Minimum

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers a wide range of performance in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released on 2014-06-25. The measured data shows that this combination is capable of high refresh rates at standard resolutions, but requires specific settings at 4K to maintain smooth gameplay. The analysis below breaks down the measured FPS by resolution and preset, examines workload distribution, and compares this combo to similar hardware.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the system is never constrained by the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset achieves an average of 104.3 FPS, which is well above the playable threshold. The Medium preset delivers 165 FPS, High reaches 135.5 FPS, and Low peaks at 214.7 FPS. For the best visual fidelity while maintaining a high frame rate, Ultra is the clear choice at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, all four presets remain above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset produces an average of 65.4 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS line by a modest margin. High runs at 85.7 FPS, Medium at 107.7 FPS, and Low at 137.1 FPS. Given that Ultra stays above 60 FPS, it is the recommended setting for this resolution, providing the highest quality without dropping below the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes significantly. The Ultra preset falls to an average of 35.5 FPS, High manages 45.2 FPS, and Medium sits at 54.8 FPS—all below the 60 FPS target. Only the Low preset clears the threshold, achieving an average of 75.5 FPS. Therefore, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at 4K is Low, with a measured average of 75.5 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals how the workload shifts between the CPU and GPU. At 1920x1080, the CPU is likely the primary driver, as the GPU is not heavily taxed. The jump from Low (214.7 FPS) to Ultra (104.3 FPS) shows that the GPU becomes more involved as the preset quality rises, but the CPU still has headroom to push high frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take a larger role. The frame rate drops from 137.1 FPS on Low to 65.4 FPS on Ultra. This 71.7 FPS drop indicates that the GPU is increasingly the limiting factor as resolution increases. However, the CPU still provides enough throughput to keep the system above 60 FPS even at Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant bottleneck. The frame rate plummets from 75.5 FPS on Low to 35.5 FPS on Ultra—a 40 FPS difference. The CPU's role diminishes, as the GPU cannot keep up with the pixel count regardless of the CPU's strength. The Intel Core i7-14700K, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, does not appear to be the limiting factor at any resolution; the data suggests that the GPU is the constraint at 4K.

Comparing the scaling between 1080p and 1440p, the average frame rate across all presets drops by roughly 30-40%. This is consistent with a GPU-bound workload where the pixel count increases by approximately 78%. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is even steeper, with the Ultra preset falling from 65.4 FPS to 35.5 FPS. This further confirms that the GPU is the primary component determining performance at higher resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 4K with the Ultra preset?*

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 35.5 FPS, which is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Only the Low preset at 4K achieves a playable average of 75.5 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 2560x1440 to stay above 60 FPS?

A: The Ultra preset is the best choice, as it maintains an average of 65.4 FPS. All other presets—High at 85.7 FPS, Medium at 107.7 FPS, and Low at 137.1 FPS—also exceed 60 FPS, but Ultra offers the highest visual quality.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT in this game?

A: The RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 26331, while the RX 6750 XT scores 26011, a delta of 1.2%. In practice, this means the RTX 5060 is marginally faster, but the performance difference is small enough that both would deliver similar frame rates in Minimum.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1920x1080 Low, the system reaches 214.7 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. The CPU's passmark single-thread score of 4472 and multicore score of 52392 suggest it has ample headroom for this title, even at lower presets where CPU load is highest.

Q: What is the playable settings list at 3840x2160?

A: The only playable setting at 4K is Low, which achieves an average of 75.5 FPS. Medium (54.8 FPS), High (45.2 FPS), and Ultra (35.5 FPS) all fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: This CPU-GPU pairing ranks 1819 out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the upper half of all systems tested for Minimum.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the Intel Core i7-14700K, the AMD EPYC 9115 has an average score of 69288, a delta of 0.1% compared to the i7-14700K's score of 69355. This means the EPYC 9115 performs nearly identically in synthetic benchmarks, and would likely produce similar frame rates in Minimum. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, a delta of -0.2%, making it slightly faster but effectively indistinguishable in real-world gaming. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875, -0.7%) and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996, -0.9%) also fall within 1% of the i7-14700K, so any of these CPUs would deliver very similar performance when paired with the RTX 5060.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are close. The AMD Radeon 860M has an average score of 26401, a delta of -0.3% relative to the RTX 5060's 26331. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 26421 (-0.3%), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26553 (-0.8%). These three are within 1% of the RTX 5060, meaning they would provide nearly identical frame rates in Minimum. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT scores 26011, a delta of 1.2% slower, but still very close in performance. Users with any of these GPUs paired with a similar CPU can expect comparable results to the tested configuration.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i7-14700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 can run Minimum with confidence at 1080p and 1440p, and with a settings compromise at 4K. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra exceeds 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 104.3 FPS. At 2560x1440, all presets also clear 60 FPS, with Ultra hitting 65.4 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, achieving 75.5 FPS; Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below the threshold. The system is therefore fully capable of running the game at high quality on standard monitors, and can handle 4K only if the player is willing to reduce settings to Low.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all 3712 tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 1819. This places it in the 49th percentile of all systems tested, meaning it is slightly below the median performance level. The rank reflects the balance between the high-end CPU and the mid-range GPU. In Minimum, this combination delivers solid 1080p and 1440p performance, but the GPU's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus hold it back at 4K, where it falls below the median systems that likely include more powerful GPUs. The 72nd percentile ranking for the GPU alone and 94th percentile for the CPU highlight the disparity—the CPU is a top-tier part, while the GPU is more mid-range.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured average FPS values are presented below for each resolution and preset combination. No minimum or maximum FPS values were recorded in the data.

3840x2160 (4K):

• High: 45.2 FPS
• Low: 75.5 FPS
• Medium: 54.8 FPS
• Ultra: 35.5 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• High: 85.7 FPS
• Low: 137.1 FPS
• Medium: 107.7 FPS
• Ultra: 65.4 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p):

• High: 135.5 FPS
• Low: 214.7 FPS
• Medium: 165 FPS
• Ultra: 104.3 FPS

The progression across resolutions shows a clear pattern: at 1080p, the system is CPU-bound at low presets and GPU-bound at high presets. At 1440p, the GPU becomes more dominant, but the CPU still provides enough headroom. At 4K, the GPU is the definitive bottleneck, with even the Low preset only reaching 75.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset falling to 35.5 FPS. The data indicates that for the best experience, players should target 1080p or 1440p with Ultra settings, or accept Low settings for 4K gameplay.