Minimum

Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with Intel Arc B390 presents a striking contrast in raw compute capability versus graphics throughput. The processor sits in the 94th percentile among all tested CPUs, while the integrated graphics solution lands in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. This combination targets Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014, at a time when modern hardware outstrips the game's original requirements by a wide margin. The measured data, however, reveals that the GPU becomes the decisive constraint at higher resolutions and presets, while the CPU's substantial multi-threading resources remain largely underutilized.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the combination achieves the highest playable preset at High settings, producing an average of 61 FPS. This sits just above the 60 FPS playable threshold, and the database records no minimum or maximum values for this preset, indicating stable performance without significant dips. Low settings at this resolution deliver 95 FPS average, while Medium reaches 72 FPS with a recorded range of 62 to 83 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 46 FPS average, which falls below the playable threshold and cannot be recommended for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the playable options narrow considerably. Low settings return exactly 61 FPS average, matching the 1080p High result and barely clearing the threshold. Medium settings produce 47 FPS average with a range of 40 to 54 FPS, which misses the 60 FPS target. High settings drop to 39 FPS, and Ultra falls to 30 FPS. The best settings for this resolution are therefore Low, since it is the only preset that maintains an average at or above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches the playable threshold. Low settings yield 33 FPS average, Medium produces 25 FPS with a range of 21 to 29 FPS, High drops to 21 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 16 FPS. The database lists no playable settings for 4K, meaning this combination cannot sustain 60 FPS at any tested quality level at this resolution.

The pattern across resolutions shows a clear ceiling: 1080p supports High, 1440p supports Low, and 4K supports nothing. Each resolution step requires a drop of one preset level to maintain playability, and the final step from 1440p to 4K exceeds the GPU's capability entirely.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core i7-14700KF brings 20 cores, 28 threads, and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with an average benchmark score of 70,163. In Cinebench R23, it scores 44,167 in multi-core and 6,235 in single-core. These figures place it ahead of several near rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.2% slower), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.4% slower), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.9% slower), while trailing the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K by 1%. The processor clearly has ample headroom for a 2014-era shooter, as its Passmark single-thread score of 4,480 and multithread score of 52,425 vastly exceed what Minimum would require from a CPU.

The Intel Arc B390, by contrast, is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture with 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 render output units. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all older discrete or integrated parts: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% faster), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1.5% faster), NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% faster), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (2.7% faster). The GPU's pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, but its memory is system shared with bandwidth listed as system dependent. This shared memory architecture likely contributes to the sharp performance drop as resolution increases.

The scaling data makes the GPU's role clear. From 1080p Low (95 FPS) to 1440p Low (61 FPS), the frame rate drops by 34 FPS, a 36% reduction. From 1440p Low to 4K Low (33 FPS), the drop is 28 FPS, another 46% reduction. Simultaneously, at 1080p, moving from Low to High reduces average FPS from 95 to 61, a 34 FPS penalty, while at 1440p the same preset change reduces from 61 to 39 FPS, a 22 FPS penalty. These consistent drops across both resolution and preset scales indicate that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors. The CPU, with its massive multi-threaded capacity and high single-thread performance, does not show signs of bottlenecking at any tested configuration; the frame rate differences track almost entirely with GPU workload.

