Minimum

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is an exceptionally high-end combination for running Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. Benchmark data shows this pairing delivers playable performance at every tested resolution and preset, with the RTX 5090’s raw compute power overwhelming the game’s older engine. The data indicates that even at 4K Ultra, the system holds an average of 69 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU benchmarks place the Intel Core i7-14700K in the 94th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 69355. Its closest rivals in synthetic testing are a mix of AMD EPYC server parts and high-end Ryzen desktop and mobile chips. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69288, a negligible 0.1% difference, making it the closest performance equivalent. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, which is 0.2% higher than the i7-14700K, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875 (0.7% higher) and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996 (0.9% higher). For gaming purposes, these deltas are effectively within run-to-run variance; any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Minimum when paired with the same GPU.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 sits in the 92nd percentile of all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rivals are surprising: the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79605 (0.3% lower), the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79396 (0.6% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78940 (1.1% lower). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80959, which is 1.4% higher. These are compute-oriented or mobile parts that happen to land near the RTX 5090 in aggregate benchmark averages, but in actual gaming workloads, the RTX 5090’s architecture and driver support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 give it a distinct advantage in titles like Minimum that respond well to modern GPU features.

CPU and GPU Roles

For Minimum, the GPU is clearly the dominant performance factor at all resolutions, but the CPU’s role becomes more visible as resolution drops. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate scales from 69 FPS at Ultra to 140 FPS at Low, a 203% increase driven entirely by reducing GPU load. At 2560x1440, the same preset swing goes from 127 FPS to 260 FPS (205% scaling), and at 1920x1080 it goes from 197 FPS to 403 FPS (also roughly 205%). This consistent scaling pattern across resolutions indicates that the RTX 5090 is the bottleneck at every setting; if the CPU were the limiter, the low-resolution gap between Low and Ultra presets would shrink as GPU work decreased.

The i7-14700K’s 20 cores and 28 threads are far more than Minimum’s engine can utilize, especially given the game’s 2014 release date. The CPU’s single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2160 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4472, ensures that even at 1080p Low where the GPU is producing over 400 FPS, the processor can feed frames without becoming the constraint. The data shows no resolution or preset combination where CPU limitations appear; the GPU’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth also eliminate any memory capacity or bandwidth concerns at 4K Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a full picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system achieves 403 FPS average on Low settings, 309 FPS on Medium, 259 FPS on High, and 197 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 262 FPS and a maximum of 355 FPS, showing tight frame pacing. At 2560x1440, performance remains extremely high: 260 FPS average on Low, 199 FPS on Medium (with min/max of 169/229), 167 FPS on High, and 127 FPS on Ultra. The 4K results are still well above the playability threshold: 140 FPS on Low, 107 FPS on Medium (min/max of 91/123), 90 FPS on High, and 69 FPS on Ultra.

Notably, the gap between Medium and High at each resolution is consistent—roughly 28% at 1080p (309 to 259), 19% at 1440p (199 to 167), and 19% at 4K (107 to 90). The jump from High to Ultra is larger in percentage terms at lower resolutions: 24% at 1080p (259 to 197), 24% at 1440p (167 to 127), but only 23% at 4K (90 to 69). This suggests that Ultra settings impose a relatively higher cost on the GPU at lower resolutions where the CPU can still supply frames quickly, whereas at 4K the GPU is already saturated by the resolution overhead.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K Ultra with 60 FPS?*

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 69 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The RTX 5090’s 32 GB VRAM and 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 compute handle the 4K Ultra workload without dipping below playable levels.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p for maximum visual quality?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 127 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that stays well above 60 FPS. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K scores 69355 on average, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X’s 69515. For Minimum, this difference is imperceptible; both processors would yield identical frame rates when paired with the RTX 5090.

Q: Is there any resolution where this combo drops below 60 FPS?

A: No. The lowest recorded average FPS across all tested settings is 69 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra. Every other combination of resolution and preset exceeds 90 FPS average.

Q: What is the frame time variance like at 1080p Medium?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the system records a minimum of 262 FPS and a maximum of 355 FPS, with an average of 309 FPS. The 93 FPS spread between min and max is acceptable given the extremely high frame rates involved.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Minimum?*

A: This pairing ranks 80th out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the top 2.2% of all configurations benchmarked for this game. The rank reflects the RTX 5090’s dominance at 4K Ultra, where many lower-end GPUs struggle to maintain 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 80th out of 3712 tested combos for Minimum. This places the pairing in the 97.8th percentile of all configurations tested, meaning only 79 other CPU-GPU combinations delivered higher aggregate performance in this game. Given the game’s age (released in 2014) and its modest engine requirements, the ranking is less about raw compute and more about the GPU’s ability to sustain high frame rates at 4K Ultra. The RTX 5090’s 92nd percentile GPU benchmark score aligns closely with the combo’s overall ranking, confirming that the graphics card is the primary driver of this top-tier position.

The CPU’s 94th percentile score is slightly higher than the GPU’s 92nd percentile, but in Minimum the CPU never becomes a limiting factor. The combo’s rank of 80 is likely held back only by the fact that a few other tested combinations pair even faster CPUs (or more overclocked variants) with the same RTX 5090. For practical purposes, this rank means the system outputs frame rates that are within a few percent of the absolute fastest configurations available for this title.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 197 FPS. This provides a massive headroom over the playability threshold, making it the clear choice for maximum visual fidelity at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings again represent the best choice, with an average of 127 FPS. This is still more than double the 60 FPS threshold, so there is no need to compromise on quality settings at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, Ultra settings produce an average of 69 FPS, which is just barely above the playability threshold. This is the only resolution where the choice matters for hitting 60 FPS—Ultra works, but if you want a larger buffer for demanding scenes, High settings at 90 FPS average offer a safer margin while still looking close to maximum quality. The data confirms that all four presets are playable at 4K, but Ultra is the only one that pushes the system to within 15% of the 60 FPS floor.