Minimum

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 delivers a playable experience in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released on 2014-06-25, but the data reveals a system that is heavily reliant on resolution and settings to maintain smooth frame rates. Across the measured configurations, this combo ranks 1677 out of 2939 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. The benchmark results show a clear scaling pattern: at 1920x1080, the system produces high frame rates even at Ultra settings, while at 3840x2160, performance drops to levels that challenge playability. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, examines the roles of the CPU and GPU, and provides actionable settings recommendations based solely on the provided fact pack.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a steep performance gradient as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 187 FPS, which is the highest recorded value across all configurations. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average drops to 121 FPS, representing a 35.3% reduction. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average falls further to 65 FPS, which is a 46.3% drop from the 1440p figure and a 65.2% drop from the 1080p Low result. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases, since the CPU’s workload does not scale with resolution in the same way.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (187 FPS) and Ultra (92 FPS) is 95 FPS, a 50.8% reduction. At 2560x1440, that gap narrows to 62 FPS (Low at 121 FPS vs. Ultra at 59 FPS), a 51.2% reduction. At 3840x2160, the difference is 33 FPS (Low at 65 FPS vs. Ultra at 32 FPS), a 50.8% reduction. The consistency of the percentage drop across resolutions suggests that the settings presets impose a roughly proportional load increase, but the absolute frame rates at 4K are too low for comfortable gameplay regardless of preset.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset produces an average of 32 FPS, which is below the typical 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 4K yields 50 FPS average with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 57 FPS, indicating noticeable frame time variance. The High preset at 4K averages 42 FPS, while Low averages 65 FPS. Only the Low preset at 4K approaches a playable threshold, but even that is well below the 1080p performance. The data suggests that 3840x2160 is not a practical resolution for this combo in Minimum, as even the lowest settings fail to consistently hit 60 FPS.

The 2560x1440 results are more balanced. Medium settings at 1440p average 92 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and maximum of 106 FPS, which provides a stable experience above 60 FPS. High settings at 1440p average 78 FPS, while Ultra averages 59 FPS, which is borderline. Low settings at 1440p reach 121 FPS, offering headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 35.3% drop at Low, 35.0% drop at High (120 to 78 FPS), and 35.9% drop at Ultra (92 to 59 FPS), suggesting a consistent resolution penalty.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 44 chip, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. Its memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU clock speeds are specified as a base of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. With 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, the GPU delivers a pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is rated at 21.43 TFLOPS.

In Minimum, the GPU’s role becomes evident when examining the frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 Low, the system produces 187 FPS, which suggests the CPU and GPU are both capable of high throughput at this low resolution. However, at 3840x2160 Low, the average drops to 65 FPS, a 65.2% reduction. This magnitude of drop indicates that the GPU’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are insufficient to maintain the same frame rates at 4K. The 128-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest by modern standards, and the 8 GB VRAM capacity may also be a limiting factor at higher resolutions, though the fact pack does not provide VRAM usage data for this game.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16014. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti with a deltaPct of -0.7, meaning the RX 9060 scores 0.7% lower on average. The AMD Radeon R9 370X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 both show a deltaPct of 1, indicating the RX 9060 scores 1% higher than those cards. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 trails by 2.1%. These comparisons show that the RX 9060 is positioned near the RTX 3060 Ti in overall GPU compute, which aligns with its 4K performance in Minimum being constrained but not unusable at lower settings.

The measured FPS at 1080p Ultra (92 FPS) versus 4K Ultra (32 FPS) shows a 65.2% reduction, which is nearly identical to the Low preset reduction. This suggests that the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions regardless of settings, as the CPU’s 4 cores and 8 threads can likely keep up with the game’s draw calls at 1080p but the GPU’s fill rate and bandwidth limit 4K performance. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with higher presets, the memory may become a constraint, though the fact pack does not include VRAM usage metrics to confirm this.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 187, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the measured data that exceeds 180 FPS.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo achieve its lowest average FPS?

A: The lowest average FPS is 32, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This is the only configuration that falls below 40 FPS in the measured data.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 1677 out of 2939 tested combos, placing it in the 57th percentile of all tested systems. This rank applies to the overall performance across all measured configurations.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings?

A: Yes, the average FPS at 2560x1440 High is 78, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at the same resolution averages 92 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS, providing even greater headroom.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 187 FPS while the Ultra preset averages 92 FPS, representing a 95 FPS difference or a 50.8% reduction in frame rate.

Q: Which preset provides the most stable frame times at 3840x2160?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 has recorded minimum and maximum values of 42 FPS and 57 FPS respectively, with an average of 50 FPS. This is the only 4K configuration with min/max data, indicating a frame time range of 15 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 achieves a rank of 1677 out of 2939 tested combinations in Minimum. This places the system in the lower 43% of all tested combos, indicating that while it is not among the weakest, it is firmly in the mid-to-low performance tier for this game. The rank reflects the combined performance of both components across all measured resolutions and settings, with the 4K results dragging down the overall standing.

The CPU alone holds a percentile of 68 against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 13494. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355 with a deltaPct of 0, the Intel Core i5-9500 with a deltaPct of 0.3, and the Intel Core 5 120UL with a deltaPct of -0.7. This means the i3-12100F performs nearly identically to the Core i5-9500 in CPU benchmarks, while being 0.7% slower than the Core 5 120UL. The GPU holds a percentile of 59 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16014. Its nearest rival is the RTX 3060 Ti at a deltaPct of -0.7, meaning the RX 9060 is 0.7% slower on average.

