Minimum

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT presents a peculiar study in bottleneck dynamics for Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. The data shows a high-end 2023 CPU paired with a mid-range 2022 GPU, producing a combination that is profoundly limited by the graphics card at higher resolutions. While the processor sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, the GPU is in the 65th percentile, and the measured frame rates reflect this imbalance. The system delivers a smooth 60+ FPS experience at 1080p and 1440p with the right settings, but it stumbles hard at 4K, where only Low settings manage to clear the playable threshold.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?*

A: Yes. The measured average frame rate at 1080p Ultra is 86.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the most demanding setting that achieves 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: High settings at 1440p deliver an average of 74.9 FPS. This is the highest preset that stays above the 60 FPS mark at this resolution.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K (3840x2160) on the highest settings?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate drops to 29.6 FPS, which is far below the playable threshold. Even High settings only produce 36.9 FPS.

Q: What is the only playable setting at 3840x2160?

A: Low settings are the only playable option at 4K, yielding an average of 60.6 FPS. This is just barely above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K's average benchmark score of 69355 is nearly identical to the Ryzen 9 7950X's score of 69515, with a negligible performance difference of -0.2%.

Q: Is there a big performance gap between the RX 6650 XT and its nearest GPU rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K5200?

A: The RX 6650 XT has an average benchmark score of 19765, which is only 0.8% higher than the Quadro K5200's score of 19602, indicating very similar raw performance.

Best Settings per Resolution

The goal is to identify the most demanding preset that still maintains an average of at least 60 FPS. The data shows a clear progression of capability as resolution decreases.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system is severely constrained. The only way to achieve a playable frame rate is to use Low settings, which produce an average of 60.6 FPS. This is a marginal pass, leaving no headroom for demanding scenes. Medium settings drop to 47 FPS, and High settings fall to 36.9 FPS, making them unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves significantly. The most demanding playable preset is High, which delivers a comfortable 74.9 FPS average. This gives the player some buffer above the 60 FPS target. While Medium is also playable at 87.8 FPS, High is the optimal choice for greater visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. Ultra settings, however, fall below the threshold at 56.1 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combination has ample power. The system can handle the Ultra preset, the highest available, at an average of 86.2 FPS. This is well above the playable threshold, indicating that the GPU is no longer the primary limiting factor at this resolution. Lower presets like High (116.9 FPS), Medium (136.6 FPS), and Low (175.7 FPS) all produce exceptionally high frame rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a significant shift in component bottlenecking as resolution changes. At 1080p, the GPU is the primary performance driver, but its limitations are less pronounced. The frame rates are high across all presets, with the gap between Low (175.7 FPS) and Ultra (86.2 FPS) being substantial. This indicates that the CPU, with its high performance, is able to feed the GPU effectively, and the GPU's workload scales directly with the preset demands.

Moving to 1440p, the GPU's workload increases, and its performance becomes the dominant factor. The difference between Low (113.6 FPS) and Ultra (56.1 FPS) is still large, but the absolute numbers are lower than at 1080p. The i7-14700K, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is far from being a bottleneck here; it is the RX 6650 XT that is being pushed harder.

The situation is most pronounced at 4K. Here, the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck. The frame rate drops dramatically from Low (60.6 FPS) to Medium (47 FPS) and High (36.9 FPS). The CPU's role is diminished, as the GPU is simply unable to render the higher resolution details fast enough. This is a classic case of a high-resolution, GPU-limited scenario. The data shows that the i7-14700K provides a stable platform, but the RX 6650 XT's 8 GB of memory and 128-bit bus are insufficient for the demands of 4K at higher presets. The performance scaling between presets is much more severe at 4K, showing the GPU is working at its absolute limit.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the benchmark scores, other hardware would behave similarly in this system. For the CPU, the Intel Core i7-14700K is nearly identical in performance to the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, with a performance difference of only -0.2%. This makes them effectively interchangeable for Minimum. The AMD EPYC 9115 is also a very close match, with just a 0.1% difference in average score. Any of these processors would provide the same level of headroom for the RX 6650 XT.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT has several close rivals. The NVIDIA Quadro K5200 is the closest, with a score 0.8% higher, meaning it would likely perform nearly identically in this game. Similarly, the AMD FirePro D300 is 0.7% behind, and the NVIDIA Tesla K40m is 0.6% behind, all within a negligible margin. These cards would all be expected to hit the same frame rates as the RX 6650 XT at the same settings. In contrast, the AMD FirePro W7000 is 0.7% slower, making it a slightly weaker alternative. These comparisons highlight that the system's performance is very much defined by the GPU's capabilities, and swapping in any of these rivals would not change the overall verdict.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data points are the measured average frame rates for this specific component combination. No minimum or maximum frame rate data is available, so only the averages are presented.

• 3840x2160 (4K)
• High: Average 36.9 FPS
• Low: Average 60.6 FPS
• Medium: Average 47.0 FPS
• Ultra: Average 29.6 FPS

• 2560x1440 (1440p)
• High: Average 74.9 FPS
• Low: Average 113.6 FPS
• Medium: Average 87.8 FPS
• Ultra: Average 56.1 FPS

• 1920x1080 (1080p)
• High: Average 116.9 FPS
• Low: Average 175.7 FPS
• Medium: Average 136.6 FPS
• Ultra: Average 86.2 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern. As resolution decreases, frame rates increase for every preset. The jump from 4K to 1440p is particularly large, with even High settings nearly doubling from 36.9 FPS to 74.9 FPS. The 1440p to 1080p jump is also significant, though less dramatic. This indicates that the RX 6650 XT is the primary constraint, and resolution scaling is the most effective way to achieve higher frame rates.

The Verdict

The question is whether this PC can run Minimum. The verdict is yes, but with important caveats. According to the verdictByResolution data, the system is fully playable at 1080p and 1440p.

• At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable. The best experience is at Ultra settings, which maintains an average of 86.2 FPS, well above the 60 FPS threshold. This is the resolution to use for the optimal experience.
• At 2560x1440, three of the four presets are playable: High, Medium, and Low. High is the best choice, delivering 74.9 FPS. Ultra settings are not recommended, as they fail to hit the 60 FPS target.
• At 3840x2160, only Low settings are playable, with an average of 60.6 FPS. This is a marginal result and does not provide a comfortable margin for gameplay. High and Medium are not playable.

This system can run Minimum well, but its capability is contingent on resolution and settings. It is a strong performer at 1080p, a good performer at 1440p, and a marginal performer at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of an Intel Core i7-14700K and an AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks 2412 out of 3712 tested combos for Minimum. This puts it in the lower half of all tested configurations.

This ranking is interesting because it places the system below what the CPU's high percentile would suggest. The i7-14700K is in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, but the overall combo is ranked 2412th. This strongly implies that the RX 6650 XT, ranked in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, is the limiting factor. The ranking suggests that many other combinations, likely with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs, would achieve higher frame rates in this game. The data points to a strategy where the GPU is the more critical component for this title. The high-ranking CPU is essentially providing a stable, fast foundation, but the GPU's performance determines the final outcome.