Minimum

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER produces a system that is decisively positioned for high-refresh-rate gameplay in Minimum, a third-person shooter released on 2014-06-25. The measured data indicates that this pairing delivers playable frame rates across the board, but the degree of headroom varies significantly by resolution. Benchmark results show the CPU holding a 96th percentile ranking against all tested processors, while the GPU sits at the 83rd percentile, suggesting a platform where processing power is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark performance are a tight cluster of enterprise and enthusiast parts. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K is the closest match, with an average score of 83807 against the 290K Plus’s 84003, a negligible 0.2% delta. This indicates that in a gaming context, users would find nearly identical performance from the previous flagship. Slightly further afield, the AMD EPYC 4584PX and AMD EPYC 9135 trail by 1.1% and 1.2% respectively, with average scores of 83090 and 82980. Interestingly, the AMD EPYC 7F72 actually leads the 290K Plus by 1.3%, posting an average score of 85072. The data implies that for Minimum, swapping the 290K Plus for any of these rivals would result in frame rate differences well within the margin of measurement error.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070 SUPER’s nearest rivals are a more unusual mix, highlighting the benchmark database’s broad hardware scope. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB is essentially tied, with a delta of -0.1% and an average score of 43262. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile also matches within 0.1%, scoring 43268. The RTX 4090 Mobile, despite being a higher-tier part, scores 43667, which is only 1% ahead. This suggests that in this specific game’s engine, the desktop RTX 4070 SUPER’s performance envelope is closely bracketed by these professional and mobile parts. The practical takeaway is that any of these GPUs would yield similar average frame rates in Minimum, though features like ray tracing performance or power draw are not considered in this aggregate score.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling of measured FPS across resolutions reveals a classic pattern where the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as pixel count increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 310 FPS, which is exceptionally high. This figure suggests that the CPU is feeding the GPU efficiently. Moving to 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 200 FPS, a 35.5% reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 108 FPS, another 46% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER’s rendering throughput is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, is unlikely to be the limiting factor even in the most demanding scenes.

The role of the CPU becomes more apparent when examining the scaling between presets at a fixed resolution. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (310 FPS) and Ultra (152 FPS) is 158 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for higher visual fidelity. At 3840x2160, the same preset transition goes from 108 FPS to 53 FPS, a 55 FPS drop. The data shows that the GPU’s workload scales more steeply with resolution than with preset changes. The Ultra preset at 4K brings the system to its knees, averaging just 53 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. This indicates that for 4K Ultra, the GPU is fully saturated, and a more powerful graphics card would be needed to achieve smoother gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates exceptional performance, comfortably exceeding the 60 FPS threshold at every preset. The Low preset delivers an average of 310 FPS, which is more than five times the playable threshold. Medium settings yield an average of 237 FPS, with a minimum of 202 FPS and a maximum of 273 FPS, showing tight frame pacing. High settings produce an average of 199 FPS, while Ultra still maintains a robust 152 FPS average. The data indicates that at 1080p, the system is heavily GPU-bound at higher presets, but the frame rates are so high that the experience is exceptionally smooth.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows a clear step down. Low settings average 200 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive play. Medium settings deliver an average of 153 FPS, with a minimum of 130 FPS and a maximum of 176 FPS. High settings average 128 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 98 FPS. All presets at 1440p clear the 60 FPS threshold with substantial margin, indicating that this resolution is a sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors. The minimum FPS recorded at Medium (130 FPS) is still more than double the playable threshold, suggesting consistent performance.

At 3840x2160, the system’s limits become apparent. Low settings average 108 FPS, which is playable but not as overwhelmingly fast as at lower resolutions. Medium settings produce an average of 82 FPS, with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS. High settings average 69 FPS, still above the 60 FPS threshold. However, Ultra settings drop to an average of 53 FPS, which falls below the playable threshold. The data shows that 4K Ultra is the only configuration in the measured set that fails to maintain 60 FPS. This suggests that users with 4K displays should stick to High or lower presets for a smooth experience.

The Verdict

Based on the measured FPS data and the verdictByResolution field, this PC can run Minimum successfully at all tested resolutions, but with a caveat for 4K Ultra. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS at every preset, with the Ultra preset averaging 152 FPS. The verdict for this resolution is fully playable across the board. At 2560x1440, all presets also clear 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 98 FPS. This makes 1440p a very strong option for high-refresh gaming. At 3840x2160, the verdict lists High, Low, and Medium as playable settings, with High being the best playable preset at an average of 69 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K averages just 53 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and thus not recommended for smooth gameplay.

The data indicates that the system is a capable 4K machine for this game, provided the user is willing to dial down from Ultra to High. The 69 FPS average at 4K High is respectable and indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, can handle the game’s demands at this resolution with moderate settings. For users seeking the highest fidelity at 4K, the 53 FPS average at Ultra might be acceptable for slower-paced sections, but it will likely cause noticeable stutter in fast action sequences.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific CPU and GPU combination ranks 644th out of 3712 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the top 17.4% of all tested systems, which is a strong result for a mainstream desktop configuration. The ranking reflects a balance between the CPU’s high processing power and the GPU’s solid mid-range performance. The data suggests that there are 643 other combos that achieve higher frame rates, likely featuring more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090 or higher-tier workstation cards. However, the rank also indicates that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems, including many with older or lower-end components. The 83rd percentile GPU ranking and 96th percentile CPU ranking contribute to this overall strong position.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is as follows. At 3840x2160, the best playable preset is High, with an average of 69 FPS. This is a significant finding because it means the game can be played at 4K with high visual quality, albeit not at the maximum preset. At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Ultra, with an average of 98 FPS. This is the ideal resolution for this system, as it allows for maximum settings while still delivering nearly 100 FPS. At 1920x1080, the best playable preset is also Ultra, with an average of 152 FPS. The 1080p Ultra experience is exceptionally smooth and would be well-suited for high-refresh-rate displays.

FAQ

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

A: No, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 53, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable preset at 4K is High, averaging 69 FPS.

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

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 98 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4090 Mobile?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 43223, while the RTX 4090 Mobile scores 43667, placing the mobile part only 1% ahead.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 Low, the system averages 310 FPS, which is exceptionally high. The steep drop to 152 FPS at Ultra indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor as settings increase.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 3840x2160 Medium is 70, with an average of 82 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS.

Q: What percentile does the CPU rank in compared to all tested CPUs?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is in the 96th percentile, indicating it outperforms 96% of all CPUs in the benchmark database.