Minimum

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks 274th out of 1,733 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the top 15.8% of all configurations. This is a strong position, but not an elite one; the ranking reflects a pairing where the GPU’s high-end capabilities are partially restrained by a mid-range processor from an older generation. The data shows this combo sits well above the median tested setup, yet the gap to the top 100 configurations is substantial, indicating that while this system delivers high frame rates, it is not maximizing the potential of the RTX 4070 Ti in this specific title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why it carries most of the performance load. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 2310 MHz with a boost clock of 2610 MHz, and its memory runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). These figures are critical for Minimum, a third-person shooter that scales heavily with raw graphics throughput.

The GPU’s compute resources are substantial: 7,680 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. It also includes 60 RT cores and 240 tensor cores, though the game’s age means ray tracing is unlikely to be a factor. The measured results confirm the GPU’s strength. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits 270.1 FPS, which is 59.4% higher than the 4K Ultra result of 55.4 FPS. The performance delta between Low and Ultra at any given resolution shows the GPU scaling predictably with workload. At 1440p, the jump from Low (212.1 FPS) to Ultra (105.1 FPS) is a 50.4% drop, demonstrating that the RTX 4070 Ti has ample headroom for high refresh rate gaming at lower presets but is challenged by maximum settings at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its position. It achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,024 and a Passmark G3D score of 31,624, placing it in the 85th percentile of all GPUs. Relative to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4070 Ti is nearly identical in average benchmark score (44,900) to the RTX 5090 Mobile (45,152, -0.6% delta) and the Intel Arc A730M (45,592, -1.5% delta). This means the measured FPS in Minimum is consistent with its synthetic performance, though the game’s engine does not fully utilize the GPU’s latest features.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that points to the GPU as the primary limiter at higher settings, but the CPU begins to assert itself at lower resolutions. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drop across all settings is approximately 35%. For example, High settings go from 210.7 FPS at 1080p to 136 FPS at 1440p, a 35.5% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the drop is steeper: High settings fall from 136 FPS to 73.9 FPS, a 45.7% decrease. This escalating penalty is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, as the pixel count quadruples from 1440p to 4K.

However, the Low settings results tell a different story. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 270.1 FPS, but at 1440p Low, it only drops to 212.1 FPS (a 21.5% reduction). The 4K Low result of 114.1 FPS is a 46.2% drop from 1440p, which is larger than the 1080p-to-1440p drop. This suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is likely capping the frame rate, preventing the GPU from pushing even higher. The fact that 1080p Low (270.1 FPS) is only 27.3% faster than 1440p Low (212.1 FPS) indicates diminishing returns, as the i5-10400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads struggle to feed the GPU at such high frame rates. In contrast, the 1080p Medium result (245.6 FPS) is closer to 1440p Low, further evidence of a CPU bottleneck at low settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance of performance and visual quality is found at Medium settings. At 1440p, Medium delivers 164.1 FPS, which is 56.1% higher than Ultra (105.1 FPS) and only 22.6% lower than Low (212.1 FPS). This is the sweet spot for high refresh rate monitors, as the frame rate remains well above 144 Hz while the visual fidelity is noticeably improved over Low. For 1080p users, High settings at 210.7 FPS are preferable, as they offer a significant visual upgrade over Medium (245.6 FPS) with only a 14.2% performance penalty.

At 4K, Medium (86.4 FPS) is the recommended preset, as it provides a smooth experience for 60 Hz displays while maintaining decent detail. Ultra at 4K (55.4 FPS) is borderline playable but dips below the 60 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for competitive play. Low settings are only recommended for extreme high refresh rate scenarios, such as 1080p at 270.1 FPS, but the visual trade-off is substantial. The data shows that Ultra settings provide diminishing returns: at 1080p, Ultra (161 FPS) is 34.5% slower than High (210.7 FPS), yet the visual difference is minor in a fast-paced shooter like Minimum.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset shows consistent performance scaling across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 270.1 FPS on Low, 245.6 FPS on Medium, 210.7 FPS on High, and 161 FPS on Ultra. The spread from Low to Ultra is 109.1 FPS, representing a 40.4% reduction at maximum settings. At 2560x1440, the results are 212.1 FPS (Low), 164.1 FPS (Medium), 136 FPS (High), and 105.1 FPS (Ultra). The Low-to-Ultra drop here is 107 FPS, a 50.5% reduction, showing that the higher resolution amplifies the cost of Ultra settings.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates fall to 114.1 FPS (Low), 86.4 FPS (Medium), 73.9 FPS (High), and 55.4 FPS (Ultra). The Low-to-Ultra drop is 58.7 FPS, a 51.4% reduction. Notably, the absolute difference between Low and Ultra shrinks as resolution increases, from 109.1 FPS at 1080p to 58.7 FPS at 4K. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that settings have less relative impact, whereas at 1080p, the CPU bottleneck at Low settings artificially inflates the gap. The 1440p Medium result of 164.1 FPS is nearly identical to the 1080p Ultra result of 161 FPS, suggesting that users can achieve similar frame rates at higher resolutions by lowering settings.

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 has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are modest: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10,297 and a single-core score of 1,453. The CPU’s 3DMark scores show scaling from 688 (single-thread) to 4,748 (16-thread), indicating that it has reasonable multi-threading capability but is far from state-of-the-art.

The CPU’s role in Minimum is evident from the resolution scaling data. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 270.1 FPS, but at 1440p Low, it only drops to 212.1 FPS. If the GPU were the sole limiter, the 1440p result would be roughly 50% lower (around 135 FPS), but the actual result is much higher. This suggests the CPU is preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential at 1080p Low, capping the frame rate around 270 FPS. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 73rd among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14,168, places it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.4% higher) and the Intel Core i5-8500 (-1.1% lower), showing that the i5-10400F is competitive with older server and desktop parts but lacks the single-thread headroom of newer processors.

As settings increase, the CPU load shifts to the GPU, and the i5-10400F becomes less of a bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate of 55.4 FPS is clearly GPU-bound, as the CPU’s 12 threads are sufficient for the reduced draw calls. The data indicates that for users targeting high refresh rates at 1080p, the CPU will limit performance, but for 1440p and 4K gaming, the RTX 4070 Ti is the deciding factor. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.30 GHz helps maintain playable frame rates, but its older architecture cannot keep up with the GPU’s raw throughput in low-resolution scenarios.