Minimum

# Minimum — Intel Core i7-12700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

This analysis examines the measured performance of an Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released in 2014. The data covers 12 measured FPS rows across three resolutions and four quality presets. The combination ranks 435th out of 1,733 tested combos, placing it in the top quartile of all configurations tested for this game. The benchmark results reveal a system with substantial headroom at lower resolutions but clear limitations emerging at 4K with maximum settings.

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

The Intel Core i7-12700KF brings 12 cores and 20 threads to the table, built on the Alder Lake architecture with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This processor was designed for high-throughput workloads, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28,979 and single-core score of 4,091. In Minimum, a title from 2014, the game's engine likely does not fully utilize all 12 physical cores, but the high boost clock ensures that single-threaded performance remains excellent. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1,043 and 2-thread score of 2,065 suggest that the CPU can handle lightly-threaded game logic without becoming a bottleneck.

The processor sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 35,355. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14400, scores 35,336, representing a delta of just 0.1% — essentially identical performance. The Intel Core i7-13800H trails by 0.2%, while the Intel Core i9-12900HX leads by 0.2% and the Intel Core i5-13600T leads by 0.3%. These tight margins indicate that the 12700KF delivers top-tier CPU throughput for gaming workloads. The 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core provide ample storage for game assets and instructions, reducing memory latency in scenarios where the game engine must rapidly access frequently-used data.

At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 280.6 FPS, which strongly suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor at these settings. Even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 45, the CPU's role becomes secondary to the GPU's rendering workload. The PassMark multithread score of 34,092 and integer math score of 113,521 indicate robust computational capability, but Minimum's age means it likely does not leverage AVX-512 or other modern instruction sets that could further benefit from this CPU's architecture.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 uses the AD104 chip built on TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory operates across a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The boost clock of 2475 MHz allows the GPU to maintain high throughput in sustained gaming sessions. For a game released in 2014, 12 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient; the data shows no indication of memory capacity constraints at any tested resolution or setting.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37,283. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, scores 37,507, a delta of -0.6%, meaning the RTX 4070 trails by that margin. The NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A leads by 1.9%, while the RTX 4080 Mobile leads by 2.2%. Interestingly, the AMD Radeon RX 5300M trails the RTX 4070 by 2.5%. These comparisons reveal that the RTX 4070's raw compute performance is competitive with older, higher-end parts, but the data in Minimum shows the GPU's direct impact on frame rates.

At 1080p Low, the system reaches 280.6 FPS — a figure that likely approaches the CPU's limit for frame generation. As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes progressively more stressed. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,854 and PassMark G3D score of 26,927 indicate strong DirectX 12 capability, but Minimum may run on older DirectX versions, potentially limiting the GPU's efficiency. The RTX 4070's 200 W TDP and 35,800 million transistors suggest a modern, power-efficient design that can sustain high clocks under load without thermal throttling.

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

Across all three resolutions, the Low preset delivers the highest frame rates, while Ultra consistently shows the largest performance cost. At 1080p, Low achieves 280.6 FPS, Medium drops to 214.6 FPS (-23.5%), High falls to 176.9 FPS (-37.0%), and Ultra bottoms out at 138.4 FPS (-50.7%). This pattern suggests that the game's quality settings have a substantial impact on GPU workload, with Ultra almost halving the frame rate compared to Low.

At 1440p, the same progression appears: Low hits 178.9 FPS, Medium 137.7 FPS, High 115.5 FPS, and Ultra 86.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 92.3 FPS, representing a 51.6% reduction. At 4K, the differences become more pronounced in absolute terms but similar proportionally: Low 95.3 FPS, Medium 73.1 FPS, High 64.9 FPS, and Ultra 45 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K drops below the 60 FPS threshold, which may be noticeable in a third-person shooter where smooth camera movement is critical.

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 1440p appears optimal, delivering 115.5 FPS — well above the 60 FPS target and only 37% below the Low preset's maximum. At 1080p, High at 176.9 FPS offers excellent smoothness for high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset at 1440p (137.7 FPS) is also viable for players prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity. At 4K, High at 64.9 FPS barely maintains playability, but Medium at 73.1 FPS provides a more comfortable margin.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 435th out of 1,733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the 74.9th percentile of all configurations. This ranking indicates the system outperforms roughly three-quarters of all tested hardware pairings for this game. Given that the CPU sits in the 89th percentile and the GPU in the 81st percentile, the combo ranking below both individual component percentiles suggests some imbalance — likely the GPU holding back the CPU at higher resolutions, or the game engine not fully utilizing the available hardware.

