Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that, on paper, should be far behind modern hardware, yet the measured frame rates for the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT combination reveal a title that remains demanding at higher presets. This pairing, with a 12-core, 20-thread Alder Lake processor and a 16 GB RDNA 3.0 graphics card, produces a wide performance envelope that shifts dramatically based on resolution and quality settings. The data shows a system capable of triple-digit frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but one that falls below 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, indicating a clear GPU bottleneck at the highest load. This analysis breaks down the measured results, contextualizes them against the component’s benchmark standings, and explains where the performance limits lie for this specific configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core i7-12700KF and Radeon RX 7800 XT sits at rank 1241 out of 3712 tested combos for Minimum, placing it in the upper third of all possible pairings in the database. This percentile position is largely dictated by the GPU’s modest relative standing rather than the CPU’s strength. The RX 7800 XT holds a percentile rank of 51 against all GPUs, meaning it sits almost exactly at the median of tested graphics cards—a surprising position for a modern part, but one that reflects the broad spectrum of hardware in the database. In contrast, the Core i7-12700KF achieves an 85th percentile against all CPUs, indicating that the processor is far more exceptional relative to its peers than the graphics card is relative to its own pool.

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the i7-12700KF’s average benchmark score of 35365 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403, deltaPct -0.1) and the Intel Core 5 213PE (35428, deltaPct -0.2). It also edges out the Intel Core i5-13600T (35305, deltaPct 0.2) and the Intel Core i7-12700K (35287, deltaPct 0.2) by a hair. This clustering suggests that for Minimum’s workload, the 12700KF provides no meaningful CPU advantage over these alternatives—the delta percentages are all within a fraction of a percent. For the GPU, the RX 7800 XT’s average benchmark score of 11627 places it near the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (11680, deltaPct -0.5) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (11528, deltaPct 0.9), with the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT slightly ahead (11842, deltaPct -1.8). These rival comparisons underscore that while the CPU is a top-tier performer, the GPU is merely average in the broader context, which directly impacts how this combo ranks in Minimum.

The combo’s rank of 1241 out of 3712 translates to roughly the 66th percentile of all tested pairings. Given that the GPU is only at the 51st percentile, this rank is actually higher than the GPU alone would suggest, implying that the strong CPU compensates somewhat in this game’s engine. However, the measured FPS data tells a more nuanced story: at 4K Ultra, the combo falls to 43 FPS average, which is well below the 60 FPS threshold many consider playable. This indicates that despite the CPU’s high percentile, the GPU’s median standing becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, dragging the combo’s overall ranking down from what the processor alone might achieve.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7800 XT is the primary driver of Minimum’s frame rates, and its specifications explain why it behaves as it does across the tested settings. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This memory configuration is generous for a 2014 title, which was designed around consoles with far less memory, meaning capacity is never a constraint. Instead, the GPU’s compute throughput becomes the deciding factor: with 3840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, the card delivers 37.32 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s. These figures are substantial, but Minimum’s engine appears to scale heavily with fill rate and shader complexity, particularly at higher presets.

The clock behavior of the RX 7800 XT is also relevant. Its base clock is 1295 MHz, but the boost clock reaches 2430 MHz, with a game clock of 2124 MHz. The boost behavior means that under sustained load, the card will operate closer to the game clock, which is lower than the maximum boost. This explains why the measured FPS at 4K High (56 FPS average) is so much lower than at 1080p High (162 FPS average)—the GPU is likely hitting its power or thermal limits at higher resolutions, preventing it from maintaining peak clocks. The memory clock of 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective) provides sufficient bandwidth for the game’s textures, but at 4K Ultra, the 43 FPS average suggests that the GPU’s 96 ROPs are saturated, as the pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s becomes a hard ceiling.

