Minimum

# Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for Minimum with the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT reveals a steep and consistent performance cliff as resolution climbs. At 1080p Low, the combo posts 179.7 FPS, but dropping to 4K Low cuts that to 62.3 FPS — a 65% reduction in frame rate. This pattern is not unique to Low settings; it repeats across every preset, suggesting the GPU becomes the dominant constraint at higher pixel counts.

Looking at the full spread, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is moderate: at High settings, the frame rate falls from 114.7 FPS to 74.5 FPS, a 35% drop. The jump from 1440p to 4K is far more punishing — High settings go from 74.5 FPS down to 38.8 FPS, another 48% reduction. The data indicates that the RX 7600 XT’s rendering throughput, while adequate for 1080p and even 1440p, becomes the limiting factor at 4K, where even Low settings barely maintain 62.3 FPS.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution further isolates the GPU’s role. At 1080p, Low yields 179.7 FPS while Ultra drops to 87.5 FPS — a 92.2 FPS spread. At 4K, the same comparison shows only a 30.3 FPS spread (62.3 FPS Low vs. 32 FPS Ultra). This narrowing delta at higher resolutions is a classic sign that the GPU is saturated: it cannot translate the reduced shading load of Low settings into proportionally higher frame rates because pixel fill and memory bandwidth are already maxed out.

The CPU, meanwhile, shows its capability in the 1080p ceiling. The i5-12400’s 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, are sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, where the frame rate scales almost linearly with settings changes. At 1080p Ultra, 87.5 FPS still represents a playable experience, but the fact that Low nearly doubles that to 179.7 FPS suggests the GPU is not the sole bottleneck even at 1080p — the render pipeline has headroom that higher settings consume.

For 4K gaming, the data implies this combo is not optimized for smooth play at High or Ultra presets. The 38.8 FPS High and 32 FPS Ultra figures fall below the 60 FPS threshold commonly desired, while Medium at 44.8 FPS and Low at 62.3 FPS are the only viable options. The 1440p results are more encouraging: Medium at 85.3 FPS and High at 74.5 FPS both offer a solid balance, with Low pushing to 112.8 FPS for competitive play.

# FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS in Minimum?*

A: The data shows 1440p Low, Medium, and High all exceed 60 FPS, with 112.8, 85.3, and 74.5 FPS respectively. At 4K, only Low settings (62.3 FPS) clear that bar, while 1080p achieves 60+ FPS on all four presets.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform across resolutions?

A: Ultra yields 87.5 FPS at 1080p, 56.3 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. The 1440p Ultra result is below 60 FPS, indicating a compromise between visual fidelity and smoothness.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 179.7 FPS, which suggests the i5-12400’s 12 threads can keep up with the RX 7600 XT’s output. However, the 92.2 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p implies the GPU’s shading units and memory bandwidth are exercised heavily by higher settings, making the GPU the primary limiter at Ultra.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At Medium, 1440p averages 85.3 FPS, while 4K drops to 44.8 FPS — a reduction of 40.5 FPS, or roughly 47% lower performance. This steep falloff highlights the GPU’s struggle with 4K pixel throughput.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1116th out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the lower third of the database. The GPU’s 63rd percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU’s 77th percentile ranking suggest the pairing is balanced but not exceptional.

Q: Does the RX 7600 XT’s 16 GB VRAM help at 4K?

A: The 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is ample for this game, but the measured FPS at 4K (32-62.3 FPS depending on settings) indicates the core compute and pixel rate, not VRAM capacity, are the limiting factors.

# How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this Intel Core i5-12400 + AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination sits at rank 1116 out of 1733 tested combos for Minimum. That places it in the 64th percentile of all configurations — a solidly mid-pack result, but far from top-tier. The ranking reflects the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, with the 4K results dragging down the overall score.

The CPU’s individual standing is notably higher: the i5-12400 ranks in the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19850. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-9700 (0.1% faster), the Intel Core i7-8700 (0.2% slower), and the Intel Core i5-11600K (0.4% faster). This suggests the processor is not the weak link in this pairing.

The GPU, conversely, sits in the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20146. Its closest competitors are the AMD Radeon RX 460 (0.3% faster), the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (0.6% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (1.9% faster). The RX 7600 XT’s lower relative standing compared to the CPU explains why the combo rank is lower than the CPU’s percentile — the GPU drags down the overall result, particularly at 4K where its 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs struggle with pixel density.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 179.7 FPS, Medium drops to 135.2 FPS, High reaches 114.7 FPS, and Ultra settles at 87.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 92.2 FPS, showing a steep cost for visual enhancements at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers fall but remain playable. Low averages 112.8 FPS, Medium 85.3 FPS, High 74.5 FPS, and Ultra 56.3 FPS. Only Ultra dips below 60 FPS here, making 1440p a viable target for most presets.

At 3840x2160, performance drops sharply. Low manages 62.3 FPS, Medium 44.8 FPS, High 38.8 FPS, and Ultra 32 FPS. The 30.3 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is the smallest of any resolution, confirming the GPU’s saturation point. Every 4K result except Low falls below 60 FPS, and Ultra is barely playable at 32 FPS.

# GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip, fabricated on a 6 nm process by TSMC. Its 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, paired with a boost clock of 2755 MHz, deliver a pixel rate of 176.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 352.6 GTexel/s. These specs translate to strong 1080p performance but falter at 4K, where the 32 RDNA 3.0 ray accelerators and 22.57 TFLOPS FP32 compute cannot keep up with the pixel workload.

The memory subsystem — 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s bandwidth — is generous for this game, but the narrow bus width limits effective throughput at high resolutions. The GPU’s 63rd percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 20146, which trails the RTX 2060 SUPER by 1.9%, place it in the upper-mid range. Its nearest rival, the RX 7600, is only 0.6% slower, indicating the XT variant’s extra memory does not translate to a significant FPS advantage in Minimum.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 brings 6 cores and 12 threads from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory give it flexibility, while the 65 W TDP keeps power demands low. In the benchmark data, the CPU’s single-thread score of 910 in 3DMark and 2249 in Cinebench R23 indicates strong per-core performance, which is crucial for a third-person shooter like Minimum.

The CPU’s 77th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 19850, nearly identical to the i7-9700 (0.1% difference), show that it is a competent performer. In this combo, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU without bottlenecking at lower resolutions — the 179.7 FPS at 1080p Low confirms it does so effectively. However, at 4K, the CPU’s workload decreases relative to the GPU, so the frame rate becomes entirely GPU-bound. The 12 threads handle the game’s physics and draw calls comfortably, but the data shows no scenario where the CPU limits performance below what the GPU can deliver.

# Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, the High preset at 114.7 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and smoothness, while Ultra at 87.5 FPS remains highly playable. Competitive players preferring maximum frame rates should use Low for 179.7 FPS, but this sacrifices most graphical features.

At 1440p, Medium at 85.3 FPS is the sweet spot — it maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while retaining decent fidelity. High at 74.5 FPS is also viable, but Ultra at 56.3 FPS dips below the 60 FPS threshold, making it less desirable for fast-paced action.

For 4K, the choices are constrained. Low at 62.3 FPS is the only preset that clears 60 FPS, making it the recommended option for smooth gameplay. Medium at 44.8 FPS and High at 38.8 FPS are playable but noticeably less fluid, while Ultra at 32 FPS should be avoided unless visual fidelity takes absolute priority over responsiveness. Given the data, this combo is best suited to 1080p or 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for Low settings or less demanding scenes.