Minimum

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released on 2014-06-25. The measured data shows this combination is capable of exceeding the 60 FPS playable threshold at every tested resolution, with the most demanding settings still producing smooth gameplay. Benchmark results indicate the system provides a significant performance buffer, particularly at lower resolutions where frame rates reach the high triple digits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The frame rate data for this combo is recorded across three resolutions and four quality presets, with average FPS figures provided for all configurations and min/max values available for the Medium preset.

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates exceptional headroom. The Low preset achieves an average of 300 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 230 FPS, with a minimum of 195 FPS and a maximum of 264 FPS. The High preset produces an average of 193 FPS, while the Ultra preset, the most demanding setting at this resolution, still maintains an average of 147 FPS. All four presets at 1080p clear the 60 FPS threshold by a substantial margin.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains very strong. The Low preset averages 193 FPS, matching the High preset result at 1080p. The Medium preset yields 148 FPS on average, with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 170 FPS. The High preset drops to 124 FPS average, and the Ultra preset maintains 95 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a predictable reduction in frame rates, but every preset remains well above the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system faces its greatest challenge. The Low preset averages 104 FPS, which is still comfortably above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 FPS and a maximum of 92 FPS. The High preset averages 67 FPS, narrowly clearing the playable threshold. The Ultra preset, however, falls below the threshold with an average of 51 FPS. This is the only configuration in the entire dataset that fails to reach 60 FPS, indicating that 4K Ultra is beyond this combo's capability for smooth gameplay.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Minimum at 1920x1080 with the highest settings?*

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 produces an average of 147 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the most demanding setting that stays above 60 FPS at 3840x2160?

A: The High preset at 3840x2160 averages 67 FPS, making it the most demanding playable option at that resolution. The Ultra preset falls short with an average of 51 FPS.

Q: How does the Medium preset perform at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 averages 148 FPS, with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 170 FPS, providing a very smooth experience with substantial headroom.

Q: Is there any resolution and preset combination that drops below 60 FPS?

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 is the only configuration that fails to reach the playable threshold, averaging 51 FPS.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest recorded average is 300 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: Does the Minimum FPS data show any stutter risk at 3840x2160 Medium?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 has a minimum of 68 FPS, which remains above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating no stutter risk based on the available data.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 739 out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the top 20 percent of all systems evaluated. This percentile position reflects the strong performance demonstrated in the measured FPS data. The combination of a 14-core, 20-thread processor and a 20 GB graphics card with 5376 shading units provides ample resources for this 2014 title.

The rank is driven by the CPU's strong benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 16673, alongside the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 29009. The system's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs (Intel Core i5-14600K) and 55th percentile among all GPUs (AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT) combine to produce a result that is well above average for gaming workloads. The game's age and relatively modest demands mean that this modern hardware can push frame rates far beyond what most tested combos achieve.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in benchmark performance are all within a narrow band of the Intel Core i5-14600K. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698 points, which is only 0.2% lower than the i5-14600K's average benchmark score of 48618. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995 points, a 0.8% difference. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470 points (0.3% higher), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287 points (0.7% higher). These four processors would deliver nearly identical performance in Minimum, with any frame rate differences being within the margin of error.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are more varied in their positioning. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT scores 13543 points, which is 1.5% lower than the RX 7900 XT's average benchmark score of 13745. The AMD Radeon 660M scores 13812 points (0.5% higher), the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile scores 13821 points (0.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 570X scores 13871 points (0.9% higher). Despite the diverse nature of these GPUs, their benchmark scores indicate they would produce similar frame rates in this game. However, the RX 7900 XT's large memory pool of 20 GB and high bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s could provide advantages in texture-heavy scenarios that these benchmark scores do not fully capture.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals how the balance between CPU and GPU shifts across resolutions in Minimum. At 1920x1080, the system is likely CPU-bound, as evidenced by the extremely high frame rates. The Low preset reaches 300 FPS, which is typically near the limit of what a CPU can feed to a GPU. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop from 300 to 147 FPS, a reduction of 153 FPS that reflects the increasing GPU load. The Intel Core i5-14600K's strong single-core performance, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4270, ensures the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts toward the GPU. The frame rates drop across all presets compared to 1080p, with the Low preset falling from 300 to 193 FPS. This reduction of 107 FPS indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as pixel count increases. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 98 FPS (193 to 95), showing that the GPU's workload scales significantly with quality settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU dominates the performance equation. The Low preset drops to 104 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 51 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 53 FPS, while the difference between 1440p Low and 4K Low is 89 FPS, confirming that resolution scaling has the largest impact on GPU load. The CPU's role diminishes at this resolution, as the RX 7900 XT's 51.48 TFLOPS FP32 compute capacity becomes the primary determinant of frame rates.

The Verdict

This PC can definitively run Minimum at the playable threshold of 60 FPS across most configurations. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 1920x1080, all four presets including Ultra (147 FPS) are playable. At 2560x1440, the same holds true, with Ultra averaging 95 FPS. At 3840x2160, three presets are playable—Low (104 FPS), Medium (80 FPS), and High (67 FPS)—but Ultra falls short at 51 FPS.

The system provides a high-performance experience for this game, with the only unplayable scenario being 4K Ultra. For users with 1080p or 1440p displays, every setting is viable with substantial headroom above 60 FPS. At 4K, users should avoid the Ultra preset but can enjoy High settings with a comfortable margin above the playable threshold. The measured data indicates this combo is well-suited for Minimum across typical gaming resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, which maintains an average of 147 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, and it provides a fluid experience with all visual features enabled.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 95 FPS. This resolution and preset combination offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance, staying well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are High, with an average of 67 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold at 4K. While the frame rate is close to the threshold, the minimum FPS data for the Medium preset (68 FPS) suggests that High likely maintains playable minimums as well, though no min/max data is provided for High. Users seeking additional headroom at 4K can drop to Medium, which averages 80 FPS.