Minimum

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for the Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT in Minimum reveal a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 205.4 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops that to 131 FPS, a reduction of approximately 36%. The jump to 3840x2160 at Low yields 69.2 FPS, which is roughly 47% lower than the 1440p result and only about one-third of the 1080p figure.

This steep decline across resolutions indicates that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count, a hallmark of GPU limitation rather than CPU bottlenecking. The i5-12400, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, maintains a 3DMark max-thread score of 5890 and a single-thread score of 910, suggesting it has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system exceeds 200 FPS, which would typically stress CPU throughput, yet the frame rates remain high, implying the processor is not the limiting factor even in this best-case scenario for the GPU.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases, further confirming GPU dominance. At 1080p, the difference between Low (205.4 FPS) and Ultra (102.9 FPS) is roughly 100 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows to about 67.5 FPS (131 vs 63.5). At 4K, the difference compresses to 31.2 FPS (69.2 vs 38). This compression at higher resolutions is typical of a GPU that is increasingly saturated; the absolute performance ceiling drops, and the relative cost of higher settings becomes less impactful as the render pipeline becomes the bottleneck.

The scaling behavior suggests that for competitive play at 1080p, the combo has significant surplus performance, while 4K Ultra represents the most demanding scenario where the GPU is fully taxed. The 4K High result of 42.5 FPS and 4K Ultra of 38 FPS indicate that high-refresh-rate 4K gaming is not viable with this pairing, but 1080p and 1440p offer substantial room for high frame rates.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the primary driver of the frame rate differences observed across settings. Its specifications show a 12 GB GDDR6 memory pool on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is well-suited for the texture and geometry loads typical of a third-person shooter. The card's base clock of 2321 MHz, game clock of 2424 MHz, and boost clock of 2581 MHz provide the raw compute throughput, with the FP32 performance rated at 13.21 TFLOPS.

The GPU's pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s are directly relevant to the resolution scaling observed. At 4K, the pixel fill requirements increase fourfold over 1080p, and the measured FPS drops from 205.4 (1080p Low) to 69.2 (4K Low). This 66% reduction aligns with the pixel rate being a limiting factor, though the exact scaling is not linear due to other bottlenecks like memory bandwidth and shader complexity.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is unlikely to be a limiting factor in Minimum, given the game's 2014 release date and the relatively modest texture sizes of that era. Even at 4K Ultra, the GPU's memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s appears sufficient, as the frame rates (38 FPS at 4K Ultra) are more indicative of compute and pixel throughput limits than memory capacity exhaustion. The card's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures full API compatibility with modern rendering paths, though the game's age means it likely utilizes older DirectX features where the card's raw rasterization performance shines.

The RX 6700 XT's nearest rival data shows it is tightly clustered with other GPUs: it sits 0.7% above the AMD Radeon RX 6800 in average benchmark score, 1% below the AMD Radeon HD 7950, 1% below the AMD Radeon RX 480, and 1.3% above the NVIDIA RTX A5000. This suggests that within its performance class, the card is competitive, and the measured FPS in Minimum should be representative of this tier. The percentile ranking of 77 among all GPUs indicates it outperforms a majority of the field, which is consistent with its ability to push 131 FPS at 1440p Low.

FAQ

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-12400 bottleneck the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 205.4 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that would typically expose CPU limits. The i5-12400's single-thread 3DMark score of 910 and max-thread score of 5890 suggest it can keep pace, and the FPS scaling with resolution follows a GPU-bound pattern.

Q: What is the best resolution for high-refresh-rate gaming with this combo?

A: For 144 Hz or higher displays, 1080p is the only resolution that consistently delivers. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 156.6, and at 1080p High it is 131.6. Even 1080p Ultra exceeds 100 FPS at 102.9. At 1440p, only Low settings (131 FPS) approach 144 Hz, while Medium drops to 102.1 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RX 6700 XT's average benchmark score of 33721 places it 0.7% above the RX 6800, 1% below the HD 7950, 1% below the RX 480, and 1.3% above the RTX A5000. This indicates it is effectively in a dead heat with those cards, with any differences being negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: Is 4K gaming feasible with this hardware?

