Minimum

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Minimum with the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT shows a clear and predictable pattern as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo delivers 88 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Ultra drops that to 56 FPS, a 36% reduction. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average falls further to 30 FPS, which represents a 66% decline from the 1080p Ultra result.

This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU becomes the dominant limiting factor at higher resolutions. The RX 7600 XT, with its 16 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus providing 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, is being pushed progressively harder as pixel count increases. The 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS is precisely at the threshold of playability, while 4K Medium climbs to 48 FPS, and 4K Low reaches 62 FPS.

The resolution scaling is not perfectly linear. From 1080p to 1440p at Ultra settings, the drop is 32 FPS (from 88 to 56). From 1440p to 4K at Ultra, the drop is 26 FPS (from 56 to 30). This slightly diminishing penalty at the highest resolution suggests that while the GPU is the primary constraint, the CPU still has headroom to feed frames. The i7-12700KF's 12 cores and 20 threads, alongside its 5.00 GHz boost clock, are sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck in this title even at lower resolutions.

At Low settings, the scaling is more pronounced in percentage terms. The 1080p Low result is 179 FPS, which drops to 115 FPS at 1440p (a 36% decrease) and then to 62 FPS at 4K (a 65% decrease from 1080p). This pattern reinforces the GPU-bound nature of the combination when settings are reduced, as the CPU is capable of much higher frame rates than the GPU can produce at higher pixel counts.

The data indicates that for smooth 4K gameplay, users should expect to run Minimum at Low settings to maintain an average above 60 FPS. The 62 FPS at 4K Low is the only 4K configuration that clears the 60 FPS threshold, while 4K Medium sits at 48 FPS and 4K High at 40 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Examining the measured rows across all three resolutions, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience. At 1920x1080 Medium, the combo achieves 137 FPS average with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. This represents a substantial improvement over High settings at the same resolution, which delivers 115 FPS, while remaining only 42 FPS below the Low preset's 179 FPS.

At 2560x1440, Medium provides 88 FPS average with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS. This is the only 1440p preset that maintains a minimum above 60 FPS, making it the safest choice for consistent frame delivery. High at 1440p drops to 74 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 56 FPS. The 75 FPS minimum at Medium ensures that even demanding scenes will not cause stutter or drops below typical refresh rate targets.

For 4K, the choice is more constrained. Medium delivers 48 FPS average with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS. While not reaching 60 FPS, this is the highest preset that remains playable at 4K. High at 4K averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. Low at 4K reaches 62 FPS but sacrifices visual quality significantly.

The data suggests that Medium is the optimal preset for this combination across all resolutions. It provides the best balance between visual fidelity and frame rate, with the minimum FPS figures indicating stable performance. For users with 60 Hz displays at 1080p, High settings at 115 FPS are also viable, but Medium's higher minimum frame rate of 116 FPS compared to High's unspecified minimum makes it the more robust choice for variable refresh rate displays.

At 1440p, Medium's 88 FPS average with a 75 FPS minimum is particularly compelling for 144 Hz monitors, as the frame delivery remains above the commonly targeted 60 FPS floor. The 56 FPS Ultra result at 1440p is borderline for fast-paced third-person shooter gameplay, where consistent frame times matter more than peak averages.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT ranks 2343 out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum. This places the combo in the lower-middle portion of the database, at approximately the 63rd percentile of all tested configurations. The rank of 2343 out of 3712 indicates that 1369 combos perform worse, while 2342 perform better.

This ranking reflects the GPU's position in the overall hierarchy more than the CPU's. The RX 7600 XT holds a percentile of 60 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17083. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, which scores 17208 (0.7% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 at 17037 (0.3% lower). This clustering suggests the RX 7600 XT sits in a tightly contested performance band.

The CPU, by contrast, ranks at the 85th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403, 0.1% lower), the Intel Core i5-13600T (35305, 0.2% higher), and the Intel Core i7-12700K (35287, 0.2% higher). The i7-12700KF essentially matches its direct sibling, the i7-12700K, with only a 0.2% difference in average score.

The combination's rank in Minimum is thus constrained by the GPU. The CPU is capable of much higher performance, as indicated by its 3dmark_max_threads score of 9983 and cinebench_r23_multicore score of 28838. In a game like Minimum, where the measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 179, the GPU is delivering close to its practical limit while the CPU has additional headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show a clear progression across presets. Low settings produce 179 FPS average, Medium produces 137 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and maximum of 157 FPS, High produces 115 FPS, and Ultra produces 88 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 91 FPS, indicating that settings have a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

The 2560x1440 results follow the same pattern with lower absolute values. Low delivers 115 FPS, Medium delivers 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and maximum of 101 FPS, High delivers 74 FPS, and Ultra delivers 56 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 59 FPS, showing that the GPU's constraints compress the range as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the results are more constrained. Low achieves 62 FPS, Medium achieves 48 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 55 FPS, High achieves 40 FPS, and Ultra achieves 30 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 32 FPS, which is the narrowest of the three resolutions.

