Minimum

The Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a highly capable 1080p experience in Minimum, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows a strong pairing where the 6-core, 12-thread processor provides ample headroom for the graphics card to operate at its peak, though the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become limiting factors in the most demanding scenarios.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boosts up to 4.30 GHz, with a shared 12 MB L3 cache. In the context of Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014, this processor's specifications are more than sufficient to handle the game's logic and physics. Benchmark results show a single-thread score of 688 in 3dmark and a multicore score of 4735 in the max threads test, indicating solid per-core performance that avoids holding back the GPU.

The processor's performance percentile of 73 versus all CPUs places it firmly in the upper mid-range. Its nearest rivals highlight its positioning: the AMD EPYC 7552 scores 0.4% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C scores 0.8% lower, and the Intel Core i5-8500 is 1.1% behind. For a game like Minimum, which is not heavily threaded, the 10400F's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1453) ensures that frame pacing remains consistent. The data indicates that at 1080p with Low settings, where the GPU load is minimal, the CPU still manages to deliver 203.6 FPS, proving it is not a limiting factor even in the most CPU-favorable scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the clear performance driver in this configuration. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, it features 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output pipelines. Its boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz allow it to achieve a peak FP32 throughput of 15.11 TFLOPS. The GPU's memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This configuration is adequate for 1080p gaming but shows signs of strain at 4K Ultra.

The RTX 4060's benchmark scores are telling: a Passmark G3D score of 19545 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302. Its percentile versus all GPUs is 66, slightly lower than the CPU's percentile, reinforcing that the GPU is the more performance-critical component in this pairing. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (0.6% higher average score) and the Intel Arc B580 (0.7% lower), showing that the 4060 sits in a competitive mid-range tier. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is likely the constraint at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 35.4, a figure that suggests texture and memory pressure rather than raw compute limits.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p, the RTX 4060 delivers outstanding results: 203.6 FPS on Low, 157.5 on Medium, 130.4 on High, and 97.2 on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, these figures drop to 131.1, 100.8, 84.7, and 65.8 respectively. At 4K, the performance falls off significantly: 71.4 FPS on Low, 50.7 on Medium, 46.8 on High, and 35.4 on Ultra.

The percentage drops between resolutions are substantial. From 1080p to 1440p, the High preset loses 35.1% of its frame rate (from 130.4 to 84.7 FPS). The 4K High result at 46.8 FPS represents a 44.7% drop from the 1440p High figure. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, where the CPU's capabilities are largely untapped. The fact that the 1080p Low setting produces 203.6 FPS, while the 4K Ultra produces only 35.4 FPS, indicates that the RTX 4060's compute and memory resources are the limiting factor. The CPU, with its 73rd percentile ranking, is not the bottleneck at any resolution; instead, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are what constrain higher-resolution performance.

FAQ

*Q: Is the Intel Core i5-10400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4060 in Minimum?*

A: No. The data shows the CPU delivers 203.6 FPS at 1080p Low, which is the highest frame rate in the measured set. Even at 4K Ultra, where FPS drops to 35.4, the bottleneck is the GPU's VRAM and memory bandwidth, not the processor's 6 cores and 12 threads.

Q: How does the RTX 4060's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti. It outperforms the Intel Arc B580 by 0.7% and the AMD Radeon 760M by 0.8%.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1080p is clearly the sweet spot. The measured FPS shows 97.2 FPS on Ultra at 1080p, which is smooth, while 1440p Ultra drops to 65.8 FPS and 4K Ultra falls to 35.4 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play.

Q: Does increasing settings from Low to Ultra affect FPS more at 1080p or 4K?

A: The relative drop is similar, but the absolute impact is larger at 1080p. Going from Low to Ultra at 1080p reduces FPS by 106.4 (from 203.6 to 97.2), while at 4K the reduction is 36.0 (from 71.4 to 35.4).

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance impact gaming?

A: The i5-10400F's 3dmark single-thread score of 688 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1453 indicate strong per-core performance. This ensures that Minimum, which relies on a few primary threads, runs without CPU-induced frame drops, as evidenced by the high FPS at 1080p Low.

Q: Is 8 GB of VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, yes. The measured FPS at 1440p Ultra is 65.8, which is playable. However, at 4K Ultra the FPS drops to 35.4, suggesting the 8 GB capacity and 128-bit bus (272.0 GB/s bandwidth) are insufficient for the highest resolution and settings.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 1080p is the optimal choice. It delivers 130.4 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience with good visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 157.5 FPS, offering a higher frame rate but with reduced detail; however, the jump from Medium to High only costs 27.1 FPS, making High the better value in terms of visual return. At 1440p, the High preset at 84.7 FPS is also viable, but the drop from 1080p High is noticeable.

The Ultra preset at 1080p produces 97.2 FPS, which is still smooth, but the additional graphical load is not justified given the modest visual gains over High. At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS: High gives 46.8 FPS, Medium 50.7 FPS, and Low 71.4 FPS. Therefore, 4K gaming with this combo is only feasible at Low settings, which sacrifices significant visual quality. The data supports High at 1080p as the "best experience" per the measured rows, with 1440p High serving as a respectable alternative for users prioritizing resolution over frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 203.6 FPS on Low, 157.5 FPS on Medium, 130.4 FPS on High, and 97.2 FPS on Ultra. These numbers demonstrate excellent performance for a third-person shooter, with even the Ultra preset maintaining nearly 100 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the figures are 131.1 FPS on Low, 100.8 FPS on Medium, 84.7 FPS on High, and 65.8 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p results show that the RTX 4060 remains very capable, though the Ultra preset dips below the 70 FPS mark. Finally, at 3840x2160, the performance is 71.4 FPS on Low, 50.7 FPS on Medium, 46.8 FPS on High, and 35.4 FPS on Ultra. The 4K results clearly indicate that this resolution is beyond the comfortable range for the GPU, with only the Low preset achieving a fluid frame rate.

The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent pattern: the FPS decreases by roughly 20-25% for each step up in settings. For example, at 1080p, the drop from Low (203.6) to Medium (157.5) is 22.6%, and from High (130.4) to Ultra (97.2) is 25.5%. This linear scaling suggests that the game's graphical settings have a predictable impact on GPU load, with no single setting causing a disproportionate hit.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F and RTX 4060 combination ranks 969th out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the 56th percentile of all system configurations. This ranking is lower than the individual component percentiles (CPU at 73rd, GPU at 66th), which indicates that the pairing is not perfectly optimized for this specific game, or that many other combos feature more powerful components.

The rank suggests that while this combo delivers strong 1080p performance, it is outclassed by nearly 56% of the tested configurations. This is likely due to the RTX 4060's position as a mid-range GPU rather than a high-end model. The combo's strong showing at 1080p (130.4 FPS on High) is offset by its weaker 4K performance (46.8 FPS on High), which drags down its overall ranking. For context, the CPU alone outperforms 73% of all processors, and the GPU outperforms 66% of all GPUs, but the combined system does not achieve the same percentile, highlighting that the GPU is the constraining factor in this pairing. Users seeking higher frame rates at 4K would need a more powerful graphics card, while those targeting 1080p will find this combo to be a solid performer that ranks in the upper half of all tested systems.