Minimum

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX presents a striking asymmetry in Minimum, a title from 2014. The data reveals a system where the GPU is overwhelmingly the dominant component, while the four-core CPU operates far below its performance ceiling. This analysis walks through the measured frame rates to understand how this combination behaves across resolutions and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 325 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 209 FPS, a reduction of 116 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 113 FPS. This progression indicates that the RX 7900 XTX is being tasked progressively harder as pixel count rises, which is expected for a high-end GPU.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly telling. At Low settings, the drop from 209 FPS to 113 FPS represents a 46% reduction in frame rate. At High settings, the drop is from 135 FPS to 72 FPS, a 47% reduction. These near-identical proportional drops across different quality presets suggest that resolution, not graphical complexity, is the primary factor limiting performance at these settings. The GPU’s fillrate and memory bandwidth are being consumed by the sheer number of pixels.

At 1080p, the frame rates become exceptionally high, exceeding 300 FPS at Low settings. This is a regime where the CPU’s role could become relevant, but the data shows that even at these high frame rates, the scaling remains smooth. The jump from Medium to Low at 1080p is from 249 FPS to 325 FPS, a 76 FPS increase. At 4K, the same settings change yields a jump from 86 FPS to 113 FPS, a 27 FPS increase. The absolute gains are larger at 1080p, but the percentage gains are similar, suggesting the GPU is still the main constraint even at lower resolutions.

The 4K Ultra preset produces 55 FPS, which is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset. This is the only configuration where the combo dips below the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between Ultra and High at 4K is 17 FPS (72 vs 55), while the gap between High and Medium is 14 FPS (86 vs 72). This shows that the Ultra preset imposes a significant additional load on the GPU, likely through higher-quality shadows and post-processing effects that are particularly demanding at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its benchmark results show strong single-thread performance, with a 3dmark single-thread score of 893 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1932. However, its multi-threaded performance is modest, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860. This places the CPU in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494.

In Minimum, the CPU’s role appears minimal based on the frame rate data. The fact that the combo can achieve 325 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution. If the CPU were limiting performance, we would expect to see frame rates plateau or become erratic as resolution decreases and frame rate increases. Instead, the frame rates continue to scale linearly with resolution changes, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355, which has an average score of 13492 and a deltaPct of 0, and the Intel Core i5-9500, which scores 13452 with a deltaPct of 0.3. These are all within a 1.1% range of each other, showing that the i3-12100F’s performance is highly competitive with other mid-range desktop processors. However, its 4-core configuration means it would likely struggle in CPU-intensive scenarios, but the Minimum data does not show evidence of such a scenario.

The CPU’s boost clock of 4.30 GHz and base clock of 3.30 GHz are respectable figures for a modern processor. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache is sufficient for most gaming workloads. The data suggests that for this specific game, the CPU has ample headroom. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (325 FPS) is likely near the theoretical maximum that the game engine can produce, and the CPU is not preventing the GPU from reaching those numbers.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the clear star of this combination. With 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, it offers a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. Its boost clock of 2498 MHz and game clock of 2365 MHz provide substantial compute throughput, with an FP32 performance of 61.39 TFLOPS. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 19410, placing it in the 64th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database are somewhat unexpected. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB has an average score of 19334, a deltaPct of 0.4, while the AMD FirePro D300 scores 19637 with a deltaPct of -1.2. These comparisons are based on aggregate benchmark scores and do not reflect gaming performance in Minimum, but they do show that the RX 7900 XTX’s raw compute performance is in a similar range to these older cards in synthetic tests.

In Minimum, the GPU’s performance scales predictably with settings. At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 55 at Ultra to 113 at Low. At 1440p, the range is from 103 at Ultra to 209 at Low. At 1080p, the range is from 159 at Ultra to 325 at Low. The GPU’s 24 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this 2014 title, which likely uses less than 8 GB even at 4K Ultra. The memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s ensures that there are no bandwidth-related bottlenecks.

