Minimum

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 54th out of 1,733 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the top 3.1% of all configs. This is a strong showing, but the gap between this combo and the very top performers suggests that the CPU is holding the GPU back in certain scenarios. The data indicates a system with enormous graphical headroom, yet the processor’s position in the broader benchmark hierarchy—77th percentile among all CPUs—means it is not the absolute fastest partner for the 91st-percentile GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The 54th-place finish out of 1,733 combos is notable, but it is not a top-ten result. In a game like Minimum, which is a 2014 title with modest threading demands, the ranking reveals a CPU-bound ceiling at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the combo delivers 371.5 FPS on Low settings, which is exceptionally high, yet the CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and PassMark single-thread score of 3,456 suggest that frame rates above this threshold would require a faster processor. The combo’s rank is likely dragged down by these CPU limits rather than GPU deficiencies, as the RTX 4090’s PassMark G3D score of 38,194 is among the highest recorded.

When comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400’s average benchmark score of 19,850 sits within a razor-thin margin of competitors. It is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-9700 (19,831) and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K (19,771), while trailing the Intel Core i7-8700 (19,894) by 0.2% and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX (19,928) by 0.4%. These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning the CPU is not a differentiator at this rank tier—the GPU does the heavy lifting. The GPU, similarly, is within 1.3% of its nearest rivals, with the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66,733) just 0.4% ahead and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (67,320) 1.3% ahead.

CPU Role

The i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache are typical for Alder Lake-S, but the architecture’s strength lies in its single-thread performance. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 2,249 in single-core and 15,935 in multi-core, which shows a 7.1x scaling from single to multi-threaded workloads—reasonable for 12 threads but not perfectly linear. For a game released in 2014, the 3DMark 2-thread score of 1,692 is more relevant than the max-thread score of 5,890, as older titles rarely utilize more than a few cores.

The data suggests that Minimum is not heavily threaded. The 3DMark 4-thread score of 3,012 and 8-thread score of 4,745 show diminishing returns beyond 4 threads, meaning the CPU’s 12 threads are largely idle. This is why the combo’s rank is 54th rather than higher—the i5-12400’s single-thread performance, while solid, is not elite. At 1080p Low, where the GPU is underutilized, the CPU becomes the bottleneck, capping performance at 371.5 FPS. In contrast, at 4K Ultra, the GPU is the limiting factor, and the CPU’s role diminishes. The 65W TDP and 10nm process node indicate an efficient chip, but efficiency does not translate to raw speed in this context.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090 is a monolithic powerhouse: 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2,520 MHz. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for high-resolution textures. The GPU’s FP32 throughput of 82.58 TFLOPS is staggering, and its PassMark G3D score of 38,194 places it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66,733 average score), are within 0.4%, but these are workstation cards, not gaming GPUs, so the comparison is academic.

In Minimum, the GPU’s performance scales predictably with settings. At 4K, the difference between Low (134.2 FPS) and Ultra (66.8 FPS) is a 50.2% drop, indicating that the game’s Ultra preset introduces significant shading and texture loads. The GPU’s pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s are more than sufficient for this title, but the data shows that the RTX 4090 is not fully utilized at lower resolutions. At 1080p High, the combo hits 256.4 FPS, but the 1440p Low result of 254.5 FPS is nearly identical, suggesting that the GPU is waiting on the CPU at these settings. The GPU’s memory clock of 1,313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth mean that even 4K Ultra textures are unlikely to saturate its frame buffer.

FAQ

Q: Why does the combo rank 54th despite having an RTX 4090?

A: The rank of 54 out of 1,733 is limited by the CPU’s single-thread performance. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 371.5 FPS, but the i5-12400’s 3DMark single-thread score of 910 indicates that faster processors would push this higher, dragging down the overall rank.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo achieves 66.8 FPS, and the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU’s multi-thread score of 15,935 in Cinebench R23 is sufficient, but the GPU’s 82.58 TFLOPS is fully taxed by the Ultra preset’s demands.

Q: How does the i5-12400 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The i5-12400’s average benchmark score of 19,850 is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-9700 and 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-11600K, but 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-8700. These differences are within measurement error.

