Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a decisive performance victory in Minimum, clearing the 60 FPS playable threshold at every tested resolution and preset combination. The data shows this combo ranks 126th out of 3,712 tested configurations, placing it in the top 3.4% of all systems benchmarked for this title. The measured FPS results are consistently high, with the lowest average recorded at 67 FPS under 4K Ultra settings, while 1080p Low reaches 394 FPS, indicating massive headroom across all scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the combo demonstrates strong 4K capability across all four presets. The High preset produces an average of 88 FPS, while Low reaches 137 FPS. Medium shows an average of 105 FPS with a minimum of 89 FPS and maximum of 120 FPS, providing the only full min/max data at this resolution. The most demanding Ultra preset still maintains a solid 67 FPS average, comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The progression from Ultra to High to Medium to Low shows consistent scaling: 67, 88, 105, and 137 FPS respectively, representing a 104.5% performance increase from the heaviest to lightest settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance ceiling expands considerably. Ultra averages 124 FPS, High reaches 163 FPS, and Medium hits 194 FPS with a minimum of 165 FPS and maximum of 223 FPS. The Low preset skyrockets to 254 FPS. This resolution shows a 104.8% uplift from Ultra to Low, slightly more pronounced than at 4K. The delta between 4K and 1440p at identical settings is substantial: Ultra improves from 67 to 124 FPS (85.1% faster), High from 88 to 163 FPS (85.2% faster), Medium from 105 to 194 FPS (84.8% faster), and Low from 137 to 254 FPS (85.4% faster). This consistent ~85% scaling suggests the GPU remains the primary bottleneck even at lower resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the combo produces near-refresh-rate-saturating results. Ultra averages 193 FPS, High delivers 253 FPS, and Medium reaches 301 FPS with a minimum of 256 FPS and maximum of 347 FPS. Low preset achieves an extraordinary 394 FPS. The scaling from Ultra to Low represents a 104.1% gain, similar to other resolutions. Comparing 1080p to 1440p, the improvements are notable but smaller than the 1440p-to-4K jump: Ultra gains 55.6%, High gains 55.2%, Medium gains 55.2%, and Low gains 55.1%. The diminishing returns from 1440p to 1080p indicate the CPU begins to exert more influence on frame rates at these high FPS levels, though the Ryzen 9 9900X with its 12 cores and 24 threads handles the load admirably.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Minimum at 4K Ultra settings?*

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 67 FPS, which sits 7 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the most demanding preset at the highest resolution tested, and it remains fully playable.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between settings at any resolution?

A: The largest spread occurs at 1920x1080, where Ultra averages 193 FPS and Low averages 394 FPS, a difference of 201 FPS. At 2560x1440 the gap is 130 FPS (124 to 254), and at 3840x2160 it is 70 FPS (67 to 137).

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4090's average benchmark score is 60,347. The Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60,326 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60,140 (0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896 (2.5% lower), and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657 (2.9% higher). The RTX 4090 effectively trades blows with these professional-grade cards.

Q: What CPU benchmark score does the Ryzen 9 9900X achieve, and how does it rank?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 57,498, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 9015, scores 57,555 (0.1% higher), while the Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58,115 (1.1% higher) and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M scores 58,323 (1.4% higher).

Q: Are there any settings where the system drops below 60 FPS?

A: No. Across all four resolutions and all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), the minimum measured average FPS is 67 FPS at 4K Ultra. The lowest recorded minimum FPS in any scenario is 89 FPS, observed at 4K Medium.

Q: What is the system's overall ranking among tested combos?

A: The combo ranks 126th out of 3,712 tested configurations, placing it in the top 3.4% of all systems benchmarked in Minimum. This high percentile ranking aligns with its ability to maintain 60+ FPS in every scenario.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 67 FPS. The High preset offers 88 FPS, Medium delivers 105 FPS, and Low reaches 137 FPS. For players seeking maximum visual fidelity at 4K, Ultra is viable, but the 67 FPS average leaves only 7 FPS of headroom above the playability threshold.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is the best playable setting with an average of 124 FPS. This provides 64 FPS of headroom over the 60 FPS threshold, making it a comfortable choice. High averages 163 FPS, Medium reaches 194 FPS, and Low hits 254 FPS. The 1440p Ultra experience delivers more than double the frame rate of 4K Ultra, making it the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 193 FPS, which is the best playable preset. This is 133 FPS above the playable threshold. High reaches 253 FPS, Medium achieves 301 FPS, and Low peaks at 394 FPS. At 1080p, even the most demanding settings provide frame rates well beyond what most displays can show, rendering the choice of preset essentially irrelevant from a playability standpoint.

Similar Performance Alternatives

On the CPU side, the Ryzen 9 9900X's nearest rivals offer nearly identical average benchmark scores, meaning any of them would produce indistinguishable Minimum frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. The AMD EPYC 9015 scores 57,555, a mere 0.1% higher than the 9900X's 57,498. The AMD EPYC 7313 scores 57,399, just 0.2% lower. The Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58,115, which is 1.1% higher, while the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M scores 58,323, 1.4% higher. In practice, these sub-1.5% differences would translate to at most a few FPS variation in Minimum, well within measurement noise.

For the GPU, the RTX 4090's nearest rivals are similarly matched. The Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60,326, exactly 0% different from the RTX 4090's 60,347. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60,140, which is 0.3% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896, 2.5% higher, and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657, 2.9% lower. These professional cards would deliver nearly identical GPU-bound performance in Minimum, though their driver optimizations for gaming may differ from the GeForce line.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 126 out of 3,712 tested configurations places it in the 96.6th percentile of all systems benchmarked in Minimum. This top-tier ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows no scenario falling below 67 FPS average. The rank reflects the combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X's 92nd percentile CPU score and the RTX 4090's 88th percentile GPU score working together without significant bottlenecking. The high rank is particularly notable given that Minimum is a third-person shooter from 2014, meaning the system is vastly overprovisioned for the game's computational demands. The 3,712-combo pool includes systems ranging from entry-level to enthusiast, and this pairing sits firmly at the upper echelon, outpacing the vast majority of configurations.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum at every resolution and preset combination tested, with no exceptions. The verdict by resolution confirms that all playable settings are available at each resolution, and the best settings are always Ultra. At 3840x2160, Ultra averages 67 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS threshold by 7 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 124 FPS, more than doubling the threshold. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 193 FPS, over triple the threshold. The Ryzen 9 9900X provides ample CPU headroom with its 12 cores and 24 threads, while the RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensure no memory-related stutters. The system's 126th rank out of 3,712 combos underscores its elite status. For anyone using this configuration, Minimum will run flawlessly at maximum settings, with the only practical limitation being the refresh rate of the display itself.