Minimum

This analysis examines the Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B570 in Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014. The data presented is measured directly from this specific hardware combination, providing a clear picture of its capabilities across common gaming resolutions and presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The performance of this combo varies significantly with resolution and quality settings. At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates strong headroom, while 3840x2160 proves to be a demanding environment for the GPU.

At 1920x1080, the system comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold at every preset. Low settings deliver an average of 145 FPS, providing an exceptionally smooth experience. Medium settings produce an average of 111 FPS, with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS, ensuring consistent frame pacing. High settings still yield a solid 93 FPS average, and even Ultra settings maintain a playable 71 FPS average, showing that the Arc B570 has ample compute power for this title at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's limitations at higher workloads. Low settings reach a high average of 94 FPS. Medium settings hold an average of 72 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS, which keeps it above the playable threshold. High settings exactly meet the 60 FPS average mark, making it the highest preset that consistently clears the threshold. Ultra settings, however, drop to an average of 46 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable line.

At 3840x2160, the Arc B570 struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 50 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings yield a 39 FPS average, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS. High settings drop further to 32 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 25 FPS. None of these presets at 4K clear the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this resolution is not suitable for smooth gameplay with this combination.

The frame time data shows tight minimums at 1440p Medium (61 FPS), suggesting stable performance when the system is not bottlenecked. The absence of min/max values for several presets indicates that only average FPS was recorded for those configurations, but the available data points show a predictable scaling curve.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 1080p with all settings maxed out?*

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 71 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This makes it the best settings option at this resolution.

Q: What is the highest playable resolution for this combination?

A: Based on the data, 2560x1440 is the highest resolution where playable settings exist. High, Medium, and Low presets all achieve an average of 60 FPS or higher at this resolution, with High being the best playable preset at exactly 60 FPS average.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with the Intel Arc B570?

A: No. At 3840x2160, even the lowest settings preset yields only a 50 FPS average. All other presets (Medium, High, Ultra) fall between 25 FPS and 39 FPS average, all below the 60 FPS playable threshold. There are no playable settings at this resolution.

Q: How does the 1440p Medium experience compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: The 1440p Medium preset averages 72 FPS, while 1080p Ultra averages 71 FPS. They are nearly identical in average performance, though 1440p Medium shows a minimum of 61 FPS, suggesting it can dip closer to the threshold. The 1080p Ultra preset has no min/max data recorded but holds a similar average.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 94 FPS, while Ultra settings average 46 FPS. This represents a performance drop of more than half when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS in all medium-preset tests?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 111 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average is 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS. Both resolutions with Medium settings clear the 60 FPS threshold, though 1440p sits closer to the line.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B570 is ranked #2984 out of 3712 tested combos for Minimum. This ranking places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, meaning that while it is not a top-tier performer for this specific game, it is also far from the bottom.

The ranking reflects the measured FPS data. The combo performs well at 1080p and is capable at 1440p, but the GPU's limitations at 4K likely hold back its overall rank. For a game from 2014, this system is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming, but its overall rank is influenced by the many other combinations that can handle 4K in this older title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the benchmark averages for the individual components, several other hardware combinations would likely produce similar results in Minimum.

The Intel Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 48618, placing it at the 90th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (avg score 48698, 0.2% slower), AMD EPYC 4345P (avg score 48470, 0.3% faster), Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (avg score 48287, 0.7% faster), and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (avg score 48995, 0.8% slower). Any of these CPUs would provide nearly identical CPU-bound performance in this game.

On the GPU side, the Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, placing it at the 65th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (avg score 20534, 0.1% slower), Intel Arc A750 (avg score 20582, 0.1% faster), NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (avg score 20480, 0.4% slower), and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (avg score 20662, 0.5% faster). These GPUs would deliver very similar frame rates to the Arc B570 in this title.

A system using any of these alternative CPUs with the Arc B570 would exhibit nearly identical performance, as the CPU is not the limiting factor at most settings. Similarly, pairing the i5-14600K with any of these GPUs would produce frame rates within a few percentage points of the measured results.

CPU and GPU Roles

In Minimum, the division of labor between the CPU and GPU is clear when analyzing the FPS scaling across resolutions and presets. The game is heavily GPU-bound, especially at higher resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the jump from Low to Ultra settings reduces the average FPS from 145 to 71. This massive drop of 74 FPS is almost entirely due to the GPU's rendering workload, as the CPU has no trouble feeding frames at this resolution. The i5-14600K's strong single-thread performance is more than sufficient for this 2014 title.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds. Low settings average 94 FPS, but Ultra drops to 46 FPS, a reduction of 48 FPS. The absolute numbers are lower than at 1080p, confirming that the GPU is working harder as pixel count increases. The CPU's role remains constant; it is not the bottleneck here.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is severely stressed. Even Low settings only reach 50 FPS, and Ultra drops to 25 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Low (145 FPS) to 4K Low (50 FPS) shows a 65% reduction in performance due to resolution alone. This is a clear indication that the Arc B570's compute and memory bandwidth (380.0 GB/s) are the limiting factors. The CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads are not challenged by this workload.

The conclusion from the data is that the Intel Core i5-14600K provides ample processing power for Minimum at all tested resolutions. The Intel Arc B570 is the component that determines playability. For smooth 1080p and 1440p gameplay, the GPU is sufficient, but for 4K, it falls short, regardless of CPU performance.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum without issue at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440. At 1080p, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear the 60 FPS threshold. The best settings at this resolution are Ultra, which averages 71 FPS. At 1440p, three presets (Low, Medium, High) clear the 60 FPS threshold, with High being the best playable option at exactly 60 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot maintain playable frame rates. No settings preset at 4K clears the 60 FPS threshold. The highest average is 50 FPS on Low settings, which is below the playable line.

For a game released in 2014, this combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B570 is a capable pairing for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming and solid 1440p gameplay. Users targeting 4K will need to reduce resolution or consider a more powerful GPU. The 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on the Arc B570 is not a limiting factor at 1080p or 1440p for this title, but the card's overall throughput is insufficient for 4K in Minimum. This system is best suited for 1080p Ultra or 1440p High gameplay, delivering a smooth experience in both scenarios.