Minecraft

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Minecraft with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER reveals a distinctive scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 575 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 447 FPS, a reduction of 128 FPS. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 234 FPS. This represents a 59.3% decrease from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that even at the lowest graphical preset, resolution scaling has a substantial impact on frame rates.

The High settings row tells a similar story. At 1080p High, the system delivers 445 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 281 FPS, and at 4K High, it reaches 147 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 67.0%, which is slightly steeper than the Low settings drop. This suggests that as graphical complexity increases, the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Medium settings show the most complete data with min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 529 FPS with a minimum of 450 and maximum of 608. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 354 FPS (min 301, max 407). At 4K Medium, the average falls to 185 FPS (min 157, max 213). The gap between min and max FPS narrows as resolution increases — 158 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. This narrowing indicates that higher resolutions create more consistent frame pacing, likely because the GPU workload becomes more uniform.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates across all resolutions. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 278 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 176 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 92 FPS. The scaling factor from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 66.9%, nearly identical to the High settings scaling. This consistency suggests that the rendering pipeline in Minecraft responds predictably to resolution changes regardless of preset.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU likely becomes a bottleneck at Low and Medium settings, where frame rates exceed 500 FPS. The Ryzen 5 5500's six cores and twelve threads, with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, appear sufficient to push extremely high frame rates in this sandbox title, but the GPU still carries significant load at higher resolutions. At 4K, the RTX 4070 SUPER with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth becomes the primary constraint, as evidenced by the more moderate FPS drops between 1440p and 4K compared to the 1080p to 1440p transitions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Minecraft?

A: The highest average FPS is 575, recorded at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 92, which is the lowest measured value across all tested configurations.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium settings, the average FPS is 354, with a minimum of 301 and maximum of 407, producing a spread of 106 FPS between min and max.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more at 1080p Low settings?

A: The 575 FPS average at 1080p Low is extremely high, suggesting the Ryzen 5 5500's single-thread performance — indicated by its 3dmark single-thread score of 836 — is sufficient to keep up with the GPU at this resolution and preset.

Q: How many tested combos does this pairing rank above in Minecraft?

A: The combo ranks 715 out of 3710 tested combos, placing it in the top 19.3% of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: What is the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 529 at 1080p Medium to 185 at 4K Medium, a reduction of 344 FPS or 65.0%.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER plays a critical role in Minecraft's performance, particularly at higher resolutions and graphical presets. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory operates at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) with a 192-bit bus width, producing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This memory configuration appears well-suited for Minecraft's texture handling and chunk rendering, as evidenced by the strong performance at 4K resolutions.

The GPU clocks are set at a base of 1980 MHz and boost up to 2475 MHz. These clock speeds, combined with 7168 shading units Ken and 224 texture mapping units, allow the card to process the game's block-based geometry efficiently. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 80 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s, which likely contributes to the high frame rates observed at 1080p and 1440p.

At 4K resolution, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced. The average FPS at 4K High is 147, while at 4K Low it reaches 234. The difference between these presets — 87 FPS — demonstrates how the GPU's workload scales with graphical settings. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance provides substantial compute headroom, but Minecraft's rendering pipeline appears to benefit more from memory bandwidth and pixel throughput than raw compute.

The GPU's benchmark scores support its measured gaming performance. Its Passmark G3D score of 29995 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 205624 indicate strong DirectX and Vulkan capabilities, though Minecraft's Java-based rendering may not fully leverage these APIs. The GPU's percentile ranking of 83 among all GPUs places it in the upper tier of tested hardware, consistent with the high frame rates observed in this game.

The 220 W TDP of the RTX 4070 SUPER suggests it operates efficiently for its performance class. The GPU's memory configuration appears particularly beneficial for Minecraft, as the game's world generation and block rendering can consume significant memory bandwidth. The measured results show that even at 4K Ultra, the combo maintains an average of 92 FPS, which is playable for most users despite being the lowest recorded value.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 715 out of 3710 tested combos in Minecraft, placing it in the 80.7th percentile of all configurations tested. This ranking reflects the combo's strong overall performance, though it is not among the absolute top-tier configurations for this game.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its contribution to this ranking. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 has an average benchmark score of 19617, which is 0.1% higher than the Ryzen 5 5500's 19593 average. The Intel Core i5-12500 scores 19668 (0.4% higher), while the Intel Core i7-10700F scores 19499 (0.5% lower). The Intel Core i5-11600KF scores 19723 (0.7% higher). These marginal differences indicate that the Ryzen 5 5500 performs competitively with its peers, and the CPU is not a significant differentiator in the overall combo ranking.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a similar pattern. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB has an average score of 43262, just 0.1% higher than the RTX 4070 SUPER's 43223. The RTX 5050 Mobile scores 43268 (0.1% higher), and the Quadro M6000 scores 43301 (0.2% higher). The RTX 4090 Mobile scores 43667, which is 1.0% higher. These close margins suggest that the RTX 4070 SUPER is positioned competitively among high-end GPUs.