Comparing the GPU’s benchmark scores to its measured performance in Minimum reveals an interesting divergence. The RX 7800 XT scores 24176 in Passmark G3D, which is a strong showing, yet its percentile rank of 51 indicates that many other GPUs score higher. In Minimum, the card’s performance at 1080p Low (252 FPS) shows that it can push very high frame rates when the load is light, but the drop to 123 FPS at 1080p Ultra (a 51% reduction) highlights how sensitive the engine is to quality settings. The GPU’s nearest rival, the GTX 1660, has a lower average score (11680 vs 11627), but in Minimum, the RX 7800 XT’s 16 GB memory and modern architecture should provide a clear advantage—yet the measured data shows it still struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, indicating that raw compute is more important than memory size in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K reveals how the limiting component shifts as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 162 FPS average, which drops to 104 FPS at 1440p High (a 36% reduction) and then to 56 FPS at 4K High (a 65% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario: the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, but as pixel count increases, the graphics card becomes the bottleneck. The fact that the 1080p High score of 162 FPS is nearly identical to the 1440p Low score of 162 FPS suggests that the CPU can handle the game’s physics and draw calls well, but the GPU’s fill rate limits the frame rate once resolution or settings increase.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution further confirms the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, the spread is from 252 FPS (Low) down to 123 FPS (Ultra), a 129 FPS difference. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 162 FPS (Low) versus 79 FPS (Ultra), an 83 FPS difference. At 4K, the spread is 87 FPS (Low) versus 43 FPS (Ultra), a 44 FPS difference. This diminishing spread at higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU saturation—when the GPU is already near its limit, changing settings has less relative impact. At 4K Low, the 87 FPS average is barely above the 4K Medium’s 67 FPS, indicating that even on Low settings, the GPU is heavily loaded.

The most telling data point is the 4K Medium result, which has a min FPS of 57 and a max FPS of 77. This 20 FPS variance suggests that the GPU is struggling to maintain consistent frame times, likely due to the game’s complex scenes causing occasional spikes in shading work. At 4K Ultra, the 43 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target, making it unplayable for most users. In contrast, the 1080p Medium result has a min of 164 and max of 222, showing that at lower resolutions, the combo has ample headroom. This resolution scaling analysis indicates that for Minimum, the RX 7800 XT is the definitive limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU’s role diminishes as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo’s performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings yield 252 FPS average, Medium yields 193 FPS (min 164, max 222), High yields 162 FPS, and Ultra yields 123 FPS. This progression shows a clear linear relationship between settings and frame rate, with each step up from Low to Ultra costing roughly 30 FPS. The 1080p Medium result, with its min/max range of 164-222 FPS, demonstrates that the combo can maintain high refresh rates even during demanding scenes, making this resolution ideal for competitive play.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops predictably: Low yields 162 FPS, Medium yields 124 FPS (min 106, max 143), High yields 104 FPS, and Ultra yields 79 FPS. The 1440p Medium result’s min of 106 FPS is still above 100, indicating that the combo remains smooth at this resolution for most settings. However, the 1440p Ultra score of 79 FPS, while playable, is noticeably lower than the 1080p Ultra score of 123 FPS, showing a 36% reduction. The 1440p results suggest that this resolution is the sweet spot for balancing visual quality and frame rate, as even High settings maintain triple-digit FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more constrained: Low yields 87 FPS, Medium yields 67 FPS (min 57, max 77), High yields 56 FPS, and Ultra yields 43 FPS. The 4K Medium min of 57 FPS is just above the 60 FPS mark, but the average of 67 FPS indicates that frame times are inconsistent. The 4K High result of 56 FPS and 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS are both below 60, making these settings unsuitable for smooth gameplay. Notably, the 4K Low result of 87 FPS is the only 4K configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, and it does so by a comfortable margin. This breakdown shows that while the combo can handle 4K at Low settings, it falls short at higher presets, reinforcing the GPU’s role as the primary constraint.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 2560x1440 provides the best balance. At 1440p High, the combo achieves 104 FPS average, while 1440p Ultra reaches 79 FPS, both above the 60 FPS threshold. In contrast, 4K High drops to 56 FPS, and 1080p, while faster, does not offer the visual clarity of 1440p.

Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K 60 FPS?

A: Only at Low settings, where the measured average is 87 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 67 FPS, but the min FPS is 57, which may cause occasional stutters. At High and Ultra, the averages are 56 FPS and 43 FPS respectively, both below 60 FPS.

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

A: The Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35365, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403, deltaPct -0.1) and Intel Core 5 213PE (35428, deltaPct -0.2). It is also within 0.2% of the Intel Core i5-13600T and Intel Core i7-12700K, making these CPUs effectively equivalent for Minimum.

Q: Why does the GPU have a low percentile rank despite being modern?

A: The Radeon RX 7800 XT holds a 51st percentile ranking against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 11627. This places it near the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (11680) and AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (11528), suggesting that the database includes a wide range of GPUs, and the RX 7800 XT’s raw compute is only average relative to the full field.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 123 FPS average, while at 4K Ultra, it drops to 43 FPS average. This represents a 65% reduction in frame rate, clearly indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM sufficient for Minimum?

A: Yes, the 16 GB GDDR6 memory is far more than the game requires, given its 2014 release date. The memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s is also ample. The performance drops at 4K are not due to VRAM capacity but rather the GPU’s compute and fill rate limits.

Settings Recommendations

For this combo, the measured FPS data supports specific settings based on the user’s target resolution and frame rate preferences. At 1920x1080, all settings are playable, with even Ultra achieving 123 FPS average. However, for the smoothest experience, Medium settings at 1080p offer 193 FPS with a min of 164 FPS, ensuring no drops below 144 Hz for high-refresh displays. If visual fidelity is the priority, Ultra at 1080p still maintains 123 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable choice.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation is High settings, which deliver 104 FPS average. This is a significant improvement over Ultra’s 79 FPS, and the visual difference between High and Ultra in a 2014 title is likely minimal. For users with 144 Hz monitors, Medium at 1440p (124 FPS average, min 106 FPS) is the safer choice, as it stays above 100 FPS consistently. Ultra at 1440p, while playable at 79 FPS, may not justify the 24% frame rate loss compared to High.

At 3840x2160, the only settings that provide a smooth experience are Low (87 FPS) and Medium (67 FPS, min 57 FPS). Given that 4K Medium’s min FPS dips below 60, Low settings are the only configuration that guarantees no drops below 60. High (56 FPS) and Ultra (43 FPS) are not recommended for this resolution. For the best overall experience, the data suggests using 1440p High as the default, as it offers a near-60% higher frame rate than 4K High while still providing excellent visual quality. The 4K Low setting is acceptable for users who prioritize resolution over detail, but the 1440p High setting provides a more balanced experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF plays a supporting role in Minimum, but its specifications ensure that it never becomes the bottleneck at any tested resolution. With 12 cores and 20 threads, the CPU has ample parallelism for a game from 2014, which was designed for 8-core consoles. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4071. In a title like Minimum, which likely relies on a few primary threads for game logic, this single-thread strength is crucial for maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions.

The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache. This large L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing memory latency. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the memory bus is dual-channel, which is standard for desktop platforms. In the measured data, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at 1080p Low, where the combo achieves 252 FPS—a frame rate that would be impossible if the CPU were limiting. Even at 1080p Ultra (123 FPS), the CPU has headroom, as the GPU is clearly the constraint.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the 12700KF’s benchmark scores show it is effectively tied with the i7-13700T, i5-13600T, and i7-12700K, with delta percentages all within 0.2%. This means that for Minimum, upgrading or downgrading to these CPUs would produce virtually identical frame rates. The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking against all CPUs confirms its strength, but in this specific game, that strength is underutilized because the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU enables the GPU to reach its full potential, but at 4K, the CPU’s performance is irrelevant, as the RX 7800 XT cannot keep up with the pixel workload. The CPU’s 20 threads and high boost clock ensure that Minimum’s engine never stalls waiting for processor tasks, which is why the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a predictable GPU-bound pattern.