Minimum

The pairing of the Intel Core i7-13700K with the AMD Radeon RX 580 in Minimum presents a stark contrast in generational capability. The data indicates a configuration heavily constrained by the graphics card, yet the processor ensures that frame pacing remains consistent even when the renderer is saturated. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, interpreting what the numbers reveal about the underlying hardware balance.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data demonstrates a severe performance penalty as resolution increases, confirming that the AMD Radeon RX 580 is the definitive limiting component in this configuration. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 90 FPS. Scaling up to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 58 FPS, a reduction of 32 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields only 30.1 FPS, which is exactly one-third of the 1080p result.

This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The Intel Core i7-13700K, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, is not the bottleneck at any resolution; the frame rate collapse is dictated entirely by the RX 580's rendering throughput. For High settings, the progression from 57.9 FPS at 1080p to 40.6 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 20.4 FPS at 4K, shows a halving of performance between 1440p and 4K. The Ultra preset is particularly punishing, with the 4K average falling to 16.5 FPS, a figure that is barely interactive and highlights the GPU's inability to manage the pixel shader load at higher resolutions.

The data suggests that the transition from 1080p to 1440p is the steepest relative drop for Low settings (a 35.6% decrease), while the drop from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced for High and Ultra presets. This indicates that as the quality settings increase, the GPU's fixed-function units and memory bandwidth become progressively more overwhelmed by the combination of higher resolution and more complex shading. The RX 580's 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are insufficient for 4K gaming in this title, regardless of the CPU's headroom. The benchmark results clearly show that 1080p is the only viable resolution for a smooth experience, and even then, only at Low or Medium settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a high-end desktop processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, featuring 16 cores and 24 threads. Its boost clock of 5.40 GHz and substantial 30 MB of shared L3 cache provide ample computational power for game logic and draw call processing. In the context of Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with data; it is not a performance limiter in this configuration.

The processor's benchmark scores reinforce its capability. A Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and a single-core score of 5505 indicate that both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads are handled with ease. The PassMark single-thread score of 4333 suggests that the per-core performance is more than sufficient for the game's simulation thread. Even at 1080p with Low settings, where the CPU load is typically highest relative to the GPU, the average FPS of 90 does not suggest a CPU bottleneck; the frame rate is still limited by the GPU's ability to rasterize the scene.

The 125 W TDP and the ability to boost up to 5.40 GHz mean that the CPU can sustain high clock speeds under load without throttling, ensuring that frame times remain consistent when the GPU is not the limiting factor. However, since the RX 580 is the bottleneck at all measured settings, the CPU's performance is essentially untapped. The data shows that the CPU is operating with significant headroom, and any frame rate limitations are strictly a function of the graphics card's output. The processor's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, compared to the GPU's 53rd percentile, quantifies this disparity in capability.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Minimum, this specific pairing of the Core i7-13700K and RX 580 ranks 1606 out of 1733 combos. This places it in the bottom 7% of all tested configurations, which is a direct consequence of the graphics card's age and performance class. The CPU's high percentile ranking (93rd) is effectively neutralized by the GPU's mid-range standing (53rd percentile), resulting in a low overall combo rank.

The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the Intel Core i7-13700KF (with a deltaPct of -0.1) and the AMD EPYC 4364P (with a deltaPct of 0.3), show that the processor's raw performance is competitive with other top-tier chips. However, this does not translate into a high ranking in this game because the measured FPS is dictated by the GPU. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (0.0 deltaPct) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 (0.1 deltaPct), which are similarly aged or lower-tier cards, confirming that the RX 580 is the limiting factor in this pairing.

The combo rank of 1606 out of 1733 is a clear indicator that this configuration is not optimized for Minimum at higher resolutions. The data suggests that while the CPU is a top-tier component, the GPU holds the system back to a level comparable with much older hardware. This rank serves as a warning that the user experience will be poor for modern standards, with the system unable to leverage the CPU's strengths due to the GPU's constraints.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all presets and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 90 FPS (Low), 71.4 FPS (Medium), 57.9 FPS (High), and 45.6 FPS (Ultra). This shows a clear scaling trend where each quality step reduces performance by roughly 15-20%. The 1080p Low preset is the only configuration that achieves a frame rate suitable for high-refresh-rate displays, while the Ultra preset dips below 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are more severe. The averages are 58 FPS (Low), 44.9 FPS (Medium), 40.6 FPS (High), and 32.1 FPS (Ultra). The 1440p Low setting is just on the cusp of playability, but the Medium, High, and Ultra presets all fall below the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra being noticeably stutter-prone. The transition from High to Ultra at 1440p incurs an 8.5 FPS penalty, indicating that the Ultra preset's effects are expensive for the RX 580.

At 3840x2160, the situation becomes untenable for gaming. The averages are 30.1 FPS (Low), 22.7 FPS (Medium), 20.4 FPS (High), and 16.5 FPS (Ultra). None of these results are playable for a fast-paced third-person shooter. The 4K Ultra preset, at 16.5 FPS, represents a 81.7% drop from the 1080p Low preset. This data quantifies the GPU's hard limit: it is not capable of rendering this game at 4K with any degree of fluidity. The results across all resolutions show a consistent pattern where the RX 580 is the sole determinant of performance, with the CPU's capabilities having no measurable impact on the final FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the clear performance bottleneck in this configuration. Its specifications, including 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, are from the Polaris architecture (GCN 4.0) on a 14 nm process. The GPU's 2304 shading units and 32 ROPs are the physical limits that dictate the measured frame rates. The 53rd percentile ranking among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 13559 place it in the mid-range of the performance spectrum, which is consistent with its observed behavior in Minimum.

The GPU's compute capabilities, rated at 6.175 TFLOPS for FP32, are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in this title. The data shows that the RX 580's memory bandwidth becomes a critical constraint at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops proportionally with the increase in pixel count. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (16.5 FPS) suggests that the GPU is completely saturated, and the game's shader complexity at that preset exceeds the card's texture and pixel fill rates. The texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s are simply not high enough to sustain playable frame rates at 4K.

The GPU's end-of-life production status and its release date in 2017 explain its performance profile. While it remains functional for 1080p gaming at lower settings, the benchmark results for Minimum demonstrate that it cannot handle modern resolutions or high-quality presets. The nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 (0.1 deltaPct) and GTX 570 (0.0 deltaPct), confirm that the RX 580 is grouped with older or lower-tier cards, and its performance in this game is reflective of that class. The data unequivocally shows that the GPU architecture, with its 5,700 million transistors and GCN 4.0 design, is the limiting factor in this pairing, and any attempt to improve frame rates would require a more powerful graphics card.