Minimum

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a fascinating dataset in Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014. The measured FPS across resolutions and settings reveals a system that is rarely strained, yet the scaling patterns expose where the bottleneck shifts between the CPU and GPU. This analysis breaks down the numbers to understand what this combination tells us about the game's engine and the hardware driving it.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, but the pattern is not uniform across settings. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 395.5 FPS at 1920x1080 to 138.1 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of roughly 65%. At High settings, the drop is from 256.6 FPS to 85.8 FPS, a similar proportional decline of about 67%. This consistent scaling suggests that the GPU is the primary limiter as resolution increases, which is expected for a high-end card like the RTX 4090.

However, the absolute numbers reveal something more curious. At 1080p Low, the system produces 395.5 FPS, which is extraordinarily high for a 2014 title. This indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU is likely the constraining factor, as the GPU has ample headroom. The transition to 1440p shows a smaller relative drop: Low goes from 395.5 to 256.1 FPS, a 35% decrease, while High goes from 256.6 to 160.7 FPS, a 37% decrease. The scaling between 1440p and 4K then tightens, with Low falling another 46% to 138.1 FPS.

The data implies that Minimum is not heavily optimized for modern multi-core processors, but it also isn't demanding enough to saturate the RTX 4090 at 1080p. The limiting component shifts clearly: at 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance caps the frame rate; at 4K, the GPU's raw pixel throughput becomes the wall. The 2014 release date means the engine was built for older hardware, so the 12-core i7-12700K at 5.00 GHz boost is likely overkill for the game's thread utilization, while the RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for any texture load the game can present.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090's specifications paint a picture of overwhelming capability for this title. With 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units, the GPU has massive parallel throughput. The boost clock of 2520 MHz and base clock of 2235 MHz are high for a 5 nm process, and the 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is more than any 2014 game could realistically demand. The 24 GB memory capacity is double what even modern titles require, and the 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures no texture streaming bottlenecks.

In the measured data, the GPU's role becomes evident in the Ultra preset. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 67, which is the lowest figure recorded. This is a significant dip from High's 85.8 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU, likely involving advanced shading or post-processing that the Ada Lovelace architecture handles less efficiently relative to its raw compute. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 71.1 FPS (138.1 vs 67), which is a 106% difference, showing that the game's visual settings can dramatically alter GPU load.

Interestingly, the GPU's benchmark scores align with this performance. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9223 and the Passmark G3D score of 38194 place it in the 91st percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals like the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (delta -0.4%) and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (delta -0.9%) showing that the RTX 4090 is at the top of the heap. Yet, in Minimum, the GPU is not the bottleneck until 4K, and even then, the lowest FPS of 67 is still playable. The data suggests that the RTX 4090 is over-provisioned for this game, with the GPU's role being more about maintaining high frame rates at high resolutions rather than overcoming any real challenge.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data for gaming workloads. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong: Cinebench R23 multi-core at 29,241 and single-core at 4,128, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, is only 0.3% behind in average score, showing the i7-12700K is well-positioned.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p Low, where the frame rate hits 395.5 FPS. This is nearly the 400 FPS mark, and the fact that it doesn't go higher suggests the CPU's single-thread performance is the ceiling. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and Passmark single-thread score of 4013 indicate strong single-core capability, but the game's engine likely relies on one or two threads for main game logic. The jump from 1080p Low to 1440p Low (395.5 to 256.1 FPS) shows a 35% drop, which is less than the 65% drop from 1440p to 4K, confirming that at lower resolutions, the CPU is the limiting factor.

The data also shows that the CPU's multi-core performance is largely unused. The 3DMark max threads score of 9979 and Cinebench R20 multi-core of 12,281 are impressive, but Minimum appears to not scale well beyond a few cores. This is typical for a 2014 title, where dual-core or quad-core CPUs were common. The i7-12700K's 12 cores are overkill, but the high boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures that the few threads the game uses are executed at maximum speed. The result is that the CPU never becomes a major bottleneck until the frame rate approaches 400 FPS, which confirms both the processor and the game's lightweight nature.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 40th out of 1,733 tested combos in Minimum. This is a strong showing, placing the system in the top 2.3% of all configurations. The rank reflects the overall capability of the hardware, but the measured FPS data shows that this combo is not necessarily the best for this specific game, as the CPU and GPU are both over-provisioned.

