Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces a heavily CPU-limited experience in Minimum, where the GPU's immense power is only partially utilized at lower resolutions. The data shows a clear pattern: resolution scaling is inverted from typical GPU-bound scenarios, with frame rates dropping only modestly as resolution increases, indicating the Ryzen 5 2600 is the primary bottleneck. This combo ranks 171st out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the top 10% of all configurations despite the older CPU.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals that this pairing is consistently CPU-bound across all tested resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 236.3 FPS, while at 4K Low it still delivers 135.1 FPS — a drop of only 42.8% despite a 4x increase in pixel count. This is the signature of a processor-limited system: the RTX 4090 is so powerful that even at 4K, it is waiting on the Ryzen 5 2600 to feed it frames. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly telling: at High settings, 1440p yields 161.3 FPS while 4K drops to 86.2 FPS, a 46.6% reduction. This larger drop at higher settings suggests that as the GPU workload increases, the balance shifts slightly toward the graphics card, but the CPU remains the dominant constraint.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with 182.6 FPS at 1080p falling to 66.6 FPS at 4K — a 63.5% decrease. This indicates that Ultra settings impose a significant enough GPU load that the RTX 4090 starts to become more relevant, though even at 4K Ultra, the 66.6 FPS figure is well below what the 4090 alone would produce. The 1080p to 1440p transitions are relatively gentle for all settings: High drops from 205.4 to 161.3 FPS (21.5% loss), Medium from 217.7 to 187 (14.1% loss), and Low from 236.3 to 203.9 (13.7% loss). These modest declines reinforce that the CPU is the limiting factor — a GPU-bound system would show far larger percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090's specifications are extraordinary, yet this game does not fully leverage them due to the CPU bottleneck. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, with a boost clock of 2520 MHz. Its 16384 shading units and 128 RT cores provide massive compute headroom, as reflected in its 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 performance. The 4090 scores 38194 in Passmark G3D and 26613 in GPU compute, placing it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. However, in Minimum, these resources go largely underutilized at 1080p and 1440p, where the 236.3 FPS ceiling at Low settings is far below what the GPU could theoretically deliver.

The GPU's memory subsystem is particularly overqualified for this title. With 24 GB of VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, there is no scenario in this game where memory capacity or speed would limit performance — even at 4K Ultra, the 66.6 FPS result is not a memory constraint but a compute/CPU limitation. The 4090's 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate are more than sufficient for any resolution tested here. The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the Tesla T4 (avg score 66733, delta -0.4%) and Tesla P40 (66127, delta +0.5%) — are professional cards that would perform far worse in actual gaming, highlighting that the 4090's gaming strength is not captured by these workloads.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is the clear bottleneck in this configuration. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen+ architecture, it operates at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost of 3.90 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 scores of 11186 multi-core and 1579 single-core, along with a Passmark multithread score of 13160, place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. However, its nearest rivals show how close it is to modern mid-range parts: the Intel Core i5-1345U scores 19691 (delta -0.4%), the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U scores 19508 (delta +0.6%), and the Intel Core i5-11600KF scores 19740 (delta -0.6%). These deltas of less than 1% indicate that the Ryzen 5 2600's compute capability is competitive with much newer chips in synthetic tests, yet its single-thread performance of 1579 in R23 is what limits gaming frame rates.

The CPU's 16 MB of shared L3 cache and 46.9 GB/s memory bandwidth are adequate for most workloads, but in Minimum, the game's engine appears to have a hard ceiling around 236 FPS at 1080p Low. The fact that 4K Low still achieves 135.1 FPS (57% of the 1080p Low result) while 4K Ultra drops to 66.6 FPS (36.5% of the 1080p Low) suggests the CPU can sustain roughly 135-236 FPS depending on scenario, but cannot push beyond that regardless of resolution. The 65W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate this is an overclockable part, but even with manual tuning, the Zen+ architecture's limits would persist. The CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 2239 and physics score of 673 further confirm that per-core performance is the constraint, not core count — the game likely uses only a few threads, making the 12-thread capability largely irrelevant.

FAQ

Q: Why does 4K Low (135.1 FPS) outperform 1080p Ultra (182.6 FPS) by such a large margin?

A: The 4K Low setting reduces GPU workload dramatically, allowing the CPU to push more frames (135.1 FPS) than the 1080p Ultra preset, which imposes a heavier GPU load (182.6 FPS) but still cannot exceed the CPU's frame delivery ceiling.

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 4K gaming?

