Minimum

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a decisive performance profile for Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014. Benchmark data shows this combination is capable of high frame rates across all tested resolutions, though the demands of Ultra settings at 4K push the RTX 4070 below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The dataset provides measured average FPS for 12 distinct resolution and settings combinations, with the i9-14900K ranking in the 95th percentile among all CPUs and the RTX 4070 in the 81st percentile among all GPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo exhibits overwhelming headroom. Low settings produce an average of 276.5 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. Moving to Medium yields 215 FPS, High drops to 178.5 FPS, and even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains a robust 137.7 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 50.2% reduction in average FPS, yet the absolute numbers remain far above any competitive gaming requirement.

At 2560x1440, performance remains exceptionally strong. Low settings deliver 177 FPS, Medium follows at 134.8 FPS, and High stays above 115 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding configuration tested, still achieves an average of 88 FPS. This represents a 50.3% drop from Low settings, but the final figure comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at each settings tier shows a predictable decline of roughly 35-36%, indicating that the RTX 4070’s memory bandwidth and shading capabilities handle the increased pixel count efficiently.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes notably. Low settings produce 98.2 FPS, which remains playable. Medium drops to 73.1 FPS, and High falls to 64.7 FPS. However, the Ultra preset collapses to 45.6 FPS, falling below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is severe, showing a 53.6% performance loss. The gap between High and Ultra is particularly steep — a 19.1 FPS reduction — suggesting that Ultra settings introduce computational effects that disproportionately tax the GPU at 4K resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Minimum, this pairing ranks 933rd out of 3712 combos. This places it in the top 25.1% of all tested configurations. The rank reflects the balance between the i9-14900K’s substantial multicore throughput and the RTX 4070’s mid-range rasterization performance.

The CPU’s percentile rank of 95 means it outperforms 95% of all processors in general benchmark suites, while the GPU’s 81st percentile indicates strong but not top-tier graphics capability. This asymmetry is typical for a combo where the processor is significantly more powerful than the graphics card. In a title like Minimum, which relies heavily on GPU rendering, the rank is likely constrained more by the RTX 4070 than the i9-14900K. The measured FPS data supports this interpretation: at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to push frame rates past 270 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, the GPU reaches its limit at 45.6 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 64.7 FPS. This is just 4.7 FPS above the playable threshold, meaning there is minimal margin for demanding scenes. Medium sits at 73.1 FPS and Low at 98.2 FPS, both playable, but High offers the best visual quality within the 60 FPS constraint. Ultra at 45.6 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Ultra, achieving 88 FPS. This provides the full visual experience with a 28 FPS buffer above the threshold. High, Medium, and Low all also clear 60 FPS, with 115, 134.8, and 177 FPS respectively, but Ultra is the highest quality option that maintains fluid performance.

At 1920x1080, the best playable preset is Ultra at 137.7 FPS. The margin above the playable threshold is substantial, at 77.7 FPS. This resolution offers the greatest flexibility, allowing players to enable every visual feature without concern for frame rate drops.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i9-14900K’s nearest rivals in average benchmark score provide a clear picture of similar performance. The Intel Core i9-14900KF scores 0.3% lower, making it virtually indistinguishable in practice. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is 0.6% lower, while the AMD EPYC 7413 trails by 1.2%. On the other side, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 1.7% higher. Any of these processors would deliver comparable frame rates in Minimum, since the game’s CPU demands are modest relative to the i9-14900K’s capabilities.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA Tesla P4 shows a 0.1% higher average score, making it a near-exact match. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 is 0.4% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile is 1.3% lower. The AMD Radeon PRO W6400 trails by 1.3%. These alternatives would produce nearly identical FPS numbers in Minimum at each resolution and settings tier, though the RTX 4070’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and Ada Lovelace architecture may offer better driver optimization for specific effects.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K Ultra settings?*

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 45.6, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable setting at 4K is High, with an average of 64.7 FPS.

Q: What is the highest settings preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 achieve an average of 88 FPS, which is 28 FPS above the playable threshold. This is the most demanding preset that clears 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: The data shows a consistent decline of approximately 35-36% across all settings. For example, High settings drop from 178.5 FPS at 1080p to 115 FPS at 1440p, a 35.6% reduction.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 bottleneck the i9-14900K in this game?

A: At 1080p, the CPU’s advantage is clear — Low settings reach 276.5 FPS, suggesting the GPU is the limiting factor. At 4K Ultra, the GPU’s limit is even more apparent, with the frame rate dropping to 45.6 FPS despite the CPU’s high single-thread performance.

Q: Is there a large difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: The difference varies by resolution. At 1080p, High to Ultra drops from 178.5 to 137.7 FPS, a 22.9% reduction. At 4K, the same transition drops from 64.7 to 45.6 FPS, a 29.5% reduction, pushing the frame rate below the playable threshold.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank among tested systems?

A: It ranks 933rd out of 3712 tested combos for Minimum, placing it in the top 25.1% of all configurations in the database.

The Verdict

This PC can run Minimum at 60 FPS or above in most configurations. At 1920x1080, every preset — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — clears the threshold, with Ultra achieving 137.7 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same is true, with Ultra at 88 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system maintains playable frame rates on Low, Medium, and High settings, with High at 64.7 FPS being the highest quality option. The only configuration that fails to hit 60 FPS is 4K Ultra, which averages 45.6 FPS. For a game released in 2014, this hardware provides exceptional performance, with the RTX 4070 being the primary constraint at higher resolutions and settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the i9-14900K and RTX 4070. At 1920x1080, the CPU’s role is dominant in low-settings scenarios — the 276.5 FPS average on Low suggests the GPU is not fully saturated, leaving headroom for the processor to drive frame generation. However, as settings increase to Ultra, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with the 137.7 FPS figure indicating that rendering complexity, not CPU throughput, dictates performance.

At 2560x1440, the GPU’s influence grows. The scaling from Low (177 FPS) to Ultra (88 FPS) shows a 50.3% drop, which is nearly identical to the 50.2% drop at 1080p. This consistency suggests that the CPU still has ample capacity, and the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate across all settings. The i9-14900K’s high single-thread score of 2262.5 in Cinebench R23 ensures that draw calls and physics calculations never become a bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unambiguously the limiting component. The Ultra preset’s 45.6 FPS is a direct result of the RTX 4070’s pixel and texture throughput limits, not CPU performance. The steep drop from High (64.7 FPS) to Ultra (45.6 FPS) suggests that Ultra settings enable effects that heavily tax the GPU’s 64 ROPs and 455.4 GTexel/s fill rate. The CPU’s 24 cores and 32 threads, while overkill for this game, provide a stable foundation that never constrains the GPU. In summary, the i9-14900K matters most at low resolutions and settings where high frame rates expose CPU limits, while the RTX 4070 becomes the sole determining factor at 4K and high presets.