Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination delivers exceptional performance in Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014. Measured frame rate data shows this pairing not only clears the 60 FPS playability threshold at every tested resolution and preset, but often does so by a massive margin, suggesting the game is far from a challenge for this hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the combo produces a wide spread of results depending on the graphics preset. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 137 FPS. Moving to Medium drops the average to 105 FPS, with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS. The High preset yields an average of 88 FPS. At the most demanding Ultra setting, the average falls to 67 FPS, which still comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold.

Stepping down to 2560x1440 (1440p) reveals a substantial performance increase. The Low preset delivers an average of 254 FPS. Medium produces an average of 194 FPS, with a minimum of 165 FPS and a maximum of 223 FPS. The High setting averages 163 FPS. Even the Ultra preset maintains an average of 124 FPS, which is nearly double the 60 FPS target.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the frame rates become exceptionally high, indicating a scenario where the CPU likely becomes the primary limiter. The Low preset achieves an average of 371 FPS. Medium settings result in an average of 301 FPS, with a minimum of 256 FPS and a maximum of 347 FPS. The High preset averages 253 FPS. The Ultra setting, while the most demanding, still produces an average of 193 FPS.

The data reveals a clear pattern: performance scales predictably with resolution and settings. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 70 FPS (from 137 to 67), while at 1080p the gap is 178 FPS (from 371 to 193). This indicates that the higher preset costs significantly more performance, but the hardware has ample headroom to absorb the impact.

CPU and GPU Roles

Analyzing the scaling between resolutions and presets clarifies which component is doing the heavy lifting. At 4K, the average frame rate drops sharply as settings increase, from 137 FPS on Low to 67 FPS on Ultra. This halving of performance points to the GPU being the dominant factor; the RTX 4090 is being pushed harder by the increased pixel count and shading complexity.

The transition from 4K to 1440p shows a large jump in average FPS across all presets. For example, the Ultra preset goes from 67 FPS at 4K to 124 FPS at 1440p, a 85% increase. This substantial improvement highlights that the GPU was the bottleneck at 4K, and reducing the resolution relieves that pressure.

However, the picture changes when moving from 1440p to 1080p. The performance gains are less pronounced. The Ultra preset goes from 124 FPS at 1440p to 193 FPS at 1080p, a 55% increase, which is smaller than the jump from 4K to 1440p. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU begins to play a more significant role. The Ryzen 9 5950X, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is powerful, but even its capabilities are being approached as frame rates climb toward the 200-300 range.

The data implies a dual-phase bottleneck. At 4K, the RTX 4090 is the clear limiting factor. At 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by its Passmark single-thread score of 3470, starts to constrain the maximum frame rate. The Ryzen 9 5950X's high core count is less relevant here, as Minimum likely does not scale perfectly across all 32 threads. The benchmark results show the CPU's 3DMark single-thread score is 944, which is comparatively modest against its multi-thread score of 11597, indicating that single-core performance is the limiting factor at very high frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 155th out of 3712 tested combos in the database for Minimum. This places it in the top 5% of all systems tested, which is a strong indicator of its overall capability.

The ranking reflects the synergy between the two components. The RTX 4090 boasts a Passmark G3D score of 38194, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, while the Ryzen 9 5950X has an average benchmark score of 51947, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. The combination of two high-percentile parts results in a top-tier ranking, even if the CPU occasionally limits performance at lower resolutions.

The rank of 155 is noteworthy because it suggests that while this is an elite setup, some other combinations achieve higher frame rates in this specific game. This is likely due to the CPU bottleneck observed at 1080p; a processor with stronger single-core performance might edge out this combo in that scenario. Still, for a game from 2014, this hardware is massively overqualified.

The Verdict

Benchmark data confirms that this PC can run Minimum with exceptional performance at all tested resolutions and presets. The verdict by resolution is clear: every single setting combination clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset is playable with an average of 67 FPS. This is the most demanding configuration, and it still provides a smooth experience. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 124 FPS, offering a significant margin over the threshold. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 193 FPS, which is more than three times the playable threshold.

The data shows no configuration where this combo fails to meet the 60 FPS target. The lowest average frame rate recorded is 67 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still 7 FPS above the threshold. This system is not just playable; it is built to dominate this title. The performance headroom is so vast that users could likely enable additional visual enhancements or run background tasks without impacting the frame rate.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 4K with the highest settings?*

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the average frame rate is 67 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 124 FPS, well above the 60 FPS target.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K on the Ultra preset?

A: The average frame rate at 1080p Ultra is 193 FPS, which is 126 FPS higher than the 67 FPS average at 4K Ultra.

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

A: At 4K, the GPU is the dominant factor. The average FPS drops significantly from 137 FPS on Low to 67 FPS on Ultra, showing the RTX 4090 is the primary bottleneck.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance at any resolution?

A: Yes, at 1080p. The performance gain from 1440p to 1080p is smaller than from 4K to 1440p, indicating the Ryzen 9 5950X's single-thread performance begins to constrain the maximum frame rate at very high FPS.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the data?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 89 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with the Medium preset.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is the Ultra setting for every resolution tested.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset runs at an average of 67 FPS. This is the maximum visual quality possible while maintaining a playable frame rate. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves 124 FPS, allowing for a high refresh rate experience on capable monitors. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset runs at 193 FPS, which is suitable for the fastest gaming displays available.

The data indicates that users do not need to compromise on graphics settings at any resolution. The hardware is so powerful that the highest quality preset is always the optimal choice for a 60 FPS experience. For those with high-refresh-rate monitors, dropping to High at 4K (88 FPS) or Low at 1440p (254 FPS) could provide even higher frame rates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware might behave similarly in this game.

For the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, the closest benchmarks are from the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX with an average score of 52073 and a delta of -0.2%, the AMD EPYC 8124P with a score of 52121 and a delta of -0.3%, and the Intel Core i9-13900F with a score of 51730 and a delta of 0.4%. These processors would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Minimum. The Intel Core i7-14700 scores 52301 with a delta of -0.7%, also being a close match.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the nearest rival is the Intel Arc Pro A60 with an average score of 60326 and a delta of 0%, indicating virtually identical GPU compute performance. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60140 with a delta of 0.3%, and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896 with a delta of -2.5%. These alternatives would likely produce very similar frame rates in GPU-bound scenarios, such as 4K Ultra. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657 with a delta of 2.9%, which is a slightly larger performance gap but still in the same tier.

The data suggests that systems built with these rival CPUs and GPUs would offer a comparable experience in Minimum, with differences likely being minimal in practice. The performance deltas are all within a few percentage points, meaning the choice between these components would not significantly alter the playability or the frame rates observed.