Minimum

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter, but the data indicates that 4K Ultra is a stretch for this combination. Benchmark results show a clear pattern where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, while the 12-core CPU provides ample headroom even at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the measured performance frame by frame, focusing on what the numbers mean for a practical build.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 138 FPS at 1080p to 89 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of roughly 35%. Pushing further to 4K High yields only 48 FPS, which is a 65% drop from the 1080p result. This pattern strongly suggests that the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the pixel count outpaces the GPU's rendering capacity.

The scaling is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The average FPS falls from 105 at 1080p to 68 at 1440p, and then plummets to 36 at 4K. That 4K Ultra figure is just barely playable for a third-person shooter, but it is far from smooth. The data indicates that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo when aiming for high visual fidelity, as the 89 FPS at High settings remains fluid, while 4K requires a significant compromise in settings to stay above 60 FPS.

Looking at the Low settings data tells a different story. At 1080p Low, the combo hits an average of 214 FPS, which drops to 138 FPS at 1440p and 74 FPS at 4K. The massive 140 FPS gap between 1080p and 4K at Low settings confirms that the GPU is being saturated by the sheer number of pixels, not by the game's visual complexity. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario; the CPU has more than enough power to feed frames, but the RX 6750 XT cannot keep up with the increased render resolution.

The relationship between settings and resolution is also telling. At 1080p, the difference between Low (214 FPS) and Ultra (105 FPS) is a 109 FPS gap, showing that the GPU has headroom to spare at this resolution. However, at 4K, the same settings gap shrinks to 38 FPS (74 FPS Low vs 36 FPS Ultra). This compression of the performance range at 4K indicates that the GPU is running out of raw throughput, making the choice of settings less impactful than the choice of resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 22 chip, and its specifications explain the observed scaling. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. For a game released in 2014, this memory configuration is more than sufficient for texture streaming and asset storage, even at 4K. The 12 GB capacity helps avoid VRAM-related stutters, which is a common issue with lower-capacity cards at higher resolutions.

Clock speeds are another factor. The GPU has a base clock of 2150 MHz, a game clock of 2495 MHz, and a boost clock of 2600 MHz. These high clocks contribute to the card's raw compute power, which is rated at 13.31 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. This level of compute performance is what allows the combo to achieve 89 FPS at 1440p High, but it is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra, where the 36 FPS average reflects the card's limits under maximum load.

The GPU's shading units (2560), texture mapping units (160), and render output units (64) are all standard for a card in this class. The pixel rate of 166.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 416.0 GTexel/s are decent, but they do not overcome the sheer fill-rate demands of 4K resolution. Benchmark results show the card sits in the 71st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26011, placing it just 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M395X and 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile in the nearest rivals list. This positions the RX 6750 XT as a mid-to-high-tier card, not a top-tier 4K solution.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3712 tested combos in the database, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 1689th in Minimum. That places it in the 45th percentile overall, meaning more than half of the tested combinations deliver higher average frame rates. This rank reflects the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, as the CPU is more than capable of supporting a faster card.

The CPU itself is a strong performer, ranking in the 85th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13700T (0.1% lower score), Intel Core i5-13600T (0.2% higher), and Intel Core i7-12700K (0.2% higher). This shows the 12700KF is essentially tied with its closest competitors in synthetic benchmarks, but the gaming result is heavily influenced by the GPU partner.

The GPU's percentile rank of 71 is lower than the CPU's 85, which is the key takeaway. The combo rank of 1689 is dragged down by the GPU, not the CPU. If the goal is to improve performance in Minimum, the data suggests upgrading the graphics card first, as the CPU has significant headroom. The delta between the CPU and GPU percentiles highlights a potential imbalance for 4K gaming, where the GPU is clearly the limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings. Low settings average 214 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth for a shooter. Medium settings drop to 164 FPS, with a minimum of 139 FPS and a maximum of 189 FPS. High settings average 138 FPS, while Ultra still manages a playable 105 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p gaming is a non-issue for this combo, with even Ultra settings providing more than enough frame rate for competitive play.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but starts to show the GPU's workload. Low settings average 138 FPS, which is identical to the 1080p High result. Medium settings average 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90 FPS and a maximum of 122 FPS. High settings drop to 89 FPS, and Ultra falls to 68 FPS. The 1440p Ultra figure is still above 60 FPS, making it a viable option for players who prioritize visual quality over maximum refresh rates.

At 3840x2160, the results are more challenging. Low settings average 74 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced shooter. Medium settings average 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. High settings drop to 48 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36 FPS. The 4K data shows a clear trend: this combo is not built for 4K gaming unless the player is willing to use Low or Medium settings and accept frame rates below 60 FPS in demanding scenes.

The Medium settings data points are the most revealing because they include min and max FPS values. At 1080p, the range is 139 to 189 FPS, showing a 50 FPS variance. At 1440p, the range narrows to 90 to 122 FPS, a 32 FPS variance. At 4K, the range tightens to 48 to 66 FPS, an 18 FPS variance. This decreasing variance at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming the consistent bottleneck, reducing both the average and the peak frame rates.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K smoothly?*

A: No. The data shows an average of 36 FPS at 4K Ultra and 48 FPS at 4K High. Only Low settings at 4K reach 74 FPS, which is still below the 60 FPS target for a smooth experience.

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

A: 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. High settings average 89 FPS, and even Ultra settings maintain 68 FPS, providing a good balance between visual quality and frame rate.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35365, placing it 0.1% below the Intel Core i7-13700T and 0.2% above the Intel Core i5-13600T and Intel Core i7-12700K.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 71st percentile. The FPS drops significantly from 1080p to 4K, indicating a GPU bottleneck.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 139. At 1440p Medium, it is 90. At 4K Medium, it is 48.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 1689th out of 3712 combos, placing it in the 45th percentile. This is a mid-tier ranking, primarily due to the GPU's performance limits at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. This CPU is a powerhouse for gaming, as evidenced by its synthetic benchmark scores: 28838 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4071 in Cinebench R23 single-core. For a game like Minimum, which is not heavily threaded, the single-core performance is more relevant, and the 4071 score is more than adequate.

The CPU's cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a 25 MB shared L3 cache. This large L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, which can improve frame pacing in gaming. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, giving builders flexibility, though the game's performance is unlikely to be memory-bandwidth limited given the GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions.

In the context of the measured FPS, the CPU's role is to feed frames to the GPU without becoming a bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 214 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that a weaker CPU would likely struggle. The fact that the 12700KF can maintain these high frame rates at 1080p, where the GPU has more headroom, shows that the CPU is not holding the system back. The 3dmark single-thread score of 1043 and 2-thread score of 2065 further confirm the CPU's strength in lightly-threaded workloads.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in any resolution tested. The FPS drops are consistent with a GPU bottleneck, not a CPU one. If a user were to pair this CPU with a faster GPU, the combo rank in Minimum would likely improve significantly, as the 12700KF has the computational headroom to support higher frame rates. The launch MSRP of the CPU is $384, which positions it as a high-end part, but its gaming performance in this title is solid, if not spectacular, due to the GPU pairing.