Minimum

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a remarkably fluid experience in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. The measured data reveals a combination that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but capable of extreme frame rates at 1080p, making it a versatile pairing for both high-refresh-rate monitors and 4K displays. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, examines the role of each component, and contextualizes the combo's standing among thousands of tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 199 at 1920x1080 to 128 at 2560x1440, a 36% reduction, and then further to 69 at 3840x2160, which is a 65% drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline is a clear indicator that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER's rendering workload is the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets, though the percentage drops vary slightly. For Low settings, the average FPS goes from 310 at 1080p to 200 at 1440p (a 35% drop) and then to 108 at 4K (a 65% drop from 1080p). Medium settings show a similar trend, with averages of 237, 153, and 82 at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively. The Ultra preset follows the same curve, moving from 152 to 98 to 53 FPS. This uniform scaling pattern strongly suggests that the CPU, the Intel Core i5-12400, is not the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K; the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are what determine performance at these resolutions.

At 1080p, the data tells a different story. The jump from 199 FPS at High to 310 FPS at Low indicates that the GPU has significant headroom, and the frame rate becomes more dependent on the CPU's ability to feed it draw calls. The fact that the CPU does not bottleneck even at 310 FPS in a 2014 title, however, shows that the six-core Alder Lake processor is more than adequate for this game's engine. The resolution scaling analysis implies that for maximum competitive performance on a 360Hz or 240Hz monitor, lowering settings at 1080p is the path forward, while for a cinematic 4K experience, even Ultra settings remain playable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S family, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores indicate strong single-thread and multi-thread performance, which is essential for a game like Minimum. The processor achieves a single-thread score of 910 in 3dmark and 3456 in passmark_single_thread, demonstrating its capability in lightly-threaded tasks. The multi-thread scores are also healthy, with a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 15989 and a passmark_multithread score of 18747.

In the context of Minimum, the data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 310 FPS average, which is an extremely high frame rate that stresses the CPU's instruction processing and thread scheduling. The fact that the GPU can still push to this level implies that the i5-12400's 12 threads are sufficient to keep the game's simulation and rendering threads fed. The processor's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and per-core L2 cache of 1.25 MB likely help in maintaining low latency for game data, which is critical for frame pacing at high rates.

Comparing to its nearest rivals in the database, the i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18683. This is remarkably close to the AMD EPYC 7643, which scores 18697 (a 0.1% difference), and the Intel Core i7-1355U at 18730 (0.3% higher). It actually outperforms the Intel Core i3-14100F, which has an average score of 18519, by 0.9%. This placement in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs indicates that while it isn't a top-tier enthusiast chip, its performance is well above average and perfectly aligned with a mid-range to high-end GPU like the RTX 4070 SUPER for this title. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz is a key asset for games, as it ensures high per-core performance, which is often more important than raw core count for older titles that may not be optimized for many threads.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of settings presets for the Intel Core i5-12400 and RTX 4070 SUPER combination in Minimum. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset still delivers an excellent 152 FPS average, making it a viable option for gamers with 144Hz monitors who prioritize visual fidelity. However, the Medium preset offers the best balance for high-refresh-rate gaming, with a 237 FPS average that is 56% higher than Ultra while still providing a significant visual upgrade over Low. The Low preset pushes performance to 310 FPS, which is only useful for those with 360Hz displays or in highly competitive scenarios where every frame counts.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the sweet spot, delivering a 128 FPS average that is perfect for 120Hz or 144Hz QHD monitors. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 98 FPS, which is still playable but may not be smooth enough for fast-paced shooters for some users. The Medium preset at 153 FPS is the best choice for competitive play at this resolution, as it stays well above the 144Hz refresh rate threshold. For 4K, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it is the only preset that consistently stays above the 60 FPS playability threshold, with a 69 FPS average. The Medium preset at 82 FPS is also viable, but the drop from High to Medium is less impactful than the drop from Medium to Low.

The data suggests that for this particular game, the visual difference between Medium and High is likely the most efficient upgrade path. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 73 FPS (from 310 to 237), while the jump from Medium to High costs 38 FPS (from 237 to 199), and High to Ultra costs 47 FPS (from 199 to 152). This indicates diminishing returns on the top end, making High the most efficient preset in terms of performance per visual quality. In summary, the best experience per the measured rows is: 1080p Medium/High, 1440p High, and 4K High.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate at 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset is 152 FPS, which is a very smooth experience for most high-refresh-rate monitors.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Minimum?*

A: Yes, it can. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the combo achieves a 69 FPS average. With Medium settings, it reaches 82 FPS, and even with Ultra settings, it maintains a 53 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal for a shooter.