The combo's rank is consistent with the individual component percentiles: the CPU is in the 89th percentile and the GPU is in the 91st percentile. However, the deltaPct values for the nearest rivals show how close the competition is. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, has a delta of 0.6%, meaning it scores slightly higher on average, while the GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, is 0.4% lower. This suggests that other combos with different pairings could achieve similar or better performance in Minimum, particularly if they have higher single-thread CPU performance or a GPU that is more efficient at lower resolutions.

The rank of 40 out of 1,733 is impressive, but it doesn't tell the whole story. The measured FPS at 1080p High (256.6 FPS) and 1440p High (160.7 FPS) are both excellent, but they are not the highest possible. The data implies that a combo with a faster single-thread CPU might rank higher, as the RTX 4090 is not fully utilized at lower resolutions. The combo's rank is a holistic measure, but for Minimum, the CPU's single-thread performance is more critical than the GPU's raw power, which is a nuance the rank alone does not capture.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the best experience per the data is the High preset at 1440p or 1080p. At 1440p High, the average FPS is 160.7, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a smooth experience with good visual quality. At 1080p High, the FPS rises to 256.6, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 1440p (122.2 FPS) and 1080p (193.9 FPS) is also viable, but the drop from High to Ultra is significant: at 1080p, it's a 24% reduction (256.6 to 193.9), and at 1440p, it's a 24% reduction as well (160.7 to 122.2). The visual gains from Ultra may not justify the FPS loss.

For 4K, the High preset (85.8 FPS) is the recommended choice, as it maintains a playable frame rate while offering better visuals than Medium (107.1 FPS) which is actually faster but lower quality. The Ultra preset at 4K (67 FPS) is marginal, and the Low preset (138.1 FPS) is too basic for a modern system. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot across all resolutions, balancing frame rate and visual fidelity. For competitive play, the Low preset at 1080p (395.5 FPS) offers the highest frame rate, but the visual quality is compromised. The Medium preset at 1080p (303.8 FPS) is a good middle ground for those who prioritize frame rate over visuals.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 395.5, measured at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

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

A: The combo ranks 40th out of 1,733 tested combos in Minimum.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the average FPS drops to 67, the lowest recorded figure.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 256.1 FPS, while High settings produce 160.7 FPS, a difference of 95.4 FPS.

Q: Does the game benefit from the 24 GB of VRAM?

A: The data does not show VRAM usage, but the 24 GB capacity and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for a 2014 title, indicating no VRAM-related bottleneck.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded?

A: The lowest average FPS is 67, measured at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across resolutions and settings:

• 3840x2160 (4K): Low settings yield 138.1 FPS, Medium yields 107.1 FPS, High yields 85.8 FPS, and Ultra yields 67 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 51.5% reduction in frame rate, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed at this resolution.
• 2560x1440 (1440p): Low settings yield 256.1 FPS, Medium yields 192.5 FPS, High yields 160.7 FPS, and Ultra yields 122.2 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 52.3%, and the FPS values are all above 120, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.
• 1920x1080 (1080p): Low settings yield 395.5 FPS, Medium yields 303.8 FPS, High yields 256.6 FPS, and Ultra yields 193.9 FPS. The 395.5 FPS figure at Low is the peak performance, but even Ultra remains above 190 FPS, showing that the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution.

The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the frame rate drops more steeply, and the impact of settings becomes more pronounced. At 1080p, the CPU caps performance, while at 4K, the GPU's limits are exposed. The RTX 4090's 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 power is more than enough for Minimum, but the 2014 engine's single-threaded nature means the i7-12700K's 5.00 GHz boost clock is the key to achieving the highest frame rates. Overall, this combo is excellent for Minimum, offering playable frame rates at all settings and resolutions, with the best balance found at High settings across 1080p and 1440p.