Minimum

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER delivers a playable but constrained experience in Minimum, a 2014 Third-Person Shooter. The data shows a system where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the processor’s strength only becomes apparent at lower settings. This combination ranks in the 1523rd position out of 1733 tested combos, placing it in the lower half of the database, yet the measured frame rates reveal a configuration capable of handling the game with the right settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep decline as resolution increases, which is typical for a system where the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 132.6 FPS, which is a strong result. Moving to 1440p at the same Low preset drops performance to 86.6 FPS, a reduction of 46 FPS (about 35%). At 4K with Low settings, the average falls to 47.8 FPS, which is a 64% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER’s rendering pipeline becomes saturated as pixel count rises.

The trend is even more pronounced at higher quality presets. At 1080p High, the average is 86.6 FPS, but this falls to 53.5 FPS at 1440p and then to 29.5 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at High settings is 33.1 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 24 FPS. This shows that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are being pushed harder at each step. The 4K Ultra preset yields just 20.9 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience.

The scaling from Medium to High to Ultra at 1080p is also telling. Medium produces 100.4 FPS, High drops to 86.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 62.5 FPS. The difference between Medium and Ultra is 37.9 FPS, showing that the highest preset imposes a significant cost. At 1440p, the same pattern holds: Medium hits 64 FPS, High reaches 53.5 FPS, and Ultra manages 41.1 FPS. The data indicates that the CPU, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, is not the limiting component at these resolutions; the GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus are what determine the frame rate ceiling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive component in this pairing. Its base clock of 1530 MHz and boost clock of 1785 MHz are the engines driving the measured results. The card features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Minimum, but the 4K results show its limits. The 4K High average of 29.5 FPS and 4K Ultra of 20.9 FPS suggest that the frame buffer and bandwidth are stretched beyond their comfortable capacity.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its position. It achieves a PassMark G3D score of 12699 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 62664. Its percentile ranking against all GPUs is 55, meaning it sits just above the median. The nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, both with average scores within 0.5% of the GTX 1660 SUPER. This indicates that the card’s performance is closely matched with integrated solutions, which is a surprising result given its dedicated nature.

In Minimum, the GPU’s role is clear: it is the bottleneck at 4K, where even Low settings cannot reach 60 FPS. At 1080p, however, the card has enough headroom to deliver high frame rates, with the Low preset hitting 132.6 FPS. The processor, which scores 28979 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4091 in single-core, is never the limiting factor in these measurements. The data shows that lowering resolution from 4K to 1080p yields a 277% improvement in FPS at Low settings (from 47.8 to 132.6), which is a direct result of reducing the GPU’s workload.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear picture of which preset offers the best experience at each resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 100.4 FPS, which is a high refresh rate experience. The High preset drops to 86.6 FPS, still smooth, but Ultra falls to 62.5 FPS, which is acceptable but not ideal for competitive play. The Low preset at 132.6 FPS is the fastest, but the visual quality loss may be unnecessary given the strong Medium result.

At 1440p, the Medium preset produces 64 FPS, which is playable but not as fluid as 1080p. The High preset at 53.5 FPS is borderline, while Ultra at 41.1 FPS is below the 60 FPS target. For a stable experience at this resolution, Medium is the recommended choice. Low at 86.6 FPS offers a significant boost but sacrifices visual fidelity.

The 4K resolution is problematic for this combo. Even the Low preset only achieves 47.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard. The Medium preset drops to 33.8 FPS, and High is at 29.5 FPS. Ultra is not viable at 20.9 FPS. Given the data, 4K is not a practical option for this pairing unless the user accepts the Low preset with reduced detail. The best overall experience, balancing frame rate and visual quality, is the Medium preset at 1080p, which yields 100.4 FPS. This setting avoids the steep drop to Ultra (62.5 FPS) while providing a substantial margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing holds the 1523rd rank out of 1733 total combos, placing it in the 12th percentile. This low ranking reflects the age and tier of the GTX 1660 SUPER, which is an end-of-life product. The CPU, however, is a modern part that ranks in the 89th percentile against all CPUs. This mismatch between the processor’s high standing and the GPU’s mid-tier position explains the overall combo ranking.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database are telling. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics both have average scores that are within 0.2% of the GTX 1660 SUPER. This suggests that the 1660 SUPER is not significantly faster than some integrated graphics solutions in synthetic tests, though the measured FPS in Minimum shows it is still capable of playable frame rates at 1080p. The CPU’s rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14400, show a delta of just 0.1%, indicating that the i7-12700KF is on par with newer mid-range processors.

The low combo rank is primarily due to the GPU’s 55th percentile standing. The data shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER, with its 1408 shading units and 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, is a modest performer by current standards. In Minimum, this translates to a configuration that is well-suited for 1080p gaming but struggles at higher resolutions. The rank of 1523 reflects the reality that most other tested combinations feature more powerful graphics cards.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p is the optimal resolution. The Medium preset achieves 100.4 FPS, and even the Ultra preset reaches 62.5 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold.

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which produce an average of 47.8 FPS. Higher settings drop below 34 FPS, making them unplayable for most users.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its closest rivals in this database?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, showing it is closely matched with those parts.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700KF the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The processor ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, and its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28979 indicates it is far more powerful than the GPU in gaming workloads.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: Low produces 86.6 FPS, while Ultra drops to 41.1 FPS. This is a 45.5 FPS difference, showing that the Ultra preset halves the frame rate.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank in the database?

A: It ranks 1523rd out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 12% of all configurations.