The combination of a 68th percentile CPU and a 59th percentile GPU yields a game-specific rank of 1677/2939, which is lower than either component’s individual percentile. This suggests that Minimum is particularly demanding on the GPU at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops at 4K. The CPU’s single-thread performance, measured at 893 in 3dmark_single_thread and 1674 in cinebench_r23_singlecore, is sufficient for the game’s CPU-bound scenarios at 1080p, but the GPU’s limitations at 4K cap the overall rank.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance across all presets. The Low preset averages 187 FPS, which is the highest measurement in the entire data set. The Medium preset averages 143 FPS with a minimum of 122 FPS and a maximum of 165 FPS, providing a wide frame time range of 43 FPS. The High preset averages 120 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 92 FPS. None of the 1080p configurations have a minimum FPS below 60, indicating that the system can maintain fluid gameplay even at the most demanding settings available in the data.

At 2560x1440, performance drops but remains respectable. The Low preset averages 121 FPS, which is still above 120 FPS. The Medium preset averages 92 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS, showing a frame time range of 27 FPS that is tighter than the 1080p Medium range. The High preset averages 78 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS mark. The 1440p Ultra result is the only configuration at this resolution that dips below 60 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal. The Low preset averages 65 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 57 FPS, indicating that the system can drop to 42 FPS during demanding scenes. The High preset averages 42 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 32 FPS. All 4K configurations except Low fall below the 60 FPS threshold, and even Low is only 5 FPS above it. The 4K Medium frame time range of 15 FPS (42 to 57) suggests noticeable stuttering during gameplay.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step from Low to Medium to High to Ultra reduces average FPS by roughly 25-30% at each resolution. At 1080p, the step from Low to Medium is 44 FPS (187 to 143), from Medium to High is 23 FPS (143 to 120), and from High to Ultra is 28 FPS (120 to 92). At 1440p, the steps are 29 FPS (121 to 92), 14 FPS (92 to 78), and 19 FPS (78 to 59). At 4K, the steps are 15 FPS (65 to 50), 8 FPS (50 to 42), and 10 FPS (42 to 32). The absolute FPS drops shrink at higher resolutions, but the percentage drops remain consistent around 20-30% per preset step.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal configuration for most users is 1920x1080 with High settings, which averages 120 FPS. This provides a 60 FPS headroom above the standard target, allowing for smooth gameplay without sacrificing visual quality. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 92 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS and offers the best visual fidelity, but the 28 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not justify the additional GPU load for users prioritizing frame rate consistency.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it averages 92 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS. This configuration ensures that frame rates stay above 60 FPS even during demanding scenes, as evidenced by the recorded minimum. The High preset at 1440p averages 78 FPS, which is also viable, but the Medium preset provides a larger safety margin. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 59 FPS, which is below 60 FPS and should be avoided for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the only settings that approach playability are Low and Medium. The Low preset averages 65 FPS, which is above 60 FPS but leaves little margin for frame drops. The Medium preset averages 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS target. For users who must play at 4K, the Low preset is the only configuration that averages above 60 FPS, but the lack of min/max data for Low means frame time stability is unknown. The High and Ultra presets at 4K are not recommended, as their averages of 42 FPS and 32 FPS respectively are too low for smooth gameplay.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1920x1080 at Medium settings, which averages 143 FPS with a minimum of 122 FPS and a maximum of 165 FPS. This configuration offers high frame rates with a tight frame time range, ensuring consistent performance. The 1080p High preset at 120 FPS is a close second, but the Medium preset’s higher minimum FPS (122 vs. no min data for High) makes it the safer choice for maintaining fluidity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on a 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.30 GHz with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, and it has a TDP of 58 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, though the fact pack does not specify memory bandwidth.

In Minimum, the CPU’s impact is most visible at 1080p, where the system achieves high frame rates across all presets. At 1920x1080 Low, the average FPS is 187, which suggests that the CPU can feed the GPU enough draw calls to reach near 200 FPS. The CPU’s single-thread performance, measured at 893 in 3dmark_single_thread and 1674 in cinebench_r23_singlecore, is strong for a 4-core part, and its 4-thread score of 2859 in 3dmark indicates solid multi-core scaling for games that use fewer threads.

The CPU’s benchmark scores show it performs comparably to the Intel Core 5 120UL, which has a deltaPct of -0.7, meaning the i3-12100F is 0.7% faster on average. It also edges out the Intel Core i5-9500 by 0.3% and the Intel Core i7-1250U by 1.1%. These rivals are all in the same performance tier, confirming that the i3-12100F is a capable budget CPU for gaming, though its 4-core, 8-thread configuration may limit performance in heavily threaded titles.

In the context of this game, the CPU does not appear to be the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are proportionally similar across all presets, indicating a GPU-limited scenario. At 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor for the Low preset’s 187 FPS, as the GPU could potentially render more frames if the CPU could issue commands faster. However, at 4K, the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the constraint, and the CPU’s performance is sufficient to avoid further frame rate degradation.

The CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 4.30 GHz boost clock provide adequate performance for Minimum’s CPU-bound sections, though the game was released in 2014 and is unlikely to stress modern CPUs heavily. The fact pack does not include CPU-specific game benchmarks, so the exact CPU load cannot be determined, but the overall FPS data suggests a balanced system that performs best at 1080p and struggles at 4K due to GPU limitations.