Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a robust performance profile for the 2014 third-person shooter Minimum, with benchmark results showing this combination comfortably handles the game across all tested resolutions. The data indicates a system that excels at high refresh rate gameplay at 1440p and 1080p, while remaining fully playable at 4K with the right settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptionally high frame rates that place it firmly in high-refresh-rate territory. With Low settings, the average FPS reaches 278.6, while Medium settings produce 213.9 FPS and High settings yield 179 FPS. Even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains an average of 136.5 FPS at 1080p, which indicates the RTX 4070 is never close to being a bottleneck at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains impressive but shows the expected drop from the 1080p figures. The Low preset averages 181.8 FPS, Medium delivers 139.2 FPS, and High settings reach 114.1 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p still manages a strong 90.3 FPS average, which keeps it well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The transition from 1080p to 1440p sees frame rates drop by roughly 35-37% across most presets, which is a typical scaling factor for a GPU-heavy title.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show its limits, though it remains playable. The Low preset averages 96.5 FPS, Medium delivers 76.4 FPS, and High settings produce 61.3 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 48.7 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The 4K results show a steeper performance cliff compared to 1440p, with the Ultra preset suffering a 46% reduction from its 1440p counterpart. This indicates that 4K Ultra is the only configuration in this dataset that fails to maintain smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 832nd out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the top 22.4% of all tested systems. This percentile ranking reflects a configuration that is well above the median for this game, particularly considering that Minimum is a 2014 title that does not demand high-end hardware. The ranking suggests that this CPU and GPU pairing is more than adequate for the game's engine, with the RTX 4070 providing ample graphics horsepower and the Ryzen 7 9700X ensuring no CPU-related frame drops.

When examining the individual component benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 9700X sits in the 86th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14901E, scores 37911, a difference of only 0.1%, which places them statistically equal in performance. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and Intel Core 5 211E also sit within 0.3% of the 9700X's score, showing that this CPU is at the top of its performance class. The GPU side shows the RTX 4070 in the 81st percentile among all GPUs with an average score of 37648, placing it just 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P4 and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56.

The combination of a top-tier CPU and a high-end GPU results in a system that ranks well within the broader database, though the game's age means even mid-range hardware can achieve high frame rates. The measured FPS data confirms that the ranking is justified, as the system delivers playable performance at every resolution and preset combination except for 4K Ultra.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is the optimal choice for balancing visual quality with smooth gameplay. At 3840x2160, the High preset is the best option, averaging 61.3 FPS. This is just barely above the 60 FPS threshold, so users who prefer a safety margin might consider dropping to Medium, which averages 76.4 FPS and provides a more comfortable cushion against frame drops during intense combat sequences.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the clear choice, averaging 90.3 FPS. This provides a significant margin above the playability threshold while delivering the highest visual fidelity the game offers at this resolution. The 90.3 FPS average also means the system can drive a 144Hz monitor with only occasional dips below the refresh rate, making it an excellent option for competitive play.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 136.5 FPS, which is the best choice for users with high refresh rate displays. This frame rate is sufficient to take advantage of 144Hz monitors and provides a smooth experience even during heavy action scenes. The 1080p Ultra preset delivers more than double the FPS of the 4K High preset, highlighting the resolution scaling that favors lower pixel counts for this GPU.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Minimum at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: No, the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 averages 48.7 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The highest playable preset at 4K is High, averaging 61.3 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings combination for a 144Hz 1080p monitor?

A: The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 136.5 FPS, which is close to but below 144 FPS. For a locked 144 FPS experience, the High preset at 179 FPS average would be the safer choice.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 scores 37648 in average benchmark scores, placing it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P4 and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56. It trails the RTX 4080 Mobile by 1.3%.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700X a strong CPU for gaming in this title?

A: Yes, the Ryzen 7 9700X sits in the 86th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 37943, making it statistically tied with the Intel Core i9-14901E, which scores 37911 (0.1% difference).

Q: Does this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Medium settings?

A: Yes, the Medium preset at 3840x2160 averages 76.4 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a more stable experience than the High preset's 61.3 FPS average.

Q: What frame rate can this system achieve at 1440p with Low settings?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 averages 181.8 FPS, which is high enough for even the most demanding competitive play scenarios and exceeds what most 1440p monitors can display.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling between resolutions and presets reveals how the CPU and GPU divide their responsibilities in Minimum. At 1920x1080, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as evidenced by the 278.6 FPS at Low settings versus 136.5 FPS at Ultra. This 104% performance spread across presets indicates that the RTX 4070 is doing the heavy lifting, with the Ryzen 7 9700X's 16 threads providing ample headroom for game logic and physics calculations.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU load increases as expected, but the CPU remains underutilized. The Low preset at 1440p delivers 181.8 FPS, which is only 35% lower than the 1080p Low figure. This relatively modest drop suggests that the CPU can still feed frames quickly enough, and the GPU is handling the additional pixel workload without becoming a severe bottleneck. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 90.3 FPS, a 50% reduction from 1080p Ultra, which further confirms that the GPU is the primary performance driver.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The 4K Low preset averages 96.5 FPS, which is only 47% of the 1080p Low result. This shows that the GPU is now struggling to keep up with the 4K pixel count, while the CPU's role diminishes further. The 4K Ultra preset at 48.7 FPS represents a 64% drop from 1080p Ultra, indicating that the RTX 4070's 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed to their limits at this resolution.

The scaling data clearly shows that the Ryzen 7 9700X is never the bottleneck in this system. Even at 1080p with Low settings, where frame rates exceed 278 FPS, the CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and 16-thread score of 9824 demonstrate that it can keep up with the GPU's output. The CPU's 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and DDR5 support ensure that data flows efficiently to the GPU, preventing any stutter or frame pacing issues.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum at playable frame rates across all tested resolutions, with the only exception being the Ultra preset at 4K. The verdict data shows that at 3840x2160, the playable settings include High (61.3 FPS), Low (96.5 FPS), and Medium (76.4 FPS), with High being the best visual quality option that maintains 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra delivering 90.3 FPS and providing the best experience for users with 1440p displays. At 1920x1080, every preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 136.5 FPS for high refresh rate gaming.

For users targeting 4K, the High preset at 61.3 FPS is the maximum quality that stays above the playability threshold, but those who prioritize smoothness should consider Medium at 76.4 FPS for a more stable experience. At 1440p and below, this system delivers exceptional performance that exceeds the requirements of most competitive shooters, making it a strong choice for players who want high frame rates alongside high visual fidelity. The combination of the Ryzen 7 9700X's strong single-thread performance and the RTX 4070's capable 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute ensures that Minimum runs smoothly in nearly all scenarios.