Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a wide range of performance in Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014. The data shows this pairing is capable of high frame rates across all tested resolutions, with the RTX 4070 being the primary driver of performance scaling. The combination ranks 885th out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the top 24% of all configurations tested for this title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU each have close rivals that would produce nearly identical in-game results. For the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, the nearest rival is the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX, which scores 52073 versus the 5950X's 51947 average benchmark score — a negligible 0.2% difference. The AMD EPYC 8124P trails by the same margin at 0.3%, while the Intel Core i9-13900F is 0.4% ahead. The Intel Core i7-14700 is the outlier, scoring 52301, which puts it 0.7% above the 5950X. These deltaPct values are all within one percent, meaning any of these CPUs would yield virtually indistinguishable frame rates in Minimum, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070's nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P4, which scores 37628 versus the RTX 4070's 37648 average benchmark score — a 0.1% difference. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 is 0.4% ahead, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile is 1.3% slower. The AMD Radeon PRO W6400 trails by 1.3%. These margins are small enough that swapping the RTX 4070 for any of these alternatives would produce nearly identical average FPS in Minimum. However, the RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth give it a theoretical advantage in texture-heavy scenes, even if the benchmark scores suggest parity.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a more substantial role, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling between settings. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 142 FPS difference (278 to 136), which suggests the GPU is being pushed harder as settings increase, but the CPU's 16 cores and 32 threads ensure it never becomes a limiting factor. The Ryzen 9 5950X's single-thread score of 944 in 3dmark and 1614 in Cinebench R23 indicate strong per-core performance, which matters for a 2014 title that may not fully utilize all 32 threads.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to dominate. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 91 FPS drop (179 to 88), which is proportionally similar to 1080p but with lower absolute numbers. The RTX 4070's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate are the key metrics here. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The Ultra preset drops to 47 FPS, below the 60 FPS playable threshold, while High settings maintain 62 FPS. This 4K scaling pattern — where the gap between Low and Ultra widens to 50 FPS (97 to 47) — confirms that the RTX 4070 is the performance ceiling at higher resolutions.

The CPU's role is further clarified by the fact that at 1080p Low, the system hits 278 FPS, which is likely near the engine's frame rate limit or the CPU's real-time physics and game logic capacity. The 5950X's passmark multithread score of 45424 and 3dmark max threads score of 11597 suggest it has ample headroom for this older title. In contrast, the RTX 4070's passmark G3D score of 26927 and 3dmark Steel Nomad score of 3854 indicate it is the component that determines whether 4K Ultra is achievable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset averages 278 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 213 FPS with a minimum of 181 and maximum of 245. High settings average 179 FPS, while Ultra still maintains a strong 136 FPS average. Every 1080p preset clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin, with the lowest recorded frame rate being 181 FPS at Medium settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show more variation. Low settings average 179 FPS, Medium averages 137 FPS with a range of 117 to 158, High averages 115 FPS, and Ultra drops to 88 FPS. The minimum recorded frame rate at 1440p Medium is 117 FPS, which is still nearly double the playable threshold. This resolution demonstrates the RTX 4070's ability to maintain smooth gameplay even at the highest preset.

At 3840x2160, the performance gap becomes more pronounced. Low settings average 97 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 and maximum of 85 — the minimum barely clears the playable threshold. High settings average 62 FPS, which is just above 60. Ultra settings fall to 47 FPS, making them unplayable by the 60 FPS standard. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration in the entire dataset that fails to meet the playable threshold.

The Verdict

The data clearly shows this PC can run Minimum at all tested resolutions, but with one important caveat. At 1920x1080, all four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable, with the best average FPS being 136 at Ultra settings. At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds: all presets are playable, and Ultra achieves 88 FPS. At 3840x2160, three of the four presets are playable: Low (97 FPS), Medium (74 FPS), and High (62 FPS). The Ultra preset at 4K falls short at 47 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

The verdict per resolution is straightforward. For 1080p and 1440p, the system can handle the maximum Ultra preset with substantial headroom. For 4K, the best playable preset is High, which averages 62 FPS — only 2 FPS above the threshold. The Medium preset at 4K provides more comfort with a 74 FPS average and a minimum of 63 FPS, making it the safer choice for maintaining consistent frame rates. Gamers targeting 4K Ultra would need to accept lower frame rates or reduce settings.

FAQ

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

A: No. The 3840x2160 Ultra preset averages 47 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable 4K preset is High, which averages 62 FPS.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 2560x1440?

A: Ultra settings are fully playable at 1440p, averaging 88 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, providing smooth gameplay with maximum visual quality.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4070 scores 37648 on average, while its closest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P4, scores 37628 — a 0.1% difference. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 is 0.4% faster, while the RTX 4080 Mobile is 1.3% slower.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded at 1920x1080 Medium settings?

A: The minimum frame rate at 1080p Medium is 181 FPS, with an average of 213 FPS and a maximum of 245 FPS. This ensures no noticeable drops during gameplay.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for 4K performance in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The RTX 4070's performance drops significantly at 3840x2160, while the Ryzen 9 5950X's high multithreaded scores (11597 in 3dmark max threads) suggest it has ample headroom even at the highest resolution.

Q: Does the system meet the 60 FPS threshold at 4K High settings?

A: Yes, but barely. The 4K High preset averages 62 FPS, which is just 2 FPS above the threshold. For more consistent performance, the Medium preset at 4K averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, which achieve an average of 136 FPS. This is the most demanding preset and it still delivers nearly 2.3 times the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings again provide the best experience, averaging 88 FPS with no minimum frame rate data indicating drops below the threshold. At 3840x2160, the best settings are High, which average 62 FPS. While this clears the 60 FPS threshold, the Medium preset at 4K is a more robust choice with a 74 FPS average and a 63 FPS minimum, offering a safety margin that High settings lack.

For players who prioritize frame rate stability over visual fidelity, the 4K Medium preset is arguably the better option than High. The Medium preset's minimum of 63 FPS ensures the frame rate never dips below the playable threshold, whereas High settings have no recorded minimum in the data, leaving uncertainty about potential drops. At 1080p and 1440p, the Ultra presets provide such high average frame rates that any potential minimums would still be far above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 885th out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the top 23.8% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing for a system built around a 2020 CPU and a 2023 GPU. The rank reflects the system's ability to handle this 2014 title with ease at most settings and resolutions, though the 4K Ultra failure prevents a higher placement.

Given that the game is over a decade old, the high ranking is expected — the hardware is far more powerful than what was typical at the game's release. The RTX 4070's 12 GB of VRAM and Ada Lovelace architecture provide modern rendering features that the game may not even utilize, while the Ryzen 9 5950X's 16 cores and 32 threads are overkill for a title that likely scales well on fewer threads. The combination's rank of 885 suggests that there are 884 other combos that perform better, but these would likely feature more recent flagship GPUs or CPUs with higher benchmark scores. For the vast majority of gamers, this system would provide an excellent Minimum experience, with only 4K Ultra being out of reach.