Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile delivers a dominant performance profile in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter from 2014. Measured data across three resolutions and four quality presets shows this combination rarely struggles, with the only sub-60 FPS result occurring at 4K Ultra settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, ranking, and hardware roles to determine exactly what this system can handle.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern: this combo scales predictably with resolution and settings, with headroom at nearly every step. At 1920x1080, the lowest measured average is 137 FPS on Ultra, while Low settings produce 280 FPS. The Medium preset delivers 214 FPS average with a minimum of 182 and maximum of 246 FPS. High settings sit at 180 FPS. The 1080p results indicate the system is never CPU-bound at this resolution; even the most demanding preset leaves massive performance in reserve.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop but remain exceptionally high. Ultra settings produce 88 FPS, High delivers 116 FPS, and Low reaches 180 FPS. The Medium preset shows 138 FPS average, with a minimum of 117 and maximum of 159 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is consistent — roughly 30-40% lower FPS at the higher resolution for each preset — suggesting the GPU is beginning to take a more significant role, though the CPU still provides ample support.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes more dramatically. Ultra settings drop to 48 FPS average, which is the only measured result below the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings maintain 62 FPS, Medium achieves 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 and maximum of 86 FPS, and Low reaches 97 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the sole outlier in an otherwise flawless dataset, indicating that this preset demands more than the hardware can consistently deliver. The min/max data for 4K Medium (63 min, 86 max) shows the system can hold above 60 FPS even during dips, which is critical for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 834th out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum. This places it in the top 22.5% of all tested hardware pairings for this specific game. The rank is notable because it reflects the game's age and the hardware's modern capabilities — many older or less demanding titles would see this combo rank higher, but Minimum's optimization means even mid-range hardware can achieve high FPS, compressing the field.

The percentile data supports this interpretation. The CPU sits in the 95th percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 84th percentile against all GPUs. The gap between these percentiles suggests the GPU is the more limiting factor in gaming workloads, though both components are clearly high-end. The combo rank of 834 indicates that while this hardware is exceptional in raw benchmarks, the game's engine and optimization allow many other combinations to approach similar FPS levels, particularly at lower resolutions where CPU performance dominates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals show that the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is closely matched with several other high-end processors. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX scores 76155 versus the 8945HX's 76212 average benchmark score, a delta of just 0.1%. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is 0.6% behind, and the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX are both 0.4% ahead. These sub-1% deltas mean any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical gaming performance in Minimum, with differences far smaller than the game's own frame-time variance.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile's nearest rivals are a mixed group. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 is 0.8% behind, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile is 0.9% behind, and the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB is 0.9% behind. The NVIDIA RTX A6000 sits 0.9% ahead. These deltas are similarly small, meaning a system with any of these GPUs would deliver nearly identical FPS in Minimum. The practical takeaway is that this combo's performance is not unique — several other CPU/GPU pairings would produce statistically indistinguishable results.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Minimum at 4K with playable frame rates?*

A: Yes, at 4K the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium. High averages 62 FPS and Medium averages 74 FPS, both above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra is the only setting that falls below, averaging 48 FPS.

Q: What is the highest quality preset that maintains 60+ FPS at 2560x1440?

A: Ultra settings at 1440p average 88 FPS, which is the most demanding preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution. All four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the system averages 137 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it averages 48 FPS. This represents a 65% reduction in average FPS, highlighting the significant GPU load increase at higher resolutions.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck this system in Minimum?*

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p, all presets exceed 137 FPS, showing the CPU can feed the GPU effectively. At 4K, the gap between presets widens dramatically (48 FPS Ultra vs 97 FPS Low), which typically indicates GPU-bound performance.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS in the measured data?

A: Only once. At 4K Ultra, the average is 48 FPS. The 4K Medium preset shows a minimum of 63 FPS, so even the lowest recorded frame time stays above the threshold. All other resolutions and presets have no recorded dips below 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems for this game?

A: It ranks 834th out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the top 22.5% of all tested hardware pairings for Minimum.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear shift in component responsibility as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the CPU is the primary driver of performance. The Ryzen 9 8945HX's 16 cores and 32 threads, boosting to 5.40 GHz, provide ample headroom — evidenced by the 280 FPS Low preset result. The game, released in 2014, is not heavily threaded by modern standards, so the CPU's single-thread performance (6030 in Cinebench R23 single-core) likely matters more than its multi-core capability.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take precedence. The RTX 4090 Mobile's 9728 shading units and 576.0 GB/s memory bandwidth start to show their limits, though the system still maintains over 88 FPS at Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 35-40% FPS reduction across presets, which is consistent with a GPU that is becoming more saturated but still has reserve capacity.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS versus 1080p Ultra's 137 FPS represents a 65% drop, which is far larger than the resolution's pixel count increase (4x). This disproportionate drop suggests the GPU's fill rate and memory subsystem are overwhelmed at 4K Ultra. The CPU's role diminishes at this resolution — even a significantly weaker CPU would likely produce similar 4K results, as the GPU cannot process frames fast enough to become CPU-bound.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, averaging 62 FPS. Medium also works at 74 FPS, and Low reaches 97 FPS, but High offers the best visual quality while maintaining the playable threshold. Ultra is not viable, as it averages 48 FPS.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is the best choice, averaging 88 FPS. This is the highest quality preset available and it comfortably clears the 60 FPS threshold. All lower presets also work, but there is no reason to sacrifice visual quality when Ultra performs this well.

At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 137 FPS, making it the clear recommendation. The system has enormous headroom at this resolution — even the most demanding preset leaves over 75 FPS of margin above the 60 FPS threshold. Players seeking maximum frame rates could drop to Low for 280 FPS, but Ultra provides a smooth experience without compromise.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Minimum. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: at 1920x1080, all four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — clear 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 137 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same is true, with Ultra averaging 88 FPS. At 3840x2160, three of four presets are playable: Low (97 FPS), Medium (74 FPS), and High (62 FPS). Only Ultra fails to meet the 60 FPS threshold, averaging 48 FPS.

The practical conclusion is straightforward: this hardware combination delivers a flawless experience at 1080p and 1440p with every setting maxed out, and at 4K it handles High settings without issue. The single sub-60 FPS result at 4K Ultra is the only caveat, and it represents an extreme preset choice rather than a systemic limitation. For a game from 2014, this system provides performance far beyond what the title requires, with enough headroom to maintain high frame rates even in demanding scenes.