Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is a capable combination for Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. This pairing ranks at 1040 out of 3712 tested combos for this game, placing it comfortably in the upper third of all possible configurations. The data shows this combo is well above the playable threshold of 60 FPS at nearly every setting, with the only exception being the absolute maximum preset at 4K resolution. This is a system that can deliver a smooth experience for the vast majority of play scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1040 out of 3712 in Minimum indicates a strong performance tier. The benchmark results place this pairing in the 72nd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly 72% of other CPU-GPU pairings for this specific title. The CPU itself sits in the 86th percentile against all tested CPUs, while the GPU is in the 68th percentile against all tested GPUs. This suggests the processor is a more dominant contributor to the overall ranking than the graphics card, though both are above-average performers. The data reveals that the system's strength lies in its ability to maintain high frame rates across the board, with the primary bottleneck appearing only at the most demanding 4K Ultra settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Ryzen 7 9700X and the RTX 3080 shifts noticeably depending on the resolution and preset. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, as evidenced by the massive frame rate jump from Low to Ultra settings. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 265.4, which drops to 132.2 at Ultra, showing that the GPU is being fed more work as settings increase. At 1440p, the GPU begins to take on a more significant role, with the Low preset still hitting 174.8 FPS, but the scaling between presets becomes more linear as the resolution increases. The transition to 4K makes the GPU the clear limiting factor. The average FPS at 4K Low is 91.3, but this falls to 47.8 at Ultra, a drop of nearly half, which demonstrates that the RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated at higher detail levels. The CPU's strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by its 3dmark single-thread score of 1280, ensures it is not the bottleneck until the resolution and settings push the GPU to its limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: At this resolution, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset yields an average of 265.4 FPS, which is a very high ceiling for competitive play. Medium settings average 205.2 FPS, while High settings average 173.6 FPS. Even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains an average of 132.2 FPS, which is more than double the playable threshold. The frame rates here are consistently high, indicating that the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient to keep the GPU fed.

2560x1440: Stepping up to 1440p, the performance remains excellent. The Low preset averages 174.8 FPS, which is still a very high refresh rate. Medium settings produce an average of 133.1 FPS, and High settings hit 108.8 FPS. The Ultra preset, while demanding, still holds an average of 82.6 FPS. This is the first resolution where Ultra settings remain fully playable, and the gap between Low and Ultra (174.8 vs 82.6 FPS) shows the GPU's increasing workload. All presets at 1440p are comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

3840x2160: At 4K, the data reveals the system's limits. The Low preset averages 91.3 FPS, which is still a playable and smooth experience. Medium settings average 71.4 FPS, remaining above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings just barely make the cut with an average of 60.6 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, drops to an average of 47.8 FPS, which falls below the playable threshold. This is the only configuration in the dataset where the combo cannot maintain a smooth 60 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K (91.3 vs 47.8 FPS) clearly shows the RTX 3080's memory bandwidth and compute resources are the limiting factor here.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the benchmark data, several other CPUs and GPUs would behave similarly to this pairing. The CPU's nearest rivals, all within a 0.4% performance delta, include the Intel Core i9-14901E (with a delta of 0.1%), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (0.1%), the Intel Core 5 211E (0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 (0.4%). These processors have nearly identical average benchmark scores, meaning you would likely see no meaningful difference in Minimum's frame rates when paired with the same GPU. On the GPU side, the RTX 3080's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA P106-100 (delta of -0.3%), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (-0.3%), the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (-0.4%), and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X (-0.4%). These graphics cards deliver almost identical average scores, suggesting that swapping the RTX 3080 for one of these would result in similar performance, provided the rest of the system remains unchanged.

Best Settings per Resolution

Based on the measured FPS and the 60 FPS playable threshold, the best settings for each resolution are as follows:

• 3840x2160: The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 60.6 FPS. The Medium preset also plays well at 71.4 FPS, and Low is even smoother at 91.3 FPS. Ultra is not recommended at this resolution because it falls to 47.8 FPS.
• 2560x1440: At this resolution, you can run the most demanding Ultra preset, which maintains an average of 82.6 FPS. All other presets also exceed the threshold, with High at 108.8 FPS, Medium at 133.1 FPS, and Low at 174.8 FPS.
• 1920x1080: The Ultra preset is the best choice here, delivering an average of 132.2 FPS. Every preset at 1080p is well above the playable threshold, with Low at 265.4 FPS, Medium at 205.2 FPS, and High at 173.6 FPS.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K resolution?*

A: Yes, but not at the highest settings. The data shows playable averages at Low (91.3 FPS), Medium (71.4 FPS), and High (60.6 FPS) at 3840x2160. The Ultra preset is not playable, averaging 47.8 FPS.

Q: What is the highest preset I can use at 2560x1440 with this hardware?

A: You can use the Ultra preset, which maintains an average of 82.6 FPS. This is the most demanding setting and it still provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is virtually identical in performance to the Intel Core i9-14901E and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, both with a 0.1% performance delta. It is also within 0.4% of the Intel Core 5 211E and AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 the main bottleneck at 1080p or 4K?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is the primary driver, as frame rates are very high across all settings. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, as evidenced by the significant drop in performance at Ultra settings (47.8 FPS) compared to Low (91.3 FPS).

Q: What GPU performance level is similar to the RTX 3080 in this game?

A: The NVIDIA P106-100 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 are the closest rivals, with a -0.3% performance delta. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M and AMD Radeon R9 M290X are also very close, at -0.4%.

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Minimum with this combo for maximum visual quality?*

A: 2560x1440 at Ultra settings is the sweet spot, delivering an average of 82.6 FPS. At 4K, you would have to drop to High settings to stay above 60 FPS, so 1440p offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance.