Minimum

# Minimum — Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080

The Intel Core i7-12700K pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 to deliver a formidable combination for Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter that clearly favors high-frequency rendering. This combo ranks 64th out of 1,733 tested configurations, placing it in the top 4% of all tested systems. The data reveals a system that excels at high refresh rate gameplay at 1440p, with the CPU demonstrating its strength in this older title. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings paint a picture of a balanced pair, though the scaling patterns suggest where each component's influence peaks.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, supported by a 25 MB shared L3 cache. For a game released in 2014, Minimum does not demand the full multi-threaded might of this CPU, but the data shows the processor's single-thread performance is the critical factor. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1,043 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,128 indicate strong per-core capability, which translates directly to frame pacing in a third-person shooter that likely relies on a primary game thread.

The processor's 20 threads offer ample headroom, but benchmark results suggest that the 12 cores are more than sufficient for this workload. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4,013 and Geekbench single-core score of 2,561 reinforce the idea that the i7-12700K provides the necessary instruction throughput to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions. The processor's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs underscores its overall capability, though its nearest rivals—such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 with a delta of -0.3% and the Intel Core i7-13700T with a delta of 0.6%—show that the 12700K sits in a tightly contested performance band. In Minimum, the CPU's role appears to be enabling the high frame rates seen at 1080p, where the GPU is not yet saturated, rather than being the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 2,295 MHz with a boost clock of 2,617 MHz, and memory runs at 1,875 MHz (30 Gbps effective). With 10,752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units, the RTX 5080 is a high-end card that ranks in the 89th percentile among all GPUs. Its PassMark G3D score of 36,565 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8,637 position it well above average, though its nearest rivals—the Intel Arc A570M with a delta of 1.6% and the Intel Arc Pro A60 with a delta of -1.9%—show that benchmark aggregation can obscure real-world gaming differences.

In Minimum, the RTX 5080's 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient, as the game's 2014-era assets do not approach this capacity. The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 62.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU's raw compute is being heavily taxed by the combination of high resolution and maximum settings. The GPU's 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 879.3 GTexel/s texture rate are the specifications that drive these results, but the data suggests that the 5080 is not the bottleneck at 1080p, where the CPU's limits are more visible. The GPU's performance in this title is characterized by its ability to maintain high frame rates at 1440p, but the 4K Ultra results indicate that even this powerful card faces challenges with the game's most demanding settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear resolution scaling pattern that identifies the limiting component at each tier. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 244.3 FPS, which drops to 158.7 FPS at 1440p High (a 35% reduction), and further to 85.1 FPS at 4K High (a 65% reduction from 1080p). This scaling indicates that the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p, as the frame rate exceeds what the GPU can render based on its raw compute, but the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises.

The Low settings tell a similar story. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 375.5 FPS, which is exceptionally high and suggests that the CPU's single-thread performance is the ceiling. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 245.6 FPS (a 34.6% drop), and 4K Low produces 128.1 FPS (a 65.9% drop from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops—around 35% from 1080p to 1440p and 65% from 1080p to 4K—indicates that the GPU's rendering workload scales predictably with pixel count, while the CPU's contribution remains relatively constant. The Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling: 188 FPS at 1080p, 121.2 FPS at 1440p (35.5% drop), and 62.7 FPS at 4K (66.6% drop). This pattern confirms that the RTX 5080 is the limiting component at 4K, particularly with Ultra settings, while the i7-12700K provides sufficient headroom at 1080p to push frame rates well beyond 200 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 offers the best balance, with 158.7 FPS at High settings and 121.2 FPS at Ultra. This provides high frame rates while maintaining visual fidelity, compared to 4K where Ultra drops to 62.7 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance impact the game?

A: The i7-12700K's single-thread scores—1,043 in 3DMark single-thread and 4,128 in Cinebench R23 single-core—are critical for Minimum, as evidenced by the 375.5 FPS at 1080p Low, which suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at that resolution.

