Minecraft

CPU Role - cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on a 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and it carries 33 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 2 MB of L2 cache per core and 80 KB of L1 cache per core. The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with ECC memory support enabled. It uses the Intel Socket 1700 and provides PCIe Gen 5 with 16 CPU lanes. The chip has a TDP of 125 W and is produced on a die size of 257 mm².

In Minecraft, this processor's high single-thread performance is the dominant factor. The recorded benchmark scores show a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6235 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2578. Minecraft's world simulation, chunk generation, and entity updates are largely single-threaded, meaning the 5.60 GHz boost clock directly translates to smoother frame pacing and higher minimum frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and Geekbench multi-core score of 21462 indicate substantial parallel capability, but Minecraft does not scale well across many threads; it typically uses a few primary threads for the main game loop.

The processor's percentile rank against all CPUs is 94, placing it in the top tier of available desktop processors. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F with a score of 69996 and a delta of 0.2 percent, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69875 (delta 0.4 percent), the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 69515 (delta 0.9 percent), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K at 70879 (delta -1 percent). These close margins suggest that in CPU-bound workloads, the i7-14700KF performs nearly identically to its immediate competitors, with differences well under one percent in most cases.

For Minecraft specifically, the measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low settings the combo reaches an average of 300 FPS, which is the highest recorded value for this configuration. At 1080p Medium, the average is 238 FPS, and at 1080p High it is 189 FPS. These numbers indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions; the GPU handles the rendering load while the CPU keeps up with world simulation. The 20 cores and 28 threads are far more than Minecraft requires, but the high boost clock and strong single-core scores ensure that the game's primary thread never becomes a bottleneck in the tested scenarios.

GPU Role - VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER uses the TU116 chip based on the Turing architecture, manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It contains 6,600 million transistors on a die size of 284 mm², with a transistor density of 23.2 million per mm². The GPU has 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. Its base clock is 1530 MHz with a boost clock of 1785 MHz, and the memory runs at 1750 MHz, translating to 14 Gbps effective data rate. The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory sits on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The card is rated at 125 W TDP, uses a dual-slot design, requires a single 8-pin power connector, and has a suggested power supply of 300 W. It connects via PCIe 3.0 x16 and offers one DVI, one HDMI 2.0, and one DisplayPort 1.4a output.

The GPU's percentile rank against all GPUs is 53, meaning it sits near the middle of the performance distribution. Its average benchmark score is 12986, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 12940 (delta 0.4 percent), the AMD Radeon RX 580 at 12928 (delta 0.4 percent), the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 at 13075 (delta -0.7 percent), and the AMD Radeon 740M at 12870 (delta 0.9 percent). These margins are tight, indicating that the GTX 1660 SUPER performs very close to these alternatives in synthetic tests.

In Minecraft, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases. The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p Low the combo reaches 300 FPS, but at 4K Ultra the average drops to 39 FPS. The 6 GB VRAM is sufficient for Minecraft's textures and render distance at the tested settings, but the fill rate and shading throughput limit performance at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards. The FP32 compute of 5.027 TFLOPS is adequate for the game's lighting and shader effects, but the lack of dedicated ray tracing cores (RT cores) and tensor cores, both listed as null, means that any advanced visual effects rely on traditional rasterization.

The 4K Medium setting shows an average of 78 FPS with a minimum of 67 and maximum of 90, while 4K High drops to 62 FPS and 4K Ultra falls to 39 FPS. This scaling suggests that the GPU's rendering capacity is the limiting factor at 4K, particularly when the render distance and graphical details are increased. The 1080p results, where the GPU can produce over 200 FPS at Medium settings, demonstrate that the card is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at lower resolutions in this title.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 300, recorded at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163, which is 0.2 percent higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996) and 0.4 percent higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875). It is 0.9 percent above the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515) and 1 percent below the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (70879).

Q: What is the GPU's percentile rank among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is in the 53rd percentile, meaning it performs better than roughly half of all GPUs in the database.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo deliver the lowest average FPS?

A: The lowest recorded average FPS is 39, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the combo provide a playable frame rate at 4K Medium?

A: Yes, the 4K Medium setting shows an average of 78 FPS, with a minimum of 67 and maximum of 90, which is above the typical 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s, achieved with 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 3085 out of 3710 tested combos in Minecraft. This places it in the lower half of all configurations, which is expected given that the GPU is a mid-range part from 2019 while the CPU is a high-end part from 2023. The rank reflects the GPU's bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the CPU's substantial computing power cannot compensate for the GPU's rendering limits in this game.

The data shows that the combo performs best at 1080p, where the average FPS ranges from 118 at Ultra to 300 at Low. At 1440p, the average FPS ranges from 74 at Ultra to 189 at Low. At 4K, the averages fall to 39 at Ultra and 99 at Low. The rank of 3085 indicates that many other combinations deliver higher frame rates in Minecraft, particularly those with more powerful GPUs. The CPU's percentile rank of 94 is excellent, but the GPU's percentile rank of 53 pulls the overall combo down. This imbalance is the primary reason for the combo's position in the database.

Compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the GTX 1660 SUPER performs nearly identically in synthetic benchmarks, with deltas of 0.4 percent or less in most cases. This means that swapping to an RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, RX 580, or Radeon 740M would not meaningfully change the Minecraft results. The CPU's nearest rivals also show negligible differences, so the combo's rank is primarily determined by the GPU's absolute performance level rather than any specific pairing effect.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a consistent decline as resolution increases, but the rate of decline varies with settings. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 300 at 1080p to 189 at 1440p, a 37 percent reduction, and then to 99 at 4K, a further 48 percent reduction from 1440p. At Medium settings, the averages are 238 at 1080p, 150 at 1440p, and 78 at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 37 percent, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 48 percent. At High settings, the averages are 189 at 1080p, 119 at 1440p, and 62 at 4K, with drops of 37 percent and 48 percent respectively. At Ultra settings, the averages are 118 at 1080p, 74 at 1440p, and 39 at 4K, showing drops of 37 percent and 47 percent.

The consistent percentage drops across all settings indicate that the GPU is the limiting component at every resolution above 1080p. The number of pixels quadruples from 1080p to 4K, and the FPS reduction of roughly 80 percent from 1080p Low to 4K Low (from 300 to 99) aligns with the GPU's fill rate limitations. The CPU has ample headroom even at 4K, as evidenced by the fact that the FPS scales inversely with pixel count rather than stabilizing due to CPU limits.

The 1080p results, where the GPU can push over 200 FPS at Medium settings, suggest that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution. If the CPU were limiting, the FPS would plateau regardless of resolution changes. Instead, the smooth decline from 1080p to 1440p to 4K points to the GPU's rendering throughput as the controlling factor. The 6 GB VRAM is not exhausted at 4K in this game, so the bottleneck is purely computational.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results are as follows: Low settings produce an average of 300 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 238 FPS, with a minimum of 202 and a maximum of 273. High settings produce an average of 189 FPS. Ultra settings produce an average of 118 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 182 FPS, showing a dramatic impact of graphical settings on performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 189 FPS, Medium at 150 FPS (minimum 127, maximum 172), High at 119 FPS, and Ultra at 74 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 115 FPS. The Medium setting's minimum of 127 FPS indicates that even in demanding scenes, the combo maintains a high frame rate at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 99 FPS, Medium at 78 FPS (minimum 67, maximum 90), High at 62 FPS, and Ultra at 39 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 60 FPS. The 4K Low result of 99 FPS is just below the 100 FPS mark, and the 4K High result of 62 FPS is close to the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The 4K Ultra result of 39 FPS falls below the standard 60 FPS target, indicating that this setting is not suitable for the combo at 4K.

The Medium settings across all resolutions include minimum and maximum FPS values, which are absent for Low, High, and Ultra. The Medium data shows that at 1080p, the minimum is 202 FPS, at 1440p the minimum is 127 FPS, and at 4K the minimum is 67 FPS. These minimums are all above 60 FPS, demonstrating stable frame delivery in the tested scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and frame rate expectation. At 1080p, all settings deliver playable frame rates, with Ultra averaging 118 FPS and Low reaching 300 FPS. The Medium setting, with an average of 238 FPS and a minimum of 202 FPS, provides a strong balance between visual quality and performance. For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, Low or Medium settings allow the GPU to output frames well above 144 FPS.

At 1440p, the High setting averages 119 FPS, which is comfortable for 60 Hz or 120 Hz displays. The Medium setting averages 150 FPS with a minimum of 127 FPS, making it the best choice for high-refresh-rate gameplay at this resolution. The Ultra setting at 74 FPS is acceptable for 60 Hz displays but may not provide the smoothness of the Medium or High presets. The Low setting at 189 FPS is excessive for most monitors and sacrifices visual fidelity unnecessarily.

At 4K, the High setting averages 62 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium setting averages 78 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS, providing a safer margin for frame time consistency. The Low setting at 99 FPS offers the highest frame rate at 4K but at the cost of reduced graphical detail. The Ultra setting at 39 FPS is not recommended, as it falls well below the 60 FPS target and would result in noticeable stutter during world exploration.

The data indicates that Medium settings provide the best overall experience across all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 238 FPS with a minimum of 202 FPS; at 1440p, it delivers 150 FPS with a minimum of 127 FPS; and at 4K, it delivers 78 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS. These results show that Medium settings maintain a consistent ratio of minimum to average FPS, suggesting stable frame pacing. The High setting at 4K (62 FPS) is borderline, and the Ultra setting at 4K (39 FPS) is the only recorded configuration that fails to reach 60 FPS.

For users prioritizing visual fidelity over raw frame rate, the High setting at 1440p (119 FPS) or 4K (62 FPS) is viable. For competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays, the Medium setting at 1080p or 1440p is the strongest choice. The Low setting is only necessary for extreme frame rate targets, such as 300 FPS at 1080p, which exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors. The Ultra setting is best reserved for 1080p, where it still averages 118 FPS, or for users who accept lower frame rates at higher resolutions.