Minimum

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers a playable experience in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter, but the data reveals a clear shift in system bottleneck depending on resolution. At 1920x1080, the combination is heavily CPU-bound, while at 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, drastically reducing frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is stark and definitive. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 109 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings, performance only drops to 71 FPS, a decrease of about 35%. However, jumping from 1440p to 4K at High settings yields a far more severe decline, landing at just 38 FPS—a 46% drop from the 1440p figure. This behavior indicates that while the i5-12400F can keep up at lower resolutions, the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are overwhelmed as pixel count increases.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the 1080p score of 170 FPS falls to 110 FPS at 1440p, then plummets to 59 FPS at 4K. This suggests that even when graphical load is minimized, the GPU's raw compute power—7.181 TFLOPS FP32—is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is relatively modest across presets, but the gap between 1440p and 4K is always substantial, reinforcing that 4K is beyond the comfortable range for this GPU in this title.

Interestingly, the data shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint at any resolution. The i5-12400F, with 6 cores and 12 threads boosting to 4.40 GHz, provides ample headroom. Even at 1080p Low, where the 170 FPS result is highest, the processor is likely not maxed out. The bottleneck is almost entirely the GPU at 4K, as evidenced by the 29 FPS Ultra result, which is barely above a slideshow. For competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors, 1080p is the target, but for visual fidelity at 4K, this combo requires significant settings reductions.

GPU Role

The RTX 2060 SUPER is a Turing-architecture card with a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz. Its 8 GB of VRAM is a critical factor in this game's performance, particularly at higher resolutions. The measured results show that at 4K Medium, the average FPS is 45, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 52. This variance suggests that the GPU is hitting memory bandwidth limits or texture thrashing, causing frame time spikes. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 29 FPS, indicating that the card is completely saturated.

The card's specs—2176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs—are modest by modern standards, but they are sufficient for a 2014 title. The 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is the key spec for resolution scaling. At 1080p, this bandwidth is sufficient to feed the rendering pipeline, allowing the CPU to push 170 FPS at Low settings. At 1440p, the bandwidth is still adequate, but the GPU's pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s starts to become a limiting factor. At 4K, the demand for pixel throughput and memory bandwidth exceeds what the card can deliver, resulting in the sub-60 FPS results.

The GPU's benchmark scores support this analysis. Its Passmark G3D score of 16462 places it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable but not high-end. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, scores 18159, a delta of -0.4%, indicating the 2060 SUPER is essentially on par with that mobile chip. This is a mid-range desktop card that excels at 1080p gaming but struggles with 4K in demanding scenarios. The 12 nm process node and 10,800 million transistors also contribute to its thermal and power profile, but the performance data is what matters most here: the card is a capable 1080p and entry-level 1440p solution, not a 4K powerhouse.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 4K High settings, the average FPS is 38, and at Ultra it drops to 29 FPS. Only at 4K Low does it reach 59 FPS, which is technically playable but not ideal for a smooth experience.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate monitors?

A: 1920x1080 is clearly the best choice. At Low settings, the combo achieves 170 FPS, and even at High settings it maintains 109 FPS. Both results are well above the 144 Hz threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its closest rival in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 18093. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, has an average score of 18159, showing a delta of -0.4%. This means the desktop 2060 SUPER is statistically equivalent to that mobile GPU.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 170 FPS, which is a high frame rate. The i5-12400F's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380 and single-core score of 1680 indicate strong processing power for gaming.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Medium settings yield an average of 84 FPS, while High settings yield 71 FPS. This is a 13 FPS difference, or roughly 15%, which is a noticeable but not massive change in fluidity.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2602nd out of 3712 tested combinations. This places it in the lower third of all tested systems, which aligns with its mid-range CPU and GPU components.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience at 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the optimal choice. The measured data shows an average of 84 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 97 FPS. This provides a smooth gameplay experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold, while the minimum frame rate indicates that there are no major stutters or drops. The High preset at 1440p, which averages 71 FPS, is also acceptable, but Medium offers a better safety margin for demanding scenes.

At 1920x1080, High settings are the sweet spot. The average of 109 FPS is excellent, and it leaves headroom for any minor fluctuations. While Low settings push 170 FPS, the visual fidelity loss is likely not worth it. Ultra at 1080p drops to 83 FPS, which is still playable, but the jump from High to Ultra sacrifices 26 FPS for what is likely a marginal visual improvement in a 2014 title.

For 4K, the situation is more complex. Low settings at 59 FPS is the only preset that achieves near-playable frame rates. Medium drops to 45 FPS, and High falls to 38 FPS. Given the 4K panel requirement, users should stick to Low settings if they prioritize frame rate, or accept the sub-60 FPS results of Medium if they prefer visual quality. Ultra at 29 FPS is not recommended for active gameplay. The data clearly indicates that 4K is not this combo's primary use case.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination ranks 2602nd out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the 30th percentile of all systems, indicating that it is a below-average performer in this specific game. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the game's age, but it highlights how demanding high resolutions can be on any hardware.

The CPU itself is a strong performer, ranking in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 19039. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS with a score of 19047 (delta of 0%) and the Intel Core i5-1335U with a score of 18982 (delta of 0.3%). This shows that the i5-12400F is competitive with modern mobile and low-power desktop chips. The GPU, however, is weaker relative to its peers, ranking in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 18093.

The disparity between the CPU's high percentile (73%) and the GPU's lower percentile (62%) suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in this combo. The 2602nd rank out of 3712 combos reflects this, as the system is held back by the RTX 2060 SUPER's inability to maintain high frame rates at 4K. In comparison to the CPU's rivals, this combo would perform similarly with any of those CPUs, as the GPU would still be the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The exact measured FPS data is as follows:

• 3840x2160 (4K):
• Ultra: Average 29 FPS.
• High: Average 38 FPS.
• Medium: Average 45 FPS, minimum 38 FPS, maximum 52 FPS.
• Low: Average 59 FPS.

• 2560x1440 (1440p):
• Ultra: Average 54 FPS.
• High: Average 71 FPS.
• Medium: Average 84 FPS, minimum 71 FPS, maximum 97 FPS.
• Low: Average 110 FPS.

• 1920x1080 (1080p):
• Ultra: Average 83 FPS.
• High: Average 109 FPS.
• Medium: Average 130 FPS, minimum 111 FPS, maximum 150 FPS.
• Low: Average 170 FPS.

These numbers paint a clear picture. The Medium preset at 1440p and the High preset at 1080p offer the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 4K results are uniformly poor, with the best case being Low settings at 59 FPS. The minimum FPS data points, available only for Medium settings, show that frame pacing is generally stable, with the 1080p Medium minimum of 111 FPS being particularly strong. This breakdown confirms that the RTX 2060 SUPER is a capable 1080p card that can handle 1440p with adjusted settings, but it should not be paired with a 4K monitor for this game.