Minimum

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for Minimum with the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti reveals a clear pattern of resolution-dependent scaling that points to the GPU as the primary limiter at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 338.7 FPS, which drops to 219.1 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 35.3% reduction) and further to 115.8 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 65.8% reduction from the 1080p baseline). This steep decline as pixel count increases is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario at 4K.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. With High settings, the frame rate falls from 221.3 FPS at 1080p to 141.4 FPS at 1440p (36.1% drop), then to 76.2 FPS at 4K (65.6% drop from 1080p). The Ultra preset shows the same shape: 167.6 FPS at 1080p, 107 FPS at 1440p, and 58.8 FPS at 4K. The proportional drops are remarkably uniform, suggesting that the game's rendering load scales predictably with resolution rather than hitting any sudden architectural bottleneck.

At 1080p, the picture changes. The gap between Low (338.7 FPS) and Ultra (167.6 FPS) is a 2.02x spread, which indicates that even at the lowest resolution, the RTX 5070 Ti is not fully saturating the CPU's capabilities. The Core i3-12100F, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, delivers a 3dmark_single_thread score of 893 and a passmark_single_thread score of 3444. These are strong single-thread numbers, but at 338.7 FPS, the frame time is roughly 2.95 ms, which approaches the practical limit for many game engines' draw call processing. The data suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is beginning to assert itself as a co-limiter, though the GPU still has headroom.

The resolution scaling analysis leads to a straightforward conclusion: the RTX 5070 Ti is the dominant factor at 4K and 1440p, while the i3-12100F's single-thread performance becomes increasingly relevant as resolution drops and frame rates climb past 200 FPS. For players targeting the highest refresh rates at 1080p, the CPU will matter more than the GPU settings.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti brings substantial resources to Minimum, and the measured FPS reflects that capability. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for a 2014-era third-person shooter. The game's release date of 2014-06-25 means its texture and geometry demands are modest by modern standards, so the 16 GB VRAM pool is never a limiting factor in any of the measured configurations. The data confirms this: even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 58.8 remains playable, which would not be the case if VRAM capacity or bandwidth were constraining performance.

Clock speeds tell a similar story. The GPU's base clock of 2295 MHz and boost clock of 2452 MHz, combined with its 8960 shading units, yield a peak FP32 throughput of 43.94 TFLOPS. This raw compute power is what drives the high frame rates at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the RTX 5070 Ti produces 338.7 FPS, which is 2.93x its 4K Low result of 115.8 FPS. The scaling factor between 1080p and 4K is close to the theoretical 4x pixel count difference, but the actual FPS difference is less than 4x because the GPU is not fully utilized at 1080p — the i3-12100F's thread scheduling becomes a factor.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its position. The passmark_g3d score of 32974 and 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 6604 place it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, has an average score of 52085, which is a 0% deltaPct from the RTX 5070 Ti's 52086. This near-identical performance head-to-head means the 5070 Ti's measured FPS in Minimum should be within a fraction of a percent of the RTX 4080's, assuming the same CPU and settings.

The memory clock of 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) is a notable feature for a game like Minimum that doesn't stress bandwidth. The 896.0 GB/s figure is far above what this title requires, so the GPU's memory subsystem is essentially idle headroom. The data shows no memory-related performance cliffs: the FPS drop from Medium (90 FPS at 4K) to Ultra (58.8 FPS at 4K) is 34.7%, which aligns with the increased shading load rather than any bandwidth limitation.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 and DDR5) provide adequate feeding for the RTX 5070 Ti in most scenarios, but the measured FPS data reveals where the CPU's limits begin to show.

At 1080p Low, the combo hits 338.7 FPS. This is the highest measured value across all configurations, and it aligns with the CPU's single-thread capabilities. The 3dmark_single_thread score of 893 and cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 1681 indicate strong per-core performance for a budget-oriented chip. However, the 4-core/8-thread configuration means that heavily threaded workloads will not scale as well. The 3dmark_max_threads score of 4023 is nearly identical to the 3dmark_8_threads score of 4026, confirming that the CPU reaches its multi-thread ceiling with 8 threads and gains nothing beyond that.

The CPU's percentile rank of 72 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13516, places it in a competitive position. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, has an average score of 13534, a 0.1% deltaPct. This is remarkable: a 4-core consumer chip matches a 64-core workstation part in average benchmark score, which speaks to the i3-12100F's efficient design and high single-thread boost clock. The Intel Core i7-7700K, a much older flagship, scores 13280 with a 1.8% deltaPct, meaning the i3-12100F is 1.8% faster on average.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is most visible at low resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the FPS of 338.7 translates to a frame time of 2.95 ms. The i3-12100F's 4.30 GHz single-core boost is what enables this. At 1440p Low (219.1 FPS, 4.56 ms frame time) and 4K Low (115.8 FPS, 8.64 ms frame time), the CPU has ample headroom, and the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck. The data shows no evidence of CPU-related stuttering or frame pacing issues, even at the highest FPS values.

