Minimum

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti delivers a wide performance envelope in Minimum, a third-person shooter released on 2014-06-25. Measured data indicates the combination scales from a playable 54 FPS average at 4K High to a fluid 240 FPS average at 1080p Low. The core takeaway is that this system clears the 60 FPS playability threshold at every resolution tested, though the headroom varies dramatically based on settings and pixel count.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the data shows a clear hierarchy across the four presets. The Low preset produces an average of 84 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin. Medium follows at 64 FPS average, with a recorded minimum of 54 FPS and maximum of 74 FPS, meaning the frame rate dips below the playable threshold even if the average stays above it. High drops to 54 FPS average, and Ultra is the most demanding at 41 FPS average. Both High and Ultra lack min/max data, but their averages place them definitively below the 60 FPS target.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), the picture improves substantially. Low produces a 155 FPS average, Medium reaches 119 FPS with a minimum of 101 and maximum of 137, High hits 100 FPS, and Ultra still manages 76 FPS. Every preset at this resolution stays above the 60 FPS line, with the minimum recorded value being 101 FPS in Medium. The spread between Low and Ultra is 79 FPS, indicating that even the heaviest settings leave considerable performance on the table.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the combination becomes extremely fast. Low delivers a 240 FPS average, Medium runs at 184 FPS with a minimum of 156 and maximum of 212, High reaches 155 FPS, and Ultra produces 118 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 122 FPS, showing that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution when settings are lowered. All minimums and averages far exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold, with the lowest recorded minimum being 156 FPS in Medium.

The data pattern across resolutions shows consistent scaling. When moving from 4K to 1440p at the same preset, average FPS roughly increases by 85-90% (e.g., 54 to 100 FPS in High). From 1440p to 1080p, the increase is smaller but still significant, around 55-60% (e.g., 100 to 155 FPS in High). The Ultra preset shows the largest relative jump from 4K to 1440p, going from 41 to 76 FPS, an 85% improvement.

CPU and GPU Roles

The interaction between the Intel Core i5-14600K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti in Minimum is primarily GPU-bound at higher resolutions and settings. The 14-core, 20-thread processor with a 5.30 GHz boost clock provides ample computational headroom, but the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth become the constraining factor as resolution increases.

Evidence for GPU dominance comes from the resolution scaling. At 1080p Low, the system produces 240 FPS average, which is close to the display refresh rate ceiling for many monitors. When resolution doubles to 1440p, the same preset drops to 155 FPS, a 35% reduction that directly reflects the increased pixel load on the GPU. Doubling again to 4K yields 84 FPS, another 46% drop. These scaling factors point to the GPU's pixel throughput limits rather than any CPU bottleneck, since the i5-14600K's single-core performance of 2064 in Cinebench R23 single-core would not struggle with a 2014-era title.

The settings scaling further clarifies the roles. At 4K, dropping from Ultra to Low increases average FPS from 41 to 84, a 105% improvement. At 1440p, the same setting change yields 76 to 155 FPS, a 104% improvement. At 1080p, it goes from 118 to 240, a 103% improvement. The near-identical percentage gains across resolutions indicate that the GPU's shading units, texture units, and ROPs are being exercised uniformly, with the CPU providing consistent frame delivery regardless of workload.

The RTX 3070 Ti's architecture, with 6144 shading units and 192 TMUs, scales predictably with both resolution and quality settings. The i5-14600K's role becomes more prominent at 1080p Low, where the 240 FPS average suggests the CPU is capable of feeding frames faster than the GPU can render them. However, the lack of min/max data for Low presets means frame pacing cannot be assessed, only average throughput.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, which produces an average of 64 FPS. This setting also has the only complete min/max data at 4K, showing a minimum of 54 FPS and maximum of 74 FPS. While the average clears the threshold, the minimum dips below it, so users seeking consistent frame rates might prefer Low, which averages 84 FPS.

