Minimum

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 Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The chip features a hybrid design with 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus, and includes integrated UHD Graphics 770, though the discrete RTX 3080 Ti handles rendering in this configuration.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates strong single-thread and multi-thread capabilities. The 3DMark single-thread score is 1136, while the 16-thread score reaches 10717 and max-thread score hits 12412. Cinebench R23 results show 2116 points single-core and 30745 points multi-core, while Geekbench reports 2529 single-core and 19429 multi-core. PassMark multithread score is 45887, with single-thread at 4333. The CPU sits at the 89th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881.

For a game like Minimum, which released in 2014 as a third-person shooter, the CPU's role is largely about feeding frames quickly at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p, the combo reaches 277 FPS on Low settings, 212 FPS on Medium, 178 FPS on High, and 136 FPS on Ultra. These high frame rates at 1080p indicate that the i7-13700K's strong single-thread performance — evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and PassMark single-thread of 4333 — is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU in this older title. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz is likely a key factor, as older games tend to rely heavily on a few fast cores rather than scaling across many threads.

The nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (avg score 46971, delta -0.2%), AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022, delta -0.3%), AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654, delta 0.5%), and Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46653, delta 0.5%). The i7-13700K's average score of 46881 places it essentially neck-and-neck with these competitors, within a half-percent either way. This means the CPU is not an outlier compared to similarly positioned parts; it delivers expected performance for its class.

At higher resolutions, the CPU's influence diminishes. The measured FPS at 4K drops to 96 FPS on Low, 74 FPS on Medium, 62 FPS on High, and 47 FPS on Ultra. The scaling pattern suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU's strong multi-thread performance (24 threads) becomes less relevant. However, the i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads ensure that even at 1080p with high frame rates, there is no apparent CPU-induced frame pacing issues, as the minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 180 FPS.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Minimum?*

A: The highest measured average FPS is 277 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 179 FPS at 2560x1440 Low and 96 FPS at 3840x2160 Low.

Q: How does the i7-13700K compare to its closest CPU rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971 (0.2% higher), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022 (0.3% higher), while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 score 46654 each (0.5% lower).

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS goes from 277 on Low to 136 on Ultra, a difference of 141 FPS. The drop is not linear; Medium delivers 212 FPS and High delivers 178 FPS.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 47. This is below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth, but it is still technically playable. At 4K High, the average rises to 62 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 Ti rank among all GPUs in the benchmark database?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti sits at the 83rd percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41187. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (40870, 0.8% higher), NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB (41707, 1.2% lower), and NVIDIA Tesla M40 (41897, 1.7% lower).

Q: What are the minimum FPS values recorded for Medium settings across resolutions?

A: For Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 63 at 3840x2160, 116 at 2560x1440, and 180 at 1920x1080. These are the only settings rows in the measured data that include minFps values.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear story about where the bottleneck lies in this combo. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 277 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 179 FPS (a 35% reduction); and at 4K Low, it falls to 96 FPS (another 46% reduction). Similarly, on High settings, the sequence is 178 FPS at 1080p, 115 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions: the RTX 3080 Ti's fill rate and memory bandwidth become limiting, while the CPU's headroom remains largely unused.

The RTX 3080 Ti has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, with 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. Its pixel rate is 186.5 GPixel/s and texture rate is 532.8 GTexel/s. These specifications suggest strong raw throughput, but at 4K, the sheer pixel count — over 8 million pixels versus about 2 million at 1080p — means the GPU must work roughly four times harder per frame. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (47 FPS) versus 1080p Ultra (136 FPS) represents a 65% drop, which aligns with the resolution increase outpacing the GPU's scaling capability.

The data also shows that the gap between settings narrows at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 141 FPS (277 to 136), but at 4K, the spread is only 49 FPS (96 to 47). This compression indicates that at 4K, even Low settings cannot escape GPU limitations — the difference between Low and Ultra becomes a matter of 49 FPS rather than 141 FPS. The min FPS data reinforces this: at 4K Medium, the minimum is 63 FPS, while at 1080p Medium, the minimum is 180 FPS, showing that frame consistency also degrades as resolution climbs.

