Minimum

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers an exceptionally strong performance profile in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. The measured data shows that this combination is not merely capable of running the game but does so with substantial headroom across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates range from 199 FPS at Ultra settings to a remarkable 408.4 FPS at Low, indicating that the system is heavily overqualified for standard high-refresh-rate monitors. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages remain far above the 60 FPS playability threshold, with the Ultra preset still producing 127.1 FPS. Even at the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the most taxing Ultra preset maintains an average of 67.5 FPS, confirming that this hardware combination can handle the game at maximum visual fidelity in 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides a clear picture of performance scaling across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 3840x2160, the frame rate averages are 140.9 FPS for Low, 106.3 FPS for Medium, 88.4 FPS for High, and 67.5 FPS for Ultra. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a predictable decline, with the Ultra preset costing roughly half the frame rate of Low settings. This 73.4 FPS difference between the lowest and highest presets at 4K demonstrates the significant GPU workload increase that comes with enabling maximum visual effects.

At 2560x1440, the averages jump substantially. Low settings produce 262.6 FPS, Medium reaches 199.5 FPS, High achieves 167.4 FPS, and Ultra still delivers 127.1 FPS. The scaling from 4K to 1440p is steep, with the Ultra preset gaining 59.6 FPS and the Low preset gaining 121.7 FPS. This suggests that the RTX 5090’s raw compute power is heavily utilized at 4K, while the 1440p resolution allows the GPU to operate with more headroom.

The 1920x1080 results are the highest of the set, with Low hitting 408.4 FPS, Medium at 314.7 FPS, High at 265.1 FPS, and Ultra at 199 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 209.4 FPS, which is proportionally larger than at higher resolutions. This pattern implies that at 1080p, the system is likely becoming limited by other factors, such as CPU frame pacing or memory bandwidth, rather than pure GPU throughput. The fact that the 1080p Ultra average nearly doubles the 4K Ultra average highlights how resolution scaling affects this particular game engine.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU each have a set of nearest rivals based on aggregate benchmark scores. The Intel Core i5-14600K, with an average benchmark score of 48618, sits at the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest competitor is the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, which scores 48698, a delta of -0.2 percent, meaning the i5-14600K is effectively tied in performance. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, putting it 0.3 percent behind, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287, a 0.7 percent gap. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is slightly ahead at 48995, giving a -0.8 percent delta. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Minimum, making them viable alternatives if the i5-14600K were unavailable.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, the average benchmark score is 79842, placing it at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB with a score of 79605, a delta of 0.3 percent. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79396, trailing by 0.6 percent, and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78940, a 1.1 percent gap. On the upper side, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80959, which is 1.4 percent ahead of the RTX 5090. These deltas are all within a narrow band, suggesting that in Minimum, a user swapping the RTX 5090 for any of these GPUs would experience nearly identical frame rates, assuming the rest of the system remains unchanged.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance data reveals distinct roles for the CPU and GPU depending on the resolution. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high, with the Low preset reaching 408.4 FPS. Such high frame rates typically place a greater burden on the CPU to feed frames to the GPU. The i5-14600K, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, appears well-suited to this task, as the 1080p Ultra preset still maintains 199 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Low to 1080p Ultra shows a 209.4 FPS drop, which is likely a mix of GPU workload increase and CPU overhead from additional draw calls.

At 2560x1440, the GPU becomes more dominant. The frame rates are lower than at 1080p, but the relative drop from Low to Ultra is 135.5 FPS, which is less severe than at 1080p. This indicates that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck, as the resolution increase puts more strain on the RTX 5090’s shading units and memory bandwidth. The CPU’s influence diminishes, as the frame rates are high enough that the i5-14600K’s single-thread performance is sufficient to keep up.

At 3840x2160, the GPU role is even more pronounced. The difference between Low and Ultra is 73.4 FPS, which is the smallest absolute drop of any resolution. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is heavily saturated, and the CPU has ample headroom to process the game logic. The RTX 5090’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are likely key factors in maintaining playable frame rates at this resolution, even with the Ultra preset. The data implies that for Minimum, the i5-14600K is never a limiting factor at any tested setting, while the RTX 5090’s performance scales predictably with resolution.

The Verdict

This PC configuration can run Minimum at all tested resolutions and presets, consistently clearing the 60 FPS playability threshold. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 199 FPS, which is over triple the playable threshold. The 2560x1440 resolution also sees all presets well above 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 127.1 FPS. Even the most demanding configuration, 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, maintains an average of 67.5 FPS, which is 7.5 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. The verdictByResolution data confirms that all playable settings include Low, Medium, High, and Ultra at every resolution, with the best settings being Ultra in each case. For users seeking a smooth experience at maximum visual quality, the 4K Ultra preset is viable, though the 67.5 FPS average leaves less headroom for frame time spikes compared to lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 75th out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum. This places the setup in the top 2 percent of all configurations, reflecting the high-end nature of both components. The rank is likely driven by the RTX 5090’s massive compute capabilities, as the GPU’s 92nd percentile score among all GPUs is a stronger indicator of in-game performance than the CPU’s 90th percentile. The fact that 74 other combinations rank higher suggests that there are a few configurations with either a faster CPU or GPU that can push even higher frame rates, but the i5-14600K and RTX 5090 pairing is nonetheless an elite performer in this title.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, and the data shows it exceeds the threshold with room to spare. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 199 FPS, which is the highest average among the Ultra settings across all resolutions. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 127.1 FPS, still comfortably above 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, Ultra averages 67.5 FPS, which is the closest to the threshold but remains playable. Users who prioritize maximum visual fidelity can select Ultra at any resolution without falling below 60 FPS. For those who prefer higher refresh rates, dropping to High settings at 4K yields 88.4 FPS, while Medium offers 106.3 FPS and Low reaches 140.9 FPS, providing options for smoother motion at the cost of visual quality.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: Yes, the 3840x2160 Ultra preset averages 67.5 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combination?

A: The highest average is 408.4 FPS, recorded at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in overall benchmark performance?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 48618, which is 0.2 percent lower than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H’s score of 48698.

Q: Is the GPU’s performance significantly different from its closest competitor?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 averages 79842, which is 0.3 percent higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB’s score of 79605, a negligible difference.

Q: At which resolution does the Ultra preset provide the most headroom above 60 FPS?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 199 FPS, giving 139 FPS of headroom above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from Low to Ultra at 2560x1440?

A: The average drops from 262.6 FPS at Low to 127.1 FPS at Ultra, a difference of 135.5 FPS.