Minimum

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Minimum show a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 114.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 74.3 FPS, a reduction to roughly 65% of the 1080p figure. At 4K, the average falls further to 39.8 FPS, which is only about 35% of the 1080p performance.

This scaling curve is steep, indicating that the graphics card is becoming the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs about 40 FPS, while the jump from 1440p to 4K costs another 34.5 FPS. The relative drop from 1440p to 4K is proportionally larger (from 74.3 to 39.8, a 46% reduction) than the drop from 1080p to 1440p (from 114.8 to 74.3, a 35% reduction). This accelerating decline is typical of a GPU that is running out of fillrate and memory bandwidth at higher resolutions.

The Low preset tells a similar story. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 176.7 FPS. At 1440p Low, it falls to 111.8 FPS, and at 4K Low, it manages 59 FPS. The 4K Low figure is interesting because it nearly matches the 1440p High result of 74.3 FPS. This suggests that the GPU's raw throughput is the bottleneck at 4K regardless of quality settings, and lowering settings from High to Low only recovers about 19 FPS at 4K, whereas the same settings change at 1080p recovers 61.9 FPS.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the system has enough headroom to let the CPU contribute meaningfully, as evidenced by the large FPS spread between presets. At 4K, the spread narrows considerably: from 32.1 FPS at Ultra to 59 FPS at Low, a range of only 26.9 FPS. At 1080p, the range from Ultra (84.4) to Low (176.7) spans 92.3 FPS. This compression of performance at higher resolutions is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF brings 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong multi-threaded capability: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28979 and a Passmark multithread score of 34092. Single-thread performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4091 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2526.

For a third-person shooter like Minimum, single-thread performance often dictates the upper frame rate ceiling in CPU-limited scenarios. The measured 1080p Low result of 176.7 FPS suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at high rates. The i7-12700KF's single-thread scores rank in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, placing it well above typical gaming processors.

However, the game's resolution scaling pattern reveals that the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K, even the Low preset only produces 59 FPS, which is far below what the CPU could theoretically support. The CPU is not the constraint at 4K. At 1080p, the difference between Low (176.7 FPS) and Ultra (84.4 FPS) is substantial, and the fact that Low exceeds 170 FPS indicates the CPU can handle high frame rates when the GPU is not overburdened.

The i7-12700KF's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark scores include the Intel Core i5-14400 (deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Core i7-13800H (deltaPct -0.2). These differences are negligible, meaning the CPU's gaming performance in Minimum is likely representative of its class. The processor's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 provide adequate bandwidth for feeding the GPU at 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear picture of how each preset performs across resolutions. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 114.8 FPS, which is smooth for a third-person shooter. Ultra drops to 84.4 FPS, still playable but with a 30 FPS penalty for the highest quality settings. Medium sits at 137 FPS, and Low reaches 176.7 FPS.

For 1440p, High produces 74.3 FPS, which remains fluid. Medium at 85.4 FPS is arguably the sweet spot, offering a 11.1 FPS improvement over High while maintaining decent visual quality. Ultra falls to 59.1 FPS, which is borderline for fast-paced gameplay. Low at 111.8 FPS is the highest frame rate at this resolution but sacrifices visual fidelity.

At 4K, the situation becomes more constrained. High produces 39.8 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium manages 48.4 FPS, and Low reaches 59 FPS. Ultra drops to 32.1 FPS, which is likely stuttery for a shooter. Given the data, 4K gameplay is only viable at Low or Medium settings, and even then the frame rates are modest.

The best experience per the measured rows depends on the target display. For 1080p, High at 114.8 FPS offers a strong balance of visuals and performance, with Medium providing a comfortable margin at 137 FPS if higher refresh rates are desired. For 1440p, Medium at 85.4 FPS is the recommended preset, as it clears 60 FPS with headroom while High dips close to the 74 FPS mark. For 4K, Low at 59 FPS is the only preset that approaches playable frame rates, though Medium at 48.4 FPS may be acceptable for slower-paced sections.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks 1121 out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the overall distribution, which is consistent with the GPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU's 89th percentile ranking. The combo's rank reflects the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, as the CPU is clearly capable of more.

The RX 6650 XT's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark scores include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M with a deltaPct of 0, meaning they perform virtually identically. The AMD Radeon RX 470 is 0.1% behind, and the Intel Arc A370M is 0.5% behind. These close margins indicate that the GPU's performance is well characterized by its position in the 72nd percentile.

The combo's rank of 1121 out of 1733 suggests that many other pairings deliver higher frame rates in this game. This is not surprising given that the GPU is a mid-range part from 2022, while the CPU is a high-end part from 2021. The bottleneck is clearly the GPU, as the CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 89th percentile, while the GPU sits in the 72nd percentile. In a game like Minimum, where resolution scaling heavily favors the GPU, this imbalance becomes apparent at 1440p and 4K.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 2055 MHz, with a boost clock of 2635 MHz and a game clock of 2410 MHz. The GPU's compute capabilities include 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, with 32 ray tracing cores. The FP32 throughput is 10.79 TFLOPS.

The GPU's benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 17166 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1859. These numbers place the RX 6650 XT in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in aggregate scores include the RX 6800M (deltaPct 0) and the RX 470 (deltaPct 0.1), indicating that it performs in line with these parts.

In Minimum, the GPU's role becomes dominant at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates show that the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 280.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, where High settings produce 114.8 and 74.3 FPS respectively. At 4K, the GPU's limitations are exposed: High settings drop to 39.8 FPS, and Ultra to 32.1 FPS. The memory bus width of 128 bit is narrow for 4K workloads, and the 8 GB capacity may also constrain texture-heavy scenes at Ultra settings.

The GPU's boost clock of 2635 MHz is relatively high, but it cannot compensate for the limited memory bandwidth at 4K. The data shows that reducing settings from High to Low at 4K only yields 19.2 FPS improvement, whereas the same reduction at 1080p yields 61.9 FPS. This indicates that the GPU's raw compute and memory subsystems are saturated at 4K, and further setting reductions have diminishing returns.

FAQ

Q: What frame rate does the i7-12700KF and RX 6650 XT achieve at 1080p with High settings?

A: The combo delivers an average of 114.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, according to the measured data.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Minimum?

A: At 3840x2160, the highest measured frame rate is 59 FPS on Low settings. High settings produce 39.8 FPS, Medium 48.4 FPS, and Ultra 32.1 FPS. Only Low approaches playable frame rates.

Q: How does the RX 6650 XT compare to its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks?

A: The RX 6650 XT's average benchmark score is 29024. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M is 0% different, the RX 470 is 0.1% higher, and the Intel Arc A370M is 0.5% lower.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance based on Cinebench R23?

A: The i7-12700KF scores 4091 in Cinebench R23 single-core, which is a strong result and contributes to its 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gameplay?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 produce 85.4 FPS, which is the highest frame rate above 60 FPS at that resolution. High settings drop to 74.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 59.1 FPS.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Minimum?

A: The combo ranks 1121 out of 1733 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the distribution.