Minimum

# Minimum: Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released on 2014-06-25. The measured frame rates show this combination sits in the 541st position out of 1733 tested combos, placing it in the upper third of all configurations. The data reveals a system that excels at high-refresh-rate gaming at lower resolutions while remaining playable at 4K, with the GPU consistently acting as the primary performance limiter across most settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates classic GPU-bound behavior with a strong dependency on resolution. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 172.2 at 1080p to 107.7 at 1440p, then further to 58.5 at 4K. This represents a 37.5% reduction when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a 66% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that has ample bandwidth—the RTX 3080's 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 320-bit bus width help maintain performance as pixel count increases.

The Low settings preset shows even more dramatic scaling: 264.9 FPS at 1080p falls to 171 at 1440p and 92.2 at 4K. The percentage drops are similar across presets, which indicates the performance curve is primarily driven by resolution rather than settings complexity. However, the gap between Low and Ultra narrows at higher resolutions—at 1080p the difference is 136 FPS (264.9 vs 128.9), while at 4K it shrinks to 44.5 FPS (92.2 vs 47.7). This compression suggests that at 4K, the GPU becomes so heavily loaded that even lowering settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel throughput demands.

The data indicates that 4K Ultra at 47.7 FPS is the only configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, while 4K High at 58.5 FPS is borderline. For smooth 60+ FPS gameplay at 4K, users would need to select Medium settings, which yields 71.2 FPS. At 1440p, all presets exceed 85 FPS, making this resolution the sweet spot for balancing visual quality and refresh rate. The 1080p results, particularly the 264.9 FPS Low and 206.3 FPS Medium figures, suggest the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU well beyond typical 144Hz monitor refresh rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 541 out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the 68.8th percentile of all configurations tested in Minimum. This is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU, though the ranking reveals that the RTX 3080 is not pushing the i5-12400F to the absolute top tier of performance. The rank reflects the balanced nature of this pairing—the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU at most resolutions, but the combination also does not reach the elite tier occupied by flagship CPUs paired with top-end graphics cards.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 19221 places it near the Intel Core i7-8700K (19210, +0.1% delta) and Intel Core i5-1335U (19167, +0.3% delta), while slightly trailing the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (19364, -0.7% delta) and ahead of the AMD EPYC 7773X (18979, +1.3% delta). This clustering indicates the i5-12400F delivers performance comparable to previous-generation high-end desktop parts and current mid-range mobile offerings, though the EPYC 7773X's server-oriented design explains its lower score in gaming-oriented benchmarks.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 35787 positions it near the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35860, -0.2% delta) and AMD Radeon 880M (35646, +0.4% delta), while slightly behind the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36101, -0.9% delta) and ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (35435, +1% delta). This suggests the RTX 3080 remains competitive with newer mid-range offerings, though the delta values are small enough that real-world game performance will vary based on specific workload characteristics.

The 541st rank out of 1733 combos means roughly 31% of tested configurations perform better in Minimum. Given the game's 2014 release date, this result is expected—newer CPUs and GPUs with higher bandwidth and more compute units will naturally outperform this pairing. However, the percentile ranking of 77 for the CPU and 80 for the GPU against all parts suggests both components are solidly above average in their respective categories.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, built on the Ampere architecture with an 8 nm process from Samsung, provides the computational backbone for this configuration. Its 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs deliver substantial raw compute power, evidenced by the 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 performance. The GA102 chip, with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, operates at a base clock of 1440 MHz and boosts to 1710 MHz, with memory running at 19 Gbps effective.

The 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus provides 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves sufficient for Minimum's demands even at 4K resolution. The measured FPS data shows no signs of memory capacity limitations—the 4K Ultra preset at 47.7 FPS is more likely constrained by raw compute than by VRAM exhaustion. The GPU's 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are present but largely irrelevant for this game, which predates widespread ray tracing adoption in the genre.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its position: a Passmark G3D score of 25086 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4407. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 167014 and Vulkan score of 145176 indicate strong general-purpose compute capabilities. The Passmark DirectX 11 score of 207 and DirectX 12 score of 100 show the GPU handles modern APIs well, with the DirectX 12 score being a normalized value rather than a raw performance indicator.

