Minimum

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 106th out of 3,712 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the top 3% of all configurations evaluated for this title. That ranking reflects a combination where the GPU carries nearly all the visual workload, while the six-core processor provides sufficient throughput to avoid becoming a hard bottleneck at most settings. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited in this third-person shooter, with the RTX 5090’s massive memory pool and high clock speeds dictating performance at every resolution tested. For a game released in 2014, this pairing delivers extremely high frame rates, though the gap between the CPU’s modest multi-threaded scores and the GPU’s elite compute results becomes visible at lower resolutions where the processor must feed frames faster.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 106 out of 3,712 places this configuration in the 97th percentile of all tested pairings for Minimum. That puts it ahead of the vast majority of systems, but notably not at the very top—there are 105 combos that achieve higher measured performance in this game. The ranking is driven almost entirely by the RTX 5090’s benchmark dominance; the GPU’s average benchmark score of 79,842 sits at the 92nd percentile among all graphics cards, while the i5-12400F’s average score of 19,039 lands at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. That disparity means the combo’s rank is limited by the CPU’s relative standing, not the GPU’s. In practical terms, this is a system where the graphics card is performing near its maximum capability in Minimum, but the processor’s 6-core, 12-thread configuration prevents the absolute top-tier results that would come from pairing this GPU with a higher-scoring CPU.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals shows how close the i5-12400F is to other mid-range parts. The AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS scores 19,047, essentially identical with a delta of 0%. The Intel Core 3 201E scores 19,056 (-0.1%), and the Intel Core i5-1335U scores 18,982 (+0.3%). These differences are negligible, meaning the i5-12400F is squarely in a performance band where no single rival holds an advantage in synthetic multi-threaded work. For Minimum, this translates to consistent frame delivery without CPU-induced stutter, but also without headroom for extreme overclocking—the multiplier is locked, so the 2.50 GHz base and 4.40 GHz boost are fixed limits.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB at 79,605 (+0.3% for the RTX 5090), the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB at 79,396 (+0.6%), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78,940 (+1.1%). The RTX 5090 is only 1.4% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (80,959). These deltas are tiny, suggesting that the RTX 5090 is not dramatically ahead of some older workstation parts in raw compute, but its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth give it a distinct advantage in real-world gaming scenarios like Minimum, where texture loading and high-resolution rendering benefit from that bandwidth.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this combo, and its specifications explain why. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. That memory configuration is overkill for a 2014 game, but it ensures that Minimum never hits a VRAM ceiling, even at 4K with Ultra settings. The base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and the memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). These clocks are high enough that the GPU’s 21,760 shading units and 680 TMUs are kept busy, producing a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s. The FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS is more than sufficient for a game of this era, meaning the RTX 5090 is never the limiting factor in any measured scenario.

In Minimum, the GPU’s role is to push frame rates as high as the CPU will allow. At 1080p, the RTX 5090 produces 372 FPS on Low settings, which is close to the practical limit for many displays. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is substantial: 372 FPS versus 197 FPS, a 47% drop. That scaling shows the GPU is being increasingly stressed as settings rise, but even at Ultra, the frame rate remains far above what most monitors can display. At 4K, the GPU still delivers 140 FPS on Low and 69 FPS on Ultra, demonstrating that the RTX 5090 has enough raw compute to handle this game at maximum resolution without falling below playable thresholds.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its strong position. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 18,355 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 376,728 both indicate a card that excels in modern APIs, but Minimum is an older title that likely relies on DX11 or similar. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 341 is notably higher than the DirectX 12 score of 185, which suggests the card’s legacy performance is strong. The PassMark G3D score of 39,650 places it in the 92nd percentile, and the GPU compute score of 26,756 shows solid parallel processing capability. For Minimum, these benchmarks translate to a card that can handle any setting preset without breaking a sweat, with the only limitation being the CPU’s ability to supply draw calls.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the system scales from 1080p to 4K, and that scaling tells a clear story about the limiting component. At 1080p with Low settings, the system delivers 372 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 260 FPS, a 30% reduction. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 140 FPS, another 46% drop from 1440p. This pattern—large percentage drops as resolution increases—indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at lower resolutions. The CPU is not holding back the system at 1080p Low, because the frame rate is so high that the GPU is still able to render frames as fast as the processor can submit them.

However, the scaling changes when settings are increased. At 1080p Ultra, the system runs at 197 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 127 FPS (a 36% reduction), and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 69 FPS (a 46% reduction from 1440p). The percentage drops between resolutions are similar across settings, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. At Ultra settings, the GPU’s shading units and TMUs are working harder, so the resolution scaling is more uniform. The fact that 4K Ultra still achieves 69 FPS indicates that the RTX 5090 has enough headroom to run this game at maximum fidelity, but the frame rate is low enough to suggest that the CPU’s single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 909, Cinebench R23 single-core of 1,680) might be starting to matter at the highest settings.

