Minimum

The data for Minimum shows a pairing of a six-core AMD Ryzen 5 5500 with the flagship NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. This combination produces a wide spread of frame rates across resolutions and presets, making it a clear case where the CPU’s Zen 3 architecture and the GPU’s massive memory bandwidth interact in specific ways. The measured results indicate that this is a high-refresh-rate machine at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K remains playable but demands settings tuning to hit higher frame rates.

FAQ

*Q: What is the combo rank for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 with the RTX 4090 in Minimum?*

A: This specific combination ranks 69th out of 1,733 tested combos in the database, placing it in the top 4% of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 4090 have, and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 4090 is equipped with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a total bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. This substantial memory pool ensures that texture data is rarely a bottleneck at any resolution.

Q: What is the performance difference between the lowest and highest presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 325.9 FPS on Low settings to 192 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents a 41% reduction in performance from the Low preset to the Ultra preset.

Q: Can this combo achieve 144Hz gameplay at 2560x1440?

A: Yes. The benchmark data shows an average of 162.2 FPS at High settings and 191.4 FPS at Medium settings. Even the Ultra preset delivers an average of 124.1 FPS, which is below the 144Hz threshold but still high.

Q: What is the benchmark score for the CPU relative to its closest competitor?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 20,875, which is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, which scores 20,897. The delta is a negligible -0.1%, indicating they perform at parity in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking compared to all other GPUs?

A: The GeForce RTX 4090 sits in the 91st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66,473. Its closest rival in the database, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, scores 66,733, a difference of -0.4%.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090 plays a dominant role in Minimum's high frame rates, but its influence is modulated by the CPU. The GPU’s core specifications—16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs—drive the raw rendering throughput. With a boost clock of 2520 MHz, the card delivers 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which explains its ability to push hundreds of frames per second at lower resolutions.

The 24 GB of VRAM is a significant asset here. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the game still only produces an average of 65.2 FPS, but the memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s ensures that there are no hitches from texture streaming. The data suggests that the GPU is never starved for data, even at the highest fidelity settings. The Ryzen 5 5500, with its 16 MB of L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, can feed the GPU enough instructions to saturate it at 1080p, but the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 1440p and 4K indicates a transition from a CPU-bound scenario to a GPU-bound one.

Specifically, at 1080p Low, the average is 325.9 FPS, a figure that is likely limited by the CPU's single-thread performance (2,319 in Cinebench R23 single-core). As resolution increases to 1440p, the frame rate drops to 254.5 FPS on Low, and at 4K it falls to 135 FPS. This pattern shows the GPU taking over the primary bottleneck as pixel fill rate becomes the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 69 out of 1,733 places it in a strong position, but it is not the absolute top. This rank reflects the balance between the RTX 4090's top-tier performance and the Ryzen 5 5500's mid-range capabilities. The CPU’s percentile rank is 79th among all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 91st percentile.

The disparity between these percentiles explains why the combo doesn't rank higher. In CPU-bound scenarios, like the Low preset at 1080p, the system achieves 325.9 FPS. If paired with a faster CPU, this number might be higher, but the GPU is so powerful that it can still deliver high frame rates even when held back. The data shows that the gap between the CPU's synthetic score (20,875) and its rivals (e.g., the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE at 20,900) is less than 0.2%, meaning that swapping the CPU for a direct rival would not materially change the gaming performance in Minimum.

However, the rank is heavily influenced by the GPU. The RTX 4090's nearest rivals in the database—like the NVIDIA Tesla P40 with a 0.5% higher score—are not typical gaming cards, but the 4090's 91st percentile ranking confirms its position as a top-tier consumer part. The combo's overall rank suggests that while the CPU is not a bottleneck for most games, it does prevent this configuration from reaching the absolute peak of the charts where faster processors would be paired with the same GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of scaling across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system is capable of extreme frame rates. The Low preset produces an average of 325.9 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 293.8 FPS, and High settings drop to 253.8 FPS. The Ultra preset still manages an average of 192 FPS. The performance delta between Low and Ultra is 133.9 FPS, showing that the CPU can push very high frame rates but the GPU's workload increases with better visuals.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to show the GPU's load. Low settings average 254.5 FPS, Medium averages 191.4 FPS, and High averages 162.2 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 124.1 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a reduction of 71.4 FPS on Low settings, indicating that the GPU is now the primary limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4090's raw power is tested. The Low preset averages 135 FPS, which is still very playable. Medium settings average 102.4 FPS, High settings average 85.7 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 65.2 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 4K on Ultra settings is 126.8 FPS, illustrating a significant performance cost for higher resolution.

The data shows that moving from High to Ultra at any resolution costs about 20-30% of the frame rate. For example, at 1440p, High averages 162.2 FPS while Ultra averages 124.1 FPS, a difference of 38.1 FPS. At 4K, the same preset change drops from 85.7 FPS to 65.2 FPS, a 20.5 FPS reduction.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target display refresh rate and resolution.

For 3840x2160 displays, the High preset is the best balance of fidelity and performance, delivering an average of 85.7 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience. The Ultra preset, at 65.2 FPS, is borderline for 60Hz displays but may cause noticeable drops on higher refresh rate monitors. The Medium preset, at 102.4 FPS, is a strong option for those who prioritize frame rate over visual detail, offering a 16.7 FPS improvement over High. Low settings at 135 FPS are only recommended for competitive play, as the visual downgrade is significant.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is the clear winner, averaging 162.2 FPS. This is sufficient for 144Hz monitors and provides excellent visual quality. The Medium preset, at 191.4 FPS, is ideal for 165Hz or 240Hz displays, offering a 29.2 FPS increase over High. Ultra at 124.1 FPS is still viable for 120Hz screens but will not fully saturate a 144Hz panel. Low at 254.5 FPS is overkill for most displays and should be avoided unless maximum frame pacing is required.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice, as it still averages 192 FPS. This is enough for 144Hz and even 165Hz monitors, and it provides the best image quality. The High preset at 253.8 FPS is better suited for 240Hz panels, while Medium at 293.8 FPS and Low at 325.9 FPS are only useful for 360Hz esports displays. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, so there is little reason to drop below High settings for visual fidelity, as the frame rate gains from lower presets are marginal (60.1 FPS difference between High and Low).