Minimum

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a robust experience in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter that remains sensitive to both CPU and GPU scaling. Benchmark results from the measured FPS table show this combination is capable of very high frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions, with the data indicating a clear progression from GPU-bound at 4K to CPU-bound at 1080p. This analysis covers the measured performance across the four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) and three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160), placing this combo at rank 1589 out of 3712 tested configurations in the game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows show a strong performance hierarchy across the four presets. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 112 FPS, which is already well above typical "smooth" thresholds, but the gap to High is substantial: High runs at 147.1 FPS, 31.5% faster than Ultra. Medium sits at 175.2 FPS, 56.4% faster than Ultra, and Low reaches 229.1 FPS, 104.6% faster than the Ultra setting. These are not small differences; Ultra costs a large fraction of the headroom relative to High.

At 2560x1440, the pattern is similar but compressed. Ultra averages 72.1 FPS, which is playable but with less margin. High delivers 95.1 FPS, 31.9% faster than Ultra; Medium hits 113.2 FPS, 57.0% faster; Low reaches 148.1 FPS, 105.4% faster. At 3840x2160, Ultra drops to 39.1 FPS, which is significantly below what most users would call fluid. High is 51.1 FPS, 30.7% faster; Medium is 61.2 FPS, 56.5% faster; Low is 79.1 FPS, 102.3% faster.

From the data, the best measured experience is a balance: the High preset at 2560x1440 gives 95.1 FPS, which is comfortable for most display scenarios, while at 1920x1080 High provides 147.1 FPS, leaving headroom for other tasks or future settings. The Medium preset at 2560x1440 (113.2 FPS) also looks like a strong choice, especially considering the measured minimum of 96.1 FPS at that preset, which is still above typical 60 FPS thresholds. Ultra at any resolution is not recommended; the 39.1 FPS at 4K is below the 60 FPS target, and even at 1080p the 112.3 FPS average is not worth the extra load relative to High when the visual difference is often modest.

The data also shows that Low preset at 1080p (229.1 FPS) is the only configuration that surpasses 200 FPS, which could be relevant for extremely high refresh displays, but the 112.3 FPS at Ultra is still a real difference. For a smooth experience with quality, the recommendation is High preset at 1440p or 1080p, with Medium as a fallback for slightly lower resolution. The gains from High to Low are proportional across resolutions, so the optimal settings are these: 1080p High, 1440p High or Medium, 4K Medium.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is an Ampere architecture GPU on Samsung 8 nm process, with 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1500 MHz, boost 1725 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). This configuration is the only GPU in the combo, and the data indicates it is the primary performance limiter as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily stressed. The Ultra preset averages 39.1 FPS, which is a 65.1% reduction from the 1080p Ultra (112.3 FPS). This heavy scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed. Medium at 4K gives 61.2 FPS, and High 51.1 FPS, so the GPU can handle 4K only with lower settings. The 8 GB capacity is adequate for this 2014 game since it's not a modern title, but the compute load still scales with resolution.

The GPU's texture rate is 317.4 GTexel/s, pixel rate 165.6 GPixel/s, and FP32 performance 20.31 TFLOPS. These are strong numbers, but for 4K Ultra the data shows 39.1 FPS, meaning the GPU is not enough for maximum quality at 4K. In contrast, at 1080p the GPU is less constrained, and the frame rate is much higher, with Low hitting 229.1 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM is not a bottleneck in this game from the measured data, as even the heaviest settings (4K Ultra) didn't show a min FPS lower than the average plus a large frame time, but the absence of min FPS for some presets (High, Low, Ultra at all resolutions) means we can only judge by averages.

