Minimum

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for Minimum with the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 shows a dramatic scaling curve as resolution climbs. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 356 avg FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that to 230 avg FPS, a 35% reduction. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields 124 avg FPS, which is 46% lower than the 1440p result and 65% lower than the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the system transitions from a CPU-bound state at 1080p to a GPU-bound state at 4K.

At 1080p Low, the frame rate is exceptionally high — 356 avg FPS — which strongly suggests the CPU is the limiting factor. The i5-12400F's six cores and twelve threads, with a 4.40 GHz boost clock, can only push so many draw calls per second, even in a 2014-era title like Minimum. The RTX 4080, with its 9728 shading units and 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, is effectively idle at these settings and resolution. The gap between 1080p Low (356) and 1440p Low (230) is 126 FPS, which is a massive drop — far larger than what pure pixel-count scaling would predict if the GPU were the bottleneck.

By contrast, the jump from 1440p to 4K at Low settings is less severe in percentage terms: 230 to 124 avg FPS, a 46% decline. This still outpaces the raw pixel count increase (2.25x more pixels from 1440p to 4K), but the pattern across all settings tells a clearer story. At Ultra settings, the 4K result is 61 avg FPS versus 174 at 1080p — a 65% drop. At High settings, 4K produces 79 avg FPS versus 229 at 1080p — a 65.5% drop. These consistent reductions across settings indicate that once the GPU is fully engaged, the RTX 4080's performance ceiling in Minimum is what governs the 4K experience.

The data shows a clear inflection point. At 1080p and 1440p with Low or Medium settings, the i5-12400F's single-thread performance (1680 in Cinebench R23 single-core) becomes the constraint. At 4K, regardless of settings, the GPU's raw throughput — 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate — determines the outcome. For a builder targeting high refresh rates at 1080p or 1440p, this pairing leaves performance on the table because the CPU cannot feed the GPU fast enough. At 4K, the balance shifts appropriately, and the RTX 4080 becomes the primary driver of frame rates.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a six-core, twelve-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz are moderate by modern standards, but the architecture's efficiency matters more than raw clocks in a game like Minimum. The CPU's L3 cache is 18 MB shared, with 1.25 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core. These cache sizes are relevant because the game's 2014 release date means it was designed for CPUs with far less cache, but the i5-12400F's capacity still helps maintain consistent frame pacing.

Benchmark results place this CPU in the 73rd percentile among all tested processors. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 12380, while the single-core score is 1680. The single-thread performance is what matters most for Minimum, given that the game's engine predates widespread multi-threaded optimization. The 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and the 2-thread score of 1699 reinforce this: the CPU's strength in lightly-threaded workloads directly translates to high FPS at lower resolutions.

Looking at the measured FPS data, the CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p Low, where the combo hits 356 avg FPS. This is nearly triple the 4K Ultra result (61 avg FPS), and the gap cannot be attributed to GPU capability alone. The RTX 4080's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores within 0.1% in average benchmarks, yet the CPU's ceiling in Minimum prevents the GPU from ever reaching its full potential at 1080p. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5895 and max-thread score of 5912 indicate that the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are not the bottleneck; it is the per-core throughput that caps frame rates.

The i5-12400F's 65 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it an accessible choice, but for Minimum specifically, the data suggests that a CPU with higher single-thread performance would yield better 1080p results. However, the measured FPS at 1440p High (148 avg) and 4K High (79 avg) show that the CPU keeps pace adequately at higher resolutions. The game's engine likely uses a single primary thread for game logic, and the i5-12400F's 4.40 GHz boost clock provides enough headroom to avoid severe stutters, but the 356 FPS at 1080p Low is the practical ceiling for this pairing.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm TSMC process, featuring 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. Its boost clock of 2505 MHz and base clock of 2205 MHz are high for a GPU of this class. The memory subsystem consists of 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. With 112 ROPs and 304 TMUs, the RTX 4080's pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s are substantial, but Minimum's age means these resources are not fully taxed at 1080p.

The GPU's percentile ranking is 86th among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% higher. These close margins in synthetic benchmarks do not necessarily translate to Minimum's real-world performance, but they contextualize the GPU's raw capability.

In the measured FPS data, the GPU's role becomes dominant at 4K. At 3840x2160, the difference between Low (124 avg) and Ultra (61 avg) is 63 FPS — a 51% reduction. This scaling shows that settings impact the GPU's workload significantly. The RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Minimum at any resolution; the game's textures from 2014 are unlikely to exceed even 4 GB at Ultra settings. The limiting factor is the GPU's shader throughput and memory bandwidth at 4K, where the 716.8 GB/s bandwidth is taxed by the pixel density.

At 1440p, the GPU scales predictably: Low produces 230 avg FPS, Medium 176, High 148, and Ultra 112. These figures show a linear progression from Low to Ultra, with each settings tier costing roughly 20-30% performance. At 1080p, the GPU is underutilized; the 356 avg FPS at Low is a CPU-bound result, and the 174 avg FPS at Ultra still leaves headroom. The RTX 4080's 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance is overkill for this title, but at 4K Ultra, the 61 avg FPS indicates the GPU is finally working near its limit for this game's engine.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For a 1080p display, the data suggests that High settings at 229 avg FPS is the sweet spot for most users. It delivers a 55 FPS improvement over Ultra (174 avg) while maintaining visual fidelity that is nearly indistinguishable in a 2014 title. The Low preset at 356 avg FPS is excessive for any 60 Hz or even 144 Hz monitor; the extra frames beyond 229 provide no tangible benefit. Medium at 273 avg FPS is also viable, but High offers a better balance of image quality and performance.

