Minimum

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a 14th-gen desktop CPU and a 30-series GPU combination tested against the 2014 third-person shooter Minimum. The data shows a strong performer at standard resolutions, with the GPU acting as the primary scaling factor across settings. This analysis walks through the measured FPS, component roles, and actionable settings based exclusively on the provided benchmark results.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69,355, placing it at the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in average score include the AMD EPYC 9115 at 69,288 (0.1% faster), the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 69,515 (0.2% slower), the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69,875 (0.7% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F at 69,996 (0.9% slower). In practical terms, any of these processors would deliver nearly identical performance in Minimum, as the score differences are within 1% — negligible for gameplay. The Ryzen 9 7950X is the closest direct consumer alternative, while the EPYC 9115 is a server-class chip that would behave similarly in this title.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16,129 and sits at the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 9060 at 16,014 (0.7% slower), the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M at 16,351 (1.4% faster), the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT at 16,361 (1.4% faster), and the AMD Radeon R9 370X at 15,862 (1.7% slower). The RX 5700 XT and Radeon Pro 5600M are the closest performance matches, meaning a system with either would produce nearly identical frame rates. The R9 370X, despite being an older part, is only 1.7% behind, so it would also keep up in this game.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 60 FPS on 1080p?*

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, all four tested presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — exceed the 60 FPS threshold. The lowest is Ultra at 84.7 FPS average, and the highest is Low at 173 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p?

A: The best playable preset at 2560x1440 is High, with an average of 68.9 FPS. Medium and Low also clear 60 FPS (85.2 and 112 FPS respectively), but Ultra falls below at 52.4 FPS.

Q: Is 4K playable on this combination?

A: No. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The highest average is at Low settings with 58.2 FPS, which is just under the playable threshold. High, Medium, and Ultra produce 36.9, 45.5, and 27.8 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i7-14700K's average score of 69,355 is within 0.9% of its four closest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is 0.9% faster, while the AMD EPYC 9115 is 0.1% faster; the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is 0.2% slower, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX is 0.7% slower.

Q: How does the GPU rank against its nearest competitors?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti's average score of 16,129 is within 1.7% of its nearest rivals. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is 0.7% slower, the AMD Radeon R9 370X is 1.7% slower, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT are each 1.4% faster.

Q: What is the overall rank of this combo in the benchmark database?

A: This CPU-GPU combination ranks 2,593 out of 3,712 tested combos for Minimum, placing it in the lower portion of the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a full picture across three resolutions and four settings presets. All figures are average FPS; minimum and maximum values were not recorded.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings deliver 173 FPS, Medium produces 129.2 FPS, High gives 109.4 FPS, and Ultra yields 84.7 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a drop of 88.3 FPS, or roughly 51% of the Low value. Every preset clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin, with even the most demanding setting 24.7 FPS above the playable mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but drops notably. Low settings average 112 FPS, Medium hits 85.2 FPS, High achieves 68.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 52.4 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces average FPS by approximately 35-36% across all presets (e.g., High drops from 109.4 to 68.9, a 40.5 FPS decrease). At this resolution, Ultra is the only preset that fails to reach 60 FPS, sitting 7.6 FPS below the threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. Low settings produce 58.2 FPS, just shy of playability. Medium averages 45.5 FPS, High drops to 36.9 FPS, and Ultra yields 27.8 FPS. The 4K resolution causes a massive performance hit relative to 1440p: Low drops from 112 to 58.2 FPS (53.8 FPS loss), and High falls from 68.9 to 36.9 FPS (32 FPS loss). None of the 4K presets reach the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution unplayable for this combo.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step up (1080p to 1440p to 4K) imposes a roughly 40-50% performance penalty, while each settings step up (Low to Medium to High to Ultra) imposes about 15-25% penalty. The GPU's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus are clearly taxed at higher resolutions.

The Verdict

The verdict is clear based on the playable threshold of 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, this PC can run Minimum at all four tested presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — with the highest preset (Ultra) averaging 84.7 FPS. This is a fully playable experience with headroom for any settings combination.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable at three presets: High (68.9 FPS), Medium (85.2 FPS), and Low (112 FPS). The Ultra preset falls short at 52.4 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold. For 1440p gaming, users should stick to High or lower for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot maintain 60 FPS at any preset. The closest is Low at 58.2 FPS, which is 1.8 FPS below the playable mark. High, Medium, and Ultra produce 36.9, 45.5, and 27.8 FPS respectively, all unplayable. The verdict is that this combo is not viable for 4K in Minimum.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the CPU and GPU split responsibilities across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the CPU has more room to influence performance, but the GPU still dominates. The FPS range from Low (173) to Ultra (84.7) shows a 88.3 FPS spread, indicating that GPU load scales heavily with settings. The Core i7-14700K, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is unlikely to be a bottleneck at this resolution — its 94th percentile CPU ranking and strong Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33,440.5 suggest ample headroom.

At 2560x1440, the GPU's role increases. The FPS spread from Low (112) to Ultra (52.4) is 59.6 FPS, and the average drop from 1080p is about 35%. This indicates that the RTX 3060 Ti is being pushed harder, while the CPU's contribution stays constant. The GPU's 16.20 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are the limiting factors at this resolution, as evidenced by Ultra falling below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the sole bottleneck. The FPS range from Low (58.2) to Ultra (27.8) is 30.4 FPS, but even Low cannot reach 60 FPS. The CPU's performance is effectively irrelevant here — the GPU's 8 GB memory and 256-bit bus are saturated. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 50% performance drop, typical of memory bandwidth limitations. The data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield the largest gains at 4K, while the CPU would remain sufficient.

Cross-referencing the resolution scaling, the delta between 1080p and 1440p is roughly 35%, and between 1440p and 4K is roughly 50%. This non-linear scaling points to the GPU's memory subsystem as the key constraint at higher resolutions. The CPU's role is minimal beyond 1080p.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 84.7 FPS. This is the optimal choice for maximum visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the playable threshold.

For 2560x1440, the best setting is High, which averages 68.9 FPS. This is the highest preset that clears 60 FPS; Ultra drops to 52.4 FPS. Users can choose High for a good balance, or Medium (85.2 FPS) for higher frame rates.

For 3840x2160, there is no playable preset. The closest is Low at 58.2 FPS, which is just below the threshold. The verdict data confirms no playable settings at this resolution, so the recommendation is to drop to 1440p or lower the resolution further.

How This Combo Ranks

This Intel Core i7-14700K + RTX 3060 Ti combination ranks 2,593 out of 3,712 tested combos for Minimum, placing it in the 30th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-tier status (59th percentile among GPUs) rather than the CPU's high-end position (94th percentile). The combination is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p play, but its overall rank indicates that many other combos — likely with more powerful GPUs — achieve higher FPS, particularly at 4K. The CPU's nearest rivals all score within 0.9%, so the ranking is driven by GPU performance. For this game, the RTX 3060 Ti is the limiting factor, and users seeking better 4K performance would need a stronger GPU to move up the ranks.