The CPU's 58 W TDP and 10 nm process node (Alder Lake-S) contribute to its efficiency, but the benchmark results are what matter for this analysis. The cinebench_r23_multicore score of 11912 is respectable for a 4-core part, and the passmark_multithread score of 14015 shows balanced scaling across the 8 threads. For Minimum, which is a 2014 title that likely uses 4-8 threads at most, the i3-12100F provides sufficient compute without becoming a significant drag on the RTX 5070 Ti's performance.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings delivers 141.4 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K High, the combo produces 76.2 FPS, which is also playable. For the smoothest experience, 1440p High offers a strong balance.

*Q: Does the RTX 5070 Ti's 16 GB VRAM matter for Minimum?*

A: No. The game released in 2014-06-25, and its texture and geometry demands are modest. The 16 GB GDDR7 memory with 896.0 GB/s bandwidth is never a limiting factor in any measured configuration, from 1080p Low (338.7 FPS) to 4K Ultra (58.8 FPS).

Q: Is the Core i3-12100F a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The evidence suggests it starts to become a co-limiter at 1080p Low. The 338.7 FPS result (2.95 ms frame time) approaches the CPU's single-thread scheduling limits. At 1440p and above, the GPU is clearly the primary limiter.

Q: How does this combo compare to the RTX 4080?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti's average benchmark score is 52086, while the RTX 4080's is 52085 — a 0% deltaPct. In Minimum, the measured FPS should be nearly identical between the two GPUs when paired with the same CPU.

Q: What settings preset gives the highest FPS at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings produce 115.8 FPS, which is the highest 4K result. Medium produces 90 FPS, High produces 76.2 FPS, and Ultra produces 58.8 FPS. Low is the only preset that exceeds 100 FPS at 4K.

*Q: Is this combo ranked highly for Minimum?*

A: The combo rank is 147 out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the top 8.5% of all CPU-GPU pairings for this game. This is consistent with the GPU's 87th percentile ranking and the CPU's 72nd percentile ranking.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values span a wide range. The Low preset delivers 338.7 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire dataset. Medium produces 263.8 FPS, a 22.1% reduction from Low. High yields 221.3 FPS, which is 34.7% below Low. Ultra drops to 167.6 FPS, a 50.5% reduction from Low and a 24.3% reduction from High. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 171.1 FPS, showing that this game's settings have a massive impact on frame rate at the lowest resolution.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with lower absolute values. Low produces 219.1 FPS, which is 35.3% below the 1080p Low result. Medium delivers 167.4 FPS, a 23.6% drop from Low. High reaches 141.4 FPS, which is 35.5% below Low and 15.5% below Medium. Ultra produces 107 FPS, which is 51.2% below Low and 24.3% below High. The 1440p Ultra result of 107 FPS is still comfortably above 60 FPS, indicating that this resolution is viable for all settings presets.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload increases dramatically. Low produces 115.8 FPS, which is 47.1% below the 1440p Low result and 65.8% below 1080p Low. Medium delivers 90 FPS, a 22.3% drop from Low. High reaches 76.2 FPS, which is 34.2% below Low and 15.3% below Medium. Ultra produces 58.8 FPS, the lowest measured value in the dataset, which is 49.3% below Low and 22.8% below High. The 4K Ultra result of 58.8 FPS is just below the 60 FPS threshold, making it the only configuration that fails to hit 60 FPS on average.

The settings scaling is consistent across resolutions. Going from Low to Ultra at any resolution reduces FPS by roughly 50-51%, while going from Medium to High reduces FPS by about 15-16%. This consistency suggests that the game's settings presets scale uniformly regardless of resolution, which simplifies the recommendation process.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for settings selection based on target frame rates and resolution. At 1920x1080, every preset exceeds 165 FPS, so the choice depends on whether the player prioritizes maximum frame rate or visual quality. The Ultra preset at 167.6 FPS is the best option for players with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors who want the full visual experience without sacrificing smoothness. For players with 240 Hz monitors, the High preset at 221.3 FPS or Medium at 263.8 FPS are better suited, with Medium offering the best balance of quality and speed for high-refresh displays.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset produces 107 FPS, which is suitable for 100 Hz or 120 Hz monitors. The High preset at 141.4 FPS is ideal for 144 Hz displays, providing a 34.4 FPS advantage over Ultra. For players with 240 Hz monitors at 1440p, the Low preset at 219.1 FPS is the only option that approaches that refresh rate, though it sacrifices significant visual quality. The Medium preset at 167.4 FPS is a strong middle ground for 165 Hz panels.

At 3840x2160, the choices are more constrained. The Ultra preset at 58.8 FPS falls just short of 60 FPS, making it a marginal choice for players who insist on the highest visual fidelity. The High preset at 76.2 FPS clears the 60 FPS threshold with 26.1% headroom, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming. The Medium preset at 90 FPS provides additional headroom for 90 Hz displays, while the Low preset at 115.8 FPS is the only 4K option that exceeds 100 FPS. For most 4K players, High at 76.2 FPS is the best compromise between visual quality and frame rate.

The overall recommendation for this combo is to target 2560x1440 with High settings, which delivers 141.4 FPS. This configuration maximizes the RTX 5070 Ti's capabilities while keeping the i3-12100F from becoming a limiting factor. At 4K, the High preset at 76.2 FPS is the most balanced choice. At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 167.6 FPS provides the best visual experience without compromising on frame rate, making it the top pick for players who prioritize image quality over raw FPS.