Minimum

The data for Minimum shows a clear and consistent pattern: this is a GPU-bound title at higher resolutions, but the CPU becomes a meaningful factor at 1080p. The Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination produces a wide range of framerates depending on the resolution and preset, from a demanding 41.7 FPS at 4K Ultra to a fluid 228 FPS at 1080p Low. The measured results provide a detailed look at how this specific pairing scales with workload.

Resolution Scaling

The framerate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, indicating that the graphics card is the primary limiting component as pixel count rises. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 145.3 at 1920x1080 to 95.5 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 49.8 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 50.6 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p figure. This scaling curve is characteristic of a system where the GPU is working at its full capacity, with the CPU having ample headroom to feed it frames.

The trend is consistent across all preset levels. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 228 at 1080p to 148.6 at 1440p, then to 76.9 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, showing that the demand on the RTX 3070 increases dramatically with resolution. The gap between 1440p and 4K is particularly notable, with the 4K results often being 40-50% lower. This suggests that for a smooth 4K experience, users would need to make significant compromises in visual quality.

The data indicates a transition point between 1440p and 4K. At 1440p, the system is still capable of high framerates, with even Ultra settings hitting 72.1 FPS. At 4K, however, only the Low preset manages to exceed 60 FPS, reaching 76.9 FPS. This makes 1440p the practical ceiling for high-refresh-rate gaming with this combination, while 4K is viable only for those prioritizing visual fidelity over raw framerate. The scaling confirms that the RTX 3070's 8 GB of memory and 256-bit bus are being stressed heavily at 4K, a point reinforced by the GPU role analysis.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, effective 14 Gbps, which is a critical factor in the 4K performance. The 8 GB frame buffer is a limiting factor at 3840x2160, where texture data and geometry can easily exceed this capacity, leading to the observed framerate collapse at higher presets.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with 5888 shading units and a boost clock of 1725 MHz, producing an FP32 throughput of 20.31 TFLOPS. This raw power explains why the card can handle 1080p and 1440p with ease, even at Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the card delivers 110.4 FPS, which is identical to the 1440p Medium result, highlighting that the GPU is not the bottleneck at these settings. The bottleneck shifts to the CPU at lower resolutions and settings, as evidenced by the 228 FPS Low preset result at 1080p.

The GPU's percentile rank against all GPUs is 72, indicating it sits above average. In the benchmark database, its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, which has an average score 0.9% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, which is 1% lower. The RTX 3070 also outperforms the AMD FirePro S7150 by 0.6%, though this is a workstation card. These comparisons show that the RTX 3070 is a solid mid-range performer. In Minimum, its role is clear: it dominates at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results are constrained by memory bandwidth and capacity, not just compute. The difference between 4K High (50.6 FPS) and 4K Low (76.9 FPS) is a 34% performance swing, showing how settings can mitigate these limitations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It has a 12 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a theoretical bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. Its multi-threaded performance is solid, as indicated by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 16908. Single-thread performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2029.

In Minimum, the CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p with lower presets. The jump from 178.8 FPS at Medium to 228 FPS at Low shows that the CPU is capable of pushing framerates higher when the GPU is not the limiting factor. This suggests that the i5-11400F has enough headroom to drive high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p. However, its performance is not infinite; the 228 FPS figure is the highest recorded across all combinations, indicating a hard ceiling for this processor in this title.

The CPU's percentile rank among all CPUs is 75, placing it in the top quartile. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, which has an identical average score, and the Intel Core i7-1260P, which is only 0.2% faster. This places the i5-11400F in a competitive position, though it does not have the massive core counts of higher-end parts. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration is sufficient for a game like Minimum, which does not appear to be heavily threaded. The data shows that at 1440p and 4K, the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the framerate scales almost entirely with GPU load. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz is likely the key factor for the 1080p performance, as it provides the single-thread speed needed for game logic and draw calls.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy of presets, and the best choice depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers an average of 145.3 FPS, which is excellent for most monitors. The Medium preset delivers 178.8 FPS, which is even better for high-refresh displays, while Low reaches 228 FPS, maximizing competitive performance. The Ultra preset, at 110.4 FPS, is still very playable but offers diminishing returns over High.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the sweet spot, providing 95.5 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold and close to 100 FPS, making it ideal for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 110.4 FPS is also viable, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often worth the slight framerate cost. The Ultra preset at 72.1 FPS is acceptable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Low preset at 148.6 FPS is unnecessary unless the user prioritizes framerate above all else.

At 3840x2160, the options are more limited. The Low preset at 76.9 FPS is the only setting that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming. The Medium preset at 64 FPS is borderline, and the High preset at 50.6 FPS will result in noticeable stutter. The Ultra preset at 41.7 FPS is not recommended for actual gameplay. For a balanced experience at 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option, while at 1440p and 1080p, High offers the best combination of visual quality and performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 holds a rank of 799 out of 1733 combos. This places it in the 46th percentile, meaning it is slightly below the median performance of all tested systems. This ranking is a holistic measure across all games and settings, not just Minimum, and it reflects the balance of the CPU and GPU.

The rank is not surprising given the components' individual standings. The CPU is in the 75th percentile, and the GPU is in the 72nd percentile, but the combination's overall rank is lower, suggesting that the pairing is well-matched but not exceptional. The data from Minimum shows that the system excels at 1080p and 1440p, achieving framerates that are competitive with higher-end setups. At 4K, however, the system falls behind, which likely drags down its overall rank.

In the context of its nearest rivals, the GPU is competitive with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, which is 0.9% slower in average benchmark scores. The CPU is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U. This means that the combo's rank is a result of the sum of its parts, which are individually solid but not top-tier. The measured results in Minimum confirm this: the system is a strong performer at mainstream resolutions, but it is not a 4K powerhouse. For users targeting 1080p or 1440p, this combo ranks highly in practical terms, but the overall database rank of 799 out of 1733 reflects its limitations at higher resolutions.