Minimum

Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is a balanced mid-range pairing that handles Minimum well at standard resolutions, but hits a clear wall at 4K. The data shows a playable experience at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K requiring significant settings compromises to approach the 60 FPS threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 170 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings still hold a commanding 128.2 FPS average, while High settings drop to 111.7 FPS. Even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains an average of 84.1 FPS, leaving substantial headroom for demanding scenes or background tasks. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a performance cost of about 85.9 FPS, indicating the GPU is the primary driver at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains solid but the gap between presets widens. Low settings deliver 109.4 FPS average, Medium drops to 85.4 FPS, and High settles at 72.1 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below the playable threshold with an average of 55 FPS, which is 5 FPS short of the 60 FPS mark. This resolution shows a steeper performance cliff between High and Ultra compared to 1080p, suggesting the pixel count is starting to strain the RX 6600 XT's 8 GB memory buffer and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low settings produce 59 FPS average — just barely under the 60 FPS target. Medium drops to 42.7 FPS, High falls to 37 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 31.8 FPS. No preset at 4K clears the playable threshold, and the gap from Low to Ultra represents a 27.2 FPS loss. The 4K results show that this combination is not suited for high-resolution gaming without major compromises, as even Low settings cannot consistently hold 60 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear winner, achieving an average of 84.1 FPS. This is the highest quality setting that stays comfortably above 60 FPS, and the 24.1 FPS margin over the threshold provides a buffer for frametime spikes.

For 2560x1440, High settings are the optimal choice, delivering 72.1 FPS average. Medium (85.4 FPS) and Low (109.4 FPS) also clear the threshold, but High offers the best visual quality while maintaining a 12.1 FPS cushion above the playable mark. Ultra at 55 FPS is not viable for consistent gameplay.

At 3840x2160, there is no playable settings preset. The closest option is Low at 59 FPS average, which technically misses the 60 FPS target. Given the data, 4K gaming with this combo requires accepting sub-60 FPS performance or lowering resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, with the CPU's role diminishing as pixel count increases. At 1080p, the i5-14400F with its 10 cores and 16 threads provides ample processing power, as evidenced by the 170 FPS Low preset result — this is likely near the CPU's practical limit for the game's engine, given the GPU's 10.60 TFLOPS FP32 throughput.

The scaling between 1080p and 1440p shows a 34% performance drop from High settings (111.7 to 72.1 FPS), which aligns with the 2.25x pixel increase. This consistent scaling suggests the RX 6600 XT is the limiting factor, not the CPU. The i5-14400F's single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055) is more than sufficient for this 2014-era title.

At 4K, the performance collapse (High settings drop from 72.1 FPS at 1440p to 37 FPS at 2160p) further confirms GPU saturation. The CPU's multithreaded score of 21645 in Cinebench R23 indicates it could push higher framerates if paired with a stronger GPU, but the RX 6600 XT's 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB VRAM become the bottleneck. The 4K Low preset at 59 FPS shows the GPU is nearly maxed out even at minimal settings.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 1440p with Ultra settings?*

A: No. The measured average FPS at 1440p Ultra is 55 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings (72.1 FPS) are the highest playable preset at this resolution.

Q: What is the best 4K preset for this hardware?

A: There is no playable preset at 3840x2160. Low settings achieve 59 FPS average, which is just under the 60 FPS target. All other presets (Medium 42.7 FPS, High 37 FPS, Ultra 31.8 FPS) are significantly below playable.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 6600 XT has an average benchmark score of 24442, placing it 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (24277) and 0.8% ahead of the GTX 780 Ti (24236). It trails the Intel Arc A350M (24647) by 0.8% and sits 1.1% above the RTX 2080 SUPER (24170). The GPU ranks in the 70th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: Is the i5-14400F strong enough for this game?

A: Yes. The CPU ranks in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 32279. It is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32233) and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i9-11900 (32226), while trailing the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (32354) by 0.2%. The 10-core, 16-thread configuration provides ample headroom.

Q: What framerate can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 111.7 FPS, which is 51.7 FPS above the playable threshold. This preset balances visual quality with a large performance margin.

Q: Does the 1440p High preset leave enough headroom for framerate drops?

A: The 72.1 FPS average provides a 12.1 FPS buffer above the 60 FPS threshold. This is adequate for a 2014 title, though demanding scenes could dip closer to the limit.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT ranks 2546 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, reflecting its 1080p/1440p focus rather than 4K capability. The rank is influenced by the GPU's 70th percentile standing and the CPU's 83rd percentile, but the game's age and the GPU's memory bandwidth limitations cap the overall performance ceiling. The combo's rank suggests it outperforms roughly 31% of tested systems but lags behind higher-tier GPU pairings that can handle 4K.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum successfully at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440. At 1080p, every preset from Low (170 FPS) to Ultra (84.1 FPS) clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra being the recommended choice for maximum visual fidelity. At 1440p, High settings (72.1 FPS) are the highest playable option, while Low (109.4 FPS) and Medium (85.4 FPS) also work well. The combo cannot run the game at 3840x2160 with any preset, as even Low settings (59 FPS) fall just short of the 60 FPS playable mark.

For a 1080p or 1440p gaming setup, this pairing is well-suited for Minimum. The i5-14400F's strong single-thread performance (3055 in Cinebench R23 single-core) and the RX 6600 XT's 10.60 TFLOPS provide a smooth experience at those resolutions. However, 4K owners should look elsewhere — the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are the limiting factors, and the data confirms that no settings adjustment can achieve playable framerates at that resolution. The verdict is clear: solid for mainstream resolutions, inadequate for 4K.