Minimum

The pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 represents a blend of a high-end 2021 processor with a newer 2025 graphics card, and the data for Minimum shows a combination that is heavily skewed by resolution. The CPU’s 12 cores and 20 threads, based on the Alder Lake architecture, provide a robust foundation, while the GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and RDNA 3.0 architecture deliver substantial rendering power. The measured frame rates across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K reveal a system that can handle the game at high refresh rates in most scenarios, but the performance ceiling at 4K Ultra is notably low, suggesting a clear bottleneck shift that depends entirely on the user’s display choice. This analysis will break down the specific contributions of each component, how they scale with resolution, and where the optimal settings lie for different play styles.

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

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor from the Core 12th Gen series, built on the Alder Lake-S architecture and manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz can boost up to 5.00 GHz, and it carries 25 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded capabilities, scoring 28,838 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 9,983 in 3DMark max threads. Its single-thread performance is also solid, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,043 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,255. The processor’s average benchmark score of 35,365 places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a top-tier performer for gaming and productivity alike.

When examining the measured FPS in Minimum, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 214 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain very high output, but it also suggests that the game is not heavily CPU-limited at this resolution, or that the CPU’s headroom is more than sufficient. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz is likely a key factor here, as Minimum is a 2014 title that may not utilize all 12 cores effectively, relying instead on higher clock speeds for its primary game logic. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2,065 and 4-thread score of 4,011 show that the CPU’s performance in lightly-threaded workloads is strong, which is typical for a game of this era.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the i7-12700KF sits almost exactly in the middle of its performance class. It scores 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i7-12700K and the Intel Core i5-13600T, and 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i7-13700T. These negligible differences suggest that, in terms of CPU capability, the 12700KF is interchangeable with its direct competitors for this game. The data implies that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in Minimum; even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 36, the processor’s 20 threads are likely underutilized, pushing the performance bottleneck squarely onto the GPU. The CPU’s high multi-threaded score (PassMark multithread of 34,092) confirms its overall capability, but for a game released in 2014, the single-thread performance and clock speed are the more relevant metrics for ensuring stable frame pacing.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is a RDNA 3.0 architecture GPU, built on the 5 nm process by TSMC, featuring the Navi 32 chip. It comes equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. The GPU’s game clock is listed at 2041 MHz, with a boost clock up to 2459 MHz. In terms of raw specifications, it has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, which contribute to a pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is rated at 25.18 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6, making it fully compatible with modern rendering APIs, though Minimum is old enough that it likely uses older DirectX paths.

The GPU’s benchmark scores provide context for its performance class. It scores 20,974 in PassMark G3D, which places it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 15,852, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 9060, which scores 1% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 1.7% higher. Interestingly, the RX 7700 also sits near the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which is only 0.1% lower, though the R9 370X is a much older card with vastly different specifications, highlighting how benchmark averages can sometimes obscure generational leaps. In Minimum, the GPU’s role becomes the dominant factor as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU is able to push frame rates well above 100 FPS on most settings, but at 4K, the performance falls off dramatically.

The 16 GB VRAM is a notable feature, but for a game from 2014, it is unlikely that Minimum utilizes even a fraction of that capacity. The memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s, however, is more relevant, as it helps the GPU maintain throughput at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, with the average FPS dropping to 36. This is a significant drop from the 68 FPS at 1440p Ultra, indicating that the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are being saturated by the increased pixel count. The fact that the GPU’s boost clock is 2459 MHz suggests it has high peak performance, but the sustained load at 4K causes it to settle into a lower efficiency range, resulting in sub-60 FPS performance on the highest settings.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions tells a clear story about the limiting component in this system. Starting at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 214 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the FPS drops to 138, which is a 35.5% decrease. At 3840x2160 Low, the FPS falls further to 74, representing a 46.4% drop from 1440p and a 65.4% drop from 1080p. This steep decline at higher resolutions strongly indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the CPU’s workload does not scale proportionally with pixel count. The CPU’s job remains relatively constant, while the GPU must render more pixels, leading to a predictable performance degradation.

Looking at the High settings, the scaling is similar but with lower absolute numbers. At 1080p High, the system hits 137 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 89 FPS (a 35% decrease), and at 4K High, it falls to 48 FPS (a 46.1% decrease from 1440p). The pattern is consistent: the GPU is the bottleneck, and the frame rate is roughly halved when moving from 1080p to 4K. The Medium settings show a similar trend, with 164 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K. The Ultra settings follow suit, with 105 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K.

