Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 presents a striking contrast in hardware generations: a flagship 2024 processor with a 2019 mid-range GPU. The recorded data for Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014, shows that this combination is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strength becomes apparent only when the GPU is less burdened. The database contains measured average frames per second for 12 distinct configurations, spanning three resolutions and four quality presets, with no recorded minimum or maximum frame values.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the results are consistently below the 60 FPS playability threshold used throughout the database. The Low preset delivers the highest average at 55.4 FPS, which is the closest this combo gets to smooth play at 4K. Medium drops to 40.0 FPS, High falls to 34.3 FPS, and Ultra is the most demanding at 27.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 28.2 FPS, indicating a significant performance cost for each step up in visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves considerably. Low settings produce a 100.5 FPS average, which is a strong result. Medium follows at 74.6 FPS, and High at 63.6 FPS. Ultra, however, drops to 48.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. The progression shows a steady decline as settings increase, with a 51.7 FPS difference between Low and Ultra. High remains the most demanding preset that still clears the threshold.

At 1920x1080, the combo performs best across the board. Low averages 156.2 FPS, Medium 120.7 FPS, High 101.3 FPS, and Ultra 78.5 FPS. All four presets exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra being the highest playable setting. The gap between Low and Ultra is 77.7 FPS, which is the largest relative spread across any resolution, reflecting the GPU’s ability to handle the load at this resolution while the CPU provides ample headroom.

No minimum or maximum frame data was recorded for any configuration, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. The database indicates that all measurements are from actual testing, not estimates.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database defines the best settings as the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS average. For each resolution, the findings are as follows:

• 3840x2160: No preset reaches 60 FPS. The highest average is 55.4 FPS at Low settings, which falls short of the threshold. Therefore, no best settings are listed for this resolution.
• 2560x1440: High settings are the best playable option, with an average of 63.6 FPS. Low and Medium also qualify, but High is the most visually demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS.
• 1920x1080: Ultra settings are the best playable option, with an average of 78.5 FPS. All four presets qualify, and Ultra offers the highest fidelity while maintaining a comfortable margin above the threshold.

These results indicate that users targeting 1080p can use the maximum quality preset, while 1440p users must settle for High. At 4K, no preset is viable for a smooth experience.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, with the GPU emerging as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, the frame rates are uniformly low across all presets, ranging from 27.2 to 55.4 FPS. This pattern indicates that the GPU is saturated regardless of quality settings; the CPU, despite its high benchmark scores, cannot compensate for the GPU’s limited rendering throughput at this pixel count.

At 2560x1440, the scaling between presets becomes more pronounced. Low yields 100.5 FPS, Medium 74.6 FPS, and High 63.6 FPS, while Ultra falls to 48.8 FPS. This 51.7 FPS spread shows that the GPU is still the limiting factor, but the CPU begins to provide enough headroom for the GPU to stretch at lower settings. The fact that High stays above 60 FPS while Ultra does not suggests a steep performance cliff, likely due to specific rendering features enabled at Ultra.

At 1920x1080, the CPU’s role becomes more evident. The frame rates are high across all presets, with Low at 156.2 FPS and Ultra at 78.5 FPS. The large gap between presets indicates that the GPU is still the main constraint, but the CPU’s strong single-thread and multi-thread performance, as evidenced by its benchmark scores, ensures that it never becomes a limiting factor at this resolution. For example, the CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23230 and single-core score of 2080 suggest ample processing power for a 2014 title.

Comparing resolutions, the drop from 1080p to 1440p at High settings is from 101.3 FPS to 63.6 FPS, a 37.7 FPS reduction. The drop from 1440p to 4K at High is from 63.6 FPS to 34.3 FPS, a 29.3 FPS reduction. This consistent decline with resolution confirms that the GPU is the dominant factor. The CPU’s role is to provide a high ceiling, which it does, but the GPU’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus, along with its 6.451 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, set the practical limit.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database lists nearest rivals for both components, based on average benchmark scores. For the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 39768. Its nearest rivals are:

• AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS: average score 39603, which is 0.4% lower.
• AMD Ryzen AI 9 365: average score 40048, which is 0.7% higher.
• AMD Ryzen AI 7 450: average score 39485, which is 0.7% lower.
• AMD Ryzen 7 7700: average score 40081, which is 0.8% higher.

These deltas are all within 1% of the 9800X3D’s score, meaning that any of these CPUs would behave nearly identically in Minimum when paired with the same GPU. The 9800X3D’s 87th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is a high-end part, but its advantage over these rivals is negligible in this specific game context.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290. Its nearest rivals are:

• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580: average score 15283, a 0% difference.
• AMD Radeon 680M: average score 15270, 0.1% lower.
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM: average score 15199, 0.6% lower.
• AMD Radeon RX 7600: average score 15171, 0.8% lower.

The RTX 2060’s 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the mid-range. The near-identical scores of these rivals mean that swapping the GPU for any of them would yield essentially the same frame rates in the measured configurations. For example, the GTX 580, despite being much older, matches the RTX 2060 in average score, so a system with that card would likely produce similar FPS in Minimum, though other factors like driver support and feature set could differ.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific CPU and GPU combination against all other tested combos for Minimum. The combo ranks 2870 out of 3712 total combinations. This places it in the lower portion of the ranking, around the 23rd percentile of all tested systems. Given that the CPU is a top-tier part and the GPU is mid-range, this rank reflects the GPU’s dominant role in this game. The high CPU performance does not boost the combo significantly because the game’s demands are mostly graphical.

The rank suggests that many other combinations, likely with more powerful GPUs, achieve higher frame rates. However, the absolute performance is still playable at 1080p and 1440p with appropriate settings, as shown in the verdict data. The ranking is a comparative measure, not an absolute judgment of playability.

The Verdict

The database provides a clear verdict for each resolution, based on whether any settings achieve at least 60 FPS average.

• 3840x2160: The verdict is that no settings are playable. The best average is 55.4 FPS at Low, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. This computer cannot run Minimum at 4K at a smooth frame rate.
• 2560x1440: The verdict lists High, Low, and Medium as playable settings, with High being the best at 63.6 FPS. This computer can run the game at 1440p with high quality, albeit with a slim margin above the threshold.
• 1920x1080: The verdict lists all four settings as playable, with Ultra being the best at 78.5 FPS. This computer can run the game at 1080p at maximum quality with a comfortable margin.

In summary, this PC is fully capable of running Minimum at 1080p, including Ultra settings, and at 1440p up to High settings. It is not suitable for 4K gaming with this GPU, as even Low settings fall short of 60 FPS. The CPU’s strength ensures that there is no processor bottleneck at any resolution, but the GPU’s limits define the experience.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average frame rate is 55.4 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. No playable settings are listed for this resolution.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p?

A: High settings, with an average of 63.6 FPS. Medium and Low also exceed 60 FPS, but High offers the highest quality among playable options.

Q: Is Ultra settings playable at 1080p?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 78.5 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are listed as playable at this resolution.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck in this combination?

A: The GPU. The frame rates drop significantly with resolution and settings, indicating that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the limiting factor. The CPU’s high benchmark scores do not translate into higher frame rates when the GPU is saturated.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: It ranks 2870 out of 3712 combinations. This places it in the lower portion of the database’s tested systems, reflecting the GPU’s mid-range performance relative to other tested graphics cards.

Q: What GPU performance is closest to the RTX 2060 in this game?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has a nearly identical average benchmark score (15283 vs 15290, a 0% difference). The AMD Radeon 680M and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM are also within 0.6% of the RTX 2060’s score, so they would behave similarly in Minimum.