The Medium preset at each resolution shows the most complete data with both minimum and maximum FPS recorded. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 116 FPS and maximum of 157 FPS indicate a relatively tight frame delivery window. At 1440p Medium, the range is 75 to 101 FPS, a 26 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 40 to 55 FPS, a 15 FPS spread. This tightening range at higher resolutions suggests more consistent frame pacing as the GPU becomes fully utilized.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip, manufactured on a 6 nm process at TSMC. The GPU contains 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die, with a transistor density of 65.2M per mm². The card features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 32 ray tracing cores.

The memory configuration is notable for its 16 GB GDDR6 capacity, which is substantial for this performance class. The 128-bit memory bus delivers 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, with memory clocked at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The GPU's base clock is 1980 MHz, with a game clock of 2470 MHz and a boost clock of 2755 MHz.

In Minimum, the GPU's performance characteristics directly shape the measured FPS. The 16 GB frame buffer is more than sufficient for this game, meaning memory capacity is not a limiting factor at any resolution or preset. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, however, becomes relevant at 4K where the higher pixel throughput demands more memory bandwidth.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 22.57 TFLOPS FP32 performance, with a pixel rate of 176.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 352.6 GTexel/s. These figures support the GPU's ability to handle the rendering load at 1080p and 1440p with high frame rates, but the 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS indicates that the GPU's raw throughput is insufficient for maximum settings at that resolution.

The GPU's percentile rank of 60 among all GPUs places it in the mid-range tier. Its average benchmark score of 17083 is closely matched by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 at 17208, with only a 0.7% difference. This proximity to the RTX 3070 in aggregate benchmarks suggests that the RX 7600 XT delivers competitive performance in most titles, though Minimum's specific workload characteristics favor the RTX 3070 slightly.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12th Gen Alder Lake-S desktop processor with 12 cores and 20 threads. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and it carries a 125 W TDP. The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes.

The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor is unlocked for overclocking, with a launch MSRP of $384. Its architecture uses the 10 nm process node from Intel, with a die size of 215 mm².

In Minimum, the CPU's role is to feed frames to the GPU without becoming a bottleneck. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 179 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of supporting very high frame rates. The 3dmark single-thread score of 1043 and 2-thread score of 2065 indicate strong single-core performance, which is important for games that rely on a few primary threads.

The CPU's multithreaded capabilities are robust, with a 3dmark_max_threads score of 9983 and cinebench_r23_multicore score of 28838. These scores indicate that the 12-core, 20-thread configuration provides ample parallel processing power. In Minimum, which is a third-person shooter from 2014, the game's engine likely benefits from both strong single-thread performance and the ability to offload background tasks to additional cores.

The CPU's percentile rank of 85 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365, places it in the upper tier of processors. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, scores 35403, which is only 0.1% higher. This indicates that the i7-12700KF is performing at the expected level for its class.

The boost clock of 5.00 GHz is particularly relevant for gaming workloads, as it allows the processor to maintain high frequencies on active cores. The 25 MB L3 cache helps reduce memory latency for frequently accessed data, which can benefit frame pacing in Minimum.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average FPS at 1920x1080 is 179 FPS, achieved with Low settings. Medium delivers 137 FPS, High delivers 115 FPS, and Ultra delivers 88 FPS.

Q: Can this combination run Minimum at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: At 3840x2160, the combo achieves 62 FPS on Low settings, 48 FPS on Medium, 40 FPS on High, and 30 FPS on Ultra. Only Low settings maintain an average above 60 FPS at 4K.

Q: How does the RX 7600 XT compare to its nearest GPU rival in aggregate performance?

A: The RX 7600 XT has an average benchmark score of 17083, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 scores 17208, which is 0.7% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, which is 0.3% lower than the RX 7600 XT.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested configurations in Minimum?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF with AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT ranks 2343 out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database.

Q: Which preset provides the highest minimum FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers a minimum of 75 FPS and an average of 88 FPS. This is the only 1440p preset with a measured minimum above 60 FPS.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking and its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF ranks at the 85th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its closest rival is the Intel Core i7-13700T, which scores 35403, a difference of only 0.1%.