Minimum

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 lands at rank 3542 out of 3712 tested combinations in the database for Minimum. This places the combo in the lower 5 percent of all recorded configurations, which is a clear signal that this pairing is heavily unbalanced for this title. The CPU is a top-tier desktop processor, sitting in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs tested, while the GPU, the RX 570, is a much older part that ranks in the 74th percentile among all GPUs. The vast gap between these two components is the defining characteristic of this build.

The recorded data shows that the CPU alone is capable of extremely high compute throughput, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32172 and a single-core score of 2253. However, those CPU results do not translate into playable frame rates in Minimum because the GPU becomes the limiting factor at every resolution tested. The average benchmark score for the CPU is 57498, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals: the AMD EPYC 9015 scores 57555 (0.1 percent lower), the AMD EPYC 7313 scores 57399 (0.2 percent higher), the Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58115 (1.1 percent higher), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M scores 58323 (1.4 percent higher). These negligible differences confirm that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class, but that performance is wasted when paired with the RX 570 in this game.

The GPU, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 28766, placing it close to the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28874, 0.4 percent lower), the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28580, 0.7 percent higher), the AMD Radeon RX 470 (28996, 0.8 percent lower), and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 (28421, 1.2 percent higher). The RX 570's compute capabilities are modest, with a FP32 throughput of 5.095 TFLOPS and a pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s. These figures are adequate for older titles, but Minimum, with its 2014 release date, still demands more than this GPU can deliver at higher settings or resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results for Minimum reveal a consistent pattern where the GPU dictates performance at every resolution and preset combination. The CPU, despite being one of the strongest desktop processors available, does not meaningfully influence the frame rate in this scenario. The evidence is straightforward: at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 82 FPS average. Dropping to 2560x1440 at Low settings yields 53 FPS, and at 3840x2160 at Low settings the average falls to 28 FPS. These reductions of 35 percent and 47 percent respectively when moving up one resolution step are characteristic of a GPU-bound workload.

The scaling between presets at the same resolution reinforces this conclusion. At 1920x1080, the average FPS moves from 82 at Low to 63 at Medium, then 53 at High, and finally 40 at Ultra. The step from Low to Ultra represents a 51 percent reduction in performance, which aligns with the increased shading and texture work that the RX 570 must handle. The CPU's role is essentially to feed the GPU with draw calls, and given that the Ryzen 9 9900X has 12 cores and 24 threads with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, it has more than enough headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The recorded data shows no scenario where the CPU's performance metrics would constrain the output.

At 2560x1440, the same preset scaling appears: 53 FPS at Low, 40 FPS at Medium, 34 FPS at High, and 26 FPS at Ultra. At 3840x2160, the numbers compress further: 28 FPS at Low, 22 FPS at Medium, 18 FPS at High, and 14 FPS at Ultra. The relative drops between presets remain consistent, which indicates that the GPU's fill rate and shader throughput are the sole determinants of performance. The RX 570's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for the data set of Minimum, but the chip's 2048 shading units and 32 ROPs simply cannot sustain higher frame rates at demanding settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly below playable thresholds. High settings produce an average of 18 FPS with no recorded minimum or maximum. Low settings reach an average of 28 FPS. Medium settings average 22 FPS with a minimum of 19 and a maximum of 25. Ultra settings drop to an average of 14 FPS. None of these averages approach the 60 FPS playable threshold, and even the highest average at this resolution, 28 FPS at Low, is less than half of what would be considered smooth.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains short of playable. High settings average 34 FPS. Low settings average 53 FPS, which is the closest any result at this resolution comes to the 60 FPS target. Medium settings average 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 46. Ultra settings average 26 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 27 FPS, and even the best case, Low at 53 FPS, still falls 7 FPS short of the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, the combo finally crosses into playable territory. Low settings average 82 FPS, which provides comfortable headroom above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 72, placing the average just above the playable line but with dips below it. High settings average 53 FPS, falling short of playable. Ultra settings average 40 FPS, which is the lowest result at this resolution. The data shows that only Low and Medium presets at 1920x1080 meet the 60 FPS average requirement.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 2560x1440?

A: No. The recorded data shows that the highest average FPS at 2560x1440 is 53 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all produce averages of 40, 34, and 26 FPS respectively, all of which are also below 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset at 1920x1080 for this combo?

A: Medium settings at 1920x1080 provide an average of 63 FPS, which is the highest preset that stays at or above the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings average 82 FPS, but Medium is the most demanding preset that remains playable.

Q: How does the RX 570 compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28766. Its closest competitor, the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, scores 28874, which is 0.4 percent higher. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X scores 28580 (0.7 percent lower), the AMD Radeon RX 470 scores 28996 (0.8 percent higher), and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 scores 28421 (1.2 percent lower).

Q: Why does performance drop so sharply when moving from Low to Ultra settings?

A: The RX 570's GPU architecture, GCN 4.0 with 2048 shading units, is the limiting factor. At 1920x1080, the average FPS falls from 82 at Low to 40 at Ultra, a 51 percent reduction. This scaling is consistent across all resolutions, indicating that the GPU's shader throughput and memory bandwidth (224.0 GB/s) are fully saturated at higher presets.

Q: Does the CPU ever become the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No. The Ryzen 9 9900X is in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs with a multi-core score of 32172 in Cinebench R23. The frame rate differences between presets and resolutions align with GPU workload scaling, and there is no evidence in the measured data that CPU performance limits the results.

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Minimum?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 82 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next best is 63 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which is the highest playable configuration.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves an average of 60 FPS or higher. The best case is Low settings at 28 FPS, but that is far below the playable threshold, so no recommendation is made for this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the same situation applies. Low settings produce the highest average at 53 FPS, but this falls short of 60 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all produce lower averages of 40, 34, and 26 FPS respectively. No settings at this resolution are playable.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 63 FPS. Low settings also clear the threshold at 82 FPS, but Medium provides better visual quality while maintaining an average above 60 FPS. High and Ultra settings drop to 53 and 40 FPS respectively, so they are not recommended for playable frame rates.

The Verdict

The verdict data shows that this PC can run Minimum only at 1920x1080 with Low or Medium settings. The playable settings list for 1920x1080 includes Low and Medium, with Medium being the best settings option at an average of 63 FPS. At 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, the playable settings list is empty, meaning no preset at those resolutions reaches the 60 FPS average threshold.

For practical use, this combo is limited to 1080p gaming with reduced quality. The 82 FPS at Low settings provides smooth gameplay, and the 63 FPS at Medium settings is acceptable, though the minimum of 53 FPS indicates occasional dips below the threshold. High and Ultra at 1080p are not viable, and neither is any preset at higher resolutions. The bottleneck is unequivocally the RX 570, as the Ryzen 9 9900X's massive compute headroom goes unused in this title. If the goal is to play Minimum at higher resolutions or with maximum visual fidelity, this GPU must be upgraded, while the CPU can remain in place without concern.