Minimum

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data for this AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination in Minimum shows a wide performance envelope across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional headroom: Low settings produce an average of 394 FPS, Medium hits 301 FPS (with a minimum of 256 and maximum of 347), High reaches 253 FPS, and Ultra still holds 193 FPS. Every 1080p preset clears the 60 FPS playable threshold by a massive margin, with Ultra averaging more than triple the threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling is predictable but still strong. Low settings average 254 FPS, Medium drops to 194 FPS (minimum 165, maximum 223), High sits at 163 FPS, and Ultra maintains 124 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 130 FPS, showing that the RTX 4090 has enough compute headroom to absorb the increased pixel count without collapsing. The minimum recorded value at Medium (165 FPS) is still well above what any 144Hz monitor can use, so even frame-time dips won't become visible stutter.

At 3840x2160, the load becomes more demanding. Low settings average 137 FPS, Medium averages 105 FPS (with a minimum of 89 and maximum of 120), High drops to 88 FPS, and Ultra falls to 67 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 89 FPS is notable — it indicates that even during heavy scenes, the system stays comfortably above 60 FPS. Ultra at 4K is the only configuration that approaches the playable threshold, but at 67 FPS average, it still clears it with a small buffer. The data shows a consistent pattern: this combo never falls below the 60 FPS threshold at any measured resolution or preset.

# Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rival data provides context for what this CPU and GPU combination behaves like. For the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, the closest comparable processors are the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% faster in average benchmark score), Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% slower), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% faster), and Intel Core i7-14700K (0.9% faster). These deltas are all within a rounding error of parity — the 9700F sits in a performance cluster where any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Minimum. If a builder already owns one of these chips, swapping to the 9700F would not meaningfully change the gaming experience.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4090's nearest rivals are surprising: the Intel Arc Pro A60 (0% delta), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (0.3% faster), AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (2.5% faster), and AMD Radeon PRO V710 (2.9% slower). These are workstation-class cards, not gaming GPUs, but the benchmark scores indicate that in compute-heavy workloads the 4090 behaves similarly. For gaming specifically, the 4090's massive memory bandwidth (1.01 TB/s) and 24 GB of GDDR6X memory give it an advantage that synthetic averages don't fully capture, but the ranking data places it in this performance band.

The practical takeaway: if you're building a system for Minimum and already have a Ryzen 9 7940HX or Core i7-14700K-class CPU, the frame rate difference versus the 9700F would be imperceptible — under 1% in aggregate CPU benchmarks. The GPU is the dominant factor at higher resolutions, and any of the listed rivals would pair similarly with the RTX 4090.

# CPU and GPU Roles

The data from this combination reveals a clear division of labor between the Ryzen 7 9700F and the RTX 4090. At 1920x1080, the CPU matters more because the GPU can render frames faster than the processor can feed it. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 201 FPS (394 down to 193), which means even the heaviest preset leaves the GPU with spare capacity. The 9700F's 8 cores and 16 threads with a 5.50 GHz boost clock are sufficient to keep the 4090 fed at these frame rates, but the CPU is likely the limiting factor for pushing beyond 400 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts toward the GPU. The difference between Low and Ultra is 130 FPS (254 down to 124), a smaller absolute drop than at 1080p but still substantial. The RTX 4090's 16,384 shading units and 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are doing the heavy lifting here. The CPU still has headroom, as evidenced by the 165 FPS minimum at Medium, but the GPU is starting to feel the pixel workload.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The spread from Low to Ultra is 70 FPS (137 down to 67), and the Ultra preset at 67 FPS average shows the 4090 working hard to maintain playability. The CPU's role diminishes further — at 4K, even a slower processor would produce similar frame rates because the GPU is the bottleneck. The scaling pattern (1080p Ultra at 193 FPS vs 4K Ultra at 67 FPS) represents a 65% reduction in performance, which is consistent with a GPU-bound workload.

