Minimum

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combination in Minimum?

A: 1920x1080 is the strongest resolution, with every preset clearing the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra averages 90 FPS, which is the highest playable preset recorded at any resolution.

Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings. The measured 3840x2160 Low preset averages 67.2 FPS. Medium drops to 50.4 FPS, High to 44.9 FPS, and Ultra to 34.9 FPS, all below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How much performance does the Ultra preset cost compared to Low at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low averages 121.5 FPS while Ultra averages 58.9 FPS. That is a drop of 62.6 FPS, meaning Ultra demands roughly half the frame rate of Low.

Q: Which component is more likely to bottleneck in this game?

A: The data points to the GPU as the limiting factor. The CPU, an Intel Core i7-14700K, ranks in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 2070 SUPER sits in the 65th percentile for GPUs. The measured FPS scaling across resolutions follows GPU load patterns more than CPU capability.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER still competitive in this game?

A: For 1080p and 1440p, yes. The GPU delivers 90 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 75.7 FPS at 1440p High. At 4K, it only maintains playability at Low settings, suggesting the card is more suited to lower resolutions for this title.

Q: What settings should be avoided entirely?

A: At 3840x2160, avoid Medium, High, and Ultra because all fall below 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, avoid Ultra since it averages 58.9 FPS, just under the threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Raptor Lake refresh line, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it in the 94th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69355. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, based on the Turing architecture with 2560 shading units, ranks in the 65th percentile among GPUs, averaging 20282 in benchmarks.

In Minimum, the measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern: the GPU becomes the dominant factor as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 189.2 FPS on Low settings, which is more than double the 4K Low result of 67.2 FPS. This scaling difference shows that the CPU has ample headroom at lower resolutions, while the GPU struggles to maintain frame rates as pixel count rises.

Between 1440p and 4K, the gap widens further. At Medium settings, the drop from 94.4 FPS at 2560x1440 to 50.4 FPS at 3840x2160 represents a 46.6% loss. The same pattern appears at High settings: 75.7 FPS at 1440p versus 44.9 FPS at 4K. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are increasingly insufficient at 4K, even though the CPU remains one of the strongest available.

The preset scaling also points to GPU sensitivity. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 99.2 FPS (from 189.2 to 90). At 1440p, the same preset change costs 62.6 FPS. At 4K, the cost is 32.3 FPS (from 67.2 to 34.9). The diminishing absolute drop at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is already near its limit, and preset changes have less relative impact when the base frame rate is lower.

Notably, the CPU's closest rivals in benchmark scores include the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.2% lower score) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.7% lower). These differences are minimal, implying that any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical results in Minimum when paired with the same GPU. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the Intel Arc B570 and Arc A750, show 1.3% and 1.5% lower scores respectively, suggesting that swapping to those cards would yield similar frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong performance across all presets. Low settings average 189.2 FPS, Medium averages 145.9 FPS, High averages 121.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 90 FPS. All presets clear the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin, with even the most demanding setting nearly 50% above the playable line.

At 2560x1440, performance remains solid but starts to show strain. Low settings average 121.5 FPS, Medium averages 94.4 FPS, and High averages 75.7 FPS. Ultra drops to 58.9 FPS, falling just below the 60 FPS threshold. The difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is 16.8 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional graphical load is significant.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low settings average 67.2 FPS, barely clearing the threshold. Medium averages 50.4 FPS, High averages 44.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 34.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 16.8 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 10 FPS. Every preset above Low fails to reach playable frame rates.

The recorded data shows no min or max FPS values, only averages. This means the analysis relies on mean performance, which can hide stutter or frame time spikes. However, the average values across 12 measured configurations provide a consistent picture of scaling.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Minimum? Yes, with clear limitations depending on resolution.

At 1920x1080, the answer is a definitive yes. All four presets exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 90 FPS. This is the only resolution where the most demanding settings are fully playable.

At 2560x1440, the answer is yes for most presets. High, Medium, and Low all clear 60 FPS, with High averaging 75.7 FPS. Ultra is the exception, averaging 58.9 FPS, which sits just under the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the answer is conditional. Only Low settings achieve 60 FPS, averaging 67.2 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below the threshold, making 4K gaming viable only with reduced graphical fidelity.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p offers full freedom, 1440p offers partial freedom, and 4K requires compromise. For players prioritizing visual quality, 1080p Ultra is the best choice. For those targeting higher resolutions, 1440p High provides the best balance of fidelity and frame rate.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i7-14700K's nearest rivals in CPU benchmark scores are the AMD EPYC 9115 (0.1% higher score), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.2% higher), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.7% higher), and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.9% higher). All four CPUs would behave nearly identically in Minimum when paired with the RTX 2070 SUPER, with differences too small to affect the measured FPS.

On the GPU side, the RTX 2070 SUPER's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (1% lower score), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (1.2% lower), Intel Arc B570 (1.3% lower), and Intel Arc A750 (1.5% lower). These alternatives would produce frame rates within a few percent of the RTX 2070 SUPER in Minimum. The RTX 3070 Mobile is particularly relevant, as it represents a newer architecture but similar overall performance in this game.

For a system builder considering alternatives, swapping the CPU to a Ryzen 9 7950X or Ryzen 7 9700F would yield essentially the same results. Swapping the GPU to an Intel Arc A750 would also maintain similar performance, though the 4K Low result might shift slightly below or above the 67.2 FPS mark depending on driver overhead.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 90 FPS. This is the optimal choice for players who want maximum visual quality without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding playable preset is High, averaging 75.7 FPS. Ultra is not viable here because it averages 58.9 FPS, falling below the threshold. High provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while offering better visuals than Medium.

At 3840x2160, the only playable preset is Low, averaging 67.2 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at this resolution. Players at 4K must accept Low settings to maintain smooth gameplay.

The optimal configuration depends on the player's display. For 1080p monitors, use Ultra. For 1440p monitors, use High. For 4K monitors, use Low. Each of these settings provides the highest fidelity possible while keeping the average FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination ranks 2128 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places the pairing in the 57th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 43% of tested combos perform better.

This mid-pack ranking makes sense given the components. The CPU is top-tier (94th percentile), but the GPU is only mid-range (65th percentile). In a game like Minimum, where resolution scaling heavily favors GPU performance, the combo's overall position is dragged down by the graphics card.

Compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the combo would perform similarly to systems using an RTX 3070 Mobile or Intel Arc A750. Compared to the CPU's nearest rivals, the combo would perform nearly identically to systems using a Ryzen 9 7950X or Ryzen 7 9700F with the same GPU.

For players already owning this hardware, the ranking suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield larger gains than upgrading the CPU. The CPU has significant headroom, as evidenced by its high percentile ranking and the FPS scaling patterns across resolutions. The GPU, however, is the bottleneck at 4K and even at 1440p Ultra. Swapping the RTX 2070 SUPER for a stronger card would likely push the combo well above the 2128 rank, while a CPU swap would produce minimal improvement.