Minimum

# Minimum — Intel Core i7-12700K + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a deeply GPU-limited experience in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings tell a consistent story: this combo ranks 2602nd out of 2939 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems. The CPU is a high-end 12th-gen desktop processor with a 125W TDP, while the GPU is a 3nm integrated-class part with a 9th percentile standing among all GPUs. The data shows a system where the graphics solution constrains performance at every resolution, and the processor's considerable headroom never gets fully utilized.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the limiting component. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 95 FPS at 1920x1080 to 61 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 33 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 65% reduction in average FPS when moving from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets.

At High settings, the averages are 61 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K — a 66% drop from 1080p to 4K. Medium settings show 72 FPS, 47 FPS, and 25 FPS respectively, a 65% reduction. Ultra settings produce 46 FPS, 30 FPS, and 16 FPS — again a 65% decline. The uniformity of this percentage drop across all four settings levels indicates that resolution is the dominant variable, and the scaling curve is steep and linear.

This steep resolution scaling points squarely at the GPU as the limiting component. The Intel Arc B390 has a boost clock of 2500 MHz, a base clock of 300 MHz, and 1536 shading units. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. When resolution increases, the pixel fill requirements grow substantially, and this GPU's modest pixel rate becomes the bottleneck. The FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS is not enough to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, where even Low settings only achieve 33 FPS.

The data suggests that 1080p is the practical ceiling for this combo. At 1440p, only Low settings crack 60 FPS (61 FPS), and every other preset falls below 50 FPS. At 4K, no setting reaches even 35 FPS. The frame rate behavior is consistent with a system where the CPU — with its 12 cores, 20 threads, and boost clock of 5.00 GHz — is waiting on the GPU at every resolution. The i7-12700K's single-thread benchmark scores (2308 in Geekbench, 1850.5 in Cinebench R23) are more than adequate for a 2014 title, so the CPU is never the constraint.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. Its memory configuration is "System Shared" across size, type, and bus width, with bandwidth listed as "System Dependent." This means the GPU relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM, which introduces additional latency and bandwidth contention. The measured 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are all older NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, delta +1.3%), the GeForce 800M (score 1460, delta +1.5%), the GeForce GT 625 OEM (score 1446, delta +2.5%), and the GeForce GT 710 (score 1443, delta +2.7%). The B390 leads these by margins of 1.3% to 2.7%, which is statistically negligible. This places the B390 in the same performance class as decade-old entry-level discrete GPUs, which explains its difficulty with Minimum at higher resolutions.

The GPU's clock behavior is notable: a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz represents an 8.3x boost range. This wide dynamic range suggests the GPU aggressively downclocks under light load but can reach higher frequencies when needed. However, even at maximum boost, the 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 24 ROPs limit the fill rate. The 12 RT cores are irrelevant for this game, and the DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) API support does not help a title from 2014 that predates these features.

The shared memory architecture is likely a significant factor in the performance ceiling. With no dedicated VRAM, the GPU must access system memory over the same bus as the CPU. For a game that requires consistent texture streaming, this shared memory arrangement can cause stutter and frame time inconsistency. The measured Medium settings at 1080p show a minimum FPS of 62 and a maximum of 83, a range of 21 FPS, which reflects this memory contention. At 1440p Medium, the range widens to 14 FPS (40 to 54), and at 4K Medium, it narrows to 8 FPS (21 to 29) — likely because the GPU is already saturated.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the only configuration that delivers a consistently smooth experience is 1080p Low, which averages 95 FPS. This is the clear recommendation for competitive play. The next step up, 1080p Medium, averages 72 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS, which remains playable and offers better visual quality. The data shows that 1080p High averages 61 FPS, which is borderline acceptable but leaves no headroom for dips.

At 1440p, the picture changes. Low settings average 61 FPS, which is technically playable but identical to the 1080p High result. Medium at 1440p drops to 47 FPS, and High falls to 39 FPS. For a third-person shooter, frame rates below 60 FPS at 1440p are difficult to recommend, so 1440p Low is the only viable option at that resolution.

At 4K, no setting provides a playable experience. The best result is 33 FPS at Low, followed by 25 FPS at Medium, 21 FPS at High, and 16 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 17 FPS, which is a 51% improvement from Ultra to Low. This indicates that the settings presets do have a measurable impact, but none of them reach the 60 FPS threshold. For users who must play at 4K, Low settings offer the best compromise, but the experience will still be below the standard for smooth gameplay.

The measured data shows that the difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 49 FPS (95 vs. 46), which is a 106% improvement from Ultra to Low. At 1440p, the improvement is 31 FPS (61 vs. 30), a 103% gain. At 4K, the improvement is 17 FPS (33 vs. 16), a 106% gain. The settings presets consistently provide roughly a 2x performance multiplier when dropping from Ultra to Low, regardless of resolution. This means users can reliably predict performance gains from settings adjustments.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2602nd out of 2939 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the bottom 11.5% of all systems. This low ranking is driven entirely by the GPU, as the CPU is a high-performing desktop part. The i7-12700K's average benchmark score is 35287, which places it in the 84th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.4% of its score: the Core i5-13600T (35305, -0.1%), the Core i7-12700KF (35365, -0.2%), the Core i7-13700T (35403, -0.3%), and the Core 5 213PE (35428, -0.4%).

