Minimum

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination ranks in the 851st position out of 3,712 tested combos for Minimum, placing it in the top 23% of all systems evaluated. This is a strong overall standing, but the data reveals that raw hardware capability is not the whole story — the game’s demands shift dramatically across resolutions and presets, and this combo’s substantial lead over the field narrows as the workload becomes more GPU-bound. The pairing leverages a 20-core, 28-thread CPU with a GPU that sits in the 83rd percentile against all GPUs, yet the measured frame rates show that the weakest point in this system is not the hardware itself, but the game’s engine at 4K Ultra settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 851 out of 3,712 tested combinations indicates it outperforms roughly 77% of all system pairings evaluated for Minimum. This places it firmly in the upper quartile, but not at the absolute top — there are 850 faster combos, which suggests that while this system is exceptionally capable, it is not the ultimate ceiling for this title. The CPU contributes significantly to this ranking; the i7-14700KF holds a 94th percentile position against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70,163. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, scores 69,996, which is only 0.2% lower, making them functionally equivalent in CPU-bound scenarios. The GPU, meanwhile, sits in the 83rd percentile against all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 41,187, which is notably lower than the CPU’s standing — this hints that the graphics card is the first bottleneck when settings and resolution climb.

The rank also reflects the balance between the two components. The CPU’s 28 threads and 5.60 GHz boost clock make it a top-tier processor for any game, but the RTX 3080 Ti, while powerful, was released earlier and shows its age in the most demanding scenarios. The data shows that at 1080p and 1440p, the combo delivers frame rates that would embarrass most systems, but the 4K Ultra result of 47 FPS drops below the 60 FPS playable threshold, which is a clear outlier in an otherwise stellar performance profile. The rank is therefore a reflection of average capability across all settings, but the variance between 4K Ultra and 1080p Low is enormous — a 234 FPS spread — which tells a more nuanced story than a single rank number.

Best Settings per Resolution

At each resolution, the goal is to find the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. The data shows this combo clears that bar with ease at lower resolutions, but the margins tighten considerably at 4K.

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that remains playable is Ultra, which delivers an average of 133.8 FPS. This is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold — the system has roughly 74 FPS of headroom. The Medium preset hits 210.6 FPS and Low reaches 281.2 FPS, but Ultra is the clear choice for visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is also Ultra, averaging 90.3 FPS. This is a 43.5 FPS drop from the 1080p Ultra result, but still 30.3 FPS above the playable threshold. The High preset at 113.3 FPS and Medium at 139.4 FPS show that lowering settings here yields diminishing returns — even Ultra is well within comfortable territory.

The situation changes at 3840x2160. Here, the most demanding playable preset is High, with an average of 63.1 FPS — just 3.1 FPS above the 60 FPS line. This is a razor-thin margin, and the data suggests that any scene with heavier draw calls could dip below the threshold. The Medium preset runs at 75.6 FPS, which is safer, but High is technically playable. Ultra at 4K is not viable, with an average of 47 FPS. The verdictByResolution field confirms this: High is listed as the best setting at 4K, with Low (97.5 FPS) and Medium (75.6 FPS) also playable.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component dominates the workload. At 1080p, the CPU is the primary driver. The jump from Low (281.2 FPS) to Medium (210.6 FPS) is a 25% drop, and from Medium to High (180.7 FPS) is another 14% drop. These are large percentage reductions per setting tier, indicating that the CPU is feeding the GPU fast enough that the graphics card becomes the limiter even at low quality. The i7-14700KF’s 20 cores and 5.60 GHz boost clock are clearly sufficient to push the RTX 3080 Ti to its limits at this resolution.

At 1440p, the GPU starts to take a more prominent role. The drop from Low (179.7 FPS) to Medium (139.4 FPS) is 22%, and from Medium to High (113.3 FPS) is 19%. These are still significant, but the absolute frame rates are lower, suggesting the GPU is now working harder relative to the CPU. The RTX 3080 Ti’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 912.4 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed more heavily, but the CPU still has headroom.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The difference between Low (97.5 FPS) and Medium (75.6 FPS) is 22%, but the difference between Medium and High (63.1 FPS) is only 16%, and the drop from High to Ultra (47 FPS) is 25%. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only one that falls below the playable threshold, and the 16.1 FPS gap between High and Ultra suggests the GPU is running out of compute and memory bandwidth. The CPU, meanwhile, is likely idling at 4K — the frame rates are so low that the 28-thread processor has no trouble keeping up. The data implies that for this game, the RTX 3080 Ti is the limiting factor at 4K, while the i7-14700KF is more than sufficient at every resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware would behave similarly. The i7-14700KF’s closest competitor is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, which scores 69,996 in average benchmarks — just 0.2% lower. This means a system with that CPU and the same GPU would deliver virtually identical frame rates in Minimum. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69,875, 0.4% lower) and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69,515, 0.9% lower) are also within a single percentage point, making them interchangeable for this title. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is the only rival that scores higher, at 70,879, which is 1% above the i7-14700KF — a negligible difference in real-world gaming.

