Minimum

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Minimum reveals a steep and consistent performance curve as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti combination delivers 194.7 FPS. Stepping up to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset drops the average to 122.5 FPS, a reduction of 72.2 FPS, while at 4K (3840x2160) the average falls to 67.8 FPS. This pattern shows that resolution scaling is aggressive, with each step up in pixel count exacting a substantial toll on frame rates.

The data suggests the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution climbs. At 1080p Low, the system produces nearly 200 FPS, which indicates the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU. However, the GTX 1080 Ti's Pascal architecture, with its 11 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 352-bit bus providing 484.4 GB/s of bandwidth, begins to show its age at higher resolutions. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at 4K: Low yields 67.8 FPS while Ultra drops to 31.7 FPS, a difference of 36.1 FPS. This spread is much narrower at 1080p, where Low produces 194.7 FPS and Ultra still manages 93.1 FPS.

The scaling pattern indicates that at 1080p, the system is balanced enough that settings adjustments yield proportional gains. At 4K, however, the GPU's compute resources — 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 88 raster output units — become the bottleneck. The pixel rate of 139.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 354.4 GTexel/s are simply insufficient to maintain high frame rates at Ultra settings in 4K. The data shows a clear inflection point: 1440p High at 77.5 FPS is playable, but 4K Ultra at 31.7 FPS falls below what most users would consider smooth.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings substantial processing capability to this combination. With 16 cores, 24 threads, and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, this Raptor Lake-S processor ranks in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested. Its benchmark scores reinforce this position: Cinebench R23 multi-core reaches 39000, single-core 5505, and Geekbench multi-core hits 17731. These numbers place the CPU well ahead of the demands of a 2014 third-person shooter.

The CPU's influence on Minimum's frame rates appears minimal at higher resolutions. At 4K, the FPS differences between settings are governed by GPU load, not CPU capability. The i7-13700K's single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and PassMark single-thread score of 4333, ensures that even the most demanding game logic does not starve the GPU. The L3 cache of 30 MB shared, paired with 2 MB L2 per core, provides low-latency access to frequently used data.

At 1080p, where CPU overhead can become more visible, the data shows the i7-13700K is not a limiting factor. The jump from 1080p High at 125.7 FPS to 1080p Low at 194.7 FPS demonstrates that the CPU can push frame rates well beyond 144 Hz when the GPU is not saturated. The processor's multi-threaded capabilities, with a Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 16380 and PassMark multi-thread score of 45887, are vastly overprovisioned for this game's requirements. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, scores within 0.1% of this chip, confirming that the i7-13700K's performance envelope is consistent with its tier.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 at High settings delivers 77.5 FPS, which balances visual quality and smoothness. At 1080p High, the system achieves 125.7 FPS, while 4K High drops to 44.8 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1080 Ti's memory configuration affect 4K performance?

A: The 11 GB of GDDR5X memory with 484.4 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for capacity, but the 4K Ultra result of 31.7 FPS indicates bandwidth and compute limits rather than memory size constraints.

Q: Does the i7-13700K bottleneck the GTX 1080 Ti in this game?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 194.7 FPS, showing the CPU can drive frame rates far beyond typical display refresh rates. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking and single-thread score of 1136 in 3DMark confirm it is not the limiting factor.

Q: What is the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low averages 122.5 FPS while Ultra averages 60.7 FPS, a difference of 61.8 FPS. This indicates the GPU's compute resources are heavily taxed by Ultra quality settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K with GTX 1080 Ti ranks 1031 out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database for this specific game.

Q: Is 4K playable with this hardware?

A: At 4K Low, the average is 67.8 FPS, which is playable. 4K Medium drops to 49.3 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 31.7 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti ranks 1031 out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum. This places the setup in the 59.5th percentile of all configurations tested for this game, meaning roughly 40% of combos perform worse and 60% perform better. The ranking reflects a pairing of a modern, high-end CPU with an aging but still capable GPU.

The i7-13700K's individual standing is strong — it sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs — while the GTX 1080 Ti sits in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The CPU's average benchmark score of 47282 is nearly identical to its closest rival, the i7-13700KF at 47334, a delta of just -0.1%. The GPU's average score of 19402 is within 0.1% of the GTX 780 at 19405. This mismatch in component strength explains the overall ranking: the CPU is overqualified for the GPU's output at higher resolutions.

The ranking suggests that users with this combo will experience CPU-bound performance at low resolutions and settings, but GPU-bound performance at higher loads. In Minimum specifically, the 1031st rank out of 1733 indicates the GTX 1080 Ti holds the combo back from top-tier placement. The data shows that at 1080p, the combo performs competitively, but at 4K Ultra, the 31.7 FPS result drags the average down relative to combos featuring newer GPUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is the determining factor in this combo's Minimum performance. Built on the Pascal architecture with a 16 nm process, this GP102 chip contains 11,800 million transistors on a 471 mm² die. Its base clock of 1481 MHz boosts to 1582 MHz, and memory runs at 1376 MHz with 11 Gbps effective throughput. The 11 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 352-bit bus provides 484.4 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU's benchmark results show a mixed profile. PassMark G3D scores 18600, while DirectX 11 yields 151 and DirectX 12 drops to 66. These numbers reflect the architecture's age — Pascal predates modern API optimizations. The GPU's 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its mid-pack standing. Nearest rivals include the GTX 780 (19405, 0% delta) and the TITAN Xp (19184, 1.1% delta), showing the 1080 Ti remains competitive with its contemporaries.

In Minimum, the GPU's role becomes clear when examining settings scaling. At 1080p, the difference between Low (194.7 FPS) and Ultra (93.1 FPS) is 101.6 FPS. At 1440p, this spread narrows to 61.8 FPS, and at 4K it narrows further to 36.1 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions indicates the GPU's shading units (3584), TMUs (224), and ROPs (88) reach their limits. The FP32 throughput of 11.34 TFLOPS is insufficient for 4K Ultra, where the combo manages only 31.7 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings average 194.7 FPS, Medium drops to 149.8 FPS, High yields 125.7 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 93.1 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 44.9 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs 32.6 FPS. These numbers indicate the GPU has enough headroom at 1080p to handle all settings, with even Ultra exceeding 90 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance declines predictably. Low averages 122.5 FPS, Medium hits 92.3 FPS, High produces 77.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 60.7 FPS. The relative drop from 1080p is significant — High loses 48.2 FPS, a 38.4% reduction. The 1440p Ultra result at 60.7 FPS is right at the edge of smooth gameplay, suggesting users seeking consistent 60+ FPS should stick to High settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Low averages 67.8 FPS, Medium drops to 49.3 FPS, High manages 44.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 31.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 18.5 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 13.1 FPS. None of these 4K results exceed 68 FPS, and only Low settings approach playable territory. The data clearly shows that 4K gaming with this combo requires substantial settings compromises.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: the GTX 1080 Ti scales predictably with pixel count and settings, while the i7-13700K never becomes a bottleneck. The 1080p results, exceeding 125 FPS even at High settings, demonstrate the CPU's capability to drive high frame rates. The 4K results, with a maximum of 67.8 FPS at Low, highlight the GPU as the definitive limiting component in this pairing.