This scaling behavior suggests that the i7-12700KF has ample headroom to support the RX 7700 even at 1080p, as the frame rates are high enough to suggest a GPU-bound scenario in most cases. However, the drop from 214 FPS at 1080p Low to 74 FPS at 4K Low is a massive 65% reduction, which is more than what would be expected from a purely GPU-bound workload if the CPU were also contributing. This implies that at 1080p Low, the system is likely CPU-bound, or at least CPU-influenced, because the GPU is rendering frames so quickly that it waits on the CPU for instructions. As resolution increases, the GPU takes longer to render each frame, reducing the CPU’s influence and making the GPU the definitive bottleneck. The data indicates that for competitive play at high refresh rates, 1080p is the sweet spot, while 4K is only viable for players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system’s performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers excellent frame rates across the board. On Low settings, it achieves an average of 214 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings yield an average of 164 FPS, with a minimum of 139 FPS and a maximum of 188 FPS, indicating good frame pacing. High settings produce an average of 137 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to an average of 105 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the system can comfortably handle any settings preset at over 100 FPS, making it a strong choice for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains respectable but shows a clear step down. Low settings average 138 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings average 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90 FPS and a maximum of 121 FPS. High settings average 89 FPS, and Ultra settings average 68 FPS. At this resolution, players can still achieve high frame rates on lower settings, but Ultra settings begin to approach the 60 FPS threshold, making it a borderline choice for players who want both high settings and high refresh rates.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates, particularly on higher settings. Low settings average 74 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. Medium settings average 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS, indicating that frame drops below 60 FPS are possible. High settings average 48 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to an average of 36 FPS. These numbers clearly show that the RX 7700 is not powerful enough to handle Minimum at 4K with high visual fidelity, and players seeking 4K gameplay will need to compromise heavily on settings or accept lower frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the overall ranking of tested hardware combinations for Minimum, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7700 holds a rank of 1298 out of 2939 total combos. This places it in the 44th percentile of all tested configurations, which is a middle-of-the-pack result despite the individual components being relatively high-end. The rank suggests that while the CPU and GPU are both capable, there are many other combinations that perform better in this specific game. This could be due to the game’s age and its potential preference for certain hardware architectures, or it could indicate that the GPU is holding back the CPU’s potential.

The rank of 1298 out of 2939 implies that approximately 1,641 other combinations outperform this setup, which is a significant number. This is surprising given the CPU’s high percentile ranking (85th) and the GPU’s respectable benchmark scores. However, the game’s release date in 2014 suggests that it may not take full advantage of modern multi-core processors or newer GPU features. The combo rank indicates that for Minimum, there are better-balanced systems, likely those with more powerful GPUs or different CPU-GPU pairings that align better with the game’s engine. The data suggests that this combo is not optimized for this specific title, and users may see better results with a different GPU configuration, even if the CPU is more than adequate.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the user’s resolution and performance goals. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 105 FPS, which is above the 100 FPS threshold that many players consider smooth. This makes Ultra the best choice for players with 1080p monitors who want the maximum visual quality without sacrificing too much frame rate. For players with high-refresh-rate 144Hz or 165Hz monitors, the High preset at 137 FPS is a better option, as it provides a significant frame rate boost while still maintaining high graphical fidelity. The Low preset at 214 FPS is excessive for most displays, but it could be useful for players with 240Hz monitors who prioritize competitive advantage.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset offers the best balance, with an average of 106 FPS. This provides a smooth experience that is well above 60 FPS and only slightly below the High preset’s 89 FPS. The Ultra preset at 68 FPS is playable but may feel less responsive on higher refresh rate monitors. For players who prefer higher frame rates, the Low preset at 138 FPS is a strong choice, but the Medium preset is recommended for the best combination of visual quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests that the Low preset is the only viable option for a playable experience, with an average of 74 FPS. The Medium preset at 57 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 48 FPS that could cause noticeable stutters. The High and Ultra presets, at 48 FPS and 36 FPS respectively, are not recommended for most players, as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel sluggish. For 4K gaming, players should use the Low preset for the best frame rate, or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p to enable higher settings.

FAQ

*Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in Minimum?*

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 214 FPS at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 36, which indicates the GPU is the bottleneck, as the CPU’s workload does not scale with pixel count.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti in this system’s performance?

A: In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 7700 scores 1.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, indicating they are in a similar performance class.

Q: What settings should I use at 1440p for a smooth experience?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset provides an average of 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90 FPS, making it the best choice for a smooth experience.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings, which average 74 FPS. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, which is below 60 FPS, and higher presets are not recommended for 4K.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank among all tested configurations?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combo ranks 1298 out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum.