Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER pairing delivers playable but not exceptional performance in Minimum, a 2014 Third-Person Shooter. The data shows a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, with the GPU acting as the primary constraint at higher resolutions while the CPU remains a steady foundation. The measured results place this combo in the lower portion of the database rankings, indicating that while it handles 1080p well, it struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, revealing a clear GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 84 FPS at 1920x1080 to 54 FPS at 2560x1440, a 36% reduction, and then to 29 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 46% drop from 1440p. This trajectory indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the limiting component as pixel count increases, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions but unable to compensate for the massive increase in rendering load at 4K.

The Low settings preset shows a similar pattern, with averages of 131 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p, and 46 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and High settings widens as resolution increases—at 1080p the difference is 47 FPS, at 1440p it is 31 FPS, and at 4K it narrows to 17 FPS. This convergence suggests that at 4K, even the lowest settings cannot prevent the GPU from becoming the bottleneck, as the absolute frame rates remain below 60 FPS regardless of quality level.

Medium settings offer a middle ground, with 100 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K. The minimum frame rates recorded at Medium settings (85 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p, 30 FPS at 4K) show that the experience remains stable even when frame rates dip, but the 4K minimum of 30 FPS is right at the edge of playability. Ultra settings are the most demanding, dropping from 64 FPS at 1080p to 41 FPS at 1440p and 22 FPS at 4K, with the latter being effectively unplayable for a smooth experience.

The scaling behavior indicates that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, where the CPU and GPU work in balance. At 1440p, the system remains usable for most settings, but 4K is only viable at Low settings, and even then the 46 FPS average falls short of the 60 FPS target that many players prefer. The data shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB of VRAM and memory bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p but become strained at 4K, where the pixel throughput demands exceed what this GPU can deliver.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the dominant factor in these results, particularly at higher resolutions. Its memory configuration includes 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's base clock is 1530 MHz with a boost clock of 1785 MHz, and it features 1408 shading units. These specifications place it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 12986. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (0.4% higher score) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 (0.4% higher), showing that this card sits in a tightly contested performance tier.

The GPU's 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 85.68 GPixel/s pixel rate are the raw numbers that explain the 4K struggles. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only produce 46 FPS, which aligns with a GPU that is running out of fill rate and memory bandwidth. The card's 48 ROPs and 88 TMUs are sufficient for 1080p gaming, as evidenced by the 131 FPS at Low settings, but the scaling to 4K requires four times the pixel throughput, which this hardware cannot sustain.

The GTX 1660 SUPER's VRAM capacity is another limiting factor at high resolutions. While 6 GB is adequate for 1080p and 1440p in Minimum, the higher texture loads at 4K can exceed this capacity, leading to the sharp performance drop observed between 1440p and 4K. The memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) provides the 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, but this is insufficient to keep up with the demands of 4K rendering at playable frame rates. The card's 12 nm process node and 6,600 million transistors contribute to its 125 W TDP, which is modest but does not compensate for its architectural limits at extreme resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 3171 out of 3712 combos in Minimum. This places it in the 15th percentile of all tested configurations, indicating that the majority of tested systems outperform it. The rank reflects the GPU's position as a mid-range part from 2019, combined with a CPU that was similarly positioned at its release. While the CPU holds up well in synthetic benchmarks—the Ryzen 5 3600 scores in the 71st percentile of all CPUs—the GPU's 53rd percentile ranking drags the overall combo down.

The combo's rank suggests that for Minimum, this setup is entry-level by modern standards. Many other tested combinations with newer or higher-tier GPUs achieve substantially better performance, particularly at 1440p and 4K. However, the data shows that at 1080p, this combo can deliver frame rates above 60 FPS on Medium and High settings, which is adequate for the game's genre. The rank also indicates that this is not a combo that excels in any specific area—it is a balanced but modest performer that handles 1080p well and struggles at 4K.

The gap between this combo's rank and the top performers is significant, but the data also shows that the Ryzen 5 3600 is not the limiting factor. The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core i7-1260P (0.2% higher score) and the Intel Core i5-11400 (0.2% lower score), indicating that it remains a competitive processor. The bottleneck is clearly the GPU, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data. If paired with a more powerful GPU, the Ryzen 5 3600 could likely push much higher frame rates, but as configured, this combo is anchored by the GTX 1660 SUPER's performance ceiling.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?*

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the only resolution where the combo consistently exceeds 60 FPS across Low, Medium, and High settings. At 2560x1440, only Low settings (85 FPS) and Medium settings (65 FPS) clear that threshold, while High drops to 54 FPS.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Minimum?*

A: At 3840x2160, the best average is 46 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS target. Medium settings produce 35 FPS, High produces 29 FPS, and Ultra drops to 22 FPS. None of these results are ideal for smooth 4K gameplay.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 12986 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940, 0.4% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 (12928, 0.4% higher). This places it in a tight cluster of mid-range GPUs with similar performance.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 3600 a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data indicates no significant CPU bottleneck at 1080p, as the combo achieves 131 FPS at Low settings and 84 FPS at High settings. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, are sufficient to feed the GPU at this resolution.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: The measured minimums are 85 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. This shows that even at Medium settings, the 4K experience can dip to 30 FPS, which may be noticeable in fast-paced moments.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 3171 out of 3712 combos in Minimum, placing it in the lower 15% of the database. This reflects the GPU's mid-range status, despite the CPU performing in the 71st percentile of all processors.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 provides the computational backbone for this combo, and its performance is more than adequate for Minimum. The CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. It is built on the Zen 2 architecture using a 7 nm process node, with 32 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications yield a 71st percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17035. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests are the Intel Core i7-1260P (0.2% higher score) and the Intel Core i5-11400 (0.2% lower), showing that it remains competitive with newer processors.

In multi-threaded workloads, the Ryzen 5 3600 scores 15045 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 17700 in Passmark multithread, indicating strong parallel performance. The single-thread scores are 2124 in Cinebench R23 and 2562 in Passmark, which are decent but not exceptional. The 3DMark results show scaling from 696 in single-thread to 4605 in 16-thread tests, confirming that the CPU can leverage its 12 threads effectively. However, in Minimum, the game's demands are primarily on the GPU, and the CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame delivery without bottlenecking.

The data from resolution scaling shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 131 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would stress a weaker CPU. The fact that the frame rate drops consistently as resolution increases suggests that the GPU is saturating well before the CPU reaches its limits. The Ryzen 5 3600's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s on a dual-channel DDR4 setup is sufficient for this game, and its PCIe Gen 4 support (16 lanes) provides ample bandwidth for the GTX 1660 SUPER, which uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The CPU's 65 W TDP and 7 nm process make it an efficient choice, but the benchmark results show that its performance is not the differentiator in this combo—the GPU is.

Settings Recommendations

For the best measured experience in Minimum, the data points to 1920x1080 as the resolution of choice, with Medium or High settings offering the optimal balance of visual quality and frame rate. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 100 FPS average with a minimum of 85 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience with no visible stutter. High settings at 1080p yield 84 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold but with slightly improved visual fidelity. The difference between Medium and High at 1080p is 16 FPS, which may be acceptable for players prioritizing visuals over raw frame rate.

For players with 1440p monitors, Low settings provide the best frame rate at 85 FPS, but Medium at 65 FPS is a better compromise for visual quality. The minimum at 1440p Medium is 55 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target and should be playable for most users. High settings at 1440p drop to 54 FPS, which is borderline, and Ultra at 41 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience. At 4K, the data shows that only Low settings (46 FPS) are viable, and even then, players will need to accept lower visual quality to maintain playable frame rates.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it produces the lowest frame rates across the board: 64 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K. The performance cost of Ultra over High is significant—at 1080p, the drop from High (84 FPS) to Ultra (64 FPS) is 20 FPS, which is a 24% reduction for marginal visual gains. Based on the measured rows, the optimal configuration for this combo is 1080p with Medium settings, which provides the highest minimum frame rate (85 FPS) and a comfortable average of 100 FPS, ensuring a responsive and stable experience in this Third-Person Shooter. If players prioritize visual quality, High at 1080p is the best alternative, offering 84 FPS average while still maintaining a playable experience.