Minimum

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a playable experience in Minimum, though the data clearly shows that performance scales dramatically with both resolution and graphical presets. At 1920x1080, the combination achieves a high average of 152.7 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 27.8 FPS at 3840x2160 on Ultra. This configuration ranks 1393 out of 1733 tested combos for this title, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The benchmark results indicate a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s four performance cores provide sufficient headroom for this third-person shooter.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Minimum?*

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings presets remain above 78 FPS. At 2560x1440, the High preset drops to 63.6 FPS, and at 3840x2160, even Low settings only achieve 55.1 FPS.

Q: How does the i3-12100F compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516. It is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, which scores 13534 (a -0.1% delta), and sits 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U, which scores 13462.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 152.7 on Low to 78.4 on Ultra. This represents a 74.3 FPS difference, indicating that the Ultra preset nearly halves the frame rate compared to Low.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 more or less powerful than its listed rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074. It is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, which scores 15996, and 1.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500, which scores 15786.

Q: How does the CPU’s multi-threaded performance compare to its single-threaded performance?

A: In Cinebench R23, the i3-12100F scores 11912 in multicore and 1681 in singlecore. The multicore score is roughly 7 times higher, which is expected given the processor has 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: What is the frame rate drop when moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low?

A: The average FPS falls from 152.7 at 1920x1080 to 99 at 2560x1440 on Low settings. This is a 53.7 FPS reduction, or approximately a 35% decrease in performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. Its base clock is 3.30 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, which provides strong single-thread performance for a game like Minimum that relies on consistent frame pacing. The CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 help feed the GPU with data, though the benchmark scores show its limits in highly threaded scenarios.

In synthetic tests, the i3-12100F shows a clear scaling pattern. Its 3DMark single-thread score is 893, while the 2-thread score is 1659 and the 4-thread score is 2859. The jump from 4 threads to 8 threads yields a score of 4026, which is nearly identical to the max-thread score of 4023. This suggests that the processor’s 8 threads are fully utilized, but adding more logical cores would not improve performance. The Cinebench R23 results reinforce this: a multicore score of 11912 versus a singlecore score of 1681 shows that while the CPU can handle parallel workloads, its 4 physical cores limit peak performance.

The percentile ranking of 72 indicates this CPU outperforms 72% of all processors in the database. Compared to its nearest rivals, it is effectively on par with the Intel Core i7-7700K, which scores 13280 (a 1.8% delta). For Minimum, this means the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor at lower resolutions, but at 1080p with Low settings, the 152.7 FPS average suggests the CPU can push frames well beyond the GPU’s capabilities at that preset. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 4051, which is similar to the 8-thread score, confirms that the processor’s performance ceiling is reached with its available threads.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture with a TU106 chip manufactured on a 12 nm process. It features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). Its 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 6.451 TFLOPS.

The benchmark data shows that the RTX 2060 falls in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16074. Its performance is closely matched with the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Radeon Pro 5700, both scoring 16351 (a -1.7% delta), while it leads the AMD Radeon RX 7600S by 0.5%. In DirectX tests, the GPU scores 110 in Passmark’s DirectX 11 test and 53 in DirectX 12, indicating older API workloads run more efficiently. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is a key factor for Minimum, as the measured FPS drops significantly when moving from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, likely due to memory pressure and fill rate limits.

The GPU’s role in this combo becomes evident when analyzing the FPS data. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 152.7 FPS, but at 1440p Low, that number drops to 99 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 55.1 FPS. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 2060’s compute and memory bandwidth are the primary bottlenecks as resolution increases. The GPU’s 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p gaming but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K, even on the lowest preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Minimum covers four resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 152.7 FPS, Medium drops to 120.7 FPS, High achieves 102.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 78.4 FPS. This represents a clear progression where each tier of settings reduces performance, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 74.3 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 99 FPS on Low, 77.5 FPS on Medium, 63.6 FPS on High, and 48.8 FPS on Ultra. The pattern remains consistent, but the absolute numbers are lower across the board. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 50.2 FPS, which is a smaller absolute gap than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the results show a significant performance cliff. Low settings produce 55.1 FPS, Medium drops to 41.3 FPS, High falls to 32.7 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 27.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 27.3 FPS. Notably, the 4K Medium result of 41.3 FPS is lower than the 1440p Ultra result of 48.8 FPS, showing that resolution has a more substantial impact than settings at this level.

The rank of 1393 out of 1733 combos places this system in the bottom 20% of tested configurations for this game. This is a modest result, but the data shows the combo is capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p across all presets, with 102.3 FPS on High being a solid target for most players.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals how the limiting component changes. On Low settings, the average FPS drops from 152.7 at 1080p to 99 at 1440p, a 53.7 FPS decrease, and then to 55.1 at 4K, another 43.9 FPS decrease. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is approximately 35%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is approximately 44%. This accelerating decline indicates that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are increasingly strained.

On Ultra settings, the scaling is less steep in absolute terms but similar in percentage. The 1080p Ultra average is 78.4 FPS, which drops to 48.8 FPS at 1440p (a 37.8% decrease) and then to 27.8 FPS at 4K (a 43% decrease from 1440p). The fact that the percentage drop is consistent across low and ultra settings suggests that resolution scaling is primarily a GPU-bound operation, with the CPU’s role remaining relatively constant.

The data also shows that the i3-12100F is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 4K Low, the system achieves 55.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating the RTX 2060 cannot keep up with the pixel workload. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the 152.7 FPS result is well above what the GPU can sustain, suggesting the CPU has headroom to push even higher frame rates if the GPU were stronger. The limiting component shifts from CPU-bound at 1080p Low to GPU-bound at 4K, with the crossover point occurring somewhere between 1440p and 4K depending on the settings preset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers the best balance, delivering 102.3 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and leaves headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 78.4 FPS is also playable, but the 24 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gains, especially in a fast-paced third-person shooter.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, with an average of 77.5 FPS. This provides a playable experience, while the High preset at 63.6 FPS is acceptable but closer to the edge of comfort. The Low preset at 99 FPS is an option for competitive play, but the visual quality trade-off is significant. Ultra at 48.8 FPS drops below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided for consistent performance.

For 3840x2160, the data shows that this GPU cannot maintain a smooth experience at any preset. The Low preset achieves 55.1 FPS, which is borderline, while Medium drops to 41.3 FPS and High falls to 32.7 FPS. Ultra at 27.8 FPS is not recommended. Given these results, players targeting 4K should consider lowering the resolution to 2560x1440 and using Medium settings, which yields 77.5 FPS, a much better experience than any 4K preset. The combination of 1440p Medium provides the best playable experience for this hardware, balancing visual fidelity with a frame rate that stays above 60 FPS.