The RTX 3070's percentile vs all GPUs is 61, and its average benchmark score is 17208. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (avg 17083, deltaPct 0.7), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037, 1.0), and AMD Radeon HD 7970M (17019, 1.1). These numbers indicate the 3070 is in the upper-middle range of tested GPUs, which matches the measured FPS: it's strong at 1080p, good at 1440p, but struggles at 4K Ultra. The GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU is not the bottleneck there.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread Alder Lake-S part with base 3.70 GHz and boost 4.90 GHz. It has 20 MB L3 cache (shared), 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 80 KB L1 per core. This is a strong mid-range CPU, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and multi-thread 7956 for 16 threads. The CPU also has Cinebench R23 multi-core 23391, single-core 3302, Geekbench multi 12137, single 2157, and PassMark multithread 27575, single 3925. It runs on Intel Socket 1700, dual-channel memory, and supports DDR4/DDR5.

In this game, the CPU role is most evident at 1920x1080 where the frame rates are high. At 1080p Low, the average is 229.1 FPS, which is likely CPU-limited because the GPU is not stressed at that low resolution. The CPU's high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single 3302) and boost clock 4.90 GHz help maintain high FPS in less demanding scenes. The game is from 2014, so it likely uses fewer than 16 threads, but the 10-core 16-thread CPU has enough headroom. The data shows that at 1080p, the FPS difference between Low and Medium is 53.9 FPS (229.1 vs 175.2), and between Medium and High it's 28.1 FPS (175.2 vs 147.1), while High to Ultra is 34.8 FPS (147.1 vs 112.3). This scaling is similar to what we see at 1440p, so the CPU does not show a sharp bottleneck at 1080p; it's more that the GPU workload decreases at lower resolutions, allowing the CPU to drive higher FPS.

At 2560x1440, the FPS at Low is 148.1, which is 35.3% lower than 1080p Low (229.1). This is a GPU scaling effect, not CPU. The CPU is not the limit at 1440p, since the GPU is more stressed. At 4K, the CPU is almost certainly not the bottleneck; the GPU is clearly the limiter, as the FPS falls to 79.1 at Low, 61.2 Medium, 51.1 High, 39.1 Ultra. The differences between settings at 4K are proportionally similar to 1440p, so the CPU is not introducing a separate limit.

The CPU's 3DMark scores suggest it can handle high refresh gaming. The i5-12600KF has a percentile of 79 vs all CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K (avg 27872, delta -0.3), AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE (27712, +0.3), AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (27887, -0.3), and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896, -0.3). The i5-12600KF averages 27799, so it's right in line with these parts, barely 0.3% above the Ryzen 5 8500GE and 0.3% below the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. This means the CPU is a solid performer, but not top-tier, which is fine for a game that is more GPU-bound at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the fastest setting preset for this combo at 1080p?

A: Low preset yields 229.1 FPS at 1920x1080, the highest measured. Medium is 175.2, High 147.1, and Ultra 112.3.

Q: Is the RTX 3070 enough for 4K in this game?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average is 39.1 FPS, which is low. But if you lower the preset, it gets better: Medium gives 61.2, High 51.1, and Low 79.1. So, it can run 4K, but only with lower settings.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: The data shows high frame rates at 1080p, but there's no direct CPU usage data. The i5-12600KF has a boost clock of 4.90 GHz and a single-thread score of 1016 in 3DMark, which is strong. At 1080p Low, we see 229.1 FPS, so it's likely the CPU is not a hard limit, but without CPU utilization data, we can't say for sure.

Q: How does this combo compare to other CPUs near it?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE and 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D. In the game, the combo ranks 1589 out of 3712 tested configurations.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 60 FPS experience?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset gives 95.1 FPS, and Medium 113.2. At 3840x2160, Medium gives 61.2 FPS, which is just above 60. So for 60 FPS, the best choice is 1440p with High or Medium, or 4K with Medium.

Q: Are there any settings that produce a minimum FPS below 60?

A: The data includes min FPS only for Medium presets: 4K Medium has min 52, 1440p Medium min 96, and 1080p Medium min 149. The 4K Medium min is 52, which means even though the average is 61.2, the lows can drop below 60. For other presets, min FPS is not provided.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data shows a clear scaling pattern. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops by a factor of about 1.35 across all settings. For example, High goes from 147.1 to 95.1, which is 35.3% lower. Medium from 175.2 to 113.2, -35.4%. Low from 229.1 to 148.1, -35.3%. Ultra from 112.3 to 72.1, -35.8%. This is a consistent scaling, suggesting that the GPU is the limit because the same percentage drop across all settings implies the load is shader-bound.