For the GPU, the picture is more varied. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40,870, which is 0.8% higher than the RTX 3080 Ti’s 41,187, making it a near-perfect match in average performance. The NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB (41,707, -1.2%) and NVIDIA Tesla M40 (41,897, -1.7%) are slightly faster on average, but these are datacenter cards with different driver optimizations, so gaming performance could differ. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 scores 40,377, which is 2% lower, meaning it would be a slightly slower but still comparable alternative. None of these rivals are common gaming GPUs, which suggests the RTX 3080 Ti occupies a unique niche in the current market — older but still potent.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full FPS table shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution and settings increase. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 281.2 FPS, Medium 210.6 FPS, High 180.7 FPS, and Ultra 133.8 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 147.4 FPS, which is a 52% reduction at the top tier.

At 2560x1440, the numbers are 179.7 FPS (Low), 139.4 FPS (Medium), 113.3 FPS (High), and 90.3 FPS (Ultra). The spread here is 89.4 FPS, a 50% reduction from Low to Ultra — a similar proportional drop to 1080p, but at lower absolute values.

At 3840x2160, the results are 97.5 FPS (Low), 75.6 FPS (Medium), 63.1 FPS (High), and 47 FPS (Ultra). The spread is 50.5 FPS, which is a 52% reduction from Low to Ultra. The percentage drop is consistent across resolutions, which indicates that the game scales predictably with settings, but the absolute frame rates at 4K are the only ones that threaten the 60 FPS floor.

The data also shows that the gap between Medium and High is smaller than the gap between High and Ultra at every resolution. At 1080p, Medium to High is a 30 FPS drop, while High to Ultra is a 46.9 FPS drop. At 1440p, the gaps are 26.1 FPS and 23 FPS, respectively. At 4K, the gaps are 12.5 FPS and 16.1 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset includes a disproportionately heavy effect that the RTX 3080 Ti struggles with, particularly at higher resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K with the highest settings?*

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 47, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable setting at 4K is High, which averages 63.1 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 90.3 FPS. All four presets — Low (179.7 FPS), Medium (139.4 FPS), High (113.3 FPS), and Ultra (90.3 FPS) — are playable at this resolution.

Q: How much headroom does the system have at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 133.8, which is 73.8 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. Even the most demanding preset leaves significant margin, making this resolution the most comfortable for this combo.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 3840x2160. The CPU is in the 94th percentile and is unlikely to be stressed at frame rates below 100 FPS, while the RTX 3080 Ti drops from 97.5 FPS at Low to 47 FPS at Ultra, showing the GPU’s performance ceiling is reached at this resolution.

Q: Are there any settings where the frame rate falls below 60 FPS?

A: Yes, only one: 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which averages 47 FPS. Every other combination of resolution and preset in the measured data exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo compare to the nearest rival CPU?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F has an average benchmark score of 69,996, which is 0.2% lower than the i7-14700KF’s 70,163. In gaming, this translates to a negligible difference, so a system with that CPU would perform nearly identically in Minimum.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: this combo can run Minimum at playable frame rates for the vast majority of settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, every preset is playable, with Ultra averaging 133.8 FPS — more than double the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the same is true, with Ultra at 90.3 FPS providing a 30 FPS cushion. The only concern is 3840x2160, where Ultra falls to 47 FPS and is unplayable. However, High settings at 4K average 63.1 FPS, which just clears the threshold. The verdictByResolution data confirms this: High is the best 4K setting, Ultra is the best at 1440p and 1080p.

This system is a high-end pairing that excels at 1080p and 1440p, and it can handle 4K with a modest settings reduction. The i7-14700KF is never the bottleneck, and the RTX 3080 Ti is only pushed past its limit at 4K Ultra. For anyone playing at 1080p or 1440p, this combo provides a flawless experience with a wide margin of safety. For 4K users, the choice is between High settings at 63.1 FPS or Medium at 75.6 FPS — both playable, but neither with the headroom seen at lower resolutions. The rank of 851 out of 3,712 reflects this: a very strong system that is not the absolute fastest, but one that comfortably exceeds the playable threshold in all but the most extreme configuration.