Minimum

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers a performance profile that is heavily dependent on the chosen resolution and graphical preset in Minimum. Benchmark data shows this combination is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p, remains firmly playable at 1440p, but struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K Ultra settings. The measured FPS data reveals a clear hierarchy where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates high at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces excellent frame rates across all settings. With Low settings, the average FPS reaches 230.9. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 178.2. High settings yield 147.9 average FPS, while Ultra settings still deliver a very smooth 114.2 average FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a performance reduction of roughly 50%, but even the most demanding preset clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show a predictable decline. Low settings average 148.7 FPS, Medium averages 117.1 FPS, and High averages 99 FPS. Ultra settings at 1440p produce an average of 73.6 FPS, which still comfortably exceeds the playable threshold. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at each preset is significant, with Ultra showing a 35.6% drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limits become apparent. Low settings manage an average of 80.7 FPS, and Medium averages 60.5 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS playable line. High settings drop to 51.9 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 37.2 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K at Ultra represents a 49.5% performance loss, indicating that the RX 7700 XT’s 12 GB memory and 192-bit bus are insufficient for the highest fidelity at this resolution. No min or max FPS values were recorded, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (0.3% faster), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (0.4% faster), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (0.8% faster), and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 (0.8% slower). This indicates the i5-14600KF sits in a tightly contested performance band where swapping to any of these processors would yield nearly identical frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. For a game like Minimum, which is a third-person shooter from 2014, the CPU is likely not the limiting factor at most settings, so these rivals would produce similar results.

On the GPU side, the RX 7700 XT’s nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (0.5% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (0.8% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (1.5% slower), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (1.7% faster). The close margins (all within 1.7%) suggest that any of these graphics cards would deliver nearly interchangeable performance in Minimum. The RTX 2080, despite being an older desktop card, matches the RX 7700 XT closely, while the mobile RTX 5060 and RTX 4060 offer similar raw throughput. This means users with any of these GPUs would see comparable FPS at the same settings and resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data indicates that the GPU is the dominant factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s role diminishes as pixel count increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (230.9 FPS) and Ultra (114.2 FPS) is 116.7 FPS, showing that the GPU still has headroom even when the CPU is pushing high frame rates. The i5-14600KF’s strong single-core performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594 and Geekbench single-core score of 2445, ensures that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at 1080p.

At 1440p, the scaling between presets becomes more pronounced, with Ultra (73.6 FPS) being 75.1 FPS lower than Low (148.7 FPS). This suggests the GPU is starting to become the bottleneck, as the gap between Low and Ultra is proportionally larger than at 1080p. At 4K, the pattern is clear: the GPU is the limiting factor. The drop from Medium (60.5 FPS) to High (51.9 FPS) is only 8.6 FPS, while Ultra (37.2 FPS) falls far below the playable threshold. The CPU’s contribution at 4K is minimal, as the RX 7700 XT cannot render frames fast enough to leverage the processor’s capabilities.

The verdictByResolution data confirms this: at 4K, only Low and Medium settings are playable, while at 1440p and 1080p, all four presets clear 60 FPS. This indicates that for 1080p and 1440p gaming, the CPU and GPU are well balanced, but at 4K, the GPU’s 35.17 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the highest quality settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1557th out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the 58th percentile of all tested systems. This is a respectable mid-to-upper tier ranking, suggesting that this hardware combination performs better than the majority of other tested configurations for this specific game. The rank is influenced by the fact that Minimum is a 2014 title with relatively low system requirements, so many modern mid-range GPUs can achieve high frame rates.

The ranking also reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The i5-14600KF’s percentileVsAllCpus of 90 indicates it outperforms 90% of all tested CPUs, while the RX 7700 XT’s percentileVsAllGpus of 67 shows it outperforms 67% of all tested GPUs. The combination of a top-decile CPU with a mid-to-upper-tier GPU results in a strong overall ranking, but the GPU’s lower percentile is what holds the combo back from a higher rank at 4K resolutions.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Minimum effectively, but the playable settings depend heavily on resolution. At 1920x1080, all presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 114.2 FPS. At 2560x1440, all presets also remain playable, with Ultra averaging 73.6 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low (80.7 FPS) and Medium (60.5 FPS) are playable; High (51.9 FPS) and Ultra (37.2 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS target.

The data shows that 1080p and 1440p are the sweet spots for this combo, allowing for maximum visual fidelity without compromising frame rate. For 4K gaming, users must accept Medium settings or lower to maintain smooth gameplay. The 60 FPS threshold is met at 4K Medium with only 0.5 FPS to spare, which is a tight margin that could be affected by in-game variability.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 37.2, which is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Only Low and Medium settings are playable at 4K.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 73.6 FPS, which is the highest quality preset that still clears the 60 FPS threshold. All presets at 1440p are playable.

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT compare to the RTX 2080 in this game?

A: The RTX 2080 is 1.5% slower than the RX 7700 XT based on average benchmark scores. In practice, this translates to nearly identical frame rates in Minimum at the same settings and resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for 1080p performance?

A: At 1080p, the GPU is still the primary factor, as shown by the 116.7 FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings. The CPU’s strong single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594) ensures it does not bottleneck the GPU at this resolution.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 147.9, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high refresh rate monitors.

Q: Does the combo rank well compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1557th out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the upper half of all tested systems. This reflects its ability to run the game smoothly at most resolutions and presets.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the best playable preset is Medium, which averages 60.5 FPS. This is the only preset above Low that clears the 60 FPS threshold, and it does so with minimal headroom. Low settings average 80.7 FPS, but Medium offers a better visual experience while still meeting the playability requirement.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Ultra, averaging 73.6 FPS. This allows for maximum visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target. All presets are playable at this resolution, so users can choose based on their preference for fidelity versus frame rate.

At 1920x1080, the best playable preset is Ultra, averaging 114.2 FPS. This provides the highest image quality with frame rates that are more than sufficient for smooth gameplay, even on high refresh rate displays. The large margin above 60 FPS means there is no need to compromise on settings at this resolution.