At 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU sufficiently at all presets, since even Ultra at 46 FPS is not a CPU limitation. At 1440p, the GPU becomes more strained, and at 4K, the GPU is overwhelmed regardless of preset. The data suggests that for this game, the Arc B390 is the primary determinant of performance, while the i7-14700KF provides more than enough processing power to avoid becoming a constraint.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database provide a clear performance band. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F has an average score of 69,996, which is 0.2% lower than the i7-14700KF's 70,163. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69,875, 0.4% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69,515, 0.9% lower. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K scores 70,879, which is 1% higher. All four rivals sit within a 1.9 percentage point spread, meaning any of them would deliver essentially identical CPU-bound performance in Minimum. Since the game is GPU-limited in these tests, swapping the i7-14700KF for any of these alternatives would produce negligible frame rate changes.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are much closer in absolute terms. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1,463, which is 1.3% higher than the Arc B390's 1,482. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1,460, 1.5% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1,446, 2.5% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1,443, 2.7% higher. These delta values are small, but the absolute scores are low enough that even a 2.7% difference could translate to a few frames per second at playable settings. The GT 710, for instance, would likely perform within 1 to 2 FPS of the Arc B390 at 1080p Low, based on the scaling observed. The practical takeaway is that the Arc B390 sits at the very bottom of the GPU performance spectrum, and any of its nearest rivals would behave similarly, offering marginal gains or losses without changing the fundamental resolution and preset limits.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, the combination clears the 60 FPS threshold at High (61 FPS), Low (95 FPS), and Medium (72 FPS). High is the best playable preset, and it matches the threshold exactly. At 2560x1440, only Low settings achieve 61 FPS, which is playable but leaves no headroom. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS; the highest average is 33 FPS at Low settings. The verdict by resolution confirms this: 1080p supports High, Low, and Medium; 1440p supports Low only; 4K supports no settings. For a 2014 third-person shooter, the experience at 1080p High should be smooth, but users expecting 1440p or 4K performance will need to lower expectations or upgrade the GPU. The CPU is not the limiting factor in any scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data provides average FPS for all presets at each resolution, with minimum and maximum values available only for Medium presets.

At 3840x2160:

• Ultra: 16 FPS average
• High: 21 FPS average
• Medium: 25 FPS average, minimum 21 FPS, maximum 29 FPS
• Low: 33 FPS average

At 2560x1440:

• Ultra: 30 FPS average
• High: 39 FPS average
• Medium: 47 FPS average, minimum 40 FPS, maximum 54 FPS
• Low: 61 FPS average

At 1920x1080:

• Ultra: 46 FPS average
• High: 61 FPS average
• Medium: 72 FPS average, minimum 62 FPS, maximum 83 FPS
• Low: 95 FPS average

The Medium preset at 1080p shows the tightest minimum-to-maximum spread among playable settings, with a 21 FPS range. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a 14 FPS range, and at 4K it shows an 8 FPS range. These ranges indicate that as resolution increases, not only does average FPS drop, but the variance also narrows, suggesting the GPU operates closer to its sustained limit. The 1080p Medium range of 62 to 83 FPS means even the minimum stays above the playable threshold, which is reassuring. The 1440p Medium range of 40 to 54 FPS falls entirely below 60 FPS, confirming it is not playable despite the average being 47 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 1080p with High settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 61 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p for this combination?

A: Low settings. The average FPS at 2560x1440 with Low is 61 FPS, while Medium averages 47 FPS, High averages 39 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS.

Q: Why does the 4K resolution show no playable settings?

A: At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS recorded is 33 FPS at Low settings, which falls well below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 25 FPS, High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1,482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX is 1.3% faster, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M is 1.5% faster, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM is 2.5% faster, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 is 2.7% faster.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1440p?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. Moving from 1080p Low (95 FPS) to 1440p Low (61 FPS) causes a 34 FPS drop, and from 1440p Low to 4K Low (33 FPS) another 28 FPS drop, while the CPU's performance metrics remain far above what the game requires.

Q: What is the lowest recorded minimum FPS across all tested settings?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 21 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. The maximum for that same preset is 29 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Minimum, this pairing of Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3,299 out of 3,712 total combinations. This places it in the lower 11th percentile of all tested setups, which aligns with the GPU's low percentile ranking. The CPU's high percentile (94th) does not compensate for the GPU's low standing, because the game's frame rates are dictated by the graphics solution at most resolutions and presets. The rank reflects that a majority of tested combinations achieve higher frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions where the Arc B390 cannot maintain playable performance. The i7-14700KF contributes positively to the combination's capability at 1080p, where the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures no bottleneck, but the overall ranking is dragged down by the GPU's limitations. Users considering this setup should focus on 1080p gaming, as the data shows that is the only resolution where a playable preset exists alongside a comfortable margin at Medium and Low settings.