Minimum

The Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination ranks 413th out of 1,733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it comfortably in the top quarter of all systems benchmarked. This is a strong result for a 2014 title, indicating that the pairing delivers high frame rates across most configurations, though the data reveals a clear ceiling at maximum settings where the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 413 out of 1,733 (roughly the 76th percentile) is respectable for a game released in 2014, but it does not place the system in the elite tier. The ranking reflects a configuration that is heavily GPU-bound at higher settings, while the CPU's mid-range standing prevents it from achieving top-tier scores in scenarios where processor speed matters most. The RTX 3080 Ti itself sits at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-11400F lands at the 75th percentile among all CPUs, so the combined result is slightly below what the GPU alone might suggest. This is because Minimum is not a demanding title, and at lower resolutions, the CPU's 6-core, 12-thread configuration becomes a more significant constraint than it would be in a heavier game.

GPU Role

The RTX 3080 Ti is the clear performance driver in this pairing, and its specifications explain why. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. This is substantial memory bandwidth for a game from 2014, which was designed for far less capable hardware. The GPU's 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, combined with 10,240 shading units and 112 ROPs, ensures that pixel fill rates are never a bottleneck. The boost clock of 1665 MHz (with a base of 1365 MHz) allows the card to sustain high throughput, and the 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present even though Minimum does not use ray tracing or DLSS—this means those features sit idle, but the raw rasterization power still drives the results. In benchmark terms, the RTX 3080 Ti scores 26,896 in PassMark G3D and achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 5,077, placing it just 0.5% behind the RTX 3090 in average benchmark score and 1.1% behind the RTX 5070. This proximity to the RTX 3090 is notable because the 3080 Ti is a lower-tier card in the same generation, yet it matches the flagship in this game's workload.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F provides a 6-core, 12-thread foundation with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Rocket Lake processor, built on a 14 nm process, has 12 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14,372 and a single-core score of 2,029, with a PassMark single-thread score of 2,981. These numbers place it 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-1240U and 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-1260P in average benchmark score, indicating it is a solid mid-range performer. For Minimum, a game that is not heavily threaded, the single-core performance is more relevant than the multi-core results. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and 2-thread score of 1,691 show that it can feed the GPU adequately at 1080p, but the data suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU's limits become visible—the FPS gains from 1440p to 1080p are smaller than the gains from 4K to 1440p, which points to the CPU starting to hold back the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 279.2 FPS on Low, 214.6 FPS on Medium, 178.9 FPS on High, and 138.5 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers drop to 179.1 FPS on Low, 137.3 FPS on Medium, 114.8 FPS on High, and 90.1 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the results are 95 FPS on Low, 76.6 FPS on Medium, 63.7 FPS on High, and 44.6 FPS on Ultra. These figures demonstrate that the GPU is capable of exceeding 60 FPS at 4K on Medium settings, but Ultra at 4K falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The 1080p numbers are exceptionally high, with Low settings nearly hitting 280 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. The 1440p results are also strong, with even Ultra staying above 90 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals where the bottleneck lies. From 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the FPS drops from 178.9 to 114.8, a reduction of roughly 36%. From 1440p to 4K at High settings, the FPS drops from 114.8 to 63.7, a further reduction of about 45%. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the workload increases proportionally with pixel count. However, the scaling is not perfectly linear—the 1080p to 1440p drop is smaller than the 1440p to 4K drop, which suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is starting to limit performance. At Low settings, the 1080p result of 279.2 FPS versus the 1440p result of 179.1 FPS shows a 36% drop, but the 4K result of 95 FPS is a further 47% drop, reinforcing that the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as resolution rises. The CPU's role is more apparent at 1080p Low, where the frame rate is so high that the processor's single-thread performance becomes the ceiling.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution. At 3840x2160, Medium settings with 76.6 FPS is the optimal choice for a smooth experience, as High drops to 63.7 FPS and Ultra falls to 44.6 FPS—the latter is below the 60 FPS standard for fluid gameplay. At 2560x1440, High settings at 114.8 FPS provide an excellent balance, with Ultra still delivering 90.1 FPS for those who prioritize visuals over raw speed. At 1920x1080, Ultra at 138.5 FPS is the recommended pick, as it keeps the frame rate well above 120 FPS while maximizing image quality; Low settings at 279.2 FPS are only useful for competitive play where frame rate trumps visuals. The data shows that Medium at 4K is the sweet spot for this combo, as it maintains a playable frame rate without sacrificing too much detail, while at 1440p and below, the system has enough headroom to run High or Ultra comfortably.

FAQ

*Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested systems in Minimum?*

A: The combination ranks 413th out of 1,733 tested combos, which places it in the top 24% of all systems.

*Q: What is the highest FPS this combo achieves in Minimum?*

A: The highest measured average FPS is 279.2 at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K with a consistent 60 FPS?*

A: Yes, at 4K Medium settings the combo delivers 76.6 FPS, and at High settings it delivers 63.7 FPS, both above 60 FPS. Ultra at 4K drops to 44.6 FPS, which is below 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the primary limiting factor at 1440p and 4K, as shown by the larger FPS drops at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the CPU's single-thread performance becomes the constraint, as the FPS gains from 1440p to 1080p are smaller than expected.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 Ti compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 3090?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 41,224, which is 0.5% lower than the RTX 3090's score of 41,441.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gameplay?

A: High settings at 1440p deliver 114.8 FPS, providing a strong balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra at 1440p still achieves 90.1 FPS if maximum detail is preferred.