Minimum

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of the Intel Core i7-12700KF with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 in Minimum?

A: This combination ranks 1677 out of 2939 tested combos in this game, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. The rank reflects a pairing that delivers solid 1080p performance but struggles at higher resolutions with demanding settings.

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

A: The Core i7-12700KF scores an average benchmark of 35365, which is virtually identical to the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403, -0.1% delta) and the Intel Core 5 213PE (35428, -0.2% delta). It edges out the Intel Core i5-13600T (35305, +0.2% delta) and Intel Core i7-12700K (35287, +0.2% delta) by a hair. This places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: What is the GPU's standing relative to its nearest competitors?

A: The Radeon RX 9060's average benchmark score is 16014, sitting in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129, -0.7% delta) and leads the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862, +1% delta) and AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852, +1% delta) by a narrow margin.

Q: What is the best frame rate achieved at 1920x1080?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 187 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The Medium preset reaches 143 FPS average, while High hits 120 FPS and Ultra drops to 92 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Minimum?

A: At 3840x2160, the combo produces 42 FPS on High, 50 FPS on Medium, and 65 FPS on Low settings. The Ultra preset only manages 32 FPS, indicating that 4K gaming is only viable with reduced settings.

Q: Does the data include minimum or maximum FPS for all settings?

A: No. Only the Medium preset at each resolution includes both minimum and maximum FPS values. For example, at 2560x1440 Medium, the range is 79 to 106 FPS. Other settings only report average FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the primary driver of frame rates in Minimum, and its memory configuration and clock speeds directly shape the results. The GPU comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This capacity is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming in this title, but the 4K results suggest that the memory subsystem becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions, where the 32 FPS Ultra result at 3840x2160 indicates the GPU is struggling with both bandwidth and capacity demands.

Clock speeds are notable: the base clock is 1700 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. The boost behavior is aggressive, and the data shows that the GPU can push substantial frame rates when not constrained by resolution. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo hits 187 FPS average, which is a strong indicator that the GPU's 1792 shading units are well-utilized at lower resolutions. The 112 texture mapping units and 64 raster operation processors deliver a pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s, which explains why the GPU maintains high throughput in less demanding scenarios.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 21.43 TFLOPS puts it in a competitive position, and its benchmark scores reflect a mid-range standing. The PassMark G3D score of 17631 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322 are consistent with the measured FPS data. The GPU's 59th percentile ranking among all GPUs means it outperforms a majority of the field, but it is not a top-tier part. The nearest rival comparison shows it is nearly identical to the RTX 3060 Ti in average score (16014 vs 16129, -0.7% delta), which suggests similar rasterization performance in this game.

The VRAM allocation becomes relevant when examining the 4K results. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops from 65 on Low to 50 on Medium and 42 on High, with Ultra collapsing to 32. This scaling pattern indicates that the 8 GB frame buffer is being saturated at higher settings, causing the GPU to spend more time managing memory traffic rather than rendering frames. The bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s, while respectable for a 128-bit bus, is not sufficient to maintain high frame rates when the resolution increases, as evidenced by the steep drop-offs.

The RDNA 4.0 architecture and 4 nm process node contribute to the GPU's efficiency, but the data does not show any special features that would alter its performance in Minimum specifically. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) is present, and the Vulkan 1.4 API support provides compatibility options, but the measured FPS values are the most reliable indicator of real-world behavior.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF provides the computational foundation for this combo, and its core configuration is well-suited for Minimum's threading demands. The CPU has 12 cores and 20 threads, split between performance and efficiency cores under the Alder Lake architecture. The base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz are high enough to prevent the CPU from becoming a bottleneck in most scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where GPU load is lighter.

The cache hierarchy is substantial: 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache. This large L3 cache is beneficial for game workloads that require frequent data access, as it reduces the need to pull data from system memory. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, which gives system builders flexibility, though the memory bandwidth is not listed in the data.

Synthetic benchmarks show strong multi-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28838 and single-core score of 4071 indicate that the CPU is capable of handling both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads. The Geekbench multicore score of 14367 and single-core score of 2255 corroborate this. In Minimum, which is a third-person shooter from 2014, the CPU's single-thread performance is often more critical than multi-threaded performance, as older game engines tend to rely on fewer threads. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and the PassMark single-thread score of 3984 suggest that the CPU will not hold back the GPU in most situations.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs places it well above average, and its nearest rivals are all within a fraction of a percent of its average score. The Intel Core i7-13700T and Intel Core 5 213PE are the closest, with delta percentages of -0.1% and -0.2% respectively, meaning the 12700KF is statistically tied with them. The Intel Core i7-12700K, which is essentially the same chip with integrated graphics, scores 35287 versus the 12700KF's 35365, a 0.2% difference that is negligible in practice.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU's influence is most apparent at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the combo achieves 187 FPS average. At this level, the GPU is not heavily taxed, so the CPU must be capable of feeding frames quickly. The 5.00 GHz boost clock helps here, and the 20 threads ensure that any background processes do not interfere with game performance. At 3840x2160, the CPU becomes less relevant because the GPU is the limiting factor, as shown by the 32 FPS Ultra result.

The PassMark data compression score of 441960 and encryption score of 23181 indicate strong integer performance, which can matter in games that use compression or encryption for assets. The floating point math score of 87449 and integer math score of 113521 show a balanced workload capability. The physics score of 1780 on PassMark is relevant for game physics calculations, and it is sufficient for Minimum's demands.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1677 out of 2939 tested combinations places it in the 57th percentile of all tested combos. This is a mid-tier ranking, which is consistent with the individual component percentiles: the CPU at 85th and the GPU at 59th. The CPU is clearly the stronger component in this pairing, while the GPU holds the combo back from higher rankings.