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?*

A: The data shows 1440p High provides 161.3 FPS, which is a balance of visual quality and frame rate. At 1080p, the CPU limits performance, while at 4K, the GPU drops to 85.6 FPS on High.

Q: Does the RTX 4090’s 24 GB VRAM matter for this game?

A: Minimum is a 2014 title, so its VRAM usage is low. The GPU’s 1.01 TB/s bandwidth is more relevant, as it allows smooth texture streaming at 4K, but the 24 GB capacity is not a limiting factor here.

Q: Why is the 1080p Low FPS so much higher than 1440p Low?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 371.5 FPS, while 1440p Low drops to 254.5 FPS. This 31.5% decrease is due to the GPU’s workload increasing with resolution, but even at 1440p, the CPU is still a secondary bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the system’s balance. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p (371.5 FPS) to 1440p (254.5 FPS) is a 31.5% reduction, and then to 4K (134.2 FPS) is another 47.3% reduction. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is increasingly responsible for frame generation as resolution rises. At High settings, the same progression shows 256.4 FPS at 1080p, 161.3 FPS at 1440p (a 37.1% drop), and 85.6 FPS at 4K (a 46.9% drop). The consistent ~47% drop from 1440p to 4K across settings suggests the GPU’s pixel throughput is the limiting factor at 4K.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more dramatic: 194 FPS at 1080p, 124.3 FPS at 1440p (a 35.9% drop), and 66.8 FPS at 4K (a 46.3% drop). This pattern shows that the GPU’s 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate is the constraint, as the resolution increase directly multiplies the pixel workload. The CPU’s influence is most visible at 1080p Low, where the 371.5 FPS result is likely near the processor’s maximum frame output. Beyond that, the GPU takes over, and the scaling becomes predictable based on pixel count.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows that High settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, High delivers 256.4 FPS, which is 14.4% lower than Medium (299.7 FPS) but 32.2% higher than Ultra (194 FPS). At 1440p, High’s 161.3 FPS is 16.5% lower than Medium (193.2 FPS) but 29.8% higher than Ultra (124.3 FPS). At 4K, High’s 85.6 FPS is 18.3% lower than Medium (104.8 FPS) but 28.2% higher than Ultra (66.8 FPS). The consistency of this pattern suggests that High is the sweet spot, as the visual upgrade from High to Ultra is not worth the FPS cost.

Low settings are only recommended for competitive play at 1080p, where 371.5 FPS is achievable, but this comes at the cost of visual fidelity. Medium settings provide a middle ground, but the FPS gains over High are modest (14-18%) and may not justify the reduced graphical quality. For most players, High at 1440p (161.3 FPS) is the optimal configuration, as it offers high frame rates while maintaining detail. Ultra is not recommended at any resolution, as it produces the lowest FPS (194 at 1080p, 124.3 at 1440p, 66.8 at 4K) with diminishing visual returns.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo delivers 371.5 FPS on Low, 299.7 FPS on Medium, 256.4 FPS on High, and 194 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show a clear CPU bottleneck at Low, where the 371.5 FPS is likely near the processor’s limit. The 72 FPS difference between Low and Medium (371.5 to 299.7) is larger than the 43 FPS difference between Medium and High (299.7 to 256.4), suggesting that the CPU is more involved at lower settings.

At 1440p, the results are 254.5 FPS on Low, 193.2 FPS on Medium, 161.3 FPS on High, and 124.3 FPS on Ultra. The 61.3 FPS drop from Low to Medium (254.5 to 193.2) is significant, but the GPU is now the primary contributor. The scaling from Medium to High (31.9 FPS drop) and High to Ultra (37 FPS drop) is more uniform, indicating a balanced GPU workload.

At 4K, the combo achieves 134.2 FPS on Low, 104.8 FPS on Medium, 85.6 FPS on High, and 66.8 FPS on Ultra. The 29.4 FPS drop from Low to Medium (134.2 to 104.8) and the 19.2 FPS drop from High to Ultra (85.6 to 66.8) show that the GPU is the sole limiting factor at this resolution. The Ultra preset’s 66.8 FPS is the lowest result in the entire dataset, but it remains playable, highlighting the RTX 4090’s raw power. Across all resolutions, the data confirms that this combo is best utilized at 1440p High, where performance and quality align.