Minimum

# Minimum with Intel Core i5-12600KF + AMD Radeon RX 7700

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers a solid foundation for Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter that remains surprisingly demanding at higher settings. This combo ranks 1298th out of 2939 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p but begins to strain at 4K, particularly when settings are pushed to Ultra. The data indicates a balanced pairing where the CPU's strong single-thread performance and the GPU's substantial memory bandwidth work together effectively, though the GPU becomes the primary constraint as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K shows a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 214 at 1080p to 138 at 1440p, then to 74 at 4K. This represents a 35.5% reduction when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 46.4% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The Low preset at 4K still maintains playable performance at 74 FPS, but the scaling curve suggests the RX 7700 is working progressively harder as pixel count increases.

At Medium settings, the same pattern emerges with averages of 164 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 35.4%, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 46.2%, nearly identical percentages to the Low preset. This consistency indicates that the resolution scaling is independent of quality settings, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where pixel fill rate becomes the limiting factor.

The High preset shows a steeper decline: 137 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p (a 35.0% drop), and 48 FPS at 4K (a 46.1% drop from 1440p). The Ultra preset follows the same proportional pattern with 105 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K. The consistent percentage drops across all settings strongly suggest that resolution scaling is governed by the GPU's pixel throughput capabilities rather than any CPU bottleneck.

The data reveals that 4K gaming with this combo requires careful setting selection. Even at Low settings, the 74 FPS average at 4K is the only preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. At Medium, the 57 FPS average is borderline, while High at 48 FPS and Ultra at 36 FPS fall below acceptable thresholds for smooth gameplay. The 1440p resolution, however, offers much more headroom, with even Ultra settings maintaining a 68 FPS average.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 7700 achieves a rank of 1298 out of 2939 tested combinations in Minimum. This places the system in the 55.8th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms more than half of the systems tested while remaining behind the top performers. The rank reflects a balanced mid-to-upper tier configuration that handles this game well at mainstream resolutions.

The CPU component of this combo, the i5-12600KF, holds a 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K with an average score of 27872 and a delta of -0.3%, the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE at 27712 with a 0.3% delta, the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U at 27887 with a -0.3% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D at 27896 with a -0.3% delta. These rivals are essentially performance peers, with the i5-12600KF's average benchmark score of 27799 sitting within 0.3% of all four competitors. This tight clustering indicates that CPU performance is not a differentiator in this combo's ranking.

The GPU, the RX 7700, holds a 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 370X with an average score of 15862 and a -0.1% delta, the AMD Radeon RX 9060 at 16014 with a -1% delta, the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at 15679 with a 1.1% delta, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti at 16129 with a -1.7% delta. The RX 7700's average benchmark score of 15852 places it slightly below the R9 370X and RTX 3060 Ti, though the deltas are small enough that real-world gaming performance differences are minimal.

The combo's overall rank of 1298 suggests that while neither component is a top-tier performer, their combination creates a system that handles Minimum well in most scenarios. The rank is influenced more by the GPU's mid-tier positioning than the CPU's solid 79th percentile score, as the game's frame rates at higher resolutions demonstrate GPU-bound behavior.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 plays a critical role in determining this combo's performance in Minimum. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This substantial memory bandwidth is particularly relevant for a 2014 title that may rely on texture streaming and large assets, though the game's age means it likely doesn't fully utilize the available bandwidth.

The GPU's clock speeds include a base clock of 1900 MHz, a boost clock of 2459 MHz, and a game clock of 2041 MHz. The memory operates at 2438 MHz with 19.5 Gbps effective speed. These clocks, combined with 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, deliver a pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance of 25.18 TFLOPS provides ample compute capacity for this game's visual effects.

The GPU's 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, has a higher average benchmark score of 16129 compared to the RX 7700's 15852, a delta of -1.7%. However, in actual gameplay measurements for Minimum, the RX 7700 delivers strong results, suggesting that the benchmark scores do not fully capture gaming performance in this specific title.

