Minimum

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 1935 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. That places this configuration in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is a meaningful context for interpreting the measured frame rates. The combo sits at roughly the 48th percentile among all tested pairings, meaning slightly more than half of the recorded combinations deliver higher average performance in this title.

This ranking reflects a balance between a strong CPU and a mid-range GPU. The i7-12700K holds an 84th percentile position when compared against all CPUs in the database, while the RX 6700 XT sits at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs. When combined, the system lands below what either component's individual standing might suggest, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary constraint in Minimum's workload. The data shows a pairing where the processor has headroom to spare, but the graphics card limits the final output.

# GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT brings 12 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s. Memory clocks run at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed. The GPU's base clock is 2321 MHz, with a game clock of 2424 MHz and a boost clock of 2581 MHz. These specifications matter for Minimum because the game's rendering load scales noticeably with resolution and preset.

The GPU's 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output pipelines process the geometry and pixel work in this third-person shooter. The 40 ray accelerators support DirectX 12 Ultimate features, though the measured results do not isolate ray tracing performance. The card's FP32 throughput of 13.21 TFLOPS and texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s provide a baseline for how quickly it can fill frames.

Benchmark results show the RX 6700 XT scoring 19786 in Passmark G3D and 2435 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its Passmark DirectX 11 score of 173 and DirectX 12 score of 77 indicate that the card handles legacy APIs reasonably well, though Minimum's engine appears to favor the older DirectX 11 path based on the measured frame rates. The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus of 72 suggests it outperforms nearly three-quarters of all recorded graphics cards, which aligns with its ability to push 100+ FPS at 1080p in this game.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K uses an Alder Lake architecture on a 10 nm process, featuring 12 cores and 20 threads. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3. This processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, though the memory type used in the measured results is not specified.

Synthetic benchmarks place this CPU well above average. Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19784 and single-core score of 1850.5 show strong threaded performance. Geekbench multicore reaches 15790 with a single-core score of 2308. Passmark multithread scores 34404, and the single-thread score sits at 4013. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9276 and max-thread score of 9979 indicate that the CPU scales well across its core count.

For Minimum, the CPU's role is less demanding than the GPU's. The 12-core, 20-thread configuration provides far more compute capacity than a 2014 third-person shooter typically requires. The processor's 84th percentile ranking versus all CPUs means it ranks above most alternatives, yet the measured FPS in this game do not improve beyond what the GPU can deliver. The data suggests the i7-12700K is not the bottleneck at any resolution tested, as frame rates scale consistently with GPU load rather than CPU capability.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 204 FPS average, while Medium reaches 156 FPS with a minimum of 133 and maximum of 180. High settings yield 131 FPS, and Ultra drops to 100 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra spans 104 FPS, showing how much headroom the GPU has at this resolution when settings are reduced.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decline across every preset. Low settings still manage 132 FPS, a 35% drop from 1080p Low. Medium runs at 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 and maximum of 116. High settings produce 85 FPS, and Ultra falls to 64 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 68 FPS at this resolution, indicating that the GPU is beginning to feel the pixel count increase.

At 3840x2160, the performance hit becomes substantial. Low settings average 71 FPS, which remains playable but is less than half of the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 and maximum of 62. High settings drop to 46 FPS, and Ultra reaches only 35 FPS. The data shows a clear progression: each resolution step costs roughly 30-35% of the previous frame rate, with the 4K Ultra result being the only preset that falls below 40 FPS.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the 133-180 range shows a 47 FPS spread. At 1440p, the 86-116 range tightens to 30 FPS. At 4K, the 46-62 range narrows further to 16 FPS. This compression of variance at higher resolutions suggests the GPU becomes more consistently saturated as pixel count increases.

# Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to Medium as the most balanced preset for this combo. At 1080p, Medium delivers 156 FPS average, which is 55 FPS higher than High and 56 FPS lower than Low. The minimum of 133 FPS ensures that even frame drops stay well above typical display refresh rates. At 1440p, Medium still maintains 101 FPS average with an 86 FPS minimum, keeping the experience smooth on high-refresh monitors.

For 4K users, the choice becomes more constrained. Medium at 54 FPS average with a 46 FPS minimum is the only preset that stays above 45 FPS at this resolution. Low reaches 71 FPS but sacrifices visual quality, while High and Ultra fall to 46 and 35 FPS respectively. The data suggests that 4K playable frame rates require Medium or Low, with Medium offering the better balance of visual fidelity and smoothness.

Ultra settings are only viable at 1080p, where the combo still produces 100 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 64 FPS, which is playable but noticeably less smooth than Medium. At 4K, Ultra's 35 FPS falls below the threshold for comfortable third-person shooter gameplay. The recommendation is straightforward: use Medium for the best combination of frame rate and image quality across all resolutions, with Low as a fallback for 4K if higher frame rates are preferred.

# FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Minimum?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K with AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 1935 out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it just below the median of all recorded systems.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gameplay?

A: Medium settings deliver 101 FPS average with an 86 FPS minimum at 2560x1440, which is the highest preset that maintains a minimum above 60 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but with limitations. Low settings average 71 FPS, Medium averages 54 FPS, High averages 46 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS at 3840x2160.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 156 at 1920x1080 to 101 at 2560x1440 to 54 at 3840x2160, representing a 65% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting component. The i7-12700K ranks in the 84th percentile among CPUs, while the RX 6700 XT ranks in the 72nd percentile among GPUs, and frame rates scale primarily with GPU-related settings.

Q: What is the highest FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The maximum recorded average is 204 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings, while the highest setting at that resolution, Ultra, still produces 100 FPS.

# Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a consistent pattern of frame rate decline as resolution increases. At Medium settings, the average FPS moves from 156 at 1080p to 101 at 1440p to 54 at 4K. This represents a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 47% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 65%, which aligns with the pixel count difference of roughly 4.5 times, though the frame rate does not scale proportionally.

Low settings show a similar trajectory: 204 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 71 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 35% and 46% respectively, closely matching the Medium preset's pattern. High settings follow suit with 131, 85, and 46 FPS across the three resolutions, while Ultra produces 100, 64, and 35 FPS.

The scaling behavior indicates that the RX 6700 XT is the primary constraint. If the CPU were limiting performance, the frame rates would show less variation between resolutions because the processor's workload would remain constant regardless of pixel count. Instead, the consistent 30-50% drops at each resolution step point to GPU-bound rendering. The 12 GB of VRAM and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to avoid memory-related stutters, but the compute throughput of 13.21 TFLOPS sets a ceiling that becomes more restrictive as pixel count grows.

The narrowing of the FPS range at higher resolutions reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p Medium, the spread between minimum and maximum is 47 FPS. At 1440p, it narrows to 30 FPS. At 4K, it compresses to 16 FPS. This tightening indicates that the GPU is spending more time at full utilization, leaving less variance for scene complexity to influence frame times. The i7-12700K's strong single-thread score of 1850.5 in Cinebench R23 and Passmark single-thread score of 4013 ensure that draw calls and game logic are handled quickly, but the GPU still determines the final output.