Minimum

The Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination delivers a resounding yes for running Minimum: this system clears the 60 FPS playable threshold at every tested resolution, including 4K Ultra. The data shows a performance curve that favors high refresh rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, while 4K remains viable with settings adjustments.

FAQ

*Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in Minimum?*

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 277, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the Ultra preset, the same resolution still produces an average of 136 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 Ti's 12 GB VRAM capacity a limiting factor at 4K?

A: The data does not indicate VRAM limitations. At 3840x2160, the combo delivers playable average FPS of 62 on High and 74 on Medium, with the 12 GB GDDR6X memory providing a 912.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i7-14700F scores 35,122 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 14,751 in R20 multicore. It ranks within 0.8% of its closest rival, the AMD EPYC 7313P, and is 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X in average benchmark score.

Q: Which preset offers the best balance of visual quality and FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 87 FPS, which is the best playable setting. For higher frame rates, the High preset yields 115 FPS, and the Low preset reaches 179 FPS.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded across all tested settings?

A: The lowest average FPS is 47, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the only tested configuration that falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does this CPU's single-core performance rank?

A: The Core i7-14700F scores 4,958 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 2,429 in Geekbench single-core, placing it in the 91st percentile against all CPUs.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data for Minimum reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system is heavily GPU-bound, as evidenced by the dramatic FPS scaling with settings: the average FPS jumps from 136 at Ultra to 277 at Low. This 141 FPS swing is attributable to the GPU's workload, with the RTX 3080 Ti's 34.10 TFLOPS FP32 performance being the primary driver. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, provides ample headroom, as its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35,122 ensures it does not bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU's role intensifies. The average FPS at Ultra drops to 87, a 49 FPS decrease from the 1080p Ultra figure. This scaling is consistent with the increased pixel count, which places more strain on the GPU's 10240 shading units and 112 ROPs. The CPU's influence remains secondary, as the performance delta between Low (179 FPS) and Ultra (87 FPS) is still substantial, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's dominance becomes absolute. The Ultra preset averages 47 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold, while High averages 62 FPS and Medium averages 74 FPS. This 4K data shows that the RTX 3080 Ti's 912.4 GB/s memory bandwidth and 80 RT cores are the critical components. The CPU's role diminishes further, as the gap between Low (96 FPS) and Ultra (47 FPS) represents a 49 FPS spread, all attributable to GPU workload. The Core i7-14700F's 5.40 GHz boost clock and 33 MB L3 cache are more than sufficient for the game's CPU demands at any resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system exhibits exceptional performance. The Low preset produces an average of 277 FPS. The Medium preset averages 212 FPS, with a minimum of 180 FPS and a maximum of 244 FPS. The High preset averages 178 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 136 FPS. All 1080p configurations exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold by a wide margin.

The 2560x1440 results show a step down but remain highly playable. Low settings average 179 FPS, while Medium averages 137 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. The High preset delivers an average of 115 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 87 FPS, which is 49 FPS lower than the 1080p Ultra result, demonstrating the resolution's impact on GPU load.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens. The Low preset averages 96 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS. The High preset averages 62 FPS, which is only 2 FPS above the playable threshold. The Ultra preset averages 47 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold. This 4K data indicates that the RTX 3080 Ti, while powerful, requires settings management to maintain a consistent 60 FPS experience at this resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the Intel Core i7-14700F, the nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the Intel Xeon 6505P, which scores 53,701 and is 0.2% slower, and the Intel Xeon Phi 7290, which scores 53,469 and is 0.3% faster. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X scores 53,288 and is 0.6% slower, while the AMD EPYC 7313P scores 53,206 and is 0.8% slower. These alternative CPUs would produce similar frame rates in Minimum, as the game's CPU demands are modest relative to the i7-14700F's capabilities.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5300, which scores 40,870 and is 0.8% faster, and the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB, which scores 41,707 and is 1.2% slower. The NVIDIA Tesla M40 scores 41,897 and is 1.7% slower, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 scores 40,377 and is 2% faster. These GPUs would offer comparable performance in Minimum, with the RTX 5070 potentially providing a slight edge in GPU-bound scenarios like 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 961 out of 3,712 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the top 25.9% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the system's strong performance across all resolutions. The CPU's 91st percentile standing among all CPUs and the GPU's 83rd percentile among all GPUs contribute to this high placement. The data indicates that this combo is well-balanced for this game, with the CPU's single-thread score of 4,958 in Cinebench R23 and the GPU's 26,896 Passmark G3D score working in concert.

The rank suggests that while there are faster combinations, this system offers a substantial performance margin over the majority of tested hardware. The 4K Ultra result of 47 FPS is the only data point that pulls the combo down, but the 1440p Ultra result of 87 FPS and the 1080p Ultra result of 136 FPS demonstrate the system's capability in more common gaming scenarios.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum successfully at every resolution tested. At 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear the 60 FPS threshold, with the Ultra preset delivering an average of 136 FPS. At 2560x1440, the system also clears 60 FPS on all presets, with the Ultra preset averaging 87 FPS and the High preset averaging 115 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is conditional on settings. The High preset averages 62 FPS, the Medium preset averages 74 FPS, and the Low preset averages 96 FPS, all of which clear the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Ultra preset averages 47 FPS, which is below the threshold. Therefore, for 4K gaming, the best playable setting is High, which achieves 62 FPS. The data confirms that this hardware combination is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, and it remains viable for 4K with minor settings adjustments.