The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is generous for a game released in 2014, and at no point in the measured results does VRAM capacity appear to be a limiting factor. Even at 4K Ultra, where the game shows the lowest average of 36 FPS, the frame rate degradation is consistent with GPU compute limitations rather than memory constraints. The measured FPS data shows no sudden drops or stutters that would indicate VRAM overflow.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, all settings deliver playable performance, with Low hitting 214 FPS, Medium at 164 FPS, High at 137 FPS, and Ultra at 105 FPS. For competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays, Low or Medium settings provide the highest frame rates, while High offers a balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra at 105 FPS remains smooth and is recommended for those prioritizing visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts toward Medium or High settings. Medium delivers 106 FPS average with a minimum of 90 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. High at 89 FPS is also excellent and likely represents the best balance for most players. Ultra at 68 FPS remains playable but begins to approach the threshold where frame drops become noticeable during intense action sequences. Low at 138 FPS is unnecessary unless pursuing maximum frame rates.

At 4K, settings choices become critical. Low at 74 FPS is the only preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for smooth gameplay. Medium at 57 FPS is borderline, and the minimum of 48 FPS suggests occasional drops below acceptable levels. High at 48 FPS and Ultra at 36 FPS are not recommended for serious play, as the frame rates fall below the smoothness threshold.

For the best overall experience, Medium settings at 1440p provide the strongest combination of visual quality and performance, with a 106 FPS average and a 90 FPS minimum. Players with 1080p displays can comfortably use High or Ultra settings, while 4K users should stick to Low for consistent performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measurements show a clear hierarchy across settings. Low settings produce an average of 214 FPS, which is the highest measured result for this combo. Medium settings deliver 164 FPS average with a minimum of 139 FPS and a maximum of 188 FPS, indicating consistent performance with minimal frame variance. High settings achieve 137 FPS average, while Ultra settings yield 105 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 50.9% reduction in frame rate, from 214 FPS to 105 FPS, which is a substantial but expected cost for increased visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down proportionally. Low settings produce 138 FPS average, Medium delivers 106 FPS average with a 90 FPS minimum and 121 FPS maximum, High achieves 89 FPS average, and Ultra yields 68 FPS average. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a 31 FPS range between minimum and maximum, suggesting some frame variability during intense scenes, but the 90 FPS minimum remains well above playable thresholds.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens considerably. Low settings deliver 74 FPS average, Medium produces 57 FPS average with a 48 FPS minimum and 65 FPS maximum, High achieves 48 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 36 FPS average. The Medium preset at 4K shows a 17 FPS range, with the 48 FPS minimum representing the lowest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. This highlights the GPU's struggle at 4K with higher quality settings.

Comparing across resolutions at the same settings, the scaling is consistent. At Medium, the 1080p average of 164 FPS drops to 106 FPS at 1440p and 57 FPS at 4K. The 1440p result represents 64.6% of the 1080p performance, while the 4K result represents 34.8% of the 1080p performance. This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count increases quadratically with resolution.

FAQ

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

A: The 1440p resolution offers the best balance, with Medium settings delivering 106 FPS average and a 90 FPS minimum. High settings at 1440p achieve 89 FPS average, providing excellent visual quality with strong performance.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Minimum?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which deliver 74 FPS average. Medium settings at 4K produce 57 FPS average with a 48 FPS minimum, which is borderline, while High at 48 FPS and Ultra at 36 FPS fall below smooth gameplay thresholds.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852, while the RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, giving the RTX 3060 Ti a 1.7% advantage. This difference is minor and unlikely to produce noticeable real-world performance gaps in Minimum.

Q: What is the CPU's performance ranking relative to its rivals?

A: The i5-12600KF holds a 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27799. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, scores 27896, a difference of only 0.3%.

Q: Which settings preset shows the most consistent frame pacing?

A: The Medium preset provides measured minimum and maximum values across all resolutions. At 1080p, it ranges from 139 to 188 FPS; at 1440p, from 90 to 121 FPS; and at 4K, from 48 to 65 FPS. The variance is proportionally similar across resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the system is well-balanced at 1080p, with frame rates ranging from 105 FPS at Ultra to 214 FPS at Low. The consistent scaling across settings indicates the GPU handles the load effectively without a significant CPU bottleneck.