Minimum

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX delivers a decisive performance profile in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. Measured data shows this combination provides a substantial performance margin across most tested settings, with the only failure to reach the 60 FPS playable threshold occurring at 4K resolution with Ultra settings, where the average drops to 54.4 FPS. The dataset indicates a strong scaling pattern where lower resolutions yield dramatically higher frame rates, positioning this combo as a high-end solution for this title, ranking in the top tier of tested configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest settings preset that maintains 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset achieves an average of 74 FPS, making it the most demanding playable option. The Medium preset delivers 85.8 FPS, while Low reaches 110.5 FPS, but the Ultra preset falls below the threshold at 54.4 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1440p with maximum settings?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 99.6 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset reaches 131.8 FPS, Medium hits 159.2 FPS, and Low peaks at 210.3 FPS.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p with the lowest settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with the Low preset, the average FPS is 321.3. This represents the highest measured frame rate in the dataset, indicating the CPU-GPU combination is not heavily taxed at this resolution and settings level.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever playable with this hardware?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset is playable at both 2560x1440 and 1920x1080 resolutions. At 1440p it averages 99.6 FPS, and at 1080p it averages 160 FPS. However, at 4K, the Ultra preset drops to 54.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 589th out of 3,712 tested combinations, placing it in the top 16% of all configurations tested for Minimum. This rank reflects the strong performance observed across the measured resolutions and settings.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the High and Ultra presets at 4K?

A: The High preset at 3840x2160 averages 74 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 54.4 FPS. This represents a performance gap of 19.6 FPS, or approximately 26.5% lower performance for the Ultra preset compared to High at this resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear pattern in how the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX contribute to performance across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high—ranging from 160 FPS at Ultra to 321.3 FPS at Low—which suggests the GPU is the primary limiter, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at these rates. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop of 161.3 FPS, indicating that GPU load increases significantly with settings, while the CPU remains capable of keeping up.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally, with Ultra averaging 99.6 FPS and Low reaching 210.3 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings varies: Ultra drops by 60.4 FPS, while Low drops by 111 FPS. This suggests that at lower settings, the GPU becomes more stressed by the increased pixel count, whereas at higher settings, the GPU workload is already substantial, so the relative impact of resolution is smaller.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS at 54.4 FPS, while High maintains 74 FPS. The difference between Low (110.5 FPS) and Ultra (54.4 FPS) at 4K is 56.1 FPS, which is a larger absolute gap than at lower resolutions. This indicates that the RX 7900 XTX's compute and memory bandwidth are the bottlenecks at 4K, especially with the most demanding settings, while the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

The data implies that for this game, the CPU is more than sufficient at all tested resolutions, even at 1080p with the lowest settings where frame rates exceed 300 FPS. The GPU, however, determines playability at 4K Ultra, where it falls short of the 60 FPS target. The scaling between 1440p and 4K at Medium settings (159.2 to 85.8 FPS) shows a 46% reduction, highlighting the GPU's sensitivity to resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX achieves a rank of 589 out of 3,712 tested combos for Minimum, placing it in the 84th percentile of all configurations. This high ranking is consistent with the measured performance, which shows this combo outperforming the vast majority of tested systems. The rank suggests that while there are faster configurations, this pairing is well above average for this game.

The CPU itself, the Intel Core i7-13700K, has an average benchmark score of 46,881 and ranks in the 89th percentile against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 with an average score of 46,971 (0.2% higher), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 at 47,022 (0.3% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX at 46,654 (0.5% lower). This indicates the CPU is competitive with other top-tier processors, though not the absolute fastest.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX has an average benchmark score of 19,410 and ranks in the 64th percentile against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB with an average score of 19,334 (0.4% higher), the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 at 19,602 (1% lower), and the AMD FirePro D300 at 19,637 (1.2% lower). The GPU's percentile ranking is notably lower than the CPU's, yet the measured game performance is still strong, suggesting the game is not heavily GPU-bound at lower resolutions.

The discrepancy between the GPU's moderate percentile (64) and the combo's high in-game rank (84th percentile) indicates that the CPU's strength compensates for the GPU's relative position. The data suggests that for Minimum, the CPU's capability to drive high frame rates at lower resolutions is more critical than raw GPU compute, which explains the combo's strong overall rank despite the GPU's mid-tier percentile standing.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i7-13700K + AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX can run Minimum with high confidence across most settings, but the data shows a clear limitation at 4K with maximum quality. At 1920x1080, all four tested presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—exceed the 60 FPS threshold, with averages ranging from 160 FPS (Ultra) to 321.3 FPS (Low). This makes 1080p fully playable at any settings level, with the Ultra preset providing the best visual experience at 160 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is equally positive. All presets remain above 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 99.6 FPS, High at 131.8 FPS, Medium at 159.2 FPS, and Low at 210.3 FPS. This resolution offers a strong balance between visual fidelity and performance, with the Ultra preset delivering a comfortable margin over the playable threshold.