Q: Is the RTX 5080's 16 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes, the 16 GB GDDR7 memory is far more than Minimum requires, as the game's 2014-era assets do not pressure this capacity even at 4K Ultra settings.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 64th out of 1,733 tested combos, placing it in the top 4%. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and Intel Core i7-13700T, show deltas of -0.3% and 0.6%, respectively, indicating the 12700K is competitively positioned.

Q: What settings provide the highest frame rate?

A: The lowest settings at 1080p yield 375.5 FPS, which is the maximum measured. For a balanced experience, Medium at 1440p provides 189.1 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors.

Q: Does the GPU's performance scale linearly with resolution?

A: No, the scaling is not perfectly linear. From 1080p to 1440p, the FPS drops by approximately 35% across settings, but from 1440p to 4K, the drop is approximately 46-48%, indicating that the GPU's rendering load increases disproportionately at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 64th out of 1,733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the 96.3rd percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the strength of both components, as the CPU's 89th percentile among all CPUs and the GPU's 89th percentile among all GPUs combine to produce a system that excels in this title. The CPU's nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 with a delta of -0.3% and the Intel Core i7-13700T with a delta of 0.6%—suggest that the 12700K is not the top performer in its class, but its pairing with the RTX 5080 boosts the overall combo ranking.

The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc A570M with a delta of 1.6% and the Intel Arc Pro A60 with a delta of -1.9%, show that the RTX 5080's average benchmark score of 59,188 is closely matched by some competitors, yet the real-world gaming data in Minimum demonstrates the GPU's capabilities. The combo's rank of 64 out of 1,733 indicates that there are 63 configurations that perform better, likely featuring more recent high-end CPUs or GPUs, but this pairing remains in the top tier of tested systems. The data suggests that the RTX 5080's performance in Minimum is a strong contributor to the combo's ranking, as the GPU's high frame rates at 1440p and 1080p are notable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 375.5, which is the maximum measured across all resolutions and settings. Medium settings produce 290.2 FPS, High settings yield 244.3 FPS, and Ultra settings result in 188 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, as even the most demanding Ultra settings exceed 180 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear step down. Low settings produce 245.6 FPS, Medium yields 189.1 FPS, High achieves 158.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 121.2 FPS. This resolution represents the sweet spot for this combo, as it offers frame rates above 120 FPS even at Ultra settings, which is suitable for high refresh rate displays.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. Low settings produce 128.1 FPS, Medium yields 101.2 FPS, High achieves 85.1 FPS, and Ultra drops significantly to 62.7 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that falls below 100 FPS, indicating that the RTX 5080 is fully utilized at this resolution and settings combination. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low shows a 65.9% reduction, while 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra shows a 66.6% reduction, demonstrating consistent GPU-bound behavior at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p users with a 240 Hz monitor, Medium settings at 290.2 FPS provide a smooth experience that exceeds most display refresh rates, while High at 244.3 FPS is also viable. For 1440p, which is the recommended resolution for this pairing, Ultra settings at 121.2 FPS provide the best visual quality while maintaining frame rates above 120 FPS. This is the ideal configuration for users with 144 Hz monitors, as it balances visual fidelity with performance.

For 4K users, the data suggests that High settings at 85.1 FPS are the most practical choice, as Ultra at 62.7 FPS may be insufficient for smooth gameplay on high refresh rate displays. Medium at 4K provides 101.2 FPS, which is a better option for those seeking higher frame rates, though it sacrifices visual quality. The measured data indicates that the Low settings at 4K, while producing 128.1 FPS, do not represent an optimal experience due to the significant visual downgrade. Overall, the best experience per the measured rows is achieved at 1440p with Ultra settings, which delivers 121.2 FPS and represents the highest settings level that maintains a frame rate above 120 FPS. For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, 1080p Low at 375.5 FPS is the maximum performance configuration, but this is not recommended for general gameplay due to the reduced visual quality.