The combo's ranking at 715 out of 3710 indicates that while this pairing is strong, other combinations of CPUs and GPUs achieve higher frame rates in Minecraft. The game's sensitivity to single-threaded performance, as evidenced by the CPU's 3dmark single-thread score of 836 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2319, means that CPUs with higher single-core clocks may push the combo higher in the rankings. Similarly, GPUs with more memory bandwidth or higher pixel rates could improve performance at 4K resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 575 FPS, Medium settings yield 529 FPS (min 450, max 608), High settings achieve 445 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 278 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p represents a 51.7% reduction in average FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the anticipated decline. Low settings average 447 FPS, Medium settings average 354 FPS (min 301, max 407), High settings average 281 FPS, and Ultra settings average 176 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at each preset reduces FPS by approximately 22-37%, with the smallest percentage drop at Ultra settings (36.7%) and the largest at Medium settings (33.1%).

At 3840x2160, the combo still delivers playable frame rates across all presets. Low settings average 234 FPS, Medium settings average 185 FPS (min 157, max 213), High settings average 147 FPS, and Ultra settings average 92 FPS. The 4K results show a more linear scaling between presets compared to lower resolutions, with each step from Low to Ultra reducing FPS by roughly 25-50 FPS.

The Medium settings rows provide the only min and max FPS data. At 1080p, the spread from min to max is 158 FPS (450 to 608). At 1440p, the spread narrows to 106 FPS (301 to 407). At 4K, the spread is 56 FPS (157 to 213). This trend indicates that higher resolutions produce more stable frame rates, likely due to the GPU becoming the consistent bottleneck rather than CPU-related frame time spikes.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user's resolution and performance priorities. At 1920x1080, even Ultra settings deliver an average of 278 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors. For users with 144 Hz or 240 Hz displays, Medium settings at 529 FPS or High settings at 445 FPS provide ample headroom while maintaining visual quality. The 1080p Low preset's 575 FPS is only marginally higher than Medium, suggesting that Medium offers a better visual-to-performance trade-off at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, High settings at 281 FPS provide a strong balance, staying above 240 Hz refresh rates while offering improved visuals over Medium's 354 FPS. For users with 144 Hz displays, Ultra settings at 176 FPS are viable, though the jump from High to Ultra reduces FPS by 37.4%. Medium settings at 354 FPS may be preferable for competitive play where maximum frame rates matter.

At 3840x2160, the recommendations shift toward lower presets. High settings at 147 FPS are suitable for 144 Hz displays, while Medium settings at 185 FPS offer a safety margin. Low settings at 234 FPS provide the highest frame rates at 4K but sacrifice visual fidelity. Ultra settings at 92 FPS are only advisable for users with 60 Hz displays who prioritize maximum graphical quality.

The data suggests that Medium settings offer the best overall experience across all resolutions, providing a balanced combination of frame rate and visual quality. At 1080p Medium, the 529 FPS average with a minimum of 450 FPS ensures consistent performance even during complex scenes. At 1440p Medium, the 354 FPS average maintains high refresh rate compatibility. At 4K Medium, the 185 FPS average (min 157) keeps frame rates above 144 Hz thresholds for most of the gameplay experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 plays a significant role in Minecraft's performance, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. This six-core, twelve-thread processor operates at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts up to 4.20 GHz, built on the Zen 3 architecture with a 7 nm process node. Its 16 MB of L3 cache and 512 KB L2 cache per core provide adequate memory hierarchy for the game's block-based world rendering.

The CPU's benchmark scores indicate strong single-threaded performance, which is crucial for Minecraft's primary game thread. Its 3dmark single-thread score of 836 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2319 demonstrate competitive single-core capabilities. The Passmark single-thread score of 3058 further confirms this strength. Multi-threaded performance is also solid, with Cinebench R23 multicore scoring 16429 and Geekbench multicore scoring 7976, though Minecraft's engine may not fully utilize all twelve threads.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 73 among all CPUs places it in the upper-mid range of processors. Its nearest rivals show minimal performance differences, with the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 scoring 0.1% higher and the Intel Core i5-12500 scoring 0.4% higher on average. This suggests that the Ryzen 5 5500 is well-matched to its price point and performance class.

In Minecraft, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the 1080p results. At Low settings, the 575 FPS average suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough draw calls to maintain extremely high frame rates. However, the relatively modest single-thread score compared to higher-end CPUs may explain why the combo ranks at 715 rather than higher. At 4K resolutions, the CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU becomes the limiting factor, evidenced by the more moderate FPS differences between presets at higher resolutions.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s over dual-channel DDR4, combined with its PCIe Gen 3 interface, may slightly constrain the GPU's performance in some scenarios. However, the measured FPS data shows that this pairing achieves excellent results across all tested configurations, indicating that any potential CPU bottleneck is not severe enough to significantly impact gameplay at typical resolutions and settings.