Minimum

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti delivers a broad spectrum of performance in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released in 2014. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that scales predictably, with the data pointing to distinct bottlenecks depending on the workload. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, ranks the combo against others, and examines the specific roles of the CPU and GPU in shaping the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The relationship between resolution and average frame rate is the clearest indicator of where the system's limits lie. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 242.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that figure to 152.6 FPS, a reduction of 89.8 FPS. At 4K, the average falls further to 84.4 FPS, which is a 68.2 FPS drop from the 1440p result. This steep decline suggests that as pixel count increases, the GPU's workload expands significantly, and the frame rate becomes heavily dependent on the graphics processor's raw throughput.

The scaling pattern changes when looking at the High preset. At 1080p, the average is 156.4 FPS. At 1440p, it is 103.1 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to 56.3 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 34%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is about 45%. This non-linear scaling is typical for a game that is not fully optimized for modern hardware, where the jump to 4K (3840x2160) more than doubles the pixel count compared to 1440p, placing a massive strain on the GPU.

The data implies that at lower resolutions like 1080p, the system is likely not GPU-bound. The 242.4 FPS Low result is exceptionally high, but the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 121.8 FPS. At 4K, that same gap narrows to 43.5 FPS. This compression of performance differences at higher resolutions confirms that the RTX 3070 Ti becomes the limiting component as resolution climbs. The CPU's ability to feed frames is less of a bottleneck at 4K, where the GPU is saturated with pixel shading work.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Minimum, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti holds a rank of 680 out of 1733 combos. This places it in the top half of all tested systems, which is a strong showing for a mid-range processor paired with a high-end graphics card. The rank suggests that while the combo is not at the very top tier, it outperforms a significant majority of other configurations.

The GPU's individual benchmark percentile is 74, meaning it is better than 74% of all GPUs tested. The CPU's percentile is 75, which is nearly identical. This parity in percentile ranking suggests that the two components are well-matched in terms of overall capability, avoiding a situation where one part is drastically weaker than the other. However, the combo rank of 680 out of 1733 is lower than what the individual percentiles might imply, which hints that the game's specific engine might favor certain architectures or clock speeds that this pair does not fully exploit.

When compared to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark list, the i5-11400F is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, showing a delta of 0%. It is also within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-1260P and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U. This indicates that the processor's raw compute power is solid, but the game's results will depend on how well it translates that power into frame generation. The GPU's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME, is only 0.3% behind in average benchmark score, suggesting that the RTX 3070 Ti's performance is not uniquely dominant in this segment.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. Its base clock is 2.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. For a game like Minimum, which is a third-person shooter, the CPU's single-thread performance is often more critical than multi-threaded muscle. The benchmark data shows a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2029 and a multi-core score of 14372. This indicates a healthy balance, but the single-core figure is what typically drives high FPS in less-threaded game engines.

The 12 threads allow for background tasks and game logic to be handled without stuttering, but the game's release in 2014 likely means it was designed with fewer cores in mind. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system hits 242.4 FPS, which is a very high number, but it is not the 300+ FPS that a top-tier CPU might achieve. The L3 cache is 12 MB (shared), which is adequate for feeding the six cores, but it is not massive by modern standards.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, while standard for DDR4, is a potential limiting factor. In scenarios where the GPU is waiting for data, the CPU's ability to push instructions and assets through the memory controller becomes paramount. The fact that the combo ranks 680 out of 1733 suggests that while the CPU is not weak, it is not exceptional enough to push this GPU into the top percentile for this specific game. The data implies that the i5-11400F is capable of delivering high frame rates, but it is the GPU that ultimately decides the ceiling at higher resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Minimum?*

A: The highest average frame rate is 242.4 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 680 out of 1733 tested combos, placing it in the upper half of all systems evaluated.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows that at 4K (3840x2160), the frame rates drop significantly across all settings, indicating the GPU is the primary limiting factor due to the high pixel count.

Q: What is the average frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 152.6 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 74.7 FPS, a difference of 77.9 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU's multi-threaded performance correlate with high FPS in this game?

A: The CPU has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372, but the game's frame rates at 1080p are high, suggesting that single-thread performance is more relevant for this title.

Q: What is the GPU's memory size and bandwidth?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6X memory with a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s, which supports high-resolution textures without excessive frame drops.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture and features 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. Its memory configuration is 8 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. The base clock is 1575 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. For Minimum, this GPU is overkill for 1080p, where it easily exceeds 120 FPS on Ultra settings, but it struggles at 4K, where the Ultra preset drops to an average of 40.9 FPS.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a Passmark G3D score of 23356 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 137518. The 74th percentile ranking indicates it is a strong performer, but its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME, are within 0.3% in average benchmark score. This suggests that the RTX 3070 Ti does not have a massive performance lead over its direct competitors in synthetic tests, though its real-world gaming results are strong.

The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for most games, but at 4K with Ultra settings, the memory bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s is taxed. The measured FPS data shows that the step from High to Ultra at 4K costs 15.4 FPS (from 56.3 to 40.9), which is a significant penalty for the extra visual fidelity. This indicates that the GPU's compute and memory resources are being heavily utilized at that resolution, and the game engine is not scaling efficiently with the added load.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured average FPS, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired smoothness. For 1080p, the High preset at 156.4 FPS is an excellent balance, providing a smooth experience without the extreme GPU load of Ultra, which still delivers a playable 120.6 FPS. For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 242.4 FPS offers a competitive edge, but the visual quality is reduced.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 117.7 FPS is a strong recommendation, as it maintains a high frame rate while offering better visuals than Low (152.6 FPS) without the heavy cost of High (103.1 FPS) or Ultra (74.7 FPS). The data shows that the step from Medium to High at 1440p costs 14.6 FPS, which might be acceptable for some, but Medium offers the best balance of performance and quality for most users.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset at 84.4 FPS is the only option that provides a consistently smooth experience. The High preset at 56.3 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, and the Ultra preset at 40.9 FPS falls below the threshold for a responsive third-person shooter. The data suggests that 4K is not the sweet spot for this combo; the GPU is heavily taxed, and reducing settings is necessary to maintain playable frame rates. The Medium preset at 65.1 FPS is a compromise, but it is still below the 60 FPS standard for many competitive titles.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full dataset for the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti in Minimum is as follows:

At 3840x2160 (4K), the Ultra settings yield an average of 40.9 FPS. High settings improve this to 56.3 FPS, Medium to 65.1 FPS, and Low to 84.4 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a total drop of 43.5 FPS, with the largest single step being from Medium to High (8.8 FPS) and from High to Ultra (15.4 FPS). This indicates that the Ultra preset is particularly demanding on the GPU.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the Ultra settings average 74.7 FPS. High settings reach 103.1 FPS, Medium is 117.7 FPS, and Low is 152.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 77.9 FPS. The step from High to Ultra is 28.4 FPS, which is a substantial penalty, while the step from Medium to High is 14.6 FPS.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the Ultra settings average 120.6 FPS. High settings reach 156.4 FPS, Medium is 187.7 FPS, and Low is 242.4 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra is 121.8 FPS. The scaling is more linear here, with each preset step costing roughly 30-35 FPS, except for the step from Medium to High, which is 31.3 FPS. This resolution offers the most headroom, allowing the CPU to push frame rates higher without being constrained by the GPU's pixel processing limits.