Minimum

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a very strong showing in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. The data shows this combination ranks 424th out of 1,733 tested combos, placing it comfortably in the top quarter of all systems. This pairing of a 10-core Alder Lake processor with an Ampere flagship-class GPU produces high frame rates across all resolutions, though the specific results reveal where each component carries the load.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combination in Minimum?*

A: The combo ranks 424th out of 1,733 tested combinations, which places it in the top 24% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 Ti compare to its closest rival, the RTX 3090?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 41,224, which is only 0.5% lower than the RTX 3090's score of 41,441. In practical terms, the performance difference is negligible.

Q: What is the best frame rate this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 277.8 FPS average. With Ultra settings at the same resolution, it still maintains a very playable 138.1 FPS.

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

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the combo delivers 61.2 FPS on High settings and 49.9 FPS on Ultra. For higher refresh rates at 4K, dropping to Low settings brings the average up to 95.9 FPS.

Q: How does the i5-12600KF compare to the i9-10900K in overall CPU benchmarks?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27,827, which is essentially identical to the i9-10900K's 27,829, showing a 0% delta between the two processors.

Q: What memory type does this CPU support?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel memory bus, giving builders flexibility in platform choices.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's position at 424 out of 1,733 tested configurations represents a strong overall result. This rank places the system firmly in the upper tier of performance for Minimum, though the game's age and optimization mean that even mid-range hardware can achieve high frame rates. The data indicates that this particular pairing is not just adequate but genuinely capable of maximizing the game's engine limits.

Breaking down the rank, the CPU's contribution is substantial. The i5-12600KF sits at the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with benchmark scores that place it alongside much more expensive processors. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-10900K, has a nearly identical average score of 27,829 versus the i5-12600KF's 27,827 — a 0% difference. The i5-12600K is also within 0.1% of this score, showing that the KF variant loses nothing in raw performance by omitting integrated graphics.

The GPU similarly holds its own, ranking at the 83rd percentile among all graphics cards. The RTX 3080 Ti's average benchmark score of 41,224 puts it just 0.5% behind the RTX 3090, which is remarkable given the price difference between those two cards at launch. This suggests that for Minimum, the RTX 3080 Ti provides nearly all the performance of the flagship 3090 without the premium.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with the GA102 chip, manufactured on an 8nm process by Samsung. Its memory configuration is particularly relevant for high-resolution gaming: 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivers 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a significant asset for Minimum, which shows clear scaling with memory bandwidth at higher resolutions.

The GPU's clock speeds are set at 1365 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost, with memory running at 19 Gbps effective. The card's compute capabilities include 10,240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 186.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 532.8 GTexel/s, which helps explain why the card handles the game's third-person action smoothly even at 4K.

In terms of API support, the card boasts DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. While Minimum launched in 2014 and likely does not use the newest features, the card's raw rasterization power is what drives the measured frame rates. The GPU's FP32 performance of 34.10 TFLOPS ensures that even the most demanding scenes in the game are processed without bottlenecking the CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates reveal a clear pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo produces exceptional results. Low settings yield 277.8 FPS, Medium settings drop to 213.4 FPS, High settings deliver 176.4 FPS, and Ultra settings still maintain a very high 138.1 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is almost certainly CPU-limited at lower settings, as the frame rates exceed what most displays can even show.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU beginning to take on more responsibility. Low settings produce 180.6 FPS, Medium settings drop to 136.3 FPS, High settings deliver 118.1 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 87.8 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is proportionally larger at lower settings, which suggests the CPU is no longer the primary limiter.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's role becomes dominant. Low settings yield 95.9 FPS, Medium settings drop to 73.4 FPS, High settings deliver 61.2 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 49.9 FPS. These 4K numbers show that the RTX 3080 Ti is being fully utilized, and the frame rates remain playable even at Ultra settings.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important information about the limiting component. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 277.8 FPS at 1080p to 180.6 FPS at 1440p (a 35% reduction), and then to 95.9 FPS at 4K (a 65% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at lower settings, as the CPU is capable of feeding frames much faster than this.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more moderate. The frame rate drops from 138.1 FPS at 1080p to 87.8 FPS at 1440p (a 36% reduction), and then to 49.9 FPS at 4K (a 64% reduction from 1080p). The consistent proportional drops across settings suggest that the GPU is the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU's headroom at 1080p allows the GPU to stretch its legs.

The data shows that at 1080p and lower settings, the i5-12600KF has enough processing power to push the RTX 3080 Ti to its limits. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows faster than the CPU's, and the system becomes GPU-bound. This is typical behavior for a balanced system, but the magnitude of the FPS numbers suggests the CPU has substantial headroom even at 1440p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10nm process. It runs at a base clock of 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, and its 125W TDP is managed by the LGA 1700 socket. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache.

For Minimum, the CPU's multithreaded performance is more than sufficient. The processor scores 23,444 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 27,575 in Passmark multithread tests. Its single-thread performance is equally strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,309 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3,925. These results place the CPU at the 84th percentile, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of installed processors.

The benchmark data shows that the i5-12600KF's closest rivals are all high-end processors. The i9-10900K matches its average score exactly (27,829 vs 27,827), while the i5-12600K is only 0.1% behind. The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H and i7-13700H are also within 0.4% of its score. This means that in Minimum, the i5-12600KF provides performance equivalent to much more expensive CPUs, leaving no CPU bottleneck in most scenarios.

The CPU's 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes provide ample bandwidth for the RTX 3080 Ti, and its support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory allows builders to choose their platform based on budget and availability. The unlocked multiplier enables overclocking, though the stock boost clock of 4.90 GHz already provides excellent performance for this game.