Minimum

# Minimum — Intel Core i7-12700KF + AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

The Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination delivers a strong showing in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter that remains demanding at high resolutions. The data places this pairing at rank 472 out of 1,733 tested combos, putting it in the top 27% of all configurations. At 1080p with Low settings, the system pushes 278.2 FPS average, but that figure drops to 46.4 FPS at 4K Ultra — a 83% reduction that reveals where the bottlenecks lie. The benchmark results show a CPU that holds its own in synthetic tests while the GPU scales predictably across resolutions, making this a balanced pairing that favors high-refresh 1440p gaming over 4K Ultra fidelity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF brings 12 cores and 20 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture chip, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features a 25 MB shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its synthetic benchmark results show robust multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 28,979, while single-core reaches 4,091. The 3DMark max threads score of 9,983 and PassMark multithread score of 34,092 indicate strong parallel processing capability.

In Minimum, the CPU's role becomes apparent when comparing settings at the same resolution. At 1080p Low, the system hits 278.2 FPS, while 1080p High maintains 180.1 FPS. This 98.1 FPS gap suggests the CPU is feeding frames efficiently at lower settings, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as graphical load increases. The processor's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35,355, places it nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-14400 (35,336, delta 0.1%) and slightly ahead of the Intel Core i9-12900HX (35,289, delta 0.2%). The 12th Gen architecture handles the game's threading demands without issue, as evidenced by the 3DMark 16-thread score of 9,282 versus the 2-thread score of 2,065 — showing a 4.5x scaling factor that indicates good multi-core utilization.

The CPU's single-thread performance, measured at 1,043 in 3DMark single-thread and 2,526 in Geekbench single-core, proves adequate for Minimum's game logic and physics calculations. The PassMark physics score of 1,780 further confirms the processor can maintain high frame pacing. However, the data shows diminishing returns at higher resolutions — the CPU's influence wanes as the GPU takes over the rendering burden, a typical pattern for a game released in this era.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 48 chip, provides 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock reaches 2970 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz and base clock of 1660 MHz. Its 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPs contribute to a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance of 48.66 TFLOPS positions this card as a high-end option, and its 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects that standing.

The GPU's synthetic scores tell a compelling story: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 scores 7,260, while Geekbench Vulkan reaches 184,026 and OpenCL hits 160,317. PassMark G3D scores 26,795. In Minimum, the GPU's impact is most visible when comparing resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 46.4, while 4K Low achieves 98.5 FPS — a 52.1 FPS difference purely from settings. The 16 GB VRAM capacity proves sufficient for all tested configurations, as no memory-related stuttering is indicated in the data.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon Pro 575 (39,703 average score, -0.1% delta) and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (39,568, 0.2% delta), though these comparisons only reflect synthetic averages. In actual Minimum performance, the RX 9070 XT shows strong scaling from 1080p to 1440p, with High settings yielding 180.1 FPS at 1080p and 116.4 FPS at 1440p — a 35.4% reduction that aligns with the pixel count increase of 77%, indicating the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling across resolutions. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average FPS drops from 180.1 to 116.4, a 35.4% decrease. From 1440p to 4K at High settings, the drop continues from 116.4 to 61.9, another 46.8% reduction. This cascading decline indicates the GPU becomes progressively more stressed as pixel count increases, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic: 1080p produces 278.2 FPS, 1440p yields 175.6 FPS, and 4K manages 98.5 FPS. The percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p (36.9%) and 1440p to 4K (43.9%) are substantial, but the absolute frame rates remain playable even at 4K Low. The Ultra settings tell a different story — 1080p Ultra hits 134.6 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 86.4 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 46.4 FPS. The 4K Ultra result sits below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting this setting combination is too demanding for smooth gameplay.

The data shows that the limiting component shifts depending on resolution. At 1080p, the CPU's strong single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 1,043) allows the GPU to stretch its legs, as evidenced by the 278.2 FPS Low result. At 4K, the GPU's raw throughput becomes the bottleneck — the 48.66 TFLOPS FP32 capability is insufficient for Ultra settings at this resolution. The Medium settings provide a middle ground: 214.3 FPS at 1080p, 136.1 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K, all of which remain playable.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p as the sweet spot. At High settings, it delivers 116.4 FPS, and even Ultra maintains 86.4 FPS — well above the 60 FPS threshold. 4K is playable only at Low (98.5 FPS) or Medium (74 FPS) settings.

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

A: The Core i7-12700KF scores 35,355 on average, essentially tied with the Intel Core i5-14400 (35,336, +0.1% delta) and the Intel Core i9-12900HX (35,289, +0.2% delta). It trails the Intel Core i7-13800H by only 0.2%.

*Q: Is 16 GB of VRAM sufficient for Minimum at 4K?*

A: Yes, the RX 9070 XT's 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth handles all tested 4K settings without issue. The FPS drops from Ultra (46.4) to Low (98.5) are performance-related, not memory-related.

Q: What explains the large FPS gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the difference is 278.2 FPS (Low) versus 134.6 FPS (Ultra), a 143.6 FPS gap. This indicates the GPU's shading units (4,096) and ROPs (128) become the limiting factor as graphical complexity increases, rather than the CPU.

Q: How does the GPU rank among all GPUs in the database?

A: The RX 9070 XT sits in the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39,647. Its closest competitor, the AMD Radeon Pro 575, scores 39,703, a negligible 0.1% difference.

*Q: Can this system achieve 144 Hz at 1440p in Minimum?*

A: Yes, at High settings the 1440p average is 116.4 FPS, which approaches but doesn't quite hit 144 Hz. However, at Medium settings, 136.1 FPS gets closer, and at Low settings, 175.6 FPS exceeds 144 Hz comfortably.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 278.2 FPS average
• Medium: 214.3 FPS average
• High: 180.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 134.6 FPS average

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 175.6 FPS average
• Medium: 136.1 FPS average
• High: 116.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 86.4 FPS average

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 98.5 FPS average
• Medium: 74 FPS average
• High: 61.9 FPS average
• Ultra: 46.4 FPS average

The complete dataset shows a consistent pattern: each step up in resolution costs roughly 35-47% of the previous frame rate, while each step up in settings costs approximately 20-25% at a given resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 46.4 FPS is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. All other combinations exceed 60 FPS, with 1080p and 1440p configurations providing high-refresh-rate experiences. The data confirms this pairing excels at 1440p, where it delivers over 86 FPS even at Ultra settings while maintaining headroom for competitive play at lower settings.