Minimum

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Minimum shows a predictable but dramatic drop as resolution scales from 1080p to 4K, and the pattern strongly indicates that this combination becomes GPU-bound at higher resolutions while remaining highly CPU-capable at 1080p. At 1080p High settings, the combo delivers 171 FPS average, which drops to 110 FPS at 1440p High — a 36% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K High, the average falls from 110 FPS to 60 FPS, a 45% reduction. This accelerating decline as resolution increases is the classic signature of a GPU-limited scenario: the Intel Core i5-13400F has ample headroom, but the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080's rendering workload grows faster than its pixel throughput can compensate.

Looking at the Low preset, the scaling curve is even more revealing. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 267 FPS average, which is an extremely high frame rate that suggests the CPU is doing most of the heavy lifting at this setting. At 1440p Low, the average drops to 172 FPS (a 36% reduction), and at 4K Low it falls to 93 FPS (a 46% reduction from 1440p). The fact that even at Low settings the frame rate continues to drop sharply with resolution indicates that the RTX 3080's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors once pixel counts rise, regardless of how light the graphics workload is.

The Medium preset shows a similar but slightly compressed pattern: 204 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p (35% drop), and 71 FPS at 4K (46% drop from 1440p). The Ultra preset, which is the heaviest settings configuration, delivers 131 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p (36% drop), and 45 FPS at 4K (46% drop from 1440p). Across all four presets, the percentage drop from 1440p to 4K hovers around 45-46%, while the drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistently in the 35-36% range. This consistency across presets is strong evidence that resolution scaling behavior is governed by the GPU's fixed hardware capabilities — the 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 320-bit bus — rather than by any particular settings configuration.

What this means for the limiting component is clear: at 1080p, the i5-13400F is able to feed the RTX 3080 well enough to reach very high frame rates, but the GPU still dictates the ceiling. At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck, as even the lowest settings preset (93 FPS) cannot approach the frame rates achievable at 1080p Low (267 FPS). The data shows no evidence of CPU limitation at any resolution — if the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see frame rates plateau or even increase slightly at higher resolutions, which is not the case.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 1051 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all CPU-GPU pairings tested for this game. This is a strong showing, but it is important to contextualize it: the rank reflects the entire combo's performance, and given the GPU-bound nature of the game at higher resolutions, much of this ranking is driven by the RTX 3080's capabilities rather than the CPU's contribution.

Breaking down the CPU's standalone position, the i5-13400F sits at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25292. Its nearest rivals provide a tight cluster of competition: the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS scores 25284 (a 0% delta), the Intel Core 5 120 scores 25362 (the i5 is 0.3% behind), the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25365 (also 0.3% behind), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H scores 25201 (the i5 is 0.4% ahead). These deltas are negligible — within 0.4% of each other — which means that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i5-13400F is effectively indistinguishable from these rivals. In Minimum, however, the game's heavy GPU workload at 4K means that CPU differences of this magnitude would be completely masked by the GPU's performance ceiling.

The GPU's standalone ranking is less impressive on paper: the RTX 3080 sits at the 68th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 23172. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, 0.3% ahead), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250, 0.3% ahead), AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273, 0.4% ahead), and AMD Radeon R9 M290X (23276, 0.4% ahead). These are unusual rivals — some are workstation or mobile parts — but the deltas are again within 0.4%, indicating that the RTX 3080's raw compute performance is comparable to these parts in synthetic benchmarks. In Minimum specifically, the game's measured FPS results show that this GPU is capable of 60 FPS at 4K High, which is a playable threshold for most users.

The combo's rank of 1051 out of 3712 means that roughly 72% of tested combos perform worse in this game. This is a solid result for a 2020-era GPU paired with a 2023-era CPU, but it is not a top-tier combination. The data suggests that users seeking higher frame rates at 4K Ultra (45 FPS) would need a more powerful GPU, while those playing at 1080p would find this combo more than adequate for high-refresh monitors, given the 267 FPS Low and 171 FPS High results.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is built on the GA102 chip using Samsung's 8 nm process, with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. Its memory subsystem is a key factor in Minimum's performance: 10 GB of GDDR6X on a 320-bit bus provides 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which directly impacts how quickly textures and geometry can be streamed at high resolutions. The measured FPS data shows that at 4K, the combo drops from 93 FPS at Low to 45 FPS at Ultra — a 51% reduction — which is consistent with the GPU's memory bandwidth becoming progressively more stressed as settings increase texture detail and shading complexity.

Clock speeds for this GPU are 1440 MHz base and 1710 MHz boost, with memory running at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). These clocks are fixed hardware characteristics that do not change across the measured FPS rows, but they determine the RTX 3080's peak throughput: 29.77 TFLOPS FP32, 465.1 GTexel/s texture rate, and 164.2 GPixel/s pixel rate. In Minimum, the pixel rate is particularly relevant at 4K, where the GPU must fill 8.3 million pixels per frame. At 4K Ultra with 45 FPS average, the effective pixel fill rate requirement is roughly 373 GPixel/s, which exceeds the GPU's rated 164.2 GPixel/s — meaning the game is not purely fill-rate limited but also constrained by other factors like shader complexity and memory latency.

The RTX 3080's 8704 shading units, 272 TMUs, and 96 ROPs provide substantial compute resources, and the 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are present but not directly relevant to Minimum's traditional rendering path. The GPU's 320 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate it is a high-power part, but the measured performance in this game shows that it delivers playable frame rates at most settings and resolutions. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is worth noting: at 4K Ultra, the game likely approaches or exceeds this limit, which could explain the 45 FPS average being the lowest measured result. At 1080p and 1440p, VRAM pressure is lower, allowing the GPU to maintain higher frame rates.

