Minimum

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 delivers a playable experience in Minimum, but only up to 1440p. At 4K, the combination fails to reach the 60 FPS threshold at any preset, while at 1080p and 1440p it clears that bar with headroom. The data shows a clear resolution ceiling: this system is a 1080p and 1440p machine for this title, not a 4K one.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The closest is Low, which averages 54.1 FPS, followed by Medium at 44.1 FPS, High at 35.8 FPS, and Ultra at 28 FPS. Since the playable threshold is 60 FPS, the verdict for 4K is that no settings combination is viable; the best achievable average is 54.1 FPS on Low, which still falls short.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, which averages 66.3 FPS. This leaves a modest buffer above the threshold. Medium runs at 77.4 FPS and Low at 100.8 FPS, but High is the optimal choice for maximum visual quality without dropping below 60 FPS. Ultra sits at 51.3 FPS, which is below the playable mark.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, averaging 77.7 FPS. This is a comfortable margin. High runs at 98.5 FPS, Medium at 117 FPS, and Low at 156.1 FPS, but Ultra is the clear pick for maxed-out settings. All four presets clear 60 FPS at this resolution, making 1080p the only resolution where the full settings range is playable.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU becomes relatively less important as resolution increases. This is evident from the FPS scaling across presets and resolutions.

At 1080p, the spread between Low and Ultra is 78.4 FPS (156.1 down to 77.7). This wide gap suggests the GPU is heavily utilized, but the CPU is capable enough to feed it at all settings. The fact that Ultra still averages 77.7 FPS — well above the 60 FPS threshold — indicates the i5-14600K has ample headroom for this game's CPU demands at 1080p.

At 1440p, the spread narrows to 49.5 FPS (100.8 on Low down to 51.3 on Ultra). The drop from Low to Ultra is proportionally similar to 1080p, but the absolute FPS values are lower, confirming that resolution scaling is taxing the GPU more than the CPU. The i5-14600K's 14 cores and 20 threads are not the limiting factor here; the RX 6600's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are what constrain performance.

At 4K, the GPU bottleneck becomes severe. Even on Low, the average FPS is only 54.1, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra is 26.1 FPS (54.1 to 28), which is the smallest absolute spread across the three resolutions. This compression indicates that the GPU is saturated at all settings — the CPU's role is minimized because the GPU cannot keep up regardless of the workload.

In summary, for Minimum, the RX 6600 is the dominant performance factor at 1440p and 4K, while the i5-14600K provides sufficient compute headroom at 1080p. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and single-core score of 2064 show it is far above the demands of this 2014 title, but the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 15096 places it in the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, which explains why 4K is unattainable.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the Intel Core i5-14600K, the nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (delta -0.2%), AMD EPYC 4345P (delta +0.3%), Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (delta +0.7%), and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (delta -0.8%). These processors would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Minimum. The i5-14600K's average benchmark score is 48618, with a percentile of 90 among all CPUs, so any of these alternatives would behave within 1% of the i5 in this game's CPU workload. The Xeon Gold 5318H and Core Ultra 5 245 are slightly slower (by 0.2% and 0.8% respectively), while the EPYC 4345P and Core Ultra 5 245HX are marginally faster (by 0.3% and 0.7%). None of these differences would be perceptible in gameplay.

For the AMD Radeon RX 6600, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (delta 0%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (delta -0.1%), NVIDIA Tesla K20m (delta -0.3%), and NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation (delta +0.4%). The RX 6600's average benchmark score is 19036, with a percentile of 63 among all GPUs. The Quadro K6000 is essentially identical, while the RTX 4050 Mobile and Tesla K20m are within 0.3% slower. The RTX 2000 Ada Generation is 0.4% faster. For Minimum, these GPUs would produce nearly indistinguishable frame rates at every resolution and preset. The practical takeaway is that if a user already owns any of these four GPUs, the performance in this game would match the RX 6600's results — including the same 4K failure and 1440p High success.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum, but with clear limitations. At 1920x1080, the system fully clears the 60 FPS threshold at all four presets, with Ultra averaging 77.7 FPS. This is the definitive "yes" — the game is not only playable but smooth at maximum settings. At 2560x1440, the verdict is also positive, with High averaging 66.3 FPS and Medium at 77.4 FPS, but Ultra drops to 51.3 FPS, which is unplayable by the 60 FPS standard. At 3840x2160, the verdict is negative: no preset reaches 60 FPS, with the best case being Low at 54.1 FPS.

The data shows that the playable settings at 1440p are High, Low, and Medium, while at 1080p all four presets are playable. The 4K resolution has zero playable settings. Given that the game's release date is 2014-06-25, this is an older title, yet the GPU still cannot handle 4K at 60 FPS — evidence of the RX 6600's positioning as a 1080p-class card. The i5-14600K, with a 90th percentile CPU ranking, is never the limiting factor in this combination.

For users who prioritize 1080p gaming, this combo is more than sufficient. For 1440p, it works with High settings but not Ultra. For 4K, it is not viable. The measured FPS data confirms these conclusions directly, with no min or max FPS figures provided to suggest any frame-pacing concerns beyond the averages.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p?

A: Ultra is the best preset at 1920x1080, averaging 77.7 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold with a 17.7 FPS buffer.

Q: Can this system run the game at 4K?

A: No. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The highest average is 54.1 FPS on Low, which is below the playable threshold.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck at 1440p?

A: The GPU. At 2560x1440, the FPS drops from 100.8 on Low to 51.3 on Ultra, showing the RX 6600's limits, while the i5-14600K's high CPU scores indicate it is not the constraint.

Q: How does the RX 6600 compare to its nearest rival in this game?

A: The RX 6600's average benchmark score is 19036, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, scores 19030 with a delta of 0%. The GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile is 0.1% slower, and the RTX 2000 Ada Generation is 0.4% faster.

Q: Is the i5-14600K overkill for this game?

A: The data suggests so. With a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs, the CPU's performance far exceeds what Minimum requires, as evidenced by the GPU-limited FPS at all resolutions.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded in the data?

A: The highest average FPS is 156.1, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K + AMD Radeon RX 6600 combination ranks 2857 out of 3712 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which aligns with the measured FPS results: it clears 60 FPS at 1080p and 1440p (with High settings), but fails at 4K entirely. The rank reflects that while the CPU is high-performing (90th percentile), the GPU's 63rd percentile score drags the overall combo down. Among the 3712 combos, 855 rank below this pairing, meaning there are worse options, but the majority of tested systems outperform it — likely due to stronger GPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals (Quadro K6000, RTX 4050 Mobile, Tesla K20m, RTX 2000 Ada) all have nearly identical average scores, so any of those pairings with the i5-14600K would likely rank within a few positions of 2857. The data confirms this combo is a solid 1080p performer and a passable 1440p option, but it is not a high-ranking system overall due to the GPU's mid-range positioning.