Minimum

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2969 out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum. That places this build in the lower third of the database, which is striking given the CPU's strength. The i7-14700F sits at the 91st percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs. The gap between those two positions is the central story here: this is a processor with massive headroom paired with a graphics card that becomes the limiting factor in almost every scenario. In a game like Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, the recorded data shows that the GPU is the dominant constraint, and the rank reflects that imbalance.

The combo rank itself is not a measure of absolute failure. At 1080p, this system clears 60 FPS at every preset tested. But the database ranks combos across all games and all resolutions, and Minimum at 4K drags the aggregate down. The 3840x2160 results are uniformly below the 60 FPS threshold, with the best preset at that resolution producing only 53.1 FPS on Low. That single resolution class is enough to push the rank toward the bottom quartile. Benchmark results indicate that the CPU has more than enough compute for this title; the RTX 2060's 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are the practical ceiling.

What is interesting is how close the nearest rival combos are in aggregate score. The Xeon 6505P, the Xeon Phi 7290, the Ryzen 9 7900X, and the EPYC 7313P all sit within 0.8% of the i7-14700F's average benchmark score. That tells us the CPU is in a tightly packed performance band despite its high percentile ranking. The GPU side is even tighter: the GTX 580, Radeon 680M, RTX 3050 OEM, and RX 7600 all sit within 0.8% of the RTX 2060's average score. For Minimum specifically, the measured FPS varies more than those aggregate scores suggest, because the game's engine is sensitive to the specific rendering features each GPU supports.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear division of labor in Minimum. At 1920x1080, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU well beyond what the RTX 2060 can render. The Low preset at 1080p produces 157.5 FPS, which is the highest recorded number in the entire measured set. That number is likely close to the engine's practical limit for this CPU, but it also shows the GPU is not the bottleneck at low settings. At High settings, 1080p drops to 98.6 FPS, and at Ultra it drops to 76.3 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 81.2 FPS swing, which indicates the GPU is doing progressively more work as settings rise.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low produces 97.5 FPS, which is 60 FPS lower than the same preset at 1080p. High produces 62.2 FPS, Medium produces 75.3 FPS, and Ultra drops to 47.6 FPS. The resolution jump from 1080p to 1440p increases pixel count by roughly 1.78 times, and the FPS drops across presets reflect that load. At 1440p, the GPU is clearly the limiting component. The CPU's single-thread and multi-thread scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and a single-core score of 4958, are far beyond what a 2014 title requires.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the bottleneck. Even Low settings produce only 53.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 27.2 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 25.9 FPS drop, which is proportionally smaller than at lower resolutions. That suggests the GPU is saturated even at the lowest settings. The RTX 2060's 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs are simply not enough to push 8.3 million pixels per frame at high rates. The CPU's role at 4K is almost negligible; the recorded data shows no scenario where the i7-14700F would be the first component to fail.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 76.3 FPS. This is the best case for the combo: maximum visual quality and a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The database records no min or max FPS values for any preset, so the analysis relies on averages. Still, 76.3 FPS at Ultra indicates the RTX 2060 has enough headroom at 1080p to handle the game's heaviest settings.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that clears 60 FPS is High, with an average of 62.2 FPS. That is a slim margin, only 2.2 FPS above the threshold. Medium at 1440p runs at 75.3 FPS, which is safer but visually less demanding. Ultra at 1440p falls to 47.6 FPS, below the playable threshold. For users who prioritize stability, Medium is the better choice at 1440p, but High does technically meet the 60 FPS requirement.

At 3840x2160, no preset clears 60 FPS. The best result is Low at 53.1 FPS, which is 6.9 FPS short of the threshold. The verdictByResolution data confirms that 4K has no playable settings. Users who want to run Minimum at 4K with this combo would need to accept frame rates below the playable threshold, or reduce the resolution. Since the database records no settings beyond Low, Medium, High, and Ultra, there is no lower preset to try.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database are all within a narrow band. The Intel Xeon 6505P has an average score of 53701, which is 0.2% lower than the i7-14700F's 53620. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 scores 53469, 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X scores 53288, 0.6% higher. The AMD EPYC 7313P scores 53206, 0.8% higher. For Minimum, any of these CPUs would likely produce nearly identical frame rates because the game is not CPU-bound at the resolutions tested. The i7-14700F's 20 cores and 28 threads are far more than this game can utilize.