At 2560x1440, every preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, so the best setting is Ultra with an average of 76 FPS. This provides the highest visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the playability line. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 101 FPS and maximum of 137 FPS, but Ultra's lack of min/max data means only the average can be evaluated.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is the best setting with an average of 118 FPS. This is more than double the playable threshold, leaving substantial headroom for future patches or more demanding scenes. The Medium preset's minimum of 156 FPS shows that even the most stressful recorded moments at this resolution stay well above 60 FPS.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum at all three tested resolutions, according to the verdictByResolution data. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are Low and Medium, with Medium being the best choice at 64 FPS average. At 2560x1440, all four settings are playable, and Ultra at 76 FPS average represents the best combination of visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, all settings are playable, with Ultra at 118 FPS average.

The only caveat is the 4K Medium minimum of 54 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playableThresholdFps. While the average of 64 FPS is above the line, users sensitive to frame dips may experience momentary stutter. The 4K Low preset, at 84 FPS average, provides a safer margin. For 1440p and 1080p, no such caveat exists; the lowest recorded minimum is 101 FPS in 1440p Medium.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on nearestRivals data for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-14600K's average benchmark score of 48618 is closely matched by several processors. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698, a delta of -0.2%, meaning it is effectively identical in overall performance. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, a 0.3% delta. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287, a 0.7% delta. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995, a -0.8% delta. Any of these CPUs would produce statistically indistinguishable frame rates in Minimum when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti's average benchmark score of 29945 is matched by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile at 29928, a 0.1% delta, and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 at 30095, a -0.5% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti scores 29783, a 0.5% delta, and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 scores 30433, a -1.6% delta. These GPUs would deliver nearly identical measured FPS in Minimum, meaning the choice between them comes down to other factors like driver support or feature sets.

The combination of the i5-14600K's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the RTX 3070 Ti's 75th percentile among all GPUs places this system in the upper tier of hardware. Swapping in any of the listed rivals would change benchmark scores by less than 1%, which would translate to sub-1 FPS differences in Minimum at most settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank in game is 1328 out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the 64th percentile of all systems tested. This rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU; the i5-14600K is a high-end processor for its generation, while the RTX 3070 Ti is a mid-to-high-end GPU. The rank suggests that while this system is above average, it is not in the top tier, which would be occupied by newer or higher-end components.

The rank of 1328 out of 3712 means roughly 64% of tested combos perform better, while 36% perform worse. Given that the data shows playable performance at all resolutions, the rank likely reflects diminishing returns at 4K Ultra where the 41 FPS average pulls down the overall standing. At 1080p and 1440p, the system performs comparably to much more expensive hardware, but the 4K Ultra deficit is the main detractor.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Minimum at 4K with playable frame rates?*

A: Yes, at Low and Medium settings. The Low preset averages 84 FPS, and Medium averages 64 FPS. High averages 54 FPS and Ultra averages 41 FPS, both below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best 1440p setting for this hardware?

A: Ultra, with an average of 76 FPS. All four settings at 1440p exceed 60 FPS, so the highest quality option is the best choice.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to the RTX 2080 Ti in this game?

A: They are nearly identical. The RTX 3070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 29945, while the RTX 2080 Ti scores 29783, a delta of 0.5%. In Minimum, this would translate to a difference of less than 1 FPS at any given setting.

Q: Is the i5-14600K a bottleneck at 1080p Low?

A: The 240 FPS average at 1080p Low suggests the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU's 20 threads and 5.30 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom. The lack of min/max data for this preset prevents a full frame pacing analysis.

Q: What is the lowest recorded frame rate for this system?

A: The minimum of 54 FPS occurs at 4K Medium. All other presets with min/max data stay above 100 FPS, including 1440p Medium at 101 FPS and 1080p Medium at 156 FPS.

Q: Does the system clear 60 FPS at every resolution?

A: Yes, at least one setting at each resolution clears the threshold. At 4K, Low and Medium clear it. At 1440p and 1080p, all settings clear it, with the lowest minimum being 101 FPS in 1440p Medium.