At 1440p, High at 148 avg FPS is the recommended preset. It is 36 FPS higher than Ultra (112 avg) and only 28 FPS lower than Medium (176 avg). The visual difference between High and Ultra in Minimum is minimal given the game's age, so the 36 FPS gain is worthwhile. Low at 230 avg FPS is unnecessary unless the user has a 240 Hz display, but even then, the jump from High (148) to Low (230) is substantial. For most 1440p monitors capped at 144 Hz or 165 Hz, High at 148 avg FPS is nearly perfect.

At 4K, the recommendation depends on the display's refresh rate. High at 79 avg FPS is the best balance for a 60 Hz monitor, as it exceeds the refresh cap comfortably. Ultra at 61 avg FPS is also playable on 60 Hz displays, but the 18 FPS drop from High is not worth the marginal visual upgrade. Medium at 95 avg FPS is suitable for 120 Hz 4K displays, though it requires accepting lower visual settings. Low at 124 avg FPS is overkill for 4K and indicates the CPU is still contributing at this resolution, but the visual sacrifices make it a poor choice for a game with dated graphics.

The Medium preset at 4K (95 avg) and 1440p (176 avg) provides the widest margin above display refresh rates for high-refresh monitors. However, for the best experience per the measured rows, High settings at 1080p or 1440p, or High at 4K for 60 Hz users, offers the optimal compromise. The data shows that Ultra settings consistently reduce FPS by 25-35% compared to High across all resolutions, which is a steep cost for a 2014 game's visual enhancements.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 246th out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the top 6.6% of all configurations. This rank is notable because the CPU is a mid-range desktop processor (73rd percentile among all CPUs), while the GPU is a high-end part (86th percentile among all GPUs). The pairing's strong rank in Minimum reflects the game's relatively low CPU demands at higher resolutions, where the RTX 4080's performance dominates.

Given the CPU's benchmark scores — a Cinebench R23 multi-core of 12380 and single-core of 1680 — the i5-12400F is not an extreme performer, yet the combo still achieves a top-250 rank. This suggests that Minimum's engine scales well with GPU throughput, and the CPU's six cores are sufficient to avoid becoming a serious bottleneck at 1440p and 4K. The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores only 0.1% higher on average, meaning the RTX 4080's raw capability is nearly identical; the rank would likely be similar with that card.

The 246th rank out of 3712 combos is a strong showing, but it is not the top tier. Combos featuring higher-end CPUs like the Core i9 or Ryzen 9 with the same GPU would likely rank higher due to better 1080p performance. However, for a builder prioritizing high refresh rate gaming at 1440p or 4K, this rank confirms that the i5-12400F does not significantly drag down the RTX 4080 in Minimum. The data indicates that the combo is well-balanced for this title, with the CPU becoming the limiting factor only at 1080p Low settings, where the 356 avg FPS is already beyond what most displays can show.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low produces 356 avg FPS, Medium produces 273 avg FPS with a minimum of 232 and maximum of 313, High produces 229 avg FPS, and Ultra produces 174 avg FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 182 FPS, which is a 51% reduction. The Medium preset's min FPS of 232 indicates that frame pacing remains consistent even under load, with no severe dips. The maximum of 313 FPS at Medium suggests that the CPU can push higher when the scene is less demanding, but the average stabilizes around 273.

At 2560x1440, the values are: Low at 230 avg FPS, Medium at 176 avg FPS (min 149, max 202), High at 148 avg FPS, and Ultra at 112 avg FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is 126 FPS (356 to 230), which is a 35% reduction. At Medium, the drop is 97 FPS (273 to 176), a 35.5% reduction. At High, the drop is 81 FPS (229 to 148), a 35.4% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is 62 FPS (174 to 112), a 35.6% reduction. The consistency of this 35% reduction across all settings at 1440p indicates that the scaling factor is resolution-driven, not settings-driven, and points to the GPU being the primary limiter once pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the values are: Low at 124 avg FPS, Medium at 95 avg FPS (min 80, max 109), High at 79 avg FPS, and Ultra at 61 avg FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K at Low settings is a 106 FPS drop (230 to 124), a 46% reduction. At Medium, the drop is 81 FPS (176 to 95), a 46% reduction. At High, the drop is 69 FPS (148 to 79), a 46.6% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is 51 FPS (112 to 61), a 45.5% reduction. The 4K results show a tighter percentage drop across settings compared to 1440p, which reinforces that the GPU is fully saturated at this resolution.

The Medium preset at 4K has the only complete min/max data in the 4K set: min 80, max 109. This 29 FPS range indicates some scene-to-scene variability, but the average of 95 FPS is stable. At 1440p Medium, the min/max range is 149 to 202, a 53 FPS spread, which suggests more variability due to CPU involvement at this resolution. At 1080p Medium, the min/max is 232 to 313, an 81 FPS spread — the widest range in the entire dataset. This wide range at 1080p Medium is a direct consequence of the CPU being the bottleneck, as frame rates fluctuate based on the game's draw call load rather than the GPU's rendering speed. For all other settings and resolutions, the data shows a consistent pattern: the CPU governs 1080p performance, while the GPU governs 1440p and 4K performance.