The rank implies that 434 other combinations achieve higher average frame rates in Minimum. These likely include configurations with more powerful GPUs or CPUs that can push higher frame rates at 1080p, where the 280.6 FPS Low result may not be the ceiling. The fact that this combo ranks in the top 25% despite both components being from the previous generation (CPU released in 2021, GPU in 2023) speaks to the game's relatively modest requirements. Minimum's 2014 release date means it predates many modern rendering techniques, allowing mid-to-high-end modern hardware to achieve excellent performance.

The ranking also reveals that the system's performance is well-balanced for this title, with neither component drastically limiting the other in most configurations. The 45 FPS result at 4K Ultra is the only measured data point below 60 FPS, which may be the primary factor preventing a higher rank. Combos above this one likely sustain 60+ FPS at 4K Ultra or achieve higher peak frame rates at 1080p.

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

Examining the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals clear GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the system drops from 280.6 FPS at 1080p to 178.9 FPS at 1440p (a 36.2% reduction) and then to 95.3 FPS at 4K (a 66.0% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-limited scenario, where the number of pixels rendered quadruples from 1080p to 4K but the frame rate drops by roughly two-thirds rather than three-quarters, indicating some headroom in the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth.

At High settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 176.9 to 115.5 FPS (34.7% reduction), and from 1080p to 4K it's 176.9 to 64.9 FPS (63.3% reduction). The Ultra preset shows a similar trend: 138.4 FPS at 1080p, 86.6 FPS at 1440p (37.4% reduction), and 45 FPS at 4K (67.5% reduction). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings strongly indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. The CPU's role diminishes at higher resolutions because the game logic and physics calculations become a smaller fraction of the total frame time.

The fact that 1080p Low hits 280.6 FPS while 1080p Ultra achieves 138.4 FPS — a 50.7% difference — further confirms that GPU workload scales significantly with quality settings. Had the CPU been the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS difference between settings at the same resolution to be much smaller. The data implies that players targeting 4K should use Medium or High settings to maintain 60+ FPS, while 1080p users can enable Ultra without dropping below 138 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p High delivering 115.5 FPS, which balances visual quality and smoothness. 1080p Ultra hits 138.4 FPS for high-refresh displays, while 4K requires Medium (73.1 FPS) or High (64.9 FPS) to stay above 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo's CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35,355, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i5-14400 (35,336) and 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i7-13800H (35,416 adjustment yields -0.2% delta).

Q: Does the RTX 4070 get bottlenecked by the CPU in this game?

A: At 1080p Low (280.6 FPS), the CPU may limit frame generation, but at higher resolutions and settings, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS confirms GPU-bound performance.

*Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in Minimum?*

A: The combo ranks 435th out of 1,733 tested combinations, placing it in the top 25% of all tested hardware pairings for this game.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 4070 have, and is it sufficient?

A: The RTX 4070 has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory. For a 2014 game like Minimum, this is more than sufficient, with no evidence of memory-related performance drops at any setting.

Q: What FPS does the system achieve at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 214.6, which is 76.2 FPS higher than High settings (176.9) and 76.2 FPS lower than Low settings (280.6).

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

The following table lists all measured average FPS values from the data:

1920x1080:

• Low: 280.6 FPS
• Medium: 214.6 FPS
• High: 176.9 FPS
• Ultra: 138.4 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 178.9 FPS
• Medium: 137.7 FPS
• High: 115.5 FPS
• Ultra: 86.6 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 95.3 FPS
• Medium: 73.1 FPS
• High: 64.9 FPS
• Ultra: 45.0 FPS

The largest single drop occurs between 1080p Low (280.6 FPS) and 1440p Low (178.9 FPS), a difference of 101.7 FPS. The smallest absolute difference between consecutive settings at the same resolution is at 4K between Medium (73.1 FPS) and High (64.9 FPS), a gap of 8.2 FPS. The data shows that at 4K, the Ultra preset (45 FPS) falls below the standard 60 FPS target, while all other resolution-setting combinations maintain at least 64.9 FPS. The system's performance scales predictably with pixel count, and the RTX 4070's 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth appears adequate for the game's demands across all tested configurations.