Minimum

# Minimum — Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER produces a consistently high-performing combination in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. Across the measured resolutions and settings, this combo delivers frame rates that range from 56 FPS at 4K Ultra to 329 FPS at 1080p Low. The data shows a system that scales predictably with both resolution and quality preset, making it suitable for a wide range of display configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and follows an expected pattern. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 211 FPS at 1920x1080 to 136 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 73 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 65% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU is playing a significant role in limiting performance, while at 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint.

Looking at Low settings, the pattern is even more pronounced. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 329 FPS, dropping to 212 FPS at 1440p and 114 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 36% and 65% respectively, nearly identical to the High setting scaling. This consistency across settings indicates that resolution scaling is primarily driven by pixel count rather than quality preset.

The Medium settings row provides the only complete min/max data in the measured results. At 4K Medium, the average is 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 101. At 1440p Medium, the average rises to 162 FPS with a minimum of 138 and maximum of 187. At 1080p Medium, the average reaches 252 FPS with a minimum of 214 and maximum of 290. The frame time consistency appears solid, with the minimum FPS staying within roughly 15% of the average across these resolutions.

Ultra settings show the steepest scaling curve. The 4K Ultra average of 56 FPS is the lowest result in the entire dataset, while 1440p Ultra reaches 104 FPS and 1080p Ultra hits 161 FPS. The jump from Ultra to High at 4K is 17 FPS (from 56 to 73), while at 1080p the same settings jump is 50 FPS (from 161 to 211). This widening gap at higher resolutions confirms that Ultra presets place a disproportionate load on the GPU.

The limiting component shifts clearly across the resolution range. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 168 FPS (329 vs 161), suggesting the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at higher quality settings. At 4K, the same settings spread narrows to 58 FPS (114 vs 56), indicating the GPU is the dominant bottleneck. For users targeting 4K, the data suggests that High settings provide a better balance than Ultra, as the 17 FPS gain from dropping one preset level is significant.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. It packs 8448 shading units, 264 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output pipelines. The chip, designated AD103, contains 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. The boost clock runs at 2610 MHz, with a base clock of 2340 MHz.

The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory operates across a 256-bit bus, delivering 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Memory speed is rated at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective transfer. This memory configuration is more than adequate for a game from 2014, and the data suggests that VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor at any of the tested resolutions or settings. Even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 56, the frame rate is constrained by compute performance rather than memory throughput.

The GPU's raw compute capabilities include 44.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 250.6 GPixel/s. The texture rate reaches 689.0 GTexel/s. These figures position the card well above the requirements of a title from this era. The passmark G3D score of 31811 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5569 reflect strong synthetic performance, though the game's actual results show more nuance.

In Minimum, the GPU appears to be the main performance limiter at 4K resolutions. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 58 FPS, while at 1440p the same comparison yields 108 FPS, and at 1080p it reaches 168 FPS. This pattern indicates that as pixel count increases, the GPU's workload grows faster than the CPU's, making the graphics card the decisive component at higher resolutions.

The GPU's percentile ranking sits at 76, meaning it outperforms 76% of all GPUs in the benchmark database. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 at 31206 (0.4% higher), the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q at 31220 (0.4% higher), and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell at 31532 (1.4% higher). These are synthetic benchmarks, though, and the in-game results show the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER performing strongly relative to its compute capabilities.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K belongs to the 12th Gen Core series, built on the Alder Lake architecture with a 10 nm process. It features 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The thermal design power is 125 W, and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus. The CPU connects via PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes.

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 processor also includes UHD Graphics 770 integrated graphics, though the discrete GPU renders all game frames in this dataset. The CPU's socket is Intel Socket 1700, and it was released in November 2021 with a launch MSRP of $409.

Synthetic benchmarks show strong multi-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 multicore score reaches 19784, while the single-core score is 1850.5. The Geekbench multicore score is 15790 with a single-core score of 2308. The 3DMark 16-thread test produces 9276 points, and the max-thread test reaches 9979. The Passmark multithread score is 34404, with a single-thread score of 4013.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 329 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that requires strong per-core performance to keep the GPU fed. The single-core benchmark scores, including the Cinebench R23 single-core result of 1850.5 and the 3DMark single-thread score of 1043, support the idea that this CPU can handle high-FPS scenarios.

