Minimum

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB lands at rank 3265 out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the lower percentile of systems evaluated for this title. This combo’s overall standing is shaped by a high-end CPU with 16 cores and 24 threads, and a GPU that, while modern in architecture, is constrained by its 4 GB memory and 128-bit bus. In practice, the RTX 3050 4 GB tends to be the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the i7-13700K provides more than enough processing headroom. The result is a system that performs respectably at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles at 4K where frame rates drop below playable thresholds on higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this CPU-GPU pairing at 3265th out of 3712 tested combinations. That rank is largely a consequence of the GPU's modest standing — the RTX 3050 4 GB sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs. The CPU, by contrast, shows far more strength: the i7-13700K occupies the 89th percentile among all CPUs. When a mid-tier GPU is matched with a top-tier CPU, the overall combo rank tends to reflect the weaker component, which is exactly what the measurements show.

The i7-13700K's own benchmark scores underline how much processing power is being left on the table. In Cinebench R23, the CPU reaches 30745 multi-core and 2116 single-core. Geekbench results show 19429 multi-core and 2529 single-core. The nearest rivals for the CPU — the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX, and Intel Xeon w3-2535 — are all within 0.5% of its average benchmark score. In PassMark, the i7-13700K achieves 45887 for multi-thread and 4333 for single-thread, with an average benchmark score of 46881 across all tests. This level of CPU performance is far beyond what a 4 GB RTX 3050 can leverage in most gaming scenarios, and that imbalance is the core reason for the combo's mid-pack ranking.

The story changes when you look at the GPU's role in each resolution. Across all measured settings and resolutions, the frame rates show a consistent pattern: the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads are not stressed by this game, while the GPU's 2048 shading units and 32 ROPs are fully engaged. Therefore, the overall rank is likely to be representative of the GPU's performance class, not the CPU's.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA107 chip and a 128-bit memory bus. The 4 GB of GDDR6 memory operates at 1200 MHz effective, producing a bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s. This is a significant constraint for higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU is able to push frame rates, but at 4K the limited memory bandwidth and 4 GB capacity become a bottleneck. In Minimum, the GPU's role is to render the game's third-person shooter environments, and the data reveals that the 4 GB frame buffer is simply not enough for smooth 4K performance.

The GPU's clock speeds are modest: base clock at 1545 MHz and boost at 1740 MHz. The pixel rate is 55.68 GPixel/s and texture rate is 111.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 7.127 TFLOPS. These specifications suggest a card that is positioned for 1080p, and in fact the measured FPS data shows that the RTX 3050 4 GB is most capable at this resolution. At 1080p Low, the card reaches 120 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it falls to 20 FPS. The GPU's 4 GB memory capacity is likely the culprit, as modern games at 4K typically require more video memory. The RTX 3050 4 GB has 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores, but these are not heavily utilized in this game, which is more dependent on raw rasterization performance.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear trend across resolutions. At 1080p, the system averages 120 FPS on Low settings, 92 FPS on Medium, 77 FPS on High, and 59 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, the averages drop to 78 FPS (Low), 59 FPS (Medium), 50 FPS (High), and 38 FPS (Ultra). At 4K, the figures fall further: 42 FPS on Low, 32 FPS on Medium, 27 FPS on High, and 20 FPS on Ultra.

This scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor. When the resolution increases from 1080p to 1440p, the average frame rate at High settings drops by 27 FPS (from 77 to 50). From 1440p to 4K, the drop is another 23 FPS (from 50 to 27). This is a significant loss for each step, and it is typical of a GPU with a 128-bit memory bus and 4 GB of VRAM. The GPU is able to handle the 1080p, but as pixel count and memory pressure increase, the GPU becomes saturated.

The fact that the CPU is not the bottleneck is confirmed by the 1080p results. At 1080p Low, the average frame rate is 120 FPS, which is a high enough to highlight the GPU's potential but also shows that the CPU is not holding it back. If the CPU were the limit, the 1080p frame rates would be similar across settings, which is not the case. In fact, the 1080p results show a difference of 61 FPS between Low and Ultra, which is a strong indicator of GPU scaling. The single-thread performance of the i7-13700K (with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and a Cinebench R20 single-core score of 2299) is sufficient for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates are as follows: Low settings yield an average of 120 FPS, Medium settings yield 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS, High settings yield 77 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 59 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 28 FPS, and between Medium and High is 15 FPS, while High to Ultra is 18 FPS. This shows a steady decline as the settings increase, with the biggest drop from Low to Medium.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 78 FPS on Low, 59 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS), 50 FPS on High, and 38 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium is 19 FPS, between Medium and High is 9 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 12 FPS. The 1440p results show a more gradual decline, but the frame rates are still playable on most settings.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 42 FPS on Low, 32 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS), 27 FPS on High, and 20 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 10 FPS, from Medium to High is 5 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 7 FPS. At 4K, even low settings cannot maintain a smooth 60 FPS, and Ultra is unplayable at 20 FPS.

The data shows that the RTX 3050 4 GB is only capable of smooth performance at 1080p. Even at 1440p, the average frame rate on High is 50 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for many gamers. At 4K, the GPU is not viable for anything beyond the lowest settings, and even then the average is only 42 FPS. The 4 GB VRAM is a major limitation, as the game likely needs more memory at higher resolutions and settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a huge amount of processing power for this pairing. It has 16 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The cache, 80 KB of L1 per core and 2 MB of L2 per core, with a shared 30 MB L3 cache. The CPU's performance is excellent: in Cinebench R23, multi-core is 30745 and single-core is 2116. Geekbench shows 19429 multi-core and 2529 single-core, and PassMark shows 45825 multi-thread and 4333 single-thread. With a 3DMark 16-thread score of 8034 and an 8-thread score of 8193, the CPU is a monster.

In this game, the CPU's role is to send draw calls and game logic. The measured FPS data indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck. Evidence: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 120, which is a high value. If the CPU were the limit, this number would be lower. Also, the difference in FPS between 1080p and 4K is huge, which is the GPU's capacity. The CPU's single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 1132, Cinebench R15 single-core of 303, and PassMark single-thread of 4333) is sufficient for the game's engine. The i7-13700K is a top-tier CPU, ranking 89th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its average score. The CPU does not hold the GPU back in any resolution.

The CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads are not fully used in Minimum, but that's fine. The GPU is the limiting factor. In fact, the CPU's high single-thread performance helps maintain high frame rates at 1080p, but the GPU's memory bandwidth and 4 GB VRAM cap the performance. The i7-13700K's 125W TDP and support for DDR4/DDR5 memory are not relevant to the frame rates, but they indicate a high-end CPU that is overkill for a 4 GB GPU. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking compared to the GPU's 50th percentile illustrates this mismatch.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p High settings?

A: The average frame rate is 77 FPS at 1920x1080 High settings. This is a playable frame rate for most players.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra settings, the average frame rate is only 20 FPS, which is not playable for a smooth experience. Even at 4K Low, the average is 42 FPS, which is below 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The i7-13700K is a high-end CPU (89th percentile), while the RTX 3050 4 GB is a mid-range GPU (50th percentile). The frame rates drop significantly at higher resolutions, indicating a GPU limitation.

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achieved?

A: The maximum average frame rate is 120 FPS at 1920x1080 Low settings. This is the only resolution/setting combination that exceeds 100 FPS.

Q: How does the i7-13700K compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i7-13700K is within 0.5% of the average benchmark score of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX, and Intel Xeon w3-2535. This shows that the CPU performance is on par with top-tier alternatives.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded?

A: The minimum FPS was recorded at 4K Medium settings, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. The average for that setting is 32 FPS.