The resolution scaling tells the story: 1080p to 1440p reduces Ultra preset performance by 36% (193 to 124 FPS), while 1440p to 4K reduces it by 46% (124 to 67 FPS). This non-linear drop indicates that the 4090's memory bandwidth (1.01 TB/s) and pixel rate (443.5 GPixel/s) are being taxed progressively harder as resolution increases. For a third-person shooter like Minimum, the CPU matters most at 1080p for high-refresh monitors, but at 1440p and above, the GPU dictates the experience.

# The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum at every measured resolution and preset combination. The verdict data confirms that all three resolutions — 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080 — have all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) marked as playable. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and every configuration clears it.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 67 FPS. This is the tightest margin in the entire dataset, but 67 FPS still provides a 7 FPS buffer above the threshold. If you want more headroom at 4K, dropping to High gives 88 FPS, or Medium provides 105 FPS with a minimum of 89 FPS. For competitive play at 4K, Medium is the sweet spot — it maintains frame rates above 89 FPS even in dips, which is critical for consistent aiming.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, averaging 124 FPS. This is a strong result for a 144Hz monitor — you can run maximum quality and still stay near the refresh rate cap. For 240Hz displays, High at 163 FPS or Low at 254 FPS gives the necessary headroom. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 193 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh 1080p panels. If you have a 360Hz monitor, Low at 394 FPS is the only preset that fully saturates it.

The verdict is unambiguous: this system delivers playable performance in every scenario the data covers. The weakest configuration (4K Ultra at 67 FPS) still meets the 60 FPS threshold, and every other setting provides substantial margins. For a game from 2014, this hardware is overkill at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K Ultra it's just enough to keep everything above the playability line.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming?

A: At 3840x2160, Ultra settings average 67 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. For more headroom, Medium averages 105 FPS with a minimum of 89 FPS. High sits in between at 88 FPS.

Q: Can this system hit 240 FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 254 FPS, which exceeds 240 FPS. Medium averages 194 FPS, so it falls short. High (163 FPS) and Ultra (124 FPS) are below the 240 FPS mark.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700F compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The 9700F is within 0.9% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, Intel Core i7-14700KF, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and Intel Core i7-14700K based on average benchmark scores. Performance differences are negligible.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 still a top-tier GPU for this game?

A: The RTX 4090 ranks in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the Intel Arc Pro A60, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, and AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, though those are workstation cards.

Q: What frame rates does Medium settings produce at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the system averages 301 FPS, with a minimum of 256 FPS and a maximum of 347 FPS. This is the only preset with full min/max data recorded.

Q: Does this combo ever drop below 60 FPS?

A: No. The lowest recorded average is 67 FPS at 4K Ultra, and the lowest minimum is 89 FPS at 4K Medium. Every measured configuration stays above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

# How This Combo Ranks

Among 3,712 tested combinations in Minimum, this AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pairing ranks 126th. That places it in the top 3.4% of all tested configurations, which is consistent with the frame rate data — this system dominates at 1080p and 1440p while remaining playable at 4K Ultra.

The rank reflects the balance between the 9700F's 94th percentile CPU performance and the RTX 4090's 88th percentile GPU performance. The CPU is slightly stronger relative to its peers than the GPU, but the combination works well because neither component drags the other down. The 126th position out of 3,712 means there are 125 configurations that perform better, but those almost certainly include higher-end CPUs paired with the same or faster GPUs — the 9700F's 8 cores and 5.50 GHz boost clock are already near the top of the desktop stack.

For context, the rank demonstrates that this system is not just playable but genuinely competitive. A combo in the top 3.4% of all tested hardware will handle Minimum with ease at any reasonable settings. The only scenarios where the rank might matter are extreme esports configurations chasing 400+ FPS at 1080p, where the 9700F's single-thread score of 4,691 in PassMark could be a marginal limiting factor. For every other use case — 1440p high refresh, 4K ultra, or streaming with overlays — this system has ample headroom. The 126th rank out of 3,712 is a strong endorsement for anyone building a PC specifically for this game, and the data supports it: no configuration in the measured set falls below 67 FPS average, and most are far higher.