The GPU’s 192 ROPs and 384 TMUs provide ample pixel and texture throughput. The pixel rate of 479.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 959.2 GTexel/s are exceptionally high. These specifications explain why the GPU can maintain high frame rates even at 4K resolution. The RT cores and other RDNA 3.0 features are irrelevant for this game, as Minimum does not use ray tracing.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Minimum?*

A: The highest measured average FPS is 325, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: No, the 4K Ultra preset produces an average of 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, which is virtually identical to the Intel Core 3 N355’s score of 13492, a deltaPct of 0.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory configuration?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which resolution shows the largest gap between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080, the gap between Low (325 FPS) and Ultra (159 FPS) is 166 FPS, the largest absolute difference in the dataset.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes, suggesting the CPU has ample headroom.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s display and performance goals. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 209 FPS provides an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. The jump to Ultra at 159 FPS is still very smooth, but the visual improvement may not justify the 24% performance drop. The Low preset at 325 FPS is only useful for competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount.

For 1440p displays, the High preset at 135 FPS is the recommended choice. This provides a smooth experience that exceeds the refresh rate of most 1440p monitors. The Ultra preset at 103 FPS is also viable for those with 144Hz displays, but the Medium preset at 160 FPS offers a better balance for high-refresh gaming. The Low preset at 209 FPS is excessive for most users.

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 86 FPS is the best choice. This stays above the 60 FPS threshold while providing decent visual quality. The High preset at 72 FPS is also playable but may struggle on some displays with variable refresh rates. The Ultra preset at 55 FPS should be avoided unless the user prioritizes visual fidelity over frame rate. The Low preset at 113 FPS provides the smoothest 4K experience but sacrifices most graphical features.

The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the most consistent experience across all resolutions. It provides a 249 FPS average at 1080p, 160 FPS at 1440p, and 86 FPS at 4K. The min FPS values for Medium are also recorded: 211 at 1080p, 136 at 1440p, and 73 at 4K. These minimums are all above 60 FPS, ensuring a stutter-free experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low produces 325 FPS, Medium produces 249 FPS with a minimum of 211 FPS and maximum of 286 FPS, High produces 209 FPS, and Ultra produces 159 FPS. The Medium preset shows a 75 FPS range between minimum and maximum, indicating some frame time variance, but the overall experience remains smooth.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low produces 209 FPS, Medium produces 160 FPS with a minimum of 136 FPS and maximum of 184 FPS, High produces 135 FPS, and Ultra produces 103 FPS. The Medium preset’s range of 48 FPS is tighter than at 1080p, suggesting more consistent frame pacing at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low produces 113 FPS, Medium produces 86 FPS with a minimum of 73 FPS and maximum of 99 FPS, High produces 72 FPS, and Ultra produces 55 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 73 FPS is the lowest recorded minimum in the dataset, but it still remains above 60 FPS.

The scaling pattern across all resolutions shows a consistent hierarchy: Low is always the fastest, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra. The relative performance gaps between presets vary slightly by resolution. At 1080p, Ultra is 51% slower than Low (159 vs 325). At 1440p, Ultra is 51% slower than Low (103 vs 209). At 4K, Ultra is also 51% slower than Low (55 vs 113). This consistency confirms that the GPU is the sole performance determinant.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ranks 549th out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the top 15% of all configurations in the database. The ranking reflects the GPU’s strong performance, which is partially offset by the relatively modest CPU.

The rank of 549 out of 3712 means that 549 other combos perform better in this game. Given the RX 7900 XTX’s high-end specifications, this ranking suggests that many of the higher-ranked combos likely feature more powerful CPUs, such as higher-core-count processors that can push frame rates even higher at 1080p. However, the ranking also shows that the i3-12100F does not significantly hold back the GPU in this title.

The GPU’s percentile rank of 64th among all GPUs is lower than its raw performance would suggest, likely due to the inclusion of newer or more specialized cards in the benchmark database. The CPU’s percentile rank of 68th among all CPUs is respectable for a budget-oriented processor. When combined, these two components produce a system that is well-balanced for Minimum, with the GPU providing the vast majority of the gaming performance.

The combo’s rank of 549 confirms the RX 7900 XTX’s raw power. Even with a modest CPU, the GPU is able to drive frame rates that exceed 300 FPS at 1080p and maintain playable performance at 4K. For users with high-refresh-rate displays, this combo offers an excellent experience in Minimum, with the caveat that the CPU may be a limiting factor in other, more CPU-intensive titles.