The situation changes at 3840x2160. The Ultra preset averages 54.4 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. However, the High preset maintains 74 FPS, Medium reaches 85.8 FPS, and Low achieves 110.5 FPS. The verdict for 4K is that players must use High settings or lower to maintain smooth gameplay. The data indicates that Ultra at 4K is the only configuration that fails the playability criterion, representing a single gap in an otherwise robust performance profile.

The overall assessment is that this combo is highly capable for Minimum, with the caveat that 4K Ultra should be avoided. For players prioritizing maximum visual quality, 1440p Ultra offers the best combination of fidelity and performance, while 1080p provides extreme frame rates for competitive play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low preset achieves 321.3 FPS, Medium reaches 248.2 FPS, High hits 209.3 FPS, and Ultra delivers 160 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decline, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium at 73.1 FPS. The delta between High and Ultra is 49.3 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant additional load on the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 210.3 FPS, Medium at 159.2 FPS, High at 131.8 FPS, and Ultra at 99.6 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p results in reductions of 111 FPS for Low, 89 FPS for Medium, 77.5 FPS for High, and 60.4 FPS for Ultra. These reductions are substantial, showing that resolution has a major impact on performance across all settings.

At 3840x2160, the averages drop further: Low at 110.5 FPS, Medium at 85.8 FPS, High at 74 FPS, and Ultra at 54.4 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K causes reductions of 99.8 FPS for Low, 73.4 FPS for Medium, 57.8 FPS for High, and 45.2 FPS for Ultra. Notably, the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution, while all other presets remain playable.

The data shows that the performance gap between Low and Ultra widens with increasing resolution: at 1080p the gap is 161.3 FPS, at 1440p it is 110.7 FPS, and at 4K it is 56.1 FPS. This indicates that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, reducing the relative impact of settings changes. The min and max FPS values are not provided in the dataset, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 160 FPS. This provides a significant margin over the playable threshold, allowing for maximum visual quality without compromising smoothness. The data shows that even the most demanding settings at 1080p are far above the 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset remains the best choice, averaging 99.6 FPS. This is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, offering a 39.6 FPS cushion. The High preset at 131.8 FPS and Medium at 159.2 FPS are also viable, but Ultra provides the highest visual fidelity while maintaining playable performance.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are High, which averages 74 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays above the 60 FPS threshold, with a 14 FPS margin. The Ultra preset at 54.4 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the playable threshold. Medium at 85.8 FPS and Low at 110.5 FPS offer higher frame rates but with reduced visual quality.

The selection of High as the best 4K setting is notable because it offers a balance between visual quality and performance, with a 19.6 FPS improvement over Ultra. Players seeking higher frame rates at 4K can opt for Medium at 85.8 FPS, but the data suggests High is the optimal choice for those prioritizing visual fidelity while maintaining smooth gameplay.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46,971 (0.2% higher than the i7-13700K's 46,881). The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47,022 (0.3% higher), while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46,654 (0.5% lower). These processors would likely deliver very similar in-game performance, with differences of less than 1% in synthetic benchmarks. The Intel Xeon w3-2535 also scores 46,653 (0.5% lower), indicating comparable CPU capability.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB, which scores 19,334 (0.4% higher than the RX 7900 XTX's 19,410). The NVIDIA Quadro K5200 scores 19,602 (1% lower), and the AMD FirePro D300 scores 19,637 (1.2% lower). The NVIDIA TITAN Xp scores 19,177 (1.2% higher). These GPUs would exhibit very similar performance in Minimum, with differences under 1.5% in average scores.

Given the measured data, swapping the CPU for any of its nearest rivals would produce negligible changes in frame rates, as the i7-13700K is already providing sufficient performance at all tested resolutions. Similarly, replacing the GPU with one of its nearest rivals would result in minor FPS variations, likely less than a few frames per second. The most significant impact would be at 4K Ultra, where the GPU's performance is already borderline; a slightly slower GPU could push the average below 54.4 FPS, while a slightly faster one might approach the 60 FPS threshold.

The benchmark scores suggest that the CPU is relatively stronger compared to its rivals than the GPU is compared to its rivals. This implies that for Minimum, the GPU choice has a more pronounced effect on the playability at 4K Ultra, while the CPU choice has minimal impact across all resolutions. Players with a similar CPU but a slower GPU would see the most noticeable FPS reduction at 4K, whereas those with a similar GPU but slower CPU would experience almost identical performance.