Minimum

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti delivers a playable, though not exceptional, experience in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released in 2014. The data shows a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the processor’s substantial core and thread count ensures that frame rates scale predictably with settings. This combination lands in the lower half of the benchmark database’s tested configurations, reflecting the GPU’s mid-range standing relative to modern hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the combo produces 102.4 FPS, which drops to 64.8 FPS at 2560x1440, and further plummets to 33.1 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a performance reduction of approximately 37% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 49% reduction when moving from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is consistent with the GTX 1660 Ti’s 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus, which provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth—sufficient for 1080p but strained by the pixel throughput demands of 4K.

The difference between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution further illustrates the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, Low settings yield 132.9 FPS while Ultra drops to 63.7 FPS, a gap of 69.2 FPS. At 1440p, the same settings range from 86.6 FPS down to 40.3 FPS. At 4K, the range narrows to 46.9 FPS on Low versus 20.8 FPS on Ultra, indicating that the GPU’s raw compute limits—5.437 TFLOPS FP32—are being reached regardless of the graphical workload. The fact that 4K Low (46.9 FPS) is only slightly better than 1440p Ultra (40.3 FPS) confirms that the processor is not the limiting factor; instead, the GTX 1660 Ti’s 1536 shading units and 48 ROPs are saturated at higher pixel counts.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Minimum?*

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 132.9, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 63.7 FPS at the same resolution with Ultra settings, showing a wide performance envelope.

Q: Does the Intel Core i7-12700K bottleneck the GTX 1660 Ti in this game?

A: No. Benchmark results indicate the CPU is far ahead of the GPU’s needs. The i7-12700K scores 29241 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4128 in single-core, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The GTX 1660 Ti’s 55th percentile GPU ranking means the graphics card is the limiting component, especially at 1440p and 4K.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 Ti compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti has an average benchmark score of 13925. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 570X, scores 13871, a delta of 0.4%. The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile scores 13821, which is 0.8% slower. The GTX 1660 Ti is effectively tied with these cards, though the data shows it is 0.7% slower than the NVIDIA Tesla K10.

Q: What is the playable frame rate at 2560x1440 for this combo?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce 64.8 FPS, which is generally playable. High settings yield 54.3 FPS, while Ultra drops to 40.3 FPS. Low settings reach 86.6 FPS, indicating that users seeking smooth gameplay should favor Medium or Low at this resolution.

Q: Is the 4K performance usable for this game?

A: No. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only achieve 46.9 FPS, and High settings drop to 27.5 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 20.8 FPS, which is below the threshold for a responsive third-person shooter. The data suggests 4K is not a viable option for this hardware pairing.

Q: How does the CPU’s multi-threaded performance influence the game?

A: The i7-12700K’s 12 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom. With a PassMark multi-thread score of 34404 and a 3DMark max-threads score of 9979, the CPU easily handles the game’s logic. The measured FPS differences across resolutions are driven entirely by GPU workload, not CPU limitations.

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 operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The chip’s cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a 25 MB shared L3 cache, which together provide low-latency access to game data. In Minimum, a game released in 2014, this CPU is massively over-provisioned; its Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 12281 and single-core score of 1733 indicate processing power far beyond what a third-person shooter from that era demands.

The CPU’s role in this combo is to ensure that the GTX 1660 Ti is never starved of draw calls or physics data. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and 2-thread score of 2065 show strong per-core performance, which matters for older game engines that may not utilize many threads. However, the data shows no CPU-induced frame dips; the FPS differences between settings are proportional to GPU load. For instance, at 1080p, the jump from Medium (102.4 FPS) to Low (132.9 FPS) is a 30% increase, which is entirely attributable to reduced pixel shading work, not CPU overhead. The processor’s 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs (avg benchmark score 35684) confirms it is a top-tier part that will remain relevant for years, even as the GPU becomes the bottleneck in modern titles.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers a smooth experience across most settings. Low settings produce 132.9 FPS, Medium 102.4 FPS, and High 83.6 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 63.7 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold but shows the GPU’s limits as texture quality and effects increase. The 69.2 FPS spread between Low and Ultra indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti’s 96 TMUs and 48 ROPs are heavily taxed by the highest preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates fall into a less comfortable range. Low settings achieve 86.6 FPS, which is playable for competitive play. Medium drops to 64.8 FPS, High to 54.3 FPS, and Ultra to 40.3 FPS. The data shows that 1440p requires a trade-off between visual fidelity and smoothness; users targeting 60 FPS should stick to Medium or lower. The 46.3 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is smaller than at 1080p, confirming that the GPU is becoming the dominant constraint.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal at best. Low settings yield 46.9 FPS, Medium 33.1 FPS, High 27.5 FPS, and Ultra 20.8 FPS. None of these are ideal for a shooter where quick reaction times matter. The 4K results show that the 6 GB memory frame buffer is sufficient in capacity, but the 288.0 GB/s bandwidth and 5.437 TFLOPS compute are insufficient for sustained high frame rates. The scaling from 1080p Ultra (63.7 FPS) to 4K Ultra (20.8 FPS) represents a 67% drop, which is steeper than the resolution’s pixel count increase, indicating that the GPU’s fill rate is the primary limiter.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti combo ranks 1536 out of 1733 tested configurations in Minimum, placing it in the bottom 11% of all pairings. This low ranking is driven entirely by the GPU’s performance class. The GTX 1660 Ti sits in the 55th percentile of all GPUs (avg benchmark score 13925), and its nearest rivals—the AMD Radeon RX 570X (13871, +0.4%) and NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (13821, +0.8%)—are all similarly positioned. The CPU, by contrast, is in the 89th percentile, with nearest rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802, -0.3%) and Intel Core i7-13700T (35468, +0.6%) showing that the i7-12700K is at the top of its class.

The 1536 rank reflects the fact that most tested combos pair this level of CPU with far stronger GPUs. In practice, the combo’s measured FPS at 1080p High (83.6 FPS) is respectable for a 2014 title, but the 4K results (27.5 FPS on High) lag behind what higher-tier GPUs would achieve. The data indicates that this configuration is best suited for 1080p gaming at Medium or High settings, where it delivers 102.4 FPS and 83.6 FPS respectively. For 1440p, users must compromise on settings, and 4K is effectively out of reach. The combination’s low rank is not a reflection of CPU inadequacy but rather a clear signal that the GTX 1660 Ti, while competent for its era, is a mid-range part that cannot fully leverage the i7-12700K’s capabilities in a demanding resolution environment.