The GPU's percentile ranking (68th) places it below the CPU's ranking (77th), which reinforces the conclusion that in Minimum, the GPU is the more limiting component. The benchmark data shows that the RTX 3080's performance in synthetic tests (PassMark G3D score of 25086) is solid but not exceptional, and its nearest rivals' scores are within 0.4%, indicating that there is little differentiation at this performance tier. For Minimum specifically, the measured FPS results demonstrate that the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput are the primary determinants of frame rate at higher resolutions, while the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. The Low preset averages 267 FPS, which is the single highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium averages 204 FPS with a minimum of 174 and maximum of 235, providing a wide frame time range that suggests some scene-to-scene variance. High averages 171 FPS, and Ultra averages 131 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 51% reduction in frame rate (from 267 to 131), indicating that the graphics settings have a substantial impact even at this lower resolution where the CPU is more involved.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected decline. Low averages 172 FPS, Medium averages 132 FPS (minimum 112, maximum 151), High averages 110 FPS, and Ultra averages 84 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 51% (172 to 84), identical to the percentage drop at 1080p, which suggests that the settings scaling is consistent regardless of resolution. The Medium preset's 112 FPS minimum is the lowest 1% low measurement in the dataset at this resolution, indicating that even at Medium settings, there are occasional frame drops below 120 FPS, which could be noticeable on a high-refresh 1440p monitor.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more modest and approach the edge of playability. Low averages 93 FPS, Medium averages 71 FPS (minimum 60, maximum 82), High averages 60 FPS, and Ultra averages 45 FPS. The Medium preset's 60 FPS minimum exactly matches the High preset's 60 FPS average, highlighting that at 4K, the GPU's performance envelope is narrow. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS is the only measured result below 60 FPS, which would be suboptimal for smooth gameplay on most displays.

Looking at the data holistically, the Medium preset provides the most complete information because it includes minimum and maximum FPS values at all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the range is 174-235 FPS (206 average), at 1440p Medium it is 112-151 FPS (132 average), and at 4K Medium it is 60-82 FPS (71 average). These ranges show that the frame time consistency degrades as resolution increases — the 1080p range spans 61 FPS, the 1440p range spans 39 FPS, and the 4K range spans 22 FPS. This tightening range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes more consistently saturated, reducing the variance that comes from CPU-bound scenes.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Minimum with this combo for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: At 4K High, the combo averages exactly 60 FPS, which is the minimum threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1440p, all presets exceed 84 FPS, and at 1080p, all presets exceed 131 FPS. For a guaranteed 60 FPS with headroom, 1440p High (110 FPS) or 4K Medium (71 FPS) are the safest choices.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 171 at 1080p to 110 at 1440p (a 36% reduction), then to 60 at 4K (a 45% reduction from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 65% (from 171 to 60 FPS).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, as frame rates drop consistently with resolution increases across all presets. At 1080p Low (267 FPS), the CPU may become more relevant, but the overall pattern of 45-46% frame rate reductions from 1440p to 4K points to GPU limitations.

Q: What is the highest FPS this combo can achieve in Minimum?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 267 at 1080p with Low settings. At 1080p Medium, the average is 204 FPS, and at 1080p High, it is 171 FPS. No measured result exceeds 267 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested combinations?

A: It ranks 1051 out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the 72nd percentile. The CPU ranks at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks at the 68th percentile among all GPUs, indicating the GPU is the weaker component relative to its peers.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, but just barely — the average FPS at 4K Ultra is 45, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. If 45 FPS is acceptable, 4K Ultra is playable, but 4K Medium (71 FPS) or 4K High (60 FPS) are better choices for a smoother experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends entirely on the target resolution and frame rate preference. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 171 FPS average is the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it delivers well above 144 FPS for high-refresh monitors while still offering improved visuals over Medium. The Ultra preset at 131 FPS is also viable for 144 Hz displays, but the 40 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gains for most users. The Low preset at 267 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount, as the visual quality trade-off is significant.

For 1440p, the High preset at 110 FPS average is the recommended choice, as it provides smooth gameplay on 100-120 Hz monitors while maintaining good visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 132 FPS is also excellent for users with 144 Hz displays, but the 22 FPS difference between Medium and High is modest, and the High preset's improved details are worth the small performance cost. The Ultra preset at 84 FPS is acceptable for 60-75 Hz monitors but falls short of 100 FPS, so it is only recommended if visual quality is the top priority and the display cannot exceed 84 Hz. The Low preset at 172 FPS is unnecessary at this resolution unless the user is chasing maximum frame rates.

For 4K, the Medium preset at 71 FPS average is the clear recommendation for a smooth experience, as it exceeds the 60 FPS threshold with 11 FPS of headroom and includes minimum FPS of 60, meaning no frame drops below the playability threshold. The High preset at exactly 60 FPS is viable but has no headroom, so any scene-to-scene variance could push it below 60. The Low preset at 93 FPS is the best choice for users with 90+ Hz 4K displays, as it provides a comfortable margin while sacrificing visual quality. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS is not recommended for most users, as it falls well below the 60 FPS standard and would result in noticeably less smooth gameplay.

The data shows a consistent 51% performance reduction from Low to Ultra across all resolutions, which means users should expect roughly half the frame rate when maxing out settings. The Medium preset offers the best compromise at every resolution, with frame rates of 204 (1080p), 132 (1440p), and 71 (4K), all of which are playable and provide a solid middle ground between the Low and High presets. For the best overall experience on a typical 1440p 144 Hz monitor, the High preset at 110 FPS is the sweet spot. For 4K users, Medium at 71 FPS is the most reliable choice.