The GPU's 80th percentile ranking against all GPUs places it well above average, though its "End-of-life" production status suggests newer alternatives exist. The 700 W suggested PSU requirement and 320 W TDP indicate this is a power-hungry component, but the performance data justifies the power draw for high-refresh-rate gaming. The dual-slot design and 285 mm length make it a substantial physical presence, though the 1x 12-pin power connector simplifies installation compared to multi-connector designs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 3080 produces exceptional frame rates across all presets. Low settings achieve 264.9 FPS, Medium reaches 206.3 FPS, High delivers 172.2 FPS, and Ultra still manages 128.9 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the GPU is rarely the limiting factor—even Ultra settings produce frame rates well above the refresh rate of most monitors. The spread from Low to Ultra is 136 FPS, showing that settings have a significant impact at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but the gap between presets narrows. Low delivers 171 FPS, Medium drops to 131.9 FPS, High achieves 107.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 85.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 85.8 FPS, a reduction from 1080p that reflects the increased pixel workload. All presets at 1440p remain above 85 FPS, making this resolution suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors (144Hz and above) when using Medium or lower settings, and for 100Hz+ monitors with High settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. Low settings produce 92.2 FPS, Medium reaches 71.2 FPS, High drops to 58.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 47.7 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 44.5 FPS, the smallest of any resolution. This compression indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that the difference between presets becomes less pronounced—each setting tier only adds or removes a few milliseconds of render time. For 60 FPS gaming at 4K, Medium is the highest playable setting, while High and Ultra require accepting frame rates below 60 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 3080 is overkill for 1080p, well-suited for 1440p, and adequate for 4K with settings adjustments. The frame rates scale predictably with resolution, and the GPU's 10 GB VRAM and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Minimum's requirements across all tested configurations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F, part of the Alder Lake-S family, provides 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core help feed the RTX 3080 with data, while the 10 nm process node and 163 mm² die size keep power consumption at a modest 65 W TDP. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, providing flexibility for system builders.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong single-threaded performance with a 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2332. The Geekbench single-core score of 2221 and Passmark single-thread score of 3481 confirm that the i5-12400F excels at lightly-threaded workloads, which is critical for Minimum's gameplay. The multi-threaded results are equally solid: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 16518, while the 3DMark max-threads score of 5912 and Passmark multithread score of 19433 demonstrate good scaling across the 6 cores.

The CPU's 77th percentile ranking against all CPUs places it above average, with an average benchmark score of 19221. The nearest rivals clustering is tight—the i7-8700K at +0.1% delta and i5-1335U at +0.3% delta are essentially tied, while the Ryzen 5 7533HS at -0.7% delta and EPYC 7773X at +1.3% delta show the i5-12400F sits in a competitive mid-range bracket. The 65 W TDP and $174 launch MSRP position this CPU as an efficient mid-range option, though the multiplier is locked, limiting overclocking potential.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU at most resolutions. The 1080p Low setting at 264.9 FPS suggests the CPU can feed frames well beyond what most displays can show, and the high single-thread performance ensures that game logic and physics calculations are handled without bottlenecking. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz provides the frequency headroom needed for the game's CPU-bound sections, while the 6-core/12-thread configuration handles background tasks without impacting gameplay performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Minimum?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 with High settings delivers 107.7 FPS, offering a strong balance between visual quality and smoothness. For higher refresh rates, 1440p Medium at 131.9 FPS or Low at 171 FPS are excellent choices. At 4K, Medium at 71.2 FPS is the highest playable preset for 60 FPS gaming.

Q: Can this combo achieve 4K gaming at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only with settings adjustments. The measured FPS shows 4K Medium at 71.2 FPS exceeds 60 FPS, while 4K High at 58.5 FPS and 4K Ultra at 47.7 FPS fall short. Users targeting 60 FPS at 4K should select Medium settings or lower.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its nearest rivals in this configuration?

A: The RTX 3080's average benchmark score of 35787 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35860, -0.2% delta) and AMD Radeon 880M (35646, +0.4% delta). It trails the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36101, -0.9% delta) and leads the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (35435, +1% delta) by small margins.

Q: Is the i5-12400F a bottleneck for the RTX 3080 in Minimum?

A: The data does not indicate a significant CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 264.9 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed frames well beyond typical display refresh rates. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2332 indicate strong per-core performance suitable for this game.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, Low achieves 264.9 FPS and Ultra 128.9 FPS, a 136 FPS difference. At 1440p, Low reaches 171 FPS and Ultra 85.2 FPS, an 85.8 FPS gap. At 4K, Low produces 92.2 FPS and Ultra 47.7 FPS, a 44.5 FPS difference. The gap narrows as resolution increases due to GPU load.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested combinations in Minimum?

A: This combo ranks 541 out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the 68.8th percentile. The CPU's 77th percentile and GPU's 80th percentile against all parts indicate both components are above average, though the overall combo rank reflects the balanced mid-to-upper tier positioning of this pairing.