From 2560x1440 to 3840x2160, the drop is larger. High goes from 95.1 to 51.1, which is 46.3% lower. Medium from 113.2 to 61.2, -45.9%. Low from 148.1 to 79.1, -46.6%. Ultra from 72.1 to 39.1, -45.8%. The percentage is slightly higher than the 1440p drop, meaning that at 4K the GPU is even more stressed. This is typical of a GPU-bound scenario: as resolution increases, the GPU becomes more the bottleneck, and the FPS drops non-linearly.

The data also shows that the difference between settings at a given resolution is roughly constant in percentage. At 1080p, the ratio of Low to Ultra is 229.1/112.3 = 2.04, meaning Low is about 2.04x faster than Ultra. At 1440p, 148.1/72.1 = 2.05, and at 4K, 79.1/39.1 = 2.02. So the settings scaling is consistent across resolutions, which implies that the settings are affecting the GPU load uniformly, and the CPU is not a factor in these differences.

This suggests that the limiting component is the GPU across all resolutions, but more so at 4K. At 1080p, the CPU is more involved because the frame rates are higher, but still the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The combo ranks 1589 out of 3712, which is in the 57th percentile, so it's a mid-range performer.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080

• Low: 229.1 FPS average. This is the highest measured for any combination, and it's a strong result.
• Medium: 175.2 FPS average, with a min of 149 and max of 201. That means the frame time is stable, with a 201 max.
• High: 147.1 FPS average. No min/max data.
• Ultra: 112.3 FPS average. This is still very smooth, but lower than High.

2560x1440

• Low: 148.1 FPS average.
• Medium: 113.2 FPS average, min 96, max 130. The min is above 60, so it's safe.
• High: 95.1 FPS average.
• Ultra: 72.1 FPS average.

3840x2160

• Low: 79.1 FPS average.
• Medium: 61.2 FPS average, but min is 52, max 70. The min is below 60, which may cause stutter.
• High: 51.1 FPS average.
• Ultra: 39.1 FPS average.

The measured data shows that the Medium preset provides a min FPS that is within a reasonable range: at 1080p it's 149, at 1440p it's 96, and at 4K it's 52. The 4K Medium min is the only one below 60; so for a stable 60 FPS, you need 1440p or lower, or if you want 4K, you might need to accept some dips.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1589 out of 3712 tested configurations in Minimum. That places it in the top 42.8% of all combos, which is a solid standing. The CPU alone has a percentile of 79 vs all CPUs, and the GPU has a percentile of 61 vs all GPUs. The combination is slightly stronger on the CPU side, but the GPU is the more common bottleneck.

The nearest CPU rivals are within 0.3% of the i5-12600KF's average score, so the CPU is balanced. The nearest GPU rivals are the RX 7600 XT (0.7% higher), GTX 690 (1.0% higher), and HD 7970M (1.1% higher), but the RTX 3070 has a higher average score of 17208 vs those parts, so it's slightly below the Tesla K40c (17468, -1.5%) but above the RX 7600 XT (17083). This indicates the GPU is a good mainstream part.

Since the game is 2014, the performance is likely very high, and this combo is more than enough. The rank 1589 out of 3712 means that a large number of combos are better, but many are far worse. In this game, the combo is not a top performer, but it provides 60+ FPS at 4K Medium, and 100+ FPS at 1440p High, which is strong.

The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, so if you want to improve 4K performance, the GPU would be the upgrade. The CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution, so a faster CPU would not change the 4K numbers. At 1080p, the CPU might be more relevant, but the GPU still has headroom.

Overall, this is a balanced combo that gives excellent results for 1080p and 1440p gaming, and acceptable results at 4K with reduced settings. The rank is reasonable, and the performance is consistent with the hardware's strengths.