Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 presents a distinct performance profile for the 2014 third-person shooter Minimum. The recorded data shows a system where the CPU's high multi-threading capacity is offset by the GPU's more limited rendering capabilities, particularly at higher resolutions. The analysis below interprets the measured frame rates to determine the optimal settings and overall viability for this combination.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the combination achieves the highest playable visual quality with the Ultra preset, which produces an average frame rate of 77.1 FPS. This is the most demanding settings level tested that remains comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The data shows that lower presets at this resolution yield progressively higher frame rates, with Medium at 117.7 FPS and Low at 153.5 FPS, but Ultra is the optimal choice for maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is High, delivering 65.2 FPS. This setting offers a substantial visual upgrade over Medium (74.9 FPS) and Low (97.4 FPS), while still clearing the playability threshold. The Ultra preset at this resolution drops to 51.7 FPS, which falls short of the 60 FPS target, making High the best playable option.

At 3840x2160, the recorded data shows no settings preset achieves a playable average frame rate. The highest average is 53.3 FPS on Low, followed by 39 FPS on Medium, 33.6 FPS on High, and 26.5 FPS on Ultra. None of these reach the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this resolution is not viable for smooth gameplay with this hardware. The database lists no best settings for 4K, confirming the absence of a playable configuration.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 1920x1080 with the highest settings?*

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 77.1 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playability threshold. This is the best settings option available at this resolution, and all four tested presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) exceed 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware?

A: According to the verdict data, the best playable experience is at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, achieving 77.1 FPS. At 2560x1440, the best playable option is High settings with 65.2 FPS. The 3840x2160 resolution offers no playable settings, with the highest average being 53.3 FPS on Low.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 perform in DirectX 12 benchmarks relative to other cards?

A: The GPU's PassMark DirectX 12 score is 53, which is notably lower than its DirectX 11 score of 110 and DirectX 9 score of 190. This suggests the card's legacy API performance may be stronger, which is relevant for a game released in 2014 that may not fully utilize modern APIs.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 comparable to any integrated graphics solutions?

A: The database shows the AMD Radeon 680M has an average benchmark score of 15270, which is 0.1% different from the RTX 2060's score of 15290. This indicates a close performance level between the discrete GPU and this integrated solution in synthetic tests, though the RTX 2060 maintains a slight edge.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all tested processors?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X ranks in the 91st percentile among all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 53288, placing it in the top tier of processors for multi-threaded workloads.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: The recorded data shows an average of 74.9 FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smoother experience than High settings, which average 65.2 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the GPU, the nearest rivals in the database provide context for the RTX 2060's performance level. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has an average benchmark score of 15283, a 0% difference from the RTX 2060's 15290. This is a surprising parity given the architectural generation gap, but the synthetic scores place them in the same tier. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, a 0.1% difference, indicating similar overall compute capability. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, a 0.6% difference, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, a 0.8% difference. These four GPUs would likely produce very similar frame rates in Minimum at any given resolution and settings combination, though the RTX 2060's driver optimizations for legacy titles could influence real-world results.

On the CPU side, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X's nearest rivals show minimal performance deltas. The AMD EPYC 7313P scores 53206, a 0.2% difference, while the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 scores 53469, a -0.3% difference. The Intel Xeon 634 scores 52974, a 0.6% difference, and the Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620, a -0.6% difference. For a game like Minimum, which likely relies more on GPU throughput, these CPU alternatives would not meaningfully alter the frame rate outcomes recorded for this system.

The Verdict

The data indicates this PC can run Minimum effectively at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, but not at 3840x2160. At 1920x1080, all four settings presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 77.1 FPS and Low reaching 153.5 FPS. This resolution offers the most flexibility, allowing players to choose between maximum visual quality and extremely high frame rates. At 2560x1440, the playable settings are High (65.2 FPS), Medium (74.9 FPS), and Low (97.4 FPS), with Ultra falling short at 51.7 FPS. The 3840x2160 resolution is not viable, as even Low settings only reach 53.3 FPS, below the required threshold. The verdict by resolution confirms this: 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 have playable settings, while 3840x2160 has none.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rate scales predictably with settings. Low settings produce the highest average at 153.5 FPS, followed by Medium at 117.7 FPS, High at 98 FPS, and Ultra at 77.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial at 76.4 FPS, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting factor as visual complexity increases. All of these values are well above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution the most comfortable for the hardware.

At 2560x1440, the averages are lower but still playable for most presets. Low settings achieve 97.4 FPS, Medium reaches 74.9 FPS, High drops to 65.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 51.7 FPS. The transition from High to Ultra represents a 13.5 FPS drop, which pushes the experience below the playability threshold. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces rendering demands that the RTX 2060 cannot sustain at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the data shows a significant performance decline. Low settings average 53.3 FPS, Medium averages 39 FPS, High averages 33.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 26.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 26.8 FPS, and even the lowest settings fail to reach 60 FPS. The min and max FPS values are not recorded for any resolution in the database, so the analysis relies solely on average performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2972nd out of 3712 tested combos in the database for Minimum. This places it in the lower portion of the overall distribution, reflecting the GPU's mid-range standing despite the CPU's high performance. The CPU itself ranks in the 91st percentile among all processors, but the GPU ranks in the 58th percentile among all GPUs. This mismatch suggests the GPU is the primary constraint on the system's overall ranking for this game. The rank indicates that many other hardware combinations in the database produce higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs that can handle higher resolutions and settings more effectively.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU for Minimum. The Ryzen 9 7900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, provides substantial processing headroom. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29300 and PassMark multi-thread score of 51406 demonstrate strong multi-threaded capability. However, the game's frame rates do not scale with this CPU power; instead, they decline sharply as resolution and settings increase, which points to GPU-bound performance.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are high across all settings, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently. The jump from Ultra (77.1 FPS) to Low (153.5 FPS) is a 76.4 FPS difference, which is entirely attributable to GPU workload changes. At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds: Low (97.4 FPS) to Ultra (51.7 FPS) shows a 45.7 FPS drop. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed, as even Low settings produce only 53.3 FPS.

The scaling between resolutions confirms the GPU's dominant role. At Low settings, the drop from 1920x1080 (153.5 FPS) to 2560x1440 (97.4 FPS) is 56.1 FPS, and further to 3840x2160 (53.3 FPS) is another 44.1 FPS. At Ultra settings, the drop from 1920x1080 (77.1 FPS) to 2560x1440 (51.7 FPS) is 25.4 FPS, and to 3840x2160 (26.5 FPS) is another 25.2 FPS. These patterns indicate that the RTX 2060's rendering capabilities, including its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus, are the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU's role becomes more relevant only at lower resolutions where the GPU can keep up, but even then, the frame rates are high enough that CPU bottlenecks are unlikely to appear in the recorded data.