climbs.

Moving to Medium settings, the pattern intensifies. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 748, falling to 491 at 2560x1440 (a 34.4% drop) and then to 257 at 3840x2160 (a 47.7% drop from 1440p). The jump from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings results in a 65.6% reduction in average frame rate, indicating that the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity are becoming significant factors. The minimum FPS at Medium settings also scales downward: 636 at 1080p, 418 at 1440p, and 218 at 4K, showing consistent headroom reduction.

High settings produce the steepest relative declines. The average FPS is 618 at 1920x1080, falling to 390 at 2560x1440 (a 36.9% drop) and then to 204 at 3840x2160 (a 47.7% drop). From 1080p to 4K at High settings, the average FPS falls by 67.0%, which is the largest percentage reduction across all presets. This suggests that at High settings, the combination of increased shading complexity and higher resolution begins to saturate the GPU's compute resources.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic absolute numbers. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 386, dropping to 244 at 2560x1440 (a 36.8% drop) and then to 127 at 3840x2160 (a 48.0% drop). The 1080p-to-4K reduction at Ultra is 67.1%, nearly identical to the High preset's scaling. This consistency across the two most demanding presets indicates that the limiting component is the GPU's raw rendering throughput rather than any single bottleneck such as memory bandwidth or texture fill.

The resolution scaling data collectively points to a system where the RTX 5090 D remains the dominant constraint at higher resolutions and settings. At Low and Medium presets, the CPU's 3.40 GHz base clock and 5.40 GHz boost clock can feed frames quickly enough that GPU load becomes the primary limiter as pixel count increases. The consistent 47-48% drop from 1440p to 4K across all presets is a signature of a GPU-bound scenario, where doubling pixel density (from 3.7 million to 8.3 million pixels) proportionally reduces frame output.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU-GPU combination achieves a combo rank of 18 out of 1,176 tested configurations in Minecraft, placing it in the 98.5th percentile of all tested combos. This ranking reflects the aggregate performance across all measured resolutions and settings, not just the peak frame rates. The top-tier ranking is consistent with the hardware's capabilities: the RTX 5090 D sits in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs tested, while the Core i7-13700K ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database provide context for its performance tier. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 1.6% higher on average, while the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT scores 1.1% lower. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB and 16 GB variants score 2.1% and 2.4% lower, respectively. These deltas are small, indicating that the RTX 5090 D sits in a tightly clustered performance band where minor architectural differences translate to single-digit percentage changes in average benchmark scores.

The CPU's nearest rivals show similarly narrow margins. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 0.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 both score 0.5% lower. This tight grouping suggests that the Core i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads provide competitive throughput in synthetic benchmarks, though the real-world Minecraft performance is more heavily influenced by the GPU.

The rank of 18 out of 1,176 combos is particularly notable because Minecraft is a title that can be highly sensitive to single-threaded performance due to its Java-based renderer. The Core i7-13700K's single-thread score of 2,116 in Cinebench R23 and 1,136 in 3DMark single-thread tests indicates strong per-core performance, which likely contributes to the high combo ranking. The combination of a top-tier GPU with a strong single-threaded CPU places this system near the apex of tested configurations, with only 17 other combos outperforming it in this specific game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB202 chip fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. The GPU contains 92,200 million transistors across a 750 mm² die, with 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units. The 170 ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores provide dedicated hardware for advanced rendering effects, though Minecraft's default renderer does not heavily utilize these features.

The memory subsystem is a defining characteristic of this GPU. With 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, the memory bandwidth reaches 1.79 TB/s. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz with an effective data rate of 28 Gbps. This massive memory allocation is far beyond what Minecraft typically requires, but it ensures that texture streaming and chunk loading never become bottlenecks. The GPU's pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s provide ample fill capacity for high-resolution rendering.

The base clock of 2017 MHz and boost clock of 2407 MHz are relatively modest for a flagship GPU, but the sheer scale of the compute units compensates. The FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS (with FP16 matching at a 1:1 ratio) ensures that even the most complex shader workloads are processed quickly. The passmark G3D score of 44,065 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,326 place this GPU in the 92nd percentile of all tested GPUs.

In Minecraft specifically, the GPU's role becomes dominant at higher resolutions and settings. The measured FPS data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 127, which is 31.2% of the 1080p Low score of 813. This reduction is primarily driven by the GPU's need to process increasingly complex scenes at higher pixel densities. The GPU's 32 GB memory capacity means that even the most densely populated worlds with extensive mod packs will not exceed the available VRAM, allowing the rendering pipeline to operate without memory swapping or texture thrashing.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Minecraft with this combo for maximum frame rate?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 813 FPS. This is the highest measured frame rate in the dataset. For a 60 Hz or 144 Hz monitor, even 4K High settings at 204 FPS average would provide a smooth experience with significant visual quality improvements.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 618 at 1920x1080 to 204 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 67.0%. At Low settings, the drop is from 813 to 324, a reduction of 60.1%. The consistent proportional decline across presets indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D overkill for Minecraft?

A: The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains an average of 127 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most displays. At lower settings, frame rates exceed 300 FPS, making this combination suitable for high-refresh-rate competitive play. The GPU's 32 GB memory provides headroom for extensive mods and high-resolution texture packs.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 18th out of 1,176 tested combos in Minecraft, placing it in the top 1.5% of all configurations. The rank reflects aggregate performance across all resolutions and settings, and the top-tier placement is consistent with the hardware's high percentile rankings (92nd for GPU, 89th for CPU).

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the dataset?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 218 at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. This is still well above playable thresholds, and the average FPS at that configuration is 257. No configuration in the dataset drops below 200 FPS average, even at the most demanding settings.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU bottleneck this system in Minecraft?