Comparing Low to Ultra at each resolution shows the GPU’s load. At 1080p, Low produces 372 FPS and Ultra produces 197 FPS, a 47% reduction. At 1440p, Low gives 260 FPS and Ultra gives 127 FPS, a 51% reduction. At 4K, Low gives 140 FPS and Ultra gives 69 FPS, a 51% reduction. These consistent reductions across resolutions indicate that the GPU is scaling predictably with workload, and the CPU is not introducing additional bottlenecks as resolution increases. The i5-12400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads are enough to keep up with the GPU’s frame output, even at 4K, where the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. On Low settings, the average FPS is 372, with no minimum or maximum values recorded. Medium settings produce 309 FPS on average, with a minimum of 262 and a maximum of 355. High settings drop to 259 FPS average, and Ultra settings yield 197 FPS. These numbers show a clear ladder: each step from Low to Ultra reduces performance by roughly 50-70 FPS. The Medium setting’s min FPS of 262 is still far above any refresh rate on the market, meaning there is no risk of perceptible stutter at 1080p with this combo.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to show more separation. Low settings average 260 FPS, Medium averages 199 FPS (with a min of 169 and max of 229), High averages 167 FPS, and Ultra drops to 127 FPS. The Medium setting’s min FPS of 169 is noteworthy—it suggests that even in demanding scenes, the system stays above 144 Hz, making this a viable resolution for high-refresh-rate monitors. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 133 FPS, which is a larger absolute reduction than at 1080p but proportional to the resolution increase.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers playable frame rates, but the top end is lower. Low settings average 140 FPS, Medium averages 107 FPS (with a min of 91 and max of 123), High averages 90 FPS, and Ultra drops to 69 FPS. The Medium setting’s min FPS of 91 is above 60, which is the minimum threshold for smooth gameplay, but it is close enough that demanding scenes could approach that limit. Ultra at 4K is the only setting where the average FPS falls below 70, indicating that this setting is best reserved for players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate.

The data includes min and max FPS values only for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range is 262-355 FPS, a spread of 93 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 169-229 FPS, a spread of 60 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 91-123 FPS, a spread of 32 FPS. This narrowing range with higher resolution is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario—at 1080p, the GPU is so fast that frame times vary more due to CPU and driver overhead, while at 4K, the GPU’s render time dominates and stabilizes the frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p, any setting from Low to Ultra is playable, but Medium offers the best balance. The Medium preset delivers 309 FPS average with a minimum of 262 FPS, which is above all consumer refresh rates. High settings at 259 FPS are also excellent, but Ultra at 197 FPS is still far above 144 Hz. If the goal is maximum visual quality without sacrificing responsiveness, Medium is the sweet spot—it provides a 50 FPS uplift over High while maintaining a min FPS that is 93 FPS above the Ultra average.

At 1440p, Medium is again the recommended setting. The 199 FPS average with a 169 FPS minimum ensures that even the most demanding scenes stay above 144 Hz. High settings at 167 FPS are close, but the min FPS is not recorded for High, so Medium’s documented floor of 169 FPS provides more certainty. Ultra at 127 FPS is still smooth for 120 Hz displays, but it lacks the headroom of Medium. Low at 260 FPS is unnecessary unless chasing extreme frame rates, as the visual quality loss is not worth the 61 FPS gain over Medium.

At 4K, the recommendation shifts. Medium settings produce 107 FPS average with a minimum of 91 FPS, which is the only setting at this resolution with both recorded min and max values. High settings drop to 90 FPS, and Ultra falls to 69 FPS. Low at 140 FPS is smooth, but the visual compromise is substantial. For a 60 Hz display, Ultra is technically playable at 69 FPS, but the margin is thin. For 120 Hz displays, Medium is the only viable option that stays above 90 FPS. The data suggests that Medium at 4K is the best experience—it offers a 17 FPS improvement over High while maintaining a min FPS above 90, which is sufficient for most high-refresh-rate panels.

Across all resolutions, Medium is the most consistent recommendation. It provides the highest average FPS with a documented minimum, offering predictable performance without the extremes of Low or Ultra. The RTX 5090’s 32 GB of VRAM means that memory capacity is never a concern, even at 4K Ultra, so the choice of settings is purely about frame rate versus visual quality. For players with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors, Medium at 1440p or 4K delivers the best combination of smoothness and fidelity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It has 18 MB of shared L3 cache, with 80 KB of L1 and 1.25 MB of L2 per core. The CPU’s TDP is 65 W, and it supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode. For Minimum, a game released in 2014, the CPU’s role is to maintain a steady stream of draw calls and game logic updates without becoming a bottleneck. The benchmark scores show that the i5-12400F is a mid-range part: its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12,380 and single-core score of 1,680 place it in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs.

The single-thread performance is particularly relevant for an older game like Minimum, which likely relies on one or two primary threads. The 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and the Geekbench single-core score of 1,964 indicate that the i5-12400F can handle the main game thread efficiently. The PassMark single-thread score of 3,481 is in line with other 12th-gen Core i5 parts. In practice, this means the CPU can feed the RTX 5090 with frames at up to 372 FPS at 1080p Low, which is the highest measured result. At 4K Ultra, the CPU is less stressed because the GPU’s render time is longer, giving the processor more time to prepare the next frame.

The multi-threaded scores show that the i5-12400F is not a top-tier part, but it is sufficient for this game. The Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 6,980 and the Geekbench multi-core score of 9,472 are modest compared to higher-core-count CPUs, but Minimum does not appear to scale well beyond a few threads. The nearest CPU rivals—the Ryzen 5 7535HS, Core 3 201E, and Core i5-1335U—all have similar average scores, confirming that the i5-12400F is in a competitive band for this workload. The CPU’s 12 threads provide enough parallelism for background tasks, but the game itself is unlikely to use more than a few cores.

The CPU’s locked multiplier means that overclocking is not an option, but the 4.40 GHz boost clock is sufficient for this game’s demands. The 10 nm process node and 65 W TDP keep thermals manageable, although the data does not include cooler specifications. The CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes, which is more than enough for the RTX 5090’s PCIe 5.0 x16 interface. The memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 gives builders flexibility, but the measured FPS data does not differentiate between memory types. The i5-12400F’s role in this combo is to stay out of the way—it provides enough single-thread performance to keep the GPU fed at 1080p and 1440p, and at 4K, the GPU’s render time masks any CPU limitations. The result is a system that delivers high frame rates across all settings, with the CPU never being the primary constraint except perhaps at the very highest frame rates measured.