Minimum

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers exceptional performance in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. Data from measured frame rates shows this combination is capable of maintaining fluid gameplay at every tested setting and resolution. The only caveat is that the game’s Ultra preset at 4K, while still playable, dips below the 60 FPS threshold that defines the playable standard for this analysis. Across all other configurations, the system provides a substantial performance buffer, making it a top-tier choice for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces staggering frame rates that far exceed display refresh rates. With the Low preset, the average FPS reaches 396.8, creating a massive headroom for competitive play. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 301.7 FPS, still an enormous figure. The High preset yields 256.1 FPS average, while the most demanding Ultra preset maintains an average of 191.9 FPS. These numbers indicate that the CPU and GPU combination is hardly taxed at this resolution, with even the heaviest settings leaving more than three times the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, performance remains remarkably high, though the scaling shows the expected impact of increased pixel count. The Low preset averages 251.8 FPS, which is a reduction of roughly 37% compared to the same settings at 1080p. Medium follows at 195.6 FPS, High at 163.8 FPS, and Ultra at 121.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 130.2 FPS, demonstrating that the graphics settings have a pronounced effect on the frame rate. Even at the most demanding preset, the system holds an average above 120 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.

At 3840x2160, performance scales down further but remains respectable for a 4K experience. The Low preset delivers 138.7 FPS average, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium reduces the average to 103 FPS, High to 87.3 FPS, and Ultra to 69.4 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a total reduction of 69.3 FPS, highlighting that the Ultra preset imposes a significant load on the hardware. Notably, the 4K Ultra average of 69.4 FPS is the only measured configuration that falls below the 100 FPS mark, though it still clears the 60 FPS playable threshold by a narrow margin.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 191.9 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available, and the system handles it with ease. Given the massive margin above the 60 FPS threshold, players can comfortably use Ultra for the best visual fidelity without any concern for performance drops.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset again qualifies as the best playable option, averaging 121.6 FPS. This is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, providing ample headroom for demanding scenes or future driver updates. The data indicates that even the heaviest settings at this resolution are well within the system’s capabilities.

For 3840x2160, the Ultra preset also remains playable, with an average of 69.4 FPS. This narrowly exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, making it the best settings choice for 4K. While the margin is smaller than at lower resolutions, it still confirms that the system can run the game at maximum quality in 4K without dropping below the playable standard. The verdict data supports this conclusion, listing all four settings presets as playable at each resolution, with Ultra as the recommended best setting in every case.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals a clear pattern in how the CPU and GPU contribute to performance. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are extraordinarily high, ranging from 191.9 FPS at Ultra to 396.8 FPS at Low. This suggests that the GPU is not the primary constraint at this resolution, as the frame rates are far beyond what most displays can show. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, likely plays a more significant role in maintaining these high frame rates, particularly in scenes with complex game logic or physics.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop by a consistent margin across all presets. For example, Low goes from 396.8 to 251.8 FPS, a reduction of 145 FPS, while Ultra goes from 191.9 to 121.6 FPS, a reduction of 70.3 FPS. This pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as the pixel count increases, but the CPU still has enough headroom to keep the frame rates high. The fact that the drop from 1080p to 1440p is not uniform across presets suggests that the GPU load scales with settings, while the CPU load remains relatively constant.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s role becomes dominant. The Low preset drops to 138.7 FPS, which is a substantial 45% reduction from the 1440p figure. The Ultra preset falls to 69.4 FPS, a 43% reduction from 1440p. These proportional drops indicate that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck, as the increased resolution demands more pixel processing and memory bandwidth. The RTX 4090’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are clearly being utilized, but the sheer pixel count at 4K still limits performance. The CPU, with its high single-core and multi-core scores, is likely not the limiting factor at any resolution, as the frame rates remain high even at 4K Ultra.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the Intel Core i7-14700KF, the nearest rival based on average benchmark scores is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, which scores 69,996 compared to the i7-14700KF’s 70,163 average. This represents a delta of 0.2%, meaning the two CPUs are virtually identical in overall performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX follows closely with a score of 69,875, a 0.4% difference. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69,515, which is 0.9% lower, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K scores 70,879, which is 1% higher. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Minimum, as the game is unlikely to distinguish between such small performance differences.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the nearest rival is the Intel Arc Pro A60, which has an average score of 60,326 compared to the RTX 4090’s 60,347, a delta of 0%. This is an unusual pairing, as the Arc Pro A60 is a workstation card, but the benchmark data shows they are statistically equivalent. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60,140, a 0.3% difference, while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896, which is 2.5% higher. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657, a 2.9% lower result. In gaming terms, the RTX 4090’s nearest rivals are all professional-grade GPUs, which may not reflect identical gaming performance, but the benchmark scores suggest they would land in a similar performance tier.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 121st out of 3,712 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the top 3.3% of all configurations, indicating that it is a high-performing system for this game. The rank reflects the measured FPS data, which shows the system achieving over 60 FPS at every resolution and preset, with the sole exception of the 4K Ultra setting that still clears the threshold. The high rank is consistent with the hardware’s strong benchmark scores, as the CPU sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs and the GPU in the 88th percentile of all GPUs.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 69.4, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict data confirms Ultra is the best settings option at this resolution.

Q: What is the highest frame rate this system achieves?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 396.8, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is the maximum frame rate recorded in the data.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70,163, while its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, scores 69,996. This is a difference of 0.2%, indicating nearly identical performance.

Q: Is the RTX 4090’s performance similar to any other GPU?

A: Based on average benchmark scores, the Intel Arc Pro A60 is the closest rival with a score of 60,326 versus the RTX 4090’s 60,347, a delta of 0%.

Q: What is the playable threshold for this game?

A: The playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS. All measured settings at every resolution exceed this threshold, with the lowest average being 69.4 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Q: How many total combinations were tested for this game?

A: The benchmark database includes 3,712 tested combinations. This particular system ranks 121st among them.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 can run Minimum at all tested resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 191.9 FPS, providing an exceptional experience with maximum visual quality. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 121.6 FPS, more than double the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 69.4 FPS, which narrowly clears the playable standard. The verdict data confirms that all four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at every resolution, with Ultra being the recommended best setting in each case. This system is more than capable of delivering a smooth and visually rich experience in Minimum, regardless of the resolution or quality settings chosen.