Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti delivers a mixed bag in Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014. At 1080p, the combination is thoroughly capable, pushing well past the 60 FPS threshold at every preset. However, the demands of 4K expose the GPU's limits, with even the Low preset failing to hit a locked 60 FPS average. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and what settings offer the best experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination shows a clear scaling pattern across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the combo is never below the playable threshold of 60 FPS. The Low preset produces an average of 168.5 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded for this pairing. Medium follows at 128.5 FPS, while High drops to 107.2 FPS. The Ultra preset, the most demanding at this resolution, still maintains a robust 84.6 FPS average. This suggests that at 1080p, the user has complete freedom to choose any preset without worrying about performance dips below the playable mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable but not crippling. The Low preset averages 109.6 FPS, which is still excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium delivers 81.3 FPS, and High comes in at 72.1 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, falls below the 60 FPS threshold, averaging 52.9 FPS. This marks the first point where the combination struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at maximum settings.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3060 Ti’s 8 GB memory and 256-bit bus are clearly overburdened. The Low preset averages 59.9 FPS, just a hair under the 60 FPS target. Medium drops to 46.7 FPS, High falls to 37.8 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 30.4 FPS. None of the 4K presets achieve a playable average, making this resolution a poor choice for this hardware combo. The data shows a steep drop-off between 1440p and 4K, particularly at High settings, where the average frame rate falls from 72.1 to 37.8 FPS—a reduction of nearly 48%.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the primary bottleneck for this game at higher resolutions, while the CPU has ample headroom. The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, scores a 92nd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32172 and a single-core score of 2253. This level of processing power is far beyond what a 2014 title like Minimum requires, even at low settings.

Evidence of GPU dominance comes from the scaling between resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (168.5 FPS) and Ultra (84.6 FPS) is a 99% performance swing, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where the graphics card is doing the heavy lifting. However, the CPU still manages to feed the GPU enough data to maintain high frame rates. At 1440p, the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 107%, but the absolute numbers drop, indicating that the GPU is starting to saturate. At 4K, the gap between Low (59.9 FPS) and Ultra (30.4 FPS) widens to 97%, but the absolute performance is so low that it confirms the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent when comparing the frame rate drop from 1080p to 1440p. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 168.5 to 109.6, a 35% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 84.6 to 52.9, a 37% reduction. These similar percentage drops across presets suggest that the CPU is not becoming a constraint as resolution increases; rather, the GPU is consistently the limiting component. The Ryzen 9 9900X’s 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and PCIe Gen 5 interface provide more than enough data throughput for this game, meaning any performance gains at lower resolutions are purely a function of the GPU's pixel and texture processing rates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For users seeking comparable performance, the nearest rivals for the RTX 3060 Ti offer a useful reference point. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 16129, with a 59th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 9060, which scores 16014, a delta of 0.7%—meaning it is virtually identical in raw compute. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT both score 16351 and 16361 respectively, putting them 1.4% ahead of the RTX 3060 Ti. On the lower end, the AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 15862, which is 1.7% behind. In practical terms, any of these cards would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Minimum at the same settings and resolutions, with the RX 5700 XT being the most likely to edge out a few extra frames at 1080p.

On the CPU side, the Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 57498 and a 92nd percentile ranking. The closest rival is the AMD EPYC 9015, which scores 57555, a delta of -0.1%, making them statistically tied. The Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58115, which is 1.1% higher, while the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M scores 58323, 1.4% higher. These differences are negligible for gaming, as Minimum is unlikely to stress any of these processors beyond their single-thread capabilities. The Ryzen 9 9900X’s PassMark single-thread score of 4672 ensures that it will not bottleneck the GPU at any resolution tested.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 60 FPS on a 4K monitor?*

A: No. The data shows that at 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 59.9 on the Low preset, which is just below the 60 FPS playable threshold. All other presets (Medium 46.7, High 37.8, Ultra 30.4) fall further behind.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this hardware?

A: The High preset is the most demanding option that stays above 60 FPS, averaging 72.1 FPS at 2560x1440. The Ultra preset drops to 52.9 FPS, so it is not recommended if you require smooth gameplay.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 9 9900X ranks in the 92nd percentile for all CPUs, while the RTX 3060 Ti ranks in the 59th percentile for GPUs. Frame rates scale dramatically with resolution and settings, which is a sign of GPU-bound performance.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to the RX 5700 XT in this context?

A: The RX 5700 XT has an average benchmark score of 16361, which is 1.4% higher than the RTX 3060 Ti’s 16129. In practice, you would expect the RX 5700 XT to deliver nearly identical FPS in Minimum, possibly a frame or two higher at 1080p.

Q: What is the highest FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The Low preset yields the highest average at 168.5 FPS. The Ultra preset still provides a very playable 84.6 FPS, so you do not need to sacrifice visual quality to hit the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Are there any settings that are completely unplayable?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, every preset is below the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 30.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also fails to reach 60 FPS, averaging 52.9 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 84.6 FPS—well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This allows for maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the most demanding that remains playable, with an average of 72.1 FPS. While Low (109.6 FPS) and Medium (81.3 FPS) offer higher frame rates, High provides a better balance of image quality and performance.

For 3840x2160, there is no playable preset according to the data. The Low preset comes closest at 59.9 FPS, but it fails to meet the 60 FPS target. Users seeking 4K would need to reduce the resolution or upgrade the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested hardware combinations for Minimum, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 2682 out of 3712 combos. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, which aligns with the measured performance data. The ranking reflects that while the CPU is top-tier, the GPU’s mid-range positioning (59th percentile) holds the combo back from higher placements. For context, the RTX 3060 Ti’s nearest rivals—such as the RX 5700 XT—would likely produce similar rankings, as their benchmark scores are within 1.4% of each other. The combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can consistently hit high frame rates, but it falls short at 4K, where the GPU's limitations become insurmountable.