A: At lower resolutions (1080p) and settings (Low), the CPU's single-thread performance is more likely to be the constraint, as the GPU is not fully utilized. At higher resolutions (1440p and 4K) and settings (High and Ultra), the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck, as evidenced by the consistent 47-48% FPS drops when moving from 1440p to 4K across all presets.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience based on display refresh rate and visual quality preferences. For players with a 60 Hz display, even the most demanding configuration — 4K Ultra at 127 FPS average — exceeds the refresh rate by more than double, so visual quality can be maximized without concern for frame rate. The 4K Ultra preset with an average of 127 FPS and no recorded minimum below 200 FPS across other configurations ensures a consistently smooth experience.

For players with 144 Hz displays, the 4K High preset at 204 FPS average provides sufficient headroom to maintain frame rates above the refresh rate in most scenes. The 4K Medium preset at 257 FPS average offers additional buffer for demanding scenes or modded gameplay. At 1440p, the High preset at 390 FPS average and Ultra preset at 244 FPS average both exceed 144 Hz, allowing players to choose between higher visual fidelity or additional performance headroom.

For competitive players with 240 Hz or higher refresh rate displays, the 1080p Low preset at 813 FPS average provides maximum frame throughput. The 1080p Medium preset at 748 FPS average and High preset at 618 FPS average also exceed 240 Hz, offering a balance between visual quality and competitive performance. The 1080p Ultra preset at 386 FPS average still exceeds 240 Hz, making it viable for players who prioritize visual quality without sacrificing competitive frame rates.

The Medium preset at each resolution offers the most balanced experience, with minimum FPS values recorded for these configurations: 636 at 1080p, 418 at 1440p, and 218 at 4K. These minimums ensure that frame pacing remains consistent even during intense gameplay moments, such as exploring newly generated chunks or rendering complex redstone contraptions. The Ultra preset, while providing the highest visual fidelity, shows the largest gap between average performance and the next lower preset, suggesting that the additional rendering features have a significant performance cost.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. The CPU features a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory with a dual-channel memory bus, and it includes UHD Graphics 770 integrated graphics.

In Minecraft, the CPU's single-thread performance is particularly important due to the game's Java-based rendering engine, which historically relies on a single main thread for world generation and game logic. The Core i7-13700K's single-thread scores are strong: 2,116 in Cinebench R23, 2,299 in Cinebench R20, and 1,136 in 3DMark single-thread. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2,262 and 4-thread score of 4,469 indicate that the CPU can effectively utilize multiple threads for tasks like chunk loading and entity processing.

The multi-threaded performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30,745 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 19,429. The PassMark multi-thread score of 45,887 and 3DMark max-thread score of 12,412 demonstrate the CPU's ability to handle parallel workloads, which becomes relevant when running Minecraft servers or using mods that distribute work across threads. The CPU's percentile rank of 89 among all tested CPUs places it in the top 11% of processors.

The nearest CPU rivals show that the Core i7-13700K performs competitively with other high-end processors. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 0.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 both score 0.5% lower. These small differences are unlikely to produce noticeable variations in Minecraft performance, where the GPU and memory subsystem often have a larger impact on frame rates.

At 1080p with Low settings, the CPU's role becomes more prominent. The average FPS of 813 suggests that the CPU can generate and submit frames faster than the GPU can render them at this resolution and preset. The fact that the 1080p Low score (813 FPS) is more than double the 4K Low score (324 FPS) indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions, but its single-thread performance sets an upper bound on frame generation that cannot be exceeded regardless of GPU capability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset of measured frame rates is presented below, organized by resolution and settings preset. All values are average FPS unless otherwise noted, with minimum and maximum values provided where available.

1920x1080:

• Low: 813 FPS average
• Medium: 748 FPS average, 636 FPS minimum, 860 FPS maximum
• High: 618 FPS average
• Ultra: 386 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 620 FPS average
• Medium: 491 FPS average, 418 FPS minimum, 565 FPS maximum
• High: 390 FPS average
• Ultra: 244 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 324 FPS average
• Medium: 257 FPS average, 218 FPS minimum, 295 FPS maximum
• High: 204 FPS average
• Ultra: 127 FPS average

The Medium preset is the only configuration where minimum and maximum FPS values were recorded, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range spans from 636 to 860 FPS, a spread of 224 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 418 to 565 FPS, a spread of 147 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range narrows to 218 to 295 FPS, a spread of 77 FPS. This tightening of the FPS range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes more consistently loaded, reducing the variability caused by CPU-side frame generation.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows the performance cost of increasing visual quality. At 1080p, the progression is 813 (Low) to 748 (Medium) to 618 (High) to 386 (Ultra), representing a 52.5% reduction from Low to Ultra. At 1440p, the progression is 620 to 491 to 390 to 244, a 60.6% reduction. At 4K, the progression is 324 to 257 to 204 to 127, a 60.8% reduction. The larger percentage reduction at higher resolutions indicates that the Ultra preset's additional rendering features (such as advanced lighting and shadow effects) have a proportionally greater impact when the GPU is already under higher pixel load.

The highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset is 813 FPS at 1080p Low, while the lowest is 127 FPS at 4K Ultra. This range of 686 FPS demonstrates the system's versatility, capable of delivering competitive-level frame rates at low settings or maintaining smooth, high-quality visuals at maximum settings. Even the most demanding configuration — 4K Ultra — produces an average FPS of 127, which exceeds the refresh rate of standard 60 Hz and 120 Hz displays, and approaches the 144 Hz threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors.