Minimum

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1920x1080 with Low settings?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB delivers an average of 117.9 FPS at 1920x1080 on Low settings, the highest result recorded across all tested configurations in this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Core i3-12100F posts an average benchmark score of 13516, sitting 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13534), 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U (13462), and 1.8% ahead of the Intel Core i7-7700K (13280).

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The RTX 3050 4 GB sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs, placing it squarely in the middle of the performance distribution.

Q: At which resolution and settings does this combo fail to reach 30 FPS?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 19.6 FPS. It also falls below 30 FPS at 4K on High (29.8 FPS) and Medium (29.4 FPS) presets.

Q: What is the boost clock of the processor?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz across its 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: Does the combo achieve playable frame rates at 2560x1440 on High settings?

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 51.7 FPS, which is comfortably above 30 FPS but below the 60 FPS threshold often targeted for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz provide the computational foundation for this benchmark pairing. The processor includes 12 MB of shared L3 cache, with 80 KB of L1 and 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and supports dual-channel DDR4 or DDR5 memory.

In synthetic workloads, the CPU demonstrates strong single-thread performance with a 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681. Multi-threaded results scale well given the modest core count: the Cinebench R23 multicore score reaches 11912, while Geekbench multicore hits 7413. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 4051 nearly matches the 8-thread score of 4026, indicating that the 8 threads are fully utilized but additional virtual threads yield minimal gains.

The CPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all tested processors reflects solid mainstream positioning. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i3-12100F edges out the Intel Core i7-7700K by 1.8% in average benchmark score, a notable result given the generational gap. The deltaPct values against the Threadripper PRO 3975WX (-0.1%) and Core i7-1250U (0.4%) show that the i3-12100F trades blows with far more expensive or power-efficient parts.

For the game Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter, the CPU's single-thread prowess matters most. The game's age means it likely relies on fewer threads, and the i3-12100F's strong per-core performance (PassMark single-thread score of 3444) ensures the processor is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 117.9 FPS, where GPU headroom is ample and CPU scheduling becomes more relevant. The processor's 58 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it an accessible choice, though the data does not indicate any thermal constraints affecting these results.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB uses the GA107 chip on Samsung's 8 nm process, with 8,700 million transistors packed into a 200 mm² die. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1545 MHz and a boost clock of 1740 MHz, with memory running at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The 4 GB GDDR6 memory sits on a 128-bit bus, providing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU's compute resources include 2048 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output pipelines. It also features 16 ray tracing cores and 64 tensor cores, though these are unlikely to significantly impact a 2014 title like Minimum. The FP32 performance is rated at 7.127 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 111.4 GTexel/s. The 90 W TDP and 250 W suggested PSU indicate modest power requirements.

At the 50th percentile among all GPUs, the RTX 3050 4 GB is a mid-pack performer. The measured FPS data shows clear scaling trends: at 1920x1080, the GPU delivers 117.9 FPS on Low, 93.2 FPS on Medium, 79.9 FPS on High, and 59.4 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p is roughly 50%, highlighting how settings affect the GPU load. At 2560x1440, the pattern continues with 76.6 FPS on Low and 38.6 FPS on Ultra, while 3840x2160 sees the GPU struggle, with only Low settings (42.1 FPS) staying above 30 FPS.

The 4 GB VRAM capacity may become a limiting factor at higher resolutions, though the measured data does not explicitly isolate VRAM constraints. The 192.0 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient for this game at 1080p, but the 4K Ultra result of 19.6 FPS suggests the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of resolution and settings. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface provides adequate bandwidth for the GPU's needs, and the dual-slot cooler with a single 6-pin connector keeps installation straightforward.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 117.9 FPS, the only configuration in this dataset to exceed 100 FPS. Medium settings yield 93.2 FPS, High settings drop to 79.9 FPS, and Ultra settings settle at 59.4 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the gap between Medium and High (13.3 FPS) being the smallest step, while the drop from High to Ultra (20.5 FPS) is the largest.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 76.6 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays. Medium settings produce 57.3 FPS, High settings reach 51.7 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 38.6 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 38.0 FPS, a smaller absolute gap than at 1080p but a similar relative reduction of about 50%.

At 3840x2160, the combo's limitations become apparent. Low settings manage 42.1 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. Medium settings drop to 29.4 FPS, High settings to 29.8 FPS, and Ultra settings collapse to 19.6 FPS. Interestingly, High (29.8 FPS) slightly outperforms Medium (29.4 FPS) at 4K, a minor anomaly that may stem from driver-level optimizations or scene variance in the benchmark.

The overall pattern shows that 1080p is the sweet spot for this pairing, with all settings except Ultra clearing 60 FPS. At 1440p, only Low and Medium settings remain above 55 FPS, while 4K is only viable on Low. The data confirms that the RTX 3050 4 GB is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, as the CPU's strong single-thread performance does not compensate for the GPU's bandwidth and compute limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB combination ranks 1580th out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the bottom 12% of all configurations. This low ranking reflects the GPU's mid-pack positioning (50th percentile) combined with the CPU's modest core count, despite the processor's strong per-core performance.

The rank indicates that most other tested combos deliver higher average frame rates in this game. However, the context matters: Minimum is a 2014 title, and the combo's 1080p performance (79.9 FPS on High, 117.9 FPS on Low) is entirely playable for typical gaming scenarios. The low overall rank is likely influenced by the inclusion of far more powerful GPUs in the test pool, rather than any deficiency in this specific pairing for the game's actual requirements.

The combo's performance profile shows a clear GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU holds up well in synthetic benchmarks. The i3-12100F's 72nd percentile CPU ranking suggests the processor is not the limiting factor, but the RTX 3050 4 GB's 50th percentile GPU ranking places it below average. This asymmetry means that at 1080p, where the GPU has less work per frame, the combo performs respectably, but at 4K, the GPU's 4 GB VRAM and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth become severe constraints.

Given the 1733 total combos tested, a rank of 1580 puts this configuration in the lower tier. The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals show that the processor itself is competitive with higher-tier chips, yet the overall combo rank suffers due to the GPU's limitations. For a game released in 2014, the measured FPS at 1080p and 1440p indicate that this pairing can handle the title adequately, but it will not compete with higher-end configurations in this benchmark database.