Minimum

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a highly capable 1080p experience in Minimum, but the data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, placing the burden squarely on the GPU. At 1920x1080, the combo is overwhelmingly CPU-bound at lower settings, while at 4K, the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck, dropping below playable thresholds at maximum quality.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly illustrates where the system’s limits reside. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 203.7 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops that figure to 130.3 FPS, a reduction of 36%. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 70.1 FPS, which is just 34% of the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4060’s rendering throughput, not the CPU, is the primary constraint as pixel count rises.

The pattern holds across all quality presets. For High settings, the average FPS goes from 127.5 at 1080p to 81.7 at 1440p, and then to 45.4 at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, starting at 100.9 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 61.8 at 1440p, and collapsing to 35.2 at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K for Ultra is a 65% loss in frame rate, which is a clear indicator that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and processing power are being saturated. The 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus, paired with a 272.0 GB/s bandwidth, are simply insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with demanding settings.

Conversely, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the 203.7 FPS average suggests the graphics card is not the limiting factor. The Core i7-12700K’s 12 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, provide ample headroom to feed frames at this resolution. The data suggests that at 1080p Low, the system is likely hitting a CPU or game-engine limit, as the GPU is capable of far more. At 4K, however, the CPU’s advantage is irrelevant; the GPU’s pixel throughput and memory subsystem dictate the outcome.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing high refresh rates at 1920x1080, the Low preset is the clear winner, delivering an average of 203.7 FPS. This is 49 FPS higher than the Medium preset’s 154.7 FPS and more than double the Ultra preset’s 100.9 FPS. While Low settings may compromise visual fidelity, the frame rate advantage is substantial for competitive play in this third-person shooter. The Medium preset at 1080p, with 154.7 FPS, offers a balanced trade-off, providing a significant improvement over High and Ultra while still exceeding the refresh rate of most standard monitors.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts. The Low preset still achieves a very high 130.3 FPS, but the Medium preset’s 100.8 FPS is more than adequate for smooth gameplay and provides better image quality. The High preset at 81.7 FPS is playable but begins to show the GPU’s strain. The Ultra preset at 61.8 FPS is the least advisable, as the performance drop is significant without a proportional visual benefit.

The 4K resolution is where the RTX 4060 struggles. The Low preset yields 70.1 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced shooter. The Medium preset at 52.1 FPS is borderline, and the High preset at 45.4 FPS is below the threshold for smooth, responsive gameplay. The Ultra preset at 35.2 FPS is essentially unplayable. The data indicates that 4K gaming on this combo requires compromising on settings to the Low or Medium presets, and even then, the experience is suboptimal compared to lower resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. Even at Ultra settings, the combo maintains an average of 100.9 FPS, while at 2560x1440, Ultra drops to 61.8 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 35.2 FPS.

*Q: Is the RTX 4060 powerful enough for 4K gaming in Minimum?*

A: No. The measured results show that at 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 70.1 at Low to 35.2 at Ultra. None of these presets provide a consistently smooth experience, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: How much performance is gained by using Low settings over Ultra at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 203.7 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 100.9 FPS. This represents a 102.8 FPS advantage for Low settings.

Q: Does the CPU hold the system back at any resolution?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 4K, the FPS is low across all presets, which points to GPU limitations. However, at 1080p Low, the 203.7 FPS result is high enough that the CPU’s 12 cores and 20 threads may be a limiting factor.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Medium settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 81.7 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 100.8 FPS. The Medium preset delivers a 19.1 FPS improvement, making it a better choice for smoother gameplay.

Q: Is there a playable preset at 4K?

A: The Low preset at 70.1 FPS is the only 4K option that approaches playability. The Medium preset at 52.1 FPS could be considered for less demanding titles, but it is not ideal for a shooter.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 998th out of 1733 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the lower half of all possible configurations, which is a significant finding given the individual components’ standings. The CPU ranks in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 66th percentile, yet their combined performance in this specific game is middling.

This ranking suggests that Minimum is particularly demanding on the GPU, and the RTX 4060’s relative performance is not sufficient to boost the combo’s standing. For context, the CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which has a 0.3% higher benchmark score, and the Intel Core i7-13700T, which is 0.6% lower. These differences are negligible. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, show similar benchmark scores with deltas of -0.6% and -0.7% respectively. This indicates that the combo’s low rank is not due to a weak CPU or GPU in isolation, but rather the game’s specific workload.

The data implies that a combination featuring a lower-tier CPU but a more powerful GPU would likely rank higher in this title, as the game appears to be heavily GPU-bound at high settings. The 998th rank out of 1733 is a clear signal that while this combo is competent for general use, it is not optimized for the specific demands of Minimum.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the decisive component in this combo’s performance in Minimum. The GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is a critical limitation. The benchmark results show a clear correlation between resolution and frame rate, which is a direct function of memory bandwidth and fill rate. The pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s are adequate for 1080p but are overwhelmed at 4K.

The GPU’s boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz are standard for the 40-series, but the 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is not enough to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 100.9, which is a solid result. However, at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 35.2 FPS, a 65% reduction. This is a direct result of the GPU’s limited memory bandwidth and processing power being saturated by the increased pixel count.

The GPU’s 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores do not appear to provide a significant advantage in this title, as the measured FPS does not show any unusual spikes or anomalies. The PassMark G3D score of 19545 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2302 reflect the GPU’s overall capabilities, but the game-specific data is more telling. The RTX 4060 is a capable 1080p card, but it is not a 4K card for demanding games like Minimum.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4060 and i7-12700K produce a wide range of results depending on the preset. The Low setting yields 203.7 FPS, which is the highest average measured across all combinations. Medium drops to 154.7 FPS, High to 127.5 FPS, and Ultra to 100.9 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 50% reduction in frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the performance is more moderate. Low produces 130.3 FPS, Medium 100.8 FPS, High 81.7 FPS, and Ultra 61.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 68.5 FPS, or 53%. This shows a consistent pattern of diminishing returns as settings are increased.

At 3840x2160, the results are significantly lower. Low averages 70.1 FPS, Medium 52.1 FPS, High 45.4 FPS, and Ultra 35.2 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 34.9 FPS, or 50%. These numbers confirm that the GPU is the bottleneck at this resolution, as even the lowest settings cannot achieve a high frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K plays a supporting role in Minimum, providing enough processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck at most settings. With 12 cores (including performance and efficiency cores) and 20 threads, the CPU is well-equipped for modern gaming workloads. The base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensure strong single-threaded performance, which is often critical for game logic.

The CPU’s benchmark scores support its capability. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29241 and single-core score of 4128 are strong, and the Geekbench multicore score of 13892 confirms its multi-threaded prowess. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU’s influence is limited. At 1080p Low, the 203.7 FPS average is likely near the CPU’s limit for this game, as the GPU is not the constraint. This is evidenced by the fact that the CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and Intel Core i5-14500HX, have similar benchmark scores with deltas of -0.3% and -0.7% respectively.

At 1440p and 4K, the CPU’s role diminishes further. The frame rates are determined by the GPU’s rendering speed, not the CPU’s ability to issue draw calls. The CPU’s 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache are sufficient for this game’s data needs. The data indicates that the i7-12700K is not a limiting factor in this combo, and any performance issues are solely attributable to the RTX 4060’s capabilities.