Minimum

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER presents a study in contrast: a high-end 16-core processor from the Raptor Lake generation driving an older, end-of-life Turing-based graphics card. In the 2014 third-person shooter Minimum, this combination yields a playable experience at lower resolutions, but the data indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive factor in determining frame rates, particularly as resolution and graphical settings increase.

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

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This processor ranks in the 89th percentile against all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (deltaPct -0.2), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (deltaPct -0.3), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (deltaPct 0.5), indicating that its overall compute capability is competitive with those parts. In Cinebench R23, it scores 30745 points in multi-core and 2116 points in single-core tests, while its Geekbench scores are 19429 (multi-core) and 2529 (single-core).

For Minimum, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves an average of 131 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 22 FPS. The fact that the CPU has significant headroom, indicated by its high multi-threaded scores (e.g., 45887 in Passmark multithread), suggests it is not the limiting component in this configuration. The game's performance scaling is more directly tied to the GPU's rendering capabilities. The i7-13700K's high boost clock of 5.40 GHz and strong single-thread performance (4333 in Passmark single thread) ensure that it is unlikely to bottleneck the GTX 1660 SUPER in most scenarios. The data implies that the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's demands, leaving the GPU as the primary arbiter of frame rates.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the average FPS for this combo at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average FPS of 100, with minimum and maximum values of 85 and 115 FPS respectively.

Q: How much does the average FPS drop between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 84. At 3840x2160 High, the average FPS is 29. This represents a drop of 55 FPS when moving from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Does the i7-13700K have integrated graphics?

A: Yes, the CPU includes UHD Graphics 770, but the system uses the discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER for rendering in the measured benchmarks.

Q: What is the boost clock speed of the GTX 1660 SUPER?

A: The GPU has a boost clock of 1785 MHz, with a base clock of 1530 MHz.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo achieve its highest average FPS?

A: The highest average FPS is 131, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 3171 out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of the database for this specific title.

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

Analyzing the FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU limitation. At High settings, the average FPS is 84 at 1080p, 54 at 1440p, and 29 at 4K. This is a reduction of 35.7% when going from 1080p to 1440p, and a further reduction of 46.3% when going from 1440p to 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K overall is a 65.5% decrease in performance. This significant drop as pixel count increases points directly to the GTX 1660 SUPER being the bottleneck.

The GTX 1660 SUPER has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. A 4K resolution requires far more memory bandwidth and fill rate than 1080p. The GPU's pixel rate is 85.68 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 157.1 GTexel/s. These are the metrics that get saturated at higher resolutions. The CPU, on the other hand, has ample headroom; its benchmark scores are not being stressed by the increased resolution, as the workload shifts almost entirely to the GPU. The data supports the conclusion that the i7-13700K is not the limiting factor; the GTX 1660 SUPER's rendering throughput is what constrains performance at higher resolutions.

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

The measured frame rates for this combination are documented across four resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system performs best. With Low settings, the average FPS is 131. Moving to Medium settings yields an average of 100 FPS, with a minimum of 85 and a maximum of 115 FPS. High settings produce an average of 84 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, results in an average of 64 FPS. This shows that at 1080p, the combo can handle even the highest preset, although it falls short of the smoothness offered by lower settings.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 85 FPS. Medium settings average 65 FPS, with a minimum of 55 and a maximum of 74 FPS. High settings yield an average of 54 FPS. Ultra settings drop to an average of 41 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1440p is playable on lower presets, but Ultra requires significant compromises.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. Low settings average 46 FPS. Medium settings average 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 40 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 29 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, producing an average of only 22 FPS. None of the 4K presets achieve a consistently smooth 60 FPS, and even Low settings fall short of that target.

The data shows a consistent trend: for every resolution, lowering the settings from Ultra to Low increases the average FPS. The most significant jump occurs at 1080p, where the difference between Ultra (64 FPS) and Low (131 FPS) is 67 FPS. At 4K, the same settings difference is only 24 FPS (from 22 to 46), highlighting the GPU's diminishing ability to cope with the pixel count.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory running at an effective speed of 14 Gbps, delivering a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s across a 192-bit bus. The GPU's base clock is 1530 MHz, and its boost clock is 1785 MHz. It offers 1408 shading units and 48 ROPs. In the database, it ranks in the 53rd percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12986. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (deltaPct 0.4) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 (deltaPct 0.4).

The GPU's compute capability, measured at 5.027 TFLOPS FP32, is the primary constraint in Minimum. The game's performance scaling with resolution is a direct result of the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. At 1080p, the 6 GB VRAM is sufficient, and the GPU can push high frame rates. However, as resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the demand on the memory bus and the pixel throughput grows. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (22 FPS) is a clear sign that the GTX 1660 SUPER's 85.68 GPixel/s pixel rate is insufficient for such a heavy load. The GPU's 157.1 GTexel/s texture rate also becomes a limiting factor when settings are increased, as higher presets typically employ more complex textures.

The GPU's boost clock of 1785 MHz is a key factor in its 1080p performance, but it cannot overcome the physical limits of its memory interface and processing cores at higher resolutions. The data suggests that for a game like Minimum, the GTX 1660 SUPER is a capable 1080p card, but its performance degrades significantly as the workload scales.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1920x1080, the High preset offers a strong balance, averaging 84 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and provides better visual quality than Medium (100 FPS) or Low (131 FPS). The Ultra preset at 64 FPS is also viable, but it is closer to the 60 FPS line and may result in occasional dips. For the best visual fidelity while maintaining a comfortable margin, High is the recommended preset, though users prioritizing frame rate headroom can choose Medium.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the best choice, averaging 65 FPS. This is the only preset at this resolution that consistently stays above 60 FPS (with a minimum of 55 FPS). The High preset averages 54 FPS, which is playable but may not be smooth enough for all users. Low settings at 85 FPS are an option for competitive play, but they sacrifice significant visual detail. Ultra at 41 FPS is not recommended for a fluid experience.

For 3840x2160, no preset achieves an average FPS above 46. Low settings provide the highest average at 46 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. Medium settings average 35 FPS, and High averages 29 FPS. Ultra at 22 FPS is nearly unplayable. Given the data, 4K gaming with this combo is not advisable. If forced to play at 4K, Low settings are the only option that approaches playability, but even then, the frame rate is not ideal. The best experience for this hardware is to play at 1080p or 1440p with Medium or High settings, respectively.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination ranks 3171 out of 3712 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the 15th percentile of all tested systems, meaning that 541 other combinations performed worse, and 3170 combinations performed better. This ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU's age and performance class. The i7-13700K is a top-tier CPU, ranking in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, but the GTX 1660 SUPER is only in the 53rd percentile against all GPUs.

This discrepancy highlights the GPU-bound nature of the system. The CPU is capable of far more than the GPU can deliver, which is why the combo ranks so low in a game that is primarily graphics-intensive. The data shows that while the CPU is a high performer, the system's overall gaming capability is capped by the GTX 1660 SUPER. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU's nearest rivals are all within a 0.5% deltaPct, but the GPU's rivals, such as the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, are similarly matched, indicating that the GPU is not a standout performer. The low rank in Minimum is consistent with the expectation that a 2019-era GPU will struggle to keep up with the demands of modern game engines at higher resolutions, even when paired with a powerful 2022 CPU. The combination's performance is a clear case of the weakest link determining the overall result.