From a component perspective, the CPU's strong single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 1136) and high boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensure that at 1080p, the combo is not CPU-limited. The fact that 1080p Low achieves 277 FPS — well above typical 144 Hz monitor refresh rates — suggests the i7-13700K can push frames far beyond what most displays can show. At 4K, however, the RTX 3080 Ti's 34.10 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 80 RT cores become the decisive factor, and the CPU's role fades into the background.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings balance depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, Medium settings deliver 212 FPS average with a minimum of 180 FPS, which is an excellent experience for high-refresh-rate displays (144 Hz or 240 Hz). High settings at 1080p still provide 178 FPS, which remains above 144 Hz, making it a strong choice for those who prioritize visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. Ultra at 1080p drops to 136 FPS, which is still playable but may not saturate a 144 Hz panel consistently.

At 1440p, Medium settings yield 137 FPS average with a minimum of 116 FPS, which comfortably exceeds 60 FPS and approaches 144 Hz territory. High settings at 1440p deliver 115 FPS average, which is still smooth but less headroom above 60 FPS. Ultra at 1440p drops to 87 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. Low settings at 1440p hit 179 FPS, which is the best choice for maximum frame rates, though it sacrifices visual quality.

At 4K, the recommendation becomes more nuanced. High settings deliver 62 FPS average, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold and represents the best balance of visual quality and playability. Medium settings at 4K provide 74 FPS average with a minimum of 63 FPS, which is actually more consistent than High and offers better frame pacing. Low settings at 4K reach 96 FPS, but the visual degradation may not be worth the frame rate gain on a 4K display. Ultra at 4K drops to 47 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and not recommended for smooth gameplay.

For the best overall experience, the data suggests Medium settings at any resolution: it provides the highest minimum FPS in the measured data (180 at 1080p, 116 at 1440p, 63 at 4K) and delivers a balanced frame rate that avoids the extremes of Low and Ultra. The Medium preset appears to be the "sweet spot" where the GPU's resources are used efficiently without the overhead of Ultra settings dragging performance down.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this combination of Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 961 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places the combo in the top 26% of all configurations tested for this game, which is a solid but not elite position. The ranking reflects that while both components are capable — the CPU at the 89th percentile and the GPU at the 83rd percentile — the overall combo does not crack the top tier, likely due to the game's age and the fact that many higher-end combos exist in the database.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 46881 puts it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971, delta -0.2%) and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022, delta -0.3%), while the GPU's average score of 41187 is within 2% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (40377, delta 2%). The combo's rank of 961 suggests that there are 960 combinations that perform better in Minimum, which could include setups with faster GPUs (like RTX 4090-class parts) or CPUs with higher single-thread performance.

The data indicates that the combo is neither over-performing nor under-performing relative to its component scores. The CPU and GPU both sit in the 80th-90th percentile range, and the combo's rank in the 74th percentile aligns with this. The measured FPS figures confirm that the combo delivers high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, it falls short of the 60 FPS threshold on Ultra settings, which may be why it does not rank higher relative to combos with more powerful GPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete matrix of average FPS across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 277 FPS, Medium 212 FPS (min 180, max 244), High 178 FPS, and Ultra 136 FPS. At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 179 FPS, Medium 137 FPS (min 116, max 157), High 115 FPS, and Ultra 87 FPS. At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 96 FPS, Medium 74 FPS (min 63, max 85), High 62 FPS, and Ultra 47 FPS.

The min and max FPS values are only provided for Medium settings across all resolutions, giving insight into frame consistency. At 1080p Medium, the framerate ranges from 180 to 244 FPS, a spread of 64 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 116 to 157 FPS, a spread of 41 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 63 to 85 FPS, a spread of 22 FPS. This suggests that as resolution increases, not only does the average FPS drop, but the variance narrows, indicating that the GPU's workload becomes more consistent but also more demanding.

The highest measured FPS in the entire dataset is 277 FPS at 1080p Low, while the lowest is 47 FPS at 4K Ultra. The step from Low to Medium at each resolution represents a significant drop: 65 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K. The step from High to Ultra is smaller in absolute terms: 42 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p, and 15 FPS at 4K. This pattern suggests that the difference between Low and Medium is more impactful on performance than the difference between High and Ultra, which is useful for users deciding where to allocate graphical settings.

At 1080p, the combo delivers frame rates well above 144 Hz on all settings except Ultra (136 FPS), making it suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming. At 1440p, only Low (179 FPS) and Medium (137 FPS) exceed 120 FPS, while High (115 FPS) and Ultra (87 FPS) remain above 60 FPS. At 4K, only Low (96 FPS) and Medium (74 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, while High (62 FPS) barely clears the threshold and Ultra (47 FPS) falls below it. These numbers provide a clear picture of what settings are viable at each resolution for a smooth experience.