Minimum

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT delivers a performance curve in Minimum that is clearly dictated by the graphics card, but with enough CPU headroom to expose the GPU’s limits at every resolution. The data shows a steep, predictable drop in frame rates as pixel count increases, a pattern typical of a system where the rendering load scales faster than the GPU’s throughput. At 1080p, the combination produces smooth, high-refresh gameplay, but moving to 4K reveals a hard ceiling that no amount of CPU headroom can overcome.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS values show a consistent decline when moving from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, with the severity of the drop varying by settings preset. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 88.5 FPS at 1080p to 58.6 FPS at 1440p, then to 29.3 FPS at 4K. That represents a 33.8% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 50% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The halving of performance at 4K Ultra is a strong indicator that the Radeon RX 6650 XT is the primary bottleneck, as the pixel count quadruples while the frame rate does not scale linearly.

At Low settings, the pattern is similar but with higher absolute numbers. The average frame rate drops from 175.1 FPS at 1080p to 112.5 FPS at 1440p, and then to 63 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 35.7%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 44%. This suggests that even at the lowest settings, the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are still the limiting factors, though the CPU is clearly capable of feeding it at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 175.1 FPS result.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less punishing than the scaling from 1440p to 4K across all presets. For High settings, the frame rate goes from 116.3 FPS to 75.7 FPS (a 34.9% drop), then to 39.1 FPS (a 48.3% drop). This non-linear behavior points to the GPU hitting a memory bandwidth or fill-rate wall at 4K, where the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus become more critical. The data indicates that the i7-12700K is never the limiting factor in this game; even at 1080p Low, the CPU’s 12 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient to maintain high frame rates.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is the defining component in this configuration, and its specifications align with the measured results. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. This bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K, the demands on memory capacity and bandwidth increase sharply, which explains the significant frame rate drops observed in the Ultra preset. The card’s boost clock of 2635 MHz and game clock of 2410 MHz provide the raw compute power, rated at 10.79 TFLOPS FP32, but that compute is channeled through 64 ROPs and 128 TMUs, which limits pixel and texture throughput at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, based on its average benchmark score of 29024, places it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M with a deltaPct of 0, meaning they are statistically tied in average score, and the AMD Radeon RX 470 with a deltaPct of 0.1, showing the RX 6650 XT is marginally ahead. This competitive positioning is reflected in the game’s frame rates, which are playable at 1080p and 1440p but struggle at 4K, especially on higher presets. The card’s end-of-life production status and its RDNA 2.0 architecture, built on a 7 nm process, do not detract from its ability to handle this 2014 title, but the data suggests that it was designed for 1080p and 1440p dominance, not 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT achieves a combo rank of 1091 out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the 37th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that while it is not a top-tier configuration, it is far from the bottom. The rank is a composite measure of the CPU and GPU’s ability to deliver frame rates across the tested resolutions and settings. Given that the CPU ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35684, and the GPU ranks in the 72nd percentile, the combined rank is dragged down by the GPU’s relative weakness at higher resolutions.

The CPU’s nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 with a deltaPct of -0.3, the Intel Core i7-13700T with a deltaPct of 0.6, the Intel Core i5-14500HX with a deltaPct of -0.7, and the Intel Core i7-13800H with a deltaPct of 0.8—are all within 1% of the i7-12700K’s average score. This shows that the CPU is not a differentiator in this combo; any of those processors would likely produce similar results. The GPU’s nearest rivals, including the RX 6800M and RX 470, are also within 0.6% of its average score, reinforcing that the GPU is the limiting factor. The combo rank of 1091 suggests that in Minimum, this pairing is outclassed by systems with stronger GPUs, even if they have weaker CPUs, because the game’s performance is heavily GPU-bound at 1440p and 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a wide spread across presets. Low settings produce an average of 175.1 FPS, Medium produces 136.8 FPS, High produces 116.3 FPS, and Ultra produces 88.5 FPS. The differences between presets are significant, with Ultra being 49.4% slower than Low. This indicates that the graphical fidelity gains from Ultra come at a substantial cost, but even Ultra at 1080p remains above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable option for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop to 112.5 FPS on Low, 87 FPS on Medium, 75.7 FPS on High, and 58.6 FPS on Ultra. Here, Ultra falls below the 60 FPS mark, suggesting that players seeking high refresh rates at 1440p should consider High settings instead, which still delivers over 75 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 47.9%, compared to 49.4% at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a constraint at higher resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the numbers are the most telling. Low settings yield an average of 63 FPS, which is barely playable, while Medium drops to 47.9 FPS, High to 39.1 FPS, and Ultra to 29.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 53.5%, showing that even the most demanding preset is not viable at 4K. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo is only possible on Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is marginal. The progression across resolutions is consistent: each step up in resolution reduces performance by roughly a third to a half, emphasizing the GPU’s limitations.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the highest frame rates, with an average of 175.1 FPS on Low and 88.5 FPS on Ultra. At 2560x1440, Ultra drops to 58.6 FPS, while 3840x2160 only reaches 63 FPS on Low, so 1080p is the optimal resolution for consistent performance.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35684. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, scores 35802, a deltaPct of -0.3, meaning the i7-12700K is marginally slower. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35468, a deltaPct of 0.6, showing the i7-12700K is slightly faster.

Q: Is the RX 6650 XT better or worse than the RX 6800M?

A: The benchmark data shows the RX 6650 XT has an average score of 29024, while the RX 6800M scores 29011, a deltaPct of 0. This means they are statistically identical in average performance, so there is no meaningful difference between them in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce an average of 112.5 FPS, while Ultra produces 58.6 FPS. This represents a 47.9% reduction in frame rate when switching from Low to Ultra, indicating that Ultra settings are not suitable for high-refresh displays at this resolution.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: At 3840x2160, the highest average frame rate is 63 FPS on Low settings. Medium produces 47.9 FPS, High produces 39.1 FPS, and Ultra produces 29.3 FPS. This indicates that 4K is only marginally playable on Low, and not recommended for higher presets.

Q: How does the GPU’s percentile ranking reflect its gaming performance?

A: The RX 6650 XT ranks in the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29024. This places it in the mid-range segment, which is consistent with its measured performance in Minimum, where it excels at 1080p and 1440p but struggles at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the most balanced experience is achieved at 1920x1080 with High settings, which yields an average of 116.3 FPS. This provides a smooth, high-refresh experience while maintaining visual quality. For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, Low settings at 1080p offer 175.1 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play, but the visual trade-off is steep. At 2560x1440, High settings deliver 75.7 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a good balance between clarity and performance; Ultra at 1440p drops to 58.6 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter on standard 60 Hz displays.

For 4K, the data suggests that only Low settings are viable, with an average of 63 FPS. Medium settings at 47.9 FPS are playable but not smooth, and High and Ultra are not recommended due to frame rates in the 30-40 FPS range. Across all resolutions, the gap between Medium and High is smaller than the gap between High and Ultra, indicating that High is often the sweet spot for visual fidelity per frame. The Ultra preset’s performance cost is disproportionately high, making it an option only for players with 1080p displays who prioritize image quality over frame rate stability.