Minimum

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. Benchmark data confirms this combination is far beyond what the game requires, with all tested settings at every resolution exceeding the 60 FPS playable threshold. The only scenario where performance dips to exactly that threshold is at 4K with Ultra settings, where the average FPS is precisely 60. Across lower resolutions and less demanding presets, the headroom is substantial, making this a combination that will not struggle with this title under any measurable condition.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the RTX 4080 SUPER produces an average of 79 FPS on High settings. Dropping to Medium yields an average of 94 FPS, with a minimum of 80 FPS and a maximum of 108 FPS. Low settings push the average to 123 FPS, while the most demanding Ultra preset lands at exactly 60 FPS average, which is the playable threshold. The data shows a clear scaling pattern: each step down from Ultra to High to Medium to Low adds roughly 19 to 29 FPS on average, indicating the GPU has ample headroom even at this high resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), the performance becomes significantly higher. High settings deliver an average of 147 FPS, while Medium averages 175 FPS with a minimum of 149 FPS and a maximum of 201 FPS. Low settings reach an average of 228 FPS, and Ultra settings still maintain a strong 112 FPS average. The jump from 4K to 1440p improves average frame rates by 68 to 105 FPS depending on the preset, showing that resolution scaling heavily favors this configuration.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the results are extraordinary. Low settings produce an average of 354 FPS, which is the highest recorded number in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 271 FPS with a minimum of 230 FPS and a maximum of 312 FPS. High settings average 228 FPS, and Ultra settings average 173 FPS. The minimum frame rate at 1080p Medium is 230 FPS, which is higher than the average FPS at 1440p Ultra, demonstrating how resolution dominates the performance envelope here.

The data lacks min/max values for several presets, particularly at High, Low, and Ultra settings at all resolutions. However, the available Medium preset data shows consistent frame pacing: at 4K, the spread between min and max is 28 FPS, at 1440p it is 52 FPS, and at 1080p it is 82 FPS. This suggests that lower resolutions allow the hardware to push frame rates higher with greater variance, but even the minimums remain far above playable thresholds.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69355, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are extremely close in performance. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69288, which is only 0.1% lower. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, representing a 0.2% difference in favor of the rival. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875, which is 0.7% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996, which is 0.9% higher. These deltaPct values are all within 1%, meaning any of these processors would produce virtually identical frame rates in Minimum, which is not a CPU-intensive title.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54209, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, with a score of 54247, a delta of -0.1% (meaning the RTX 4080 is marginally faster). The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, which is 2.7% higher, and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, which is 2.8% higher. All of these alternatives would deliver essentially the same FPS in Minimum, as the game is old enough that even much weaker GPUs would hit the 60 FPS threshold easily.

The practical takeaway is that any of these rival components would behave nearly identically. The performance differences are within the margin of measurement error, so a system with an RTX 4080 instead of the SUPER variant, for example, would show the same playable settings and similar average FPS at every resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves exactly 60 FPS on average. This is the highest preset available, so the combination can run the game at maximum visual quality at 4K. The data shows that High settings offer 79 FPS if you prefer extra headroom, but Ultra is technically playable.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 112 FPS. This gives significant margin above the 60 FPS threshold, so there is no need to compromise on visual quality. Even the most demanding preset leaves nearly double the required performance.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is again the best choice, delivering an average of 173 FPS. This is nearly three times the playable threshold, making the experience exceptionally smooth on any high-refresh-rate monitor. There is no scenario where this combination fails to hit 60 FPS, so users should always select Ultra for the best visuals.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combination run Minimum at 4K with Ultra settings?*

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 60 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which exactly meets the playable threshold of 60 FPS. It is playable, but there is no headroom for frame drops.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K?

A: At Low settings, 1080p averages 354 FPS compared to 123 FPS at 4K, which is roughly 2.9 times faster. At Ultra settings, 1080p averages 173 FPS versus 60 FPS at 4K, about 2.9 times faster as well.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER significantly better than the RTX 4080 for this game?

A: No. The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, which is only 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER's 54209. In Minimum, this would translate to a negligible FPS difference, likely 1-2 FPS at most.

Q: What is the worst-case frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 80 FPS, which occurs at 4K with Medium settings. This is still 20 FPS above the playable threshold, indicating no stutter issues.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: Unlikely. The Intel Core i7-14700K scores in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and Minimum is not a demanding title. The GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, but at 1080p both components have enormous headroom.

Q: What settings should I use for a 144Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings average 112 FPS at 2560x1440, which is below 144 FPS. To maximize refresh rate usage, High settings average 147 FPS, which covers a 144Hz display more consistently.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 4K produces dramatic FPS changes, indicating the GPU is the primary performance driver. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 354 at 1080p to 228 at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and further to 123 at 4K (a 65% reduction from 1080p). This pattern holds across all presets: at Ultra, the averages are 173, 112, and 60 for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively.

The CPU's role is secondary but not negligible. The Intel Core i7-14700K has 20 cores and 28 threads, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, which is far more than enough for a 2014 title. The benchmark scores support this: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5 and a single-core score of 2160 place it well above any likely requirement. The fact that the game runs at 354 FPS at 1080p Low without apparent CPU limitation suggests that the processor is not a bottleneck at any resolution.

At 4K, the GPU's workload increases significantly, as shown by the FPS drop from 123 at Low to 60 at Ultra. This 51% reduction in performance is entirely attributable to GPU rendering load, as the CPU workload does not change with settings. At 1080p, the GPU is still the limiting factor, but the gap between presets is smaller in percentage terms: from 354 at Low to 173 at Ultra, a 51% reduction, which is identical to 4K. This consistency indicates that the GPU handles the scaling uniformly, while the CPU provides stable frame delivery without introducing variance.

The practical implication is that users should not worry about CPU upgrades for this game. The data shows the i7-14700K is more than sufficient, and any of its nearest rivals (all within 0.9% performance) would perform the same. The RTX 4080 SUPER is the component that determines playable settings, and it is powerful enough to max out the game at every resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination ranks 311th out of 3712 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the top 8.4% of all systems tested, which is a strong result given that the game is from 2014 and many newer, more powerful components exist.

This ranking is influenced by the fact that Minimum is not a demanding title, so even mid-range modern hardware can achieve high frame rates. The combo's 311th position reflects that there are 310 other combinations that perform better, likely featuring newer flagship GPUs or CPUs with higher benchmark scores. However, the absolute performance is so high that the ranking difference is academic: this combo already exceeds the 60 FPS threshold at Ultra settings at 4K, which is the maximum possible configuration.

The percentile data reinforces this view. The CPU sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The combination of two high-percentile components results in a system that is overkill for Minimum. The data shows that even at the most demanding settings (4K Ultra), the average FPS is exactly 60, meaning there is no scenario where this combo fails to deliver a playable experience. For users seeking the highest possible frame rates on high-refresh monitors, this combo delivers 173 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 112 FPS at 1440p Ultra, making it an excellent choice for both competitive and casual play.