Minimum

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a playable but decidedly mid-range experience in Minimum, with performance that scales predictably with resolution and settings. The data shows this combo sits in the 21st percentile of all tested configurations (rank 1366 out of 1733), indicating that while it can handle the game, it is far from the top tier. The most striking finding is the massive performance swing between Low and Ultra settings at 4K, where average FPS nearly halves, revealing a system that is heavily taxed by the game's highest visual demands.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and reveals the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p High settings, the combo averages 102.3 FPS, but this falls to 64.1 FPS at 1440p and 37.8 FPS at 4K. That represents a 63% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at High settings. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets, with the gap between 1080p and 4K widening as visual fidelity increases. At Low settings, the system achieves 158.2 FPS at 1080p but only 55.9 FPS at 4K, a 65% drop. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit memory bus are being saturated at higher resolutions, while the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions.

The resolution scaling also shows diminishing returns when moving from 1440p to 4K. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 76.3 at 1440p to 41.6 at 4K, a 45% reduction. In contrast, moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings only costs 37% of performance (from 121.4 to 76.3 FPS). This non-linear scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of memory bandwidth and raw compute at 4K. The data suggests that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo if aiming for smooth gameplay, while 1080p offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate.

GPU Role

The RTX 2060 is the limiting component in this pairing, particularly at higher resolutions. Its specifications—6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth—prove sufficient for 1080p and most 1440p scenarios, but the 4K results show clear strain. The GPU's base clock of 1365 MHz and boost clock of 1680 MHz, combined with 1920 shading units, deliver a passmark G3D score of 14111, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. This mid-range positioning is reflected in the measured FPS: at 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 24.9 FPS, which is below the threshold for acceptable playability.

The GPU's memory configuration is a critical factor in Minimum's performance. The 6 GB capacity and 14 Gbps effective memory speed provide enough bandwidth for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results suggest VRAM capacity or bandwidth limitations. The texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s are respectable for the Turing architecture, yet the data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system falls to nearly a quarter of its 1080p Low performance. The GPU's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, scores 0.5% higher in average benchmark, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 is 1.7% ahead, confirming the RTX 2060 sits in a tight competitive band.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 provides more than enough processing power for Minimum, as evidenced by the FPS scaling patterns. With 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, this CPU scores 15935 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2249 in single-core tests. Its 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs and average benchmark score of 19850 demonstrate that it is not the bottleneck in this system. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-9700, scores 0.1% higher, while the Core i7-8700 is 0.2% lower, showing the i5-12400 holds its own against older i7 parts.

The CPU's cache hierarchy—80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 18 MB shared L3—provides ample data storage for game logic. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 158.2 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's frame delivery limit given the game's age (released in 2014). However, the dramatic FPS drops at 4K (down to 55.9 FPS at Low settings) occur despite the CPU having significant headroom, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor. The 10 nm process node and 65 W TDP make this an efficient processor, but its performance in Minimum is secondary to the GPU's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance: 158.2 FPS on Low, 121.4 FPS on Medium, 102.3 FPS on High, and 78.9 FPS on Ultra. This resolution is clearly where the system excels, with all presets exceeding 60 FPS and even Ultra remaining playable. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 79.3 FPS, showing that the GPU has enough headroom to handle increased visual fidelity without dropping below playable thresholds.

At 2560x1440, performance remains respectable but begins to show strain. Low settings yield 99.8 FPS, Medium drops to 76.3 FPS, High falls to 64.1 FPS, and Ultra dips to 50.7 FPS. This resolution marks the boundary where Ultra settings become marginal, as the 50.7 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target many players prefer. The 4K results are more challenging: Low settings produce 55.9 FPS, Medium drops to 41.6 FPS, High falls to 37.8 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 24.9 FPS. None of the 4K presets achieve 60 FPS, and only Low settings are marginally playable.

How This Combo Ranks

Among 1733 tested combinations, this pairing ranks 1366th, placing it in the bottom 21% of all systems. This ranking is consistent with the component-level percentiles: the CPU sits in the 77th percentile while the GPU is in the 58th percentile. The combo's rank suggests that Minimum is more demanding than the component averages would indicate, likely due to the game's optimization or specific hardware requirements. The nearest rival combos at the component level—such as the CPU's close match with the Core i7-9700 (0.1% difference) and the GPU's near-tie with the RX 7600S (0.5% difference)—do not translate to a high combo ranking, indicating that the pairing itself may have inefficiencies.

The ranking data also reveals that this is not a high-performance combination for this title. The 4K Ultra result of 24.9 FPS is particularly poor, suggesting that users with 4K displays should avoid this game at maximum settings. However, the 1080p results are strong enough to place this combo in a viable gaming tier, especially for a game released in 2014 that may not fully utilize modern hardware.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to 1080p with High settings as the optimal configuration. This preset delivers 102.3 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and represents a 23% improvement over Ultra settings (78.9 FPS) while maintaining most of the visual quality. At 1440p, High settings at 64.1 FPS are playable but leave little headroom for demanding scenes; Medium settings at 76.3 FPS offer a safer margin. For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, 1080p Low at 158.2 FPS provides maximum responsiveness, while 4K should only be attempted at Low settings (55.9 FPS) if resolution is paramount.

The measured data shows diminishing returns at Ultra settings across all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra costs 23.4 FPS compared to High; at 1440p, it costs 13.4 FPS; at 4K, it costs 12.9 FPS. The visual difference between High and Ultra in a 2014 title is unlikely to justify these frame rate penalties. Therefore, High settings at 1080p or 1440p represent the sweet spot for this combo, balancing visual fidelity with smooth gameplay.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K smoothly?*

A: No. The best 4K result is 55.9 FPS at Low settings, with High settings dropping to 37.8 FPS and Ultra falling to 24.9 FPS. None of the 4K presets achieve 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU pairing?

A: 1920x1080 is the strongest resolution, with all settings presets exceeding 78 FPS. At 1440p, only Low and Medium settings exceed 60 FPS, while Ultra drops to 50.7 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 scores 0.5% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 7600S and 1.7% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 in average benchmarks, placing it in a tightly contested mid-range tier.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting component. The CPU ranks in the 77th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 58th percentile. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with GPU-bound performance.

Q: What settings should I use for competitive play?

A: 1080p Low settings deliver 158.2 FPS, which is the highest frame rate in the measured data. This provides the maximum responsiveness for fast-paced third-person shooter gameplay.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested systems?

A: It ranks 1366th out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 21% of systems. This is notably lower than the component-level percentiles would suggest, indicating the game is particularly demanding on this hardware pairing.