A: Only at lower settings. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 69.2, which is playable but not high-refresh. At 4K Medium, it drops to 54.7 FPS, and at 4K High and Ultra, it falls to 42.5 and 38 FPS respectively. These numbers suggest 4K is only viable for slower-paced play at Low settings.

Q: What settings provide the most balanced experience at 1440p?

A: High settings at 1440p yield 82.8 FPS, which is a good balance of visual quality and smoothness. Medium settings provide 102.1 FPS, which is better for faster response, while Ultra drops to 63.5 FPS, which may be acceptable for some but is noticeably less smooth.

Q: How does the CPU rank among all tested processors?

A: The i5-12400 has a percentile ranking of 77 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19850. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-9700, scores 19831 (0.1% lower), and the Intel Core i5-11600K scores 19771 (0.4% lower). This places it in the upper tier of desktop processors.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 956 out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the 55th percentile of all tested pairings, meaning roughly 45% of combinations perform better. Given that both components individually rank in the 77th percentile of their respective categories, the combo's overall rank is slightly lower than the component averages might suggest.

This discrepancy can be attributed to Minimum's specific performance characteristics. The game appears to be heavily GPU-bound, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data. The RX 6700 XT, while a capable card, is not at the top of the GPU hierarchy, and its performance class (with rivals like the RX 6800, HD 7950, RX 480, and RTX A5000 all within 1.3% of its score) means it cannot push the highest frame rates. The i5-12400, despite being a strong CPU, does not compensate for the GPU's mid-tier position in this GPU-intensive title.

The rank of 956 out of 1733 suggests that this combo is solidly mid-pack. It will outperform systems with weaker GPUs or CPUs, but it will lag behind pairings that feature higher-end graphics cards. The data indicates that for users seeking higher ranks, upgrading the GPU would yield more benefit than upgrading the CPU, given the game's rendering demands. The measured FPS at 1080p High (131.6) and 1440p High (82.8) are respectable, but they do not place the combo in the upper echelons of the rankings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset still delivers 102.9 FPS, which is above the 100 FPS threshold for smooth play, while High provides 131.6 FPS for even better responsiveness. The Medium preset at 156.6 FPS and Low at 205.4 FPS are suitable for competitive play where maximum frame rates are prioritized over visual fidelity. For 1080p, High is the recommended balance, as it maintains a high frame rate while offering better visuals than Medium or Low.

At 2560x1440, the choice becomes more constrained. High settings yield 82.8 FPS, which is acceptable for most players, while Medium provides 102.1 FPS for a smoother experience. Ultra drops to 63.5 FPS, which may be noticeable in fast-paced action. Low at 131 FPS is the only way to approach high-refresh-rate territory. The recommendation for 1440p is Medium, as it offers a significant FPS boost over High (102.1 vs 82.8) with only a modest visual downgrade, while remaining well above the 60 FPS minimum for playability.

At 3840x2160, all settings are below 70 FPS. Low yields 69.2 FPS, which is just playable, while Medium drops to 54.7 FPS, High to 42.5 FPS, and Ultra to 38 FPS. For 4K, the only viable option is Low, and even then, the frame rate is not ideal for fast-paced shooters. Users with 4K displays should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better experience. The data clearly shows that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, offering the widest range of playable settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full settings spectrum is playable. Low settings produce an average of 205.4 FPS, which is exceptionally high. Medium settings reduce this to 156.6 FPS, a drop of 48.8 FPS. High settings yield 131.6 FPS, and Ultra drops to 102.9 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a total reduction of 102.5 FPS, representing a 50% decrease from the Low preset. All 1080p results exceed 100 FPS, making any setting viable depending on preference.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are lower but still generally playable. Low settings average 131 FPS, which is a 36% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 102.1 FPS, High averages 82.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 63.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 67.5 FPS. Only the Low and Medium presets exceed 100 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below that threshold but remain above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, performance is limited. Low settings average 69.2 FPS, which is the only preset to exceed 60 FPS. Medium averages 54.7 FPS, High averages 42.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 38 FPS. The range from Low to Ultra at 4K is 31.2 FPS, which is the smallest absolute spread across the three resolutions, reflecting the GPU's diminishing headroom as pixel count increases. None of the 4K results approach the 100 FPS mark, and only Low is comfortably playable.