A: The data indicates 1080p is the sweet spot, with 236.3 FPS at Low settings being the highest measured result. At 4K, the combo still delivers playable frame rates (66.6-135.1 FPS depending on settings), but the CPU bottleneck limits the 4090's potential at every resolution.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 2600 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 2600's average benchmark score of 19616 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-1345U (19691, -0.4%), AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (19508, +0.6%), and Intel Core i5-11600KF (19740, -0.6%), showing that despite being older, it remains competitive in compute workloads.

*Q: What is the maximum FPS this combo can achieve in Minimum?*

A: The highest measured average FPS is 236.3 at 1080p Low settings. No setting combination exceeds this value, indicating a hard CPU-imposed frame rate cap around 236 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM matter for this game?

A: At the tested settings and resolutions, the 24 GB GDDR6X memory with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth is never a limiting factor. Even at 4K Ultra (66.6 FPS), the bottleneck is the CPU, not memory capacity or bandwidth.

*Q: Is the 4090's performance in Minimum representative of its overall capability?*

A: No. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 38194 places it in the 91st percentile, but in this game, the Ryzen 5 2600 prevents it from reaching its potential. The 4090 would perform significantly better with a stronger CPU.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 171st out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the top 9.9% of all configurations. This ranking is notable because it shows that even with an older, mid-range CPU from 2018, the sheer GPU power of the 4090 pushes the combo into the upper decile. The rank of 171 suggests that the 4090's raw capability compensates for the CPU's age, but not fully — the top 170 combos likely feature newer processors that can feed the GPU more effectively.

The delta between this combo's performance and higher-ranked ones is likely substantial, given that the Ryzen 5 2600's single-thread score of 1579 in R23 is a fraction of what modern CPUs achieve. However, the 4090's 91st percentile GPU ranking and the CPU's 77th percentile ranking combine to produce a system that outperforms 90.1% of all tested configurations. This suggests that in Minimum, the GPU carries more weight in the overall ranking than the CPU, despite the CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions. The 1733 total combos include many with balanced mid-range parts, and this pairing's high rank underscores that the 4090's dominance can partially overcome a weak processor.

Settings Recommendations

For this combo, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate priority. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 236.3 FPS, which is the absolute maximum this system can produce — ideal for competitive play where frame rate is paramount. The Medium preset at 1080p (217.7 FPS) offers a better balance if visual quality matters, sacrificing only 7.9% of the maximum FPS. The High preset (205.4 FPS) is still extremely smooth and represents the best visual-to-performance ratio for most users, as it delivers over 200 FPS while providing significantly better graphics than Low.

At 1440p, the Medium preset (187 FPS) is the standout recommendation, offering high frame rates with reduced visual compromises compared to Low (203.9 FPS). The High preset (161.3 FPS) remains viable for those prioritizing image quality, while Ultra (124.6 FPS) is playable but begins to show the CPU limitation more clearly. At 4K, the Low preset (135.1 FPS) is the only setting that maintains a high refresh rate experience; Medium (102.3 FPS) is still excellent, while High (86.2 FPS) and Ultra (66.6 FPS) are playable but increasingly CPU-bound. For a balanced experience across all resolutions, Medium settings provide the best compromise, with 217.7 FPS at 1080p, 187 FPS at 1440p, and 102.3 FPS at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its highest frame rates: Low settings achieve 236.3 FPS, Medium reaches 217.7 FPS, High delivers 205.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 182.6 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 53.7 FPS, representing a 22.7% reduction from the maximum. This relatively narrow range indicates that even at the most demanding 1080p preset, the CPU can still feed the GPU adequately, though the 182.6 FPS Ultra result shows the game engine's computational demands increasing.

At 2560x1440, performance scales downward as expected: Low produces 203.9 FPS, Medium 187 FPS, High 161.3 FPS, and Ultra 124.6 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread widens to 79.3 FPS (38.9% reduction), showing that GPU load becomes more significant at this resolution. The 1440p results are still exceptionally smooth, with even the lowest setting (Ultra at 124.6 FPS) exceeding typical 60 FPS display refresh rates by a wide margin.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates compress further: Low yields 135.1 FPS, Medium 102.3 FPS, High 86.2 FPS, and Ultra 66.6 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread is 68.5 FPS (50.7% reduction), the largest percentage drop of any resolution. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU starts to become more of a limiting factor, particularly at High and Ultra settings where the 4090's compute resources are more fully engaged. The 66.6 FPS Ultra result is still above 60 FPS, meaning this combo can handle 4K gaming at playable frame rates, but the CPU bottleneck prevents the 4090 from delivering the 100+ FPS 4K experiences that a modern processor would enable.