The CPU's percentile ranking is 84, outperforming 84% of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13600T (0.1% higher average score), the Intel Core i7-12700KF (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i7-13700T (0.3% higher), and the Intel Core 5 213PE (0.4% higher). These are all close in synthetic performance, but the 12700K's 12 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom for gaming workloads.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor when settings are lowered. The jump from 1080p Ultra (161 FPS) to 1080p Low (329 FPS) shows a doubling of performance, which suggests the GPU has more headroom than the CPU can supply at the highest frame rates. At 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU becomes the primary constraint.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p offers the best balance of image quality and performance. At High settings, the combo achieves 136 FPS at 2560x1440, which is well above 60 FPS and only 75 FPS less than at 1080p. The 4K results are playable but require dropping to Low (114 FPS) or Medium (87 FPS) for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra preset perform?

A: The 4K Ultra preset yields an average of 56 FPS, which is the lowest result in the entire dataset. This is below the 60 FPS threshold that many users consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. Dropping to High at 4K raises the average to 73 FPS, a 30% improvement.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the CPU appears to be the limiting component. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 168 FPS, while at 4K the same comparison yields only 58 FPS. The CPU's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1850.5) supports high frame rates, but the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can feed them at the lowest settings.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM matter for this game?

A: The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is far more than Minimum requires, given its 2014 release date. The memory bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s and the 256-bit bus provide ample throughput, and the data shows no signs of VRAM-related performance degradation at any tested setting or resolution.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 449th out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the top 12% of all configurations. This ranking reflects strong performance across the board, with the CPU and GPU both contributing to a well-balanced system for this game.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 136 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 104 FPS. The difference is 32 FPS, or approximately 31% better performance at High settings. The frame rate at High is comfortably above 120 FPS, making it the preferred choice for high-refresh-rate displays.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 329 FPS, which is the single highest result in the dataset. Medium settings average 252 FPS with a minimum of 214 and maximum of 290. High settings reach 211 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 161 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 168 FPS, showing that quality presets have a substantial impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but scales down proportionally. Low settings average 212 FPS, Medium averages 162 FPS with a minimum of 138 and maximum of 187, High reaches 136 FPS, and Ultra drops to 104 FPS. The jump from Low to Ultra is 108 FPS, a narrower spread than at 1080p. The Medium settings at 1440p show good frame time consistency, with the minimum FPS staying within 15% of the average.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. Low settings average 114 FPS, Medium averages 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 101, High reaches 73 FPS, and Ultra drops to 56 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 58 FPS, the smallest spread across all resolutions. The 4K results are still playable, but the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, the High preset at 211 FPS provides an excellent experience. The Ultra preset at 161 FPS is also strong, but the 50 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not justify the visual improvement on most monitors. The Medium preset at 252 FPS is the best choice for competitive play where maximum frame rates matter, though the visual reduction from High is noticeable.

At 1440p, the High preset at 136 FPS is the recommended choice for most users. It delivers smooth gameplay on 120 Hz and 144 Hz displays while maintaining high visual quality. The Ultra preset at 104 FPS is also viable for 100 Hz monitors, and the Medium preset at 162 FPS is ideal for esports-oriented play. The Low preset at 212 FPS offers the highest frame rates but sacrifices too much visual fidelity for most scenarios.

At 4K, the Low preset at 114 FPS is the only option that comfortably exceeds 100 FPS. The Medium preset at 87 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance, providing a smooth experience on 60 Hz and 90 Hz displays. The High preset at 73 FPS is acceptable for 60 Hz monitors, but the Ultra preset at 56 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold and is not recommended for consistent gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER combination ranks 449th out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places the system in the top 12.1% of all configurations tested, indicating strong overall performance. The CPU's percentile ranking of 84 and the GPU's percentile ranking of 76 both contribute to this solid standing.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all within 0.4% of its average score, showing that the 12700K is competitively positioned among its peers. The GPU's nearest rivals include professional and workstation cards, which highlights the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's strong compute performance relative to its gaming-focused design.

The ranking reflects a balanced system where neither component severely bottlenecks the other. At 1080p, the CPU limits performance at low settings, but the frame rates remain exceptionally high. At 4K, the GPU takes over as the primary constraint, yet the system still delivers playable results across all presets. This balance makes the combo versatile across a wide range of gaming scenarios, from competitive play at high refresh rates to visually demanding 4K gaming.