Q: How much faster is Low settings compared to Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 200 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers 98 FPS. This means Low is approximately 104% faster, or more than double the frame rate of Ultra.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 SUPER in this game?

A: Based on the scaling data, the CPU does not appear to be a bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 310 FPS, which shows the CPU can feed the GPU effectively. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for Medium settings?

A: For Medium settings, the minimum FPS (minFps) was recorded as 202 at 1920x1080, 130 at 2560x1440, and 70 at 3840x2160.

Q: How does the i5-12400's average benchmark score compare to the Core i3-14100F?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18683, which is 0.9% higher than the Intel Core i3-14100F's average score of 18519.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant partner in this pairing, and its specifications explain the high frame rates observed. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This is a critical factor for 4K gaming, where large textures and high-resolution buffers demand substantial memory throughput. The GPU's 56 RT cores and 224 Tensor cores are features of the Ada Lovelace architecture, but for a 2014 title like Minimum, the traditional shading units (7168) and texture mapping units (224) are more relevant to the measured performance.

The GPU's clocks are a significant factor in its performance. With a base clock of 1980 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, the RTX 4070 SUPER is able to sustain high utilization. The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its strong position in the market. It scores 29995 in passmark_g3d and 43223 in its average benchmark score, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, which is only 0.1% slower, and the RTX 5050 Mobile, which is also 0.1% slower. This data confirms that the desktop RTX 4070 SUPER is a high-end performer.

In Minimum, the GPU's role is clear from the resolution scaling. The fact that 4K performance at High settings (69 FPS) is less than half of 1080p performance (199 FPS) shows that the GPU's pixel processing and memory bandwidth are being fully taxed. The GPU is clearly the component that determines the visual ceiling of this system. Without the RTX 4070 SUPER, the i5-12400 would be capable of much higher frame rates, but the GPU's raw power is what makes 4K High a playable reality. The 12 GB of VRAM is also likely sufficient to prevent any texture thrashing at 4K, even with High or Ultra settings, ensuring stable frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates for this combo is as follows. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 310 for Low, 237 for Medium, 199 for High, and 152 for Ultra. The Medium preset also has a recorded minFps of 202 and a maxFps of 273. Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS is 200 for Low, 153 for Medium, 128 for High, and 98 for Ultra. The Medium preset here shows a minFps of 130 and a maxFps of 176. At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 108 for Low, 82 for Medium, 69 for High, and 53 for Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K has a minFps of 70 and a maxFps of 95.

These numbers paint a clear picture of a system that scales predictably. The difference between 1080p and 1440p for each setting is roughly a 35-40% reduction in frame rate. The difference between 1440p and 4K for each setting is also roughly a 45-50% reduction. For example, at High settings, the FPS drops from 199 to 128 to 69. This consistent scaling is a hallmark of a GPU-bound title. The only outlier is the Low preset at 1080p (310 FPS), which may hit a CPU or game engine frame rate cap, as the scaling from 1080p to 1440p (310 to 200) is a 35% drop, which is in line with the others, but the absolute number is exceptionally high. The data shows that for competitive play, 1080p Low is the maximum performance configuration, while for a balanced visual/performance ratio, 1440p High provides a great experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested configurations, the Intel Core i5-12400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 644th out of 3712 total combos for Minimum. This places it in the top 17.3% of all tested systems, which is a strong position. However, this ranking is somewhat surprising given the high frame rates measured. The discrepancy likely arises because the database includes many combinations with more powerful CPUs (like top-tier i9s or Ryzen 9s) or more powerful GPUs (like RTX 4090s), which would push even higher frame rates, especially at 1080p where the CPU matters more.

The rank of 644 suggests that while this combo is excellent for the vast majority of users, it is not at the absolute high-end of performance. The combo's performance is likely limited by the i5-12400's position in the 72nd percentile of CPUs, as a higher-end CPU might squeeze out a few more frames at 1080p Low, where the system approaches 310 FPS. Conversely, the RTX 4070 SUPER, being in the 83rd percentile of GPUs, is a stronger component in this pairing. The data implies that if there is a bottleneck in this combo, it is more likely to be the CPU at the lowest resolution and settings. Yet, for a game released in 2014, the i5-12400 is more than sufficient, and the 644th rank out of 3712 confirms the balance and capability of this mid-range to high-end system, ensuring a superb gaming experience across all resolutions and settings tested.