Minimum

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a robust performance profile in Minimum, a third-person shooter released on 2014-06-25. Across the measured resolutions, the combination consistently exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold in most settings, with the data indicating a strong balance between CPU and GPU capabilities. The benchmark results show that this system is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gameplay at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, while 3840x2160 remains viable at moderately demanding presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional frame rates across all presets. The Low setting produces an average of 277 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the entire dataset. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 212 FPS, with a minimum of 180 FPS and a maximum of 244 FPS. High settings yield 178 FPS on average, while Ultra reduces the average to 136 FPS. This scaling shows a predictable performance curve, with each step up in quality costing roughly 40-60 FPS on average. The minimum frame rate at Medium (180 FPS) indicates that even in demanding scenes, the system stays far above any playability concern.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows a clear impact from the increased pixel count. Low settings average 179 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 1080p High result. Medium averages 137 FPS, with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. High settings produce 115 FPS on average, while Ultra drops to 87 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 92 FPS, compared to a 141 FPS gap at 1080p, indicating that the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor as resolution increases. The minimum at Medium (116 FPS) still comfortably clears the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show its limits at the highest preset. Low settings average 96 FPS, which remains highly playable. Medium averages 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS, keeping the experience smooth. High settings average 62 FPS, just above the playable threshold. Ultra, however, drops to an average of 47 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability standard. The data reveals a steep drop-off between High (62 FPS) and Ultra (47 FPS), a 24% reduction in average frame rate, suggesting that the Ultra preset introduces a significant rendering cost at this resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on aggregate benchmark scores, offer a useful context for understanding its performance ceiling. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69288, which is 0.1% higher than the i7-14700K's average of 69355. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, just 0.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875, 0.7% higher. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996, 0.9% higher. These deltas are all within a single percentage point, meaning that in Minimum, swapping the i7-14700K for any of these processors would produce nearly identical frame rates, as the game does not appear to be heavily CPU-bound at the tested settings.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3080 Ti's nearest rivals show a wider spread. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 scores 40377, which is 2% lower than the RTX 3080 Ti's average of 41187. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870, 0.8% lower, while the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB scores 41707, 1.2% higher, and the NVIDIA Tesla M40 scores 41897, 1.7% higher. For gaming in Minimum, the RTX 5070 is the most relevant comparison, as it is a consumer-grade card that would deliver approximately 2% lower performance. The Tesla cards are datacenter-oriented and less applicable to this scenario. In practice, the RTX 3080 Ti's performance is closely matched by these alternatives, with differences unlikely to change the playable settings at any resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance in Minimum, particularly as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (277 FPS) and Ultra (136 FPS) is substantial, but even the lowest result is far above the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at lower settings. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings shows a reduction from 277 to 179 FPS, a 35% drop, which is consistent with GPU-bound behavior. At Ultra settings, the drop from 136 to 87 FPS is 36%, showing similar scaling.

The transition to 3840x2160 amplifies the GPU's role. At Low settings, the average drops from 179 FPS at 1440p to 96 FPS at 4K, a 46% reduction. At Medium, the drop is from 137 to 74 FPS, a 46% reduction. This consistent scaling across resolutions points to the GPU being the limiting factor, as the CPU's performance remains constant regardless of resolution. The fact that the i7-14700K has 20 cores and 28 threads, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, means it is unlikely to bottleneck in a game of this era, even at high frame rates.

The preset scaling also supports this interpretation. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces performance by 51%, while at 4K, the same preset change reduces performance by 51% as well. This linear scaling suggests that the game's rendering load is evenly distributed across quality settings, with the GPU handling the majority of the work. The CPU's role is more pronounced at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 200 FPS, but even then, the measured averages indicate that the i7-14700K can sustain these levels without issue.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested combinations, this system ranks 961 out of 3712 possible combos. This places it in the top 26% of all configurations tested for Minimum. The percentile ranking for the CPU is 94, meaning it outperforms 94% of all CPUs in the benchmark database, while the GPU has a percentile of 83, outperforming 83% of all GPUs. The combination's rank of 961 suggests that while both components are individually strong, the pairing is not at the very top of the list, likely due to the GPU being a generation behind newer offerings.

The data shows that the system is well above the median performance level. With 3712 total combos, a rank of 961 indicates that most other configurations are either newer or use higher-tier components. However, for the specific goal of playing Minimum at 60 FPS or higher, this rank is more than sufficient, as the verdict by resolution confirms that all but one setting combination achieve playable frame rates. The average benchmark score for the CPU is 69355, while the GPU's average is 41187, both of which are strong relative to their respective product lines.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable at 1920x1080?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers an average of 277 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the dataset.

Q: Can this system run the game at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings?

A: No, the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 47 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Which resolution and preset combination yields the lowest minimum FPS that is still playable?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 has a minimum FPS of 63, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold and is the lowest recorded minimum that remains playable.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 Ti compare to the RTX 5070 in aggregate benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 41187, while the RTX 5070 scores 40377, making the RTX 3080 Ti 2% faster.

Q: What is the best preset for 2560x1440 that stays above 60 FPS?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 87 FPS, making it the most demanding setting that comfortably clears the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for performance drops at 4K?

A: The GPU is the primary factor, as the average FPS scales consistently with resolution changes, indicating the RTX 3080 Ti is the limiting component at 3840x2160.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that maintains an average of 136 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. This allows users to enable all visual features without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 87 FPS, which is again the highest quality setting that stays above 60 FPS. The data shows that this resolution can handle the maximum preset with a comfortable margin.

At 3840x2160, the High preset is the most demanding option that stays playable, with an average of 62 FPS. The Medium preset offers a higher average of 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 FPS, making it a safer choice if frame rate consistency is a priority. The Ultra preset, at 47 FPS, is not recommended for this resolution.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum successfully across most configurations. At 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) exceed the 60 FPS threshold, with the lowest average being 136 FPS at Ultra. At 2560x1440, the same applies, with Ultra averaging 87 FPS. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 62 FPS, which is just above the playable threshold, while Low and Medium also remain playable at 96 and 74 FPS respectively. The only non-playable configuration is Ultra at 3840x2160, which averages 47 FPS. Overall, the combination of the i7-14700K and RTX 3080 Ti provides a strong experience, with the best settings per resolution being Ultra at 1080p and 1440p, and High at 4K.