Minimum

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a formidable performance profile in Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014. The dataset shows that this combination is capable of extreme frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions, where the CPU’s capabilities become the primary factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 392.5 FPS, indicating that the game’s engine, given its age, is highly responsive to the processor’s strong single-thread performance. The RTX 4090, with its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, is never the bottleneck at these settings, allowing the CPU to push frame rates to their practical limits.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear transition in system bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 392.5 FPS, but this drops to 255.2 FPS at 1440p Low and further to 135.6 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 65% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which suggests that while the GPU is becoming more involved at higher resolutions, the CPU still holds significant sway at 1080p. The data indicates that at 1080p, the i5-12600KF’s 10 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, are sufficient to keep the RTX 4090 fed, but the frame rates are so high that the GPU’s rendering speed is not the limiting factor.

Moving to High settings, the scaling pattern shifts. The combo hits 254.9 FPS at 1080p, 164.8 FPS at 1440p, and 86.8 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 35%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 47%. This steeper decline at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming the dominant constraint as pixel count increases. The RTX 4090’s 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth and 512 TMUs are being utilized more heavily, but the CPU still manages to keep up. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo falls to 67.3 FPS, a 66% reduction from 1080p High, which highlights the GPU’s workload at maximum settings.

At Ultra settings, the trend continues. The combo achieves 196 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 123.6 FPS at 1440p and 67.3 FPS at 4K. This demonstrates that the RTX 4090 is the primary limiting component at 4K Ultra, as the CPU’s performance headroom is less relevant when the GPU is processing 8.3 million pixels. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 66%, which is nearly identical to the Low setting drop, but the absolute frame rates are lower. This suggests that the game’s visual complexity at Ultra settings increases GPU load proportionally, and the CPU’s role diminishes as resolution rises.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090’s specifications play a critical role in the observed results. With a boost clock of 2520 MHz and a base clock of 2235 MHz, the GPU is operating at high frequencies that directly contribute to its fill rate. The 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate are evident in the frame rates, particularly at 1440p where the GPU can exert its power without being fully constrained by the CPU. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for a 2014 title, even at 4K Ultra.

The data shows that the GPU’s memory capacity is not a limiting factor in Minimum. The game’s textures and geometry, even at Ultra settings, do not approach the memory ceiling. This is reflected in the fact that the combo achieves 67.3 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is a playable frame rate, but not exceptionally high. The GPU’s 16384 shading units and 176 ROPs are working to render the scene, but the game’s age means that modern GPU architecture is not fully utilized. The RTX 4090’s 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are irrelevant for this title, as it does not support ray tracing or DLSS, so the raw rasterization performance is what matters.

The GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at higher settings. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 68.3 FPS, with the combo producing 135.6 FPS at Low and 67.3 FPS at Ultra. This 50% reduction is due to the increased shading and texture work required at Ultra. The RTX 4090’s 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is being taxed more heavily, but the results indicate that the GPU is still not fully saturated, as the frame rates remain above 60 FPS. The data suggests that the RTX 4090 is overkill for this title, but it provides a smooth experience at all settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 38th out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the top 2.2% of all configurations, which is a strong showing for a CPU that is not the absolute top-tier. The i5-12600KF has a percentile rank of 84 among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 84% of processors in general benchmarks. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-10900K, has an average score of 27829, which is statistically identical to the i5-12600KF’s 27827, with a deltaPct of 0.

The combo’s rank of 38 suggests that the CPU is not the sole determinant of performance in this game. The RTX 4090, with a percentile rank of 91 among all GPUs, is a major contributor. The GPU’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, has an average score of 66733, which is only 0.4% higher than the RTX 4090’s 66473. This indicates that the RTX 4090 is at the top of its class, which helps push the combo to its high rank. The combination of a top-10% GPU and a top-16% CPU results in a top-2% overall ranking, which is consistent with the measured frame rates.

The data shows that the combo’s rank is partly due to the CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance. The i5-12600KF scores 23444 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, which is a high result for a 10-core processor. In Minimum, which is not heavily multi-threaded, the CPU’s single-thread score of 3309 in Cinebench R23 is more relevant. This allows the combo to achieve high frame rates at 1080p, which contributes to its overall rank. The combo’s position at 38th out of 1733 confirms the balance between the CPU’s speed and the GPU’s raw power.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Minimum?*

A: The highest average frame rate is 392.5 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 67.3 FPS, which is below the 86.8 FPS seen at 4K High.

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

A: The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo hits 392.5 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. This suggests the CPU is the primary limiter, as the RTX 4090 is capable of much higher output.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 38th out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.2% of all configurations.

Q: How does the i5-12600KF compare to its nearest rival, the i9-10900K?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27827, which is essentially identical to the i9-10900K’s 27829, with a deltaPct of 0.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 302.8 FPS, while at 4K Medium it drops to 107.2 FPS, a reduction of 195.6 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 254.9 FPS on High, 392.5 FPS on Low, 302.8 FPS on Medium, and 196 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that the CPU is the dominant factor at this resolution, as the frame rates are extremely high and the GPU is not fully utilized. The difference between Low and Ultra is 196.5 FPS, which shows that the game’s settings have a significant impact on GPU load, but the CPU can still push high frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are still high but begin to show GPU influence. The combo produces 164.8 FPS on High, 255.2 FPS on Low, 193.5 FPS on Medium, and 123.6 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is 137.3 FPS, which is a 35% reduction. This indicates that the GPU is starting to become a more significant factor, but the CPU still provides enough headroom for playable frame rates. The Ultra setting at 1440p is 123.6 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting component. The combo achieves 86.8 FPS on High, 135.6 FPS on Low, 107.2 FPS on Medium, and 67.3 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1440p to 4K at High settings is 78 FPS, a 47% reduction. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate falls to 67.3 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target. The data shows that the RTX 4090 is working hard at this resolution, but it still delivers a smooth experience. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is 68.3 FPS, which is less pronounced than at 1080p, further confirming that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K.