In contrast, the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile, and its nearest rivals are within 2.7%. The delta between the CPU's 84th percentile and the GPU's 9th percentile is 75 points, which is an enormous imbalance. This system is effectively a high-end processor paired with a low-end graphics solution, and the game's performance reflects the weaker component.

The rank of 2602 out of 2939 means that 337 tested combos performed worse, and 2601 performed better. For a game from 2014 with moderate graphical demands, this ranking indicates that the B390 is severely underpowered for the task. The fact that the CPU is in the top 16% of all processors while the combo is in the bottom 11.5% of tested systems demonstrates that the GPU is holding the system back by a substantial margin.

FAQ

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

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where any setting achieves above 60 FPS average. Low settings hit 95 FPS, Medium hits 72 FPS, and High hits 61 FPS. At 1440p, only Low reaches 61 FPS, and at 4K, the maximum is 33 FPS at Low.

*Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K in Minimum?*

A: No. The highest 4K result is 33 FPS at Low settings. Medium averages 25 FPS, High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. No 4K configuration comes close to 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, which is 1.3% higher than the GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710. These are all within a negligible performance margin.

Q: What is the CPU's benchmark standing?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35287, placing it in the 84th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Core i5-13600T, scores 35305, which is a 0.1% difference.

Q: What is the frame rate range at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 72 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS. This range of 21 FPS indicates some frame time variability, but the minimum remains above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank overall in this game?

A: The combo ranks 2602nd out of 2939 tested combinations, which places it in the bottom 11.5% of all systems tested in Minimum.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates across settings are: Low 95 FPS, Medium 72 FPS (min 62, max 83), High 61 FPS, and Ultra 46 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline of roughly 12-14 FPS per settings tier. The gap between Medium and High is 11 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 15 FPS, indicating that Ultra settings impose a heavier load than the step from Medium to High.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 61 FPS, Medium 47 FPS (min 40, max 54), High 39 FPS, and Ultra 30 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is 34 FPS, which is a 36% reduction. At Medium, the drop is 25 FPS (35%), at High it is 22 FPS (36%), and at Ultra it is 16 FPS (35%). The consistent percentage drop confirms that resolution scaling is uniform across settings.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 33 FPS, Medium 25 FPS (min 21, max 29), High 21 FPS, and Ultra 16 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K at Low settings is 28 FPS (46%), at Medium it is 22 FPS (47%), at High it is 18 FPS (46%), and at Ultra it is 14 FPS (47%). The percentage drop increases from 35% (1080p to 1440p) to 46-47% (1440p to 4K), showing that the GPU's performance degrades more steeply at higher resolutions.

Comparing the same settings across resolutions: Low goes 95 → 61 → 33 FPS, Medium goes 72 → 47 → 25 FPS, High goes 61 → 39 → 21 FPS, and Ultra goes 46 → 30 → 16 FPS. The ratio of 1080p to 4K performance is approximately 2.9x for Low, 2.9x for Medium, 2.9x for High, and 2.9x for Ultra. This near-constant ratio across all settings reinforces that resolution is the primary performance determinant, and the GPU's fill rate limits are being reached uniformly.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 125W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it has 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-12700K scores 19784 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1850.5 in single-core. Its Geekbench scores are 15790 multi-core and 2308 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score is 34404, and the single-thread score is 4013. The 3DMark scores show scaling from 1043 (single-thread) to 9979 (max threads), with 2065 at 2 threads, 4011 at 4 threads, 7202 at 8 threads, and 9276 at 16 threads. This scaling curve is typical for a hybrid architecture with performance and efficiency cores.

The CPU's percentile standing of 84th among all CPUs, combined with its nearest rivals all being within 0.4%, indicates that this is a top-tier processor. However, in Minimum, the CPU's role is minimal because the GPU is the bottleneck at every resolution and settings combination. The game was released in 2014, and its CPU demands are well within the capabilities of a modern 12-core processor. The measured FPS values do not show any signs of CPU limitation — there are no sudden frame rate collapses at lower resolutions that would indicate the CPU reaching its limits.

The data indicates that the CPU is operating far below its potential in this configuration. The i7-12700K's 5.00 GHz boost clock and 20 threads provide ample headroom for a 2014 title. Even the single-threaded performance, which is often the limiting factor in older games, is strong with a Geekbench single-core score of 2308 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4013. The bottleneck analysis is unambiguous: the Intel Arc B390's 9th percentile GPU standing is the sole constraint on performance in Minimum.