The data indicates that this combo performs best at 1080p, where it can achieve high frame rates across all settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 92 on Ultra to 187 on Low, with Medium at 143 and High at 120. This suggests that the combo is well-balanced for 1080p gaming, as even the most demanding preset delivers playable performance.

At 1440p, the combo remains viable but with more variation. The average FPS ranges from 59 on Ultra to 121 on Low, with Medium at 92 and High at 78. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 35-40% across settings, which is typical for a GPU of this class. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum FPS of 79 and maximum of 106, providing a playable range.

At 4K, the combo struggles. The average FPS ranges from 32 on Ultra to 65 on Low, with Medium at 50 and High at 42. Only the Low preset achieves a consistently playable frame rate, and even then, 65 FPS leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 32 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a third-person shooter.

The ranking relative to other combos can be understood by comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals. The RX 9060 is nearly tied with the RTX 3060 Ti (16014 vs 16129, -0.7% delta) and leads the RX 7700 (15852, +1% delta). This means that any combo with those GPUs and a comparable CPU would likely rank similarly. The CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.2% of its score, so swapping to a Core i7-13700T or Core i5-13600T would not meaningfully change the ranking.

The data suggests that this combo is not optimal for 4K gaming, but it is well-suited for 1080p and acceptable for 1440p. The rank of 1677 reflects this mixed capability: better than a majority of combos but far from the top tier that can handle 4K Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the combo produces its lowest frame rates. The Ultra preset averages 32 FPS, which is the worst result in the entire dataset. High settings improve to 42 FPS, still below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium settings reach 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 and maximum of 57, indicating some frame pacing issues. Low settings are the only playable option at 4K, averaging 65 FPS. This resolution clearly stresses the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, as the performance scaling from Low to Ultra is steep: 65 to 32 FPS represents a 51% drop.

At 2560x1440, the results are more usable. Low settings average 121 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play. Medium settings average 92 FPS with a range of 79 to 106, providing a smooth experience with some headroom. High settings drop to 78 FPS, which is still playable but closer to the edge. Ultra settings average 59 FPS, which is borderline for a third-person shooter that benefits from higher frame rates. The scaling from Low to Ultra is 121 to 59 FPS, a 51% drop that mirrors the 4K pattern but starts from a higher baseline.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. Low settings average 187 FPS, which is well above any display refresh rate and indicates that the CPU is not bottlenecking at this level. Medium settings average 143 FPS with a minimum of 122 and maximum of 165, providing a consistently high frame rate. High settings average 120 FPS, which is perfect for 120 Hz displays. Ultra settings average 92 FPS, which is still smooth but shows that the GPU is working harder. The scaling from Low to Ultra is 187 to 92 FPS, a 51% drop that is consistent across resolutions.

The data shows a clear pattern: the combo's performance scales linearly with resolution, and the percentage drop from Low to Ultra is nearly identical across all three resolutions at around 51%. This suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions, and the CPU's performance is sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck until the GPU is fully utilized.

The Medium preset at each resolution provides the only complete data with minimum and maximum FPS. At 1080p, the range is 122 to 165 FPS, which is wide but acceptable. At 1440p, the range narrows to 79 to 106 FPS, indicating more consistent frame times. At 4K, the range is 42 to 57 FPS, which is tight but at a low average.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and the user's preference for frame rate versus visual quality.

For 1920x1080, the High preset is the best choice for most users. It delivers 120 FPS average, which is smooth on standard 60 Hz and 120 Hz displays, and it provides better visual quality than Medium or Low. Users with high refresh rate monitors (144 Hz or higher) should consider Medium, which averages 143 FPS and has a minimum of 122 FPS, ensuring that frame rates stay above 120 FPS in most scenes. Ultra at 92 FPS is acceptable for users who prioritize visuals over frame rate, but the drop from High to Ultra is not justified by the marginal visual improvement in this 2014 title.

For 2560x1440, Medium is the recommended preset. It averages 92 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS, which is smooth and consistent. High at 78 FPS is also playable, but the lower minimum FPS (not listed, but implied by the average) could lead to stutters in busy scenes. Low at 121 FPS is the choice for competitive players who want maximum frame rates, but the visual sacrifice is significant. Ultra at 59 FPS is not recommended for this resolution, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and can feel unresponsive in a fast-paced shooter.

For 3840x2160, Low is the only recommended preset. It averages 65 FPS, which is playable, but the visual quality is substantially reduced. Medium at 50 FPS and High at 42 FPS are below the 60 FPS target and will result in a suboptimal experience. Ultra at 32 FPS is not viable for gameplay. Users with 4K displays should either accept Low settings or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better balance.

The data shows that the Medium preset consistently provides the best balance of frame rate and visual quality across all resolutions, with the caveat that at 4K, even Medium falls below 60 FPS. For users with variable refresh rate displays, the Medium preset at 1440p (79-106 FPS range) is particularly well-suited, as the frame time variance is manageable. At 1080p, Medium's range of 122-165 FPS ensures that the experience remains fluid even during demanding scenes.

In summary, the combo is best utilized at 1080p with High settings (120 FPS) or at 1440p with Medium settings (92 FPS). Pushing to 4K requires significant compromises, and the data suggests that this GPU is not well-matched to 4K gaming in Minimum.