The GPU's nearest rivals are similarly close. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has an average score of 15283, essentially identical to the RTX 2060's 15290, with a delta of 0%. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, 0.1% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, 0.6% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, 0.8% higher. In Minimum, these GPUs would produce very similar FPS at each resolution and preset. The GTX 580 is an interesting comparison because it lacks the RTX 2060's newer architecture features, yet its aggregate score is effectively identical. That suggests Minimum's rendering workload does not benefit heavily from the RTX 2060's Turing-specific capabilities.

Users considering an upgrade path should note that the CPU has substantial headroom. Swapping the GPU for a faster model would improve Minimum's performance at 1440p and 4K, while keeping the same CPU would not introduce a bottleneck. Conversely, upgrading the CPU while keeping the RTX 2060 would yield almost no benefit in this game, because the GPU is already the limiting factor at every resolution above 1080p Low.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the recorded averages are: Low 157.5 FPS, Medium 118.9 FPS, High 98.6 FPS, and Ultra 76.3 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 81.2 FPS, which is the largest range of any resolution. This is the only resolution where all four presets exceed 60 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 38.6 FPS drop, from Medium to High is a 20.3 FPS drop, and from High to Ultra is a 22.3 FPS drop. The diminishing returns are not linear; the engine appears to scale settings in a way that hits the GPU harder at each tier.

At 2560x1440, the recorded averages are: Low 97.5 FPS, Medium 75.3 FPS, High 62.2 FPS, and Ultra 47.6 FPS. The spread is 49.9 FPS. Low, Medium, and High clear the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra does not. The margin at High is narrow at 2.2 FPS above the threshold. The drop from High to Ultra is 14.6 FPS, which is the largest single-step decline at this resolution. That indicates Ultra settings introduce a significant additional load, likely from shadow quality or post-processing effects.

At 3840x2160, the recorded averages are: Low 53.1 FPS, Medium 41.5 FPS, High 34.2 FPS, and Ultra 27.2 FPS. The spread is 25.9 FPS, the smallest of any resolution. No preset clears 60 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is an 11.6 FPS drop, from Medium to High is a 7.3 FPS drop, and from High to Ultra is a 7.0 FPS drop. The relatively even steps suggest the GPU is fully saturated and each settings tier adds a similar incremental cost.

The database records no minimum or maximum FPS values for any combination. All figures are averages. That means frame time consistency cannot be assessed from this data. Users who experience stuttering or hitches would need to test manually, but the average FPS numbers indicate the combo is generally smooth where it clears the threshold.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Minimum? Yes, but only at 1080p and 1440p. At 1920x1080, the verdictByResolution data lists High, Low, Medium, and Ultra as playable, with Ultra running at 76.3 FPS as the best setting. At 2560x1440, High, Low, and Medium are playable, with High running at 62.2 FPS as the best setting. At 3840x2160, the playableSettings array is empty, meaning no preset reaches 60 FPS. The best 4K result is Low at 53.1 FPS, which is 6.9 FPS below the threshold.

For a game released in 2014, this is a mixed result. The CPU is massively overqualified; the i7-14700F's 91st percentile ranking among CPUs means it could handle far more demanding titles. The GPU is the weak link, and its 58th percentile ranking among GPUs aligns with the observed 4K failure. At 1080p, this combo delivers a thoroughly playable experience with headroom at every preset. At 1440p, it is playable on High but not on Ultra. At 4K, it is not playable at any setting.

The practical takeaway is that this combo is best used at 1080p with Ultra settings or at 1440p with High settings. Users who own a 4K display would need to lower the resolution or upgrade the GPU. The RTX 2060's 6 GB memory is sufficient for this game, but the raw compute is not enough for 4K. The data does not indicate any CPU-related limitation; every FPS figure in the measured set is GPU-bound.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for Minimum at 1920x1080 with this combo?

A: Ultra is the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS, with an average of 76.3 FPS.

Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 2560x1440?

A: Yes, but only up to High settings, which averages 62.2 FPS. Medium averages 75.3 FPS, and Low averages 97.5 FPS. Ultra falls below the threshold at 47.6 FPS.

Q: Is Minimum playable at 3840x2160 with the RTX 2060 and i7-14700F?

A: No. The best 4K result is Low at 53.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. No 4K preset clears 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rival, the GTX 580?

A: The GTX 580 has an average benchmark score of 15283, which is 0% different from the RTX 2060's 15290. In Minimum, the two GPUs would likely produce very similar frame rates.

Q: Is the i7-14700F or the RTX 2060 the bottleneck in Minimum?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions above 1080p Low. The CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.8% of its average score, and Minimum is not CPU-bound at any tested preset.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems in Minimum?

A: The combo ranks 2969 out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the lower third of the database.