Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 configuration delivers a playable, though not flawless, experience in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter. The data shows a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, with performance firmly tied to the GPU at higher loads. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, the role of each component, and how the pairing behaves across common gaming scenarios.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p as the most comfortable experience, with average frame rates ranging from 76.4 FPS at Ultra settings to 156 FPS at Low settings. At 1440p, performance drops significantly, and 4K is only playable at Low settings, where the average frame rate is 53.4 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its closest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, scores 15996, which is a 0.5% difference, indicating statistically identical performance. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 is 1.7% ahead.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600 a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 in this game?

A: The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the frame rate reaches 156 FPS, which is a high ceiling. The performance drop when increasing resolution points to the GPU becoming the limiting factor, as the CPU workload does not scale with resolution.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The measured average frame rate at 1440p with Low settings is 98 FPS. Switching to Ultra settings drops the average to 48.1 FPS. This represents a substantial performance cost for the visual fidelity gain.

Q: Does the CPU's benchmark score place it above or below its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600 has an average benchmark score of 21765 and sits in the 79th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival is the Intel Xeon D-1746TER with a score of 21635, which is a 0.6% difference. The AMD EPYC 9554P and Intel Core i7-11700F are 0.6% and 0.9% behind, respectively.

Q: What is the frame rate cost of moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High settings, the average frame rate is 97.4 FPS. At 4K High settings, the average drops to 36.4 FPS. This represents a significant 61 FPS reduction, showing the heavy load placed on the GPU at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 3 architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. These specifications, combined with a 32 MB shared L3 cache, provide a strong foundation for gaming workloads. The CPU's benchmark results are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18309 and a single-core score of 2584, the latter being crucial for game logic and frame pacing.

In the context of Minimum, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and process game state. The data indicates that this processor is more than capable of doing so. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 156 FPS, a figure that is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this title. The high single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 882, ensures that the game's main thread is not easily overwhelmed.

The CPU's performance relative to its peers reinforces its capability. It has an average benchmark score of 21765, which is 0.6% higher than the Intel Xeon D-1746TER and 0.9% higher than the Intel Core i7-11700F. This places it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, confirming that it is a high-performing part. The fact that the frame rate does not increase when lowering the resolution from 1080p to lower internal resolutions suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. The performance ceiling appears to be dictated by the GPU's rendering capabilities, especially as resolution scales up.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for the Ryzen 5 5600 and RTX 2060 combination reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. As the resolution increases, the average frame rates drop significantly, indicating that the render load is the primary determinant of performance. This is typical for a pairing where the GPU is the weaker component relative to the CPU's capabilities.

At 1080p, the system shows strong performance across all settings. The average frame rate ranges from 76.4 FPS at Ultra to 156 FPS at Low. This wide spread is a direct result of the GPU's pixel throughput. Moving to 1440p, the averages fall to 48.1 FPS at Ultra and 98 FPS at Low. This represents a drop of roughly 37% from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings, highlighting the increased pixel count's impact on the GPU.

The jump to 4K is far more punishing. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate plummets to 27.3 FPS, which is not a smooth playable experience. Even at 4K Low, the average is only 53.4 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings shows a drop from 97.4 FPS to 36.4 FPS, a reduction of 61 FPS. This steep curve indicates that the RTX 2060's 6 GB memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p but are overwhelmed by the 4K workload. The limiting component at higher resolutions is unequivocally the GPU, as the CPU's performance is likely consistent across these resolution changes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system is at its most comfortable. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 156 FPS, providing a fluid experience for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings yield an average of 117.4 FPS, and High settings bring the average to 97.4 FPS. Pushing to Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 76.4 FPS. The data shows a consistent and predictable decline in performance as graphical fidelity increases.

Moving to 2560x1440, the strain on the GPU becomes more apparent. Low settings produce an average of 98 FPS, which is still smooth, but it is a 58 FPS drop from the 1080p equivalent. Medium settings average 78.3 FPS, while High settings average 65.7 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields an average of 48.1 FPS, which is on the edge of what is acceptable for a fast-paced shooter, suggesting a need to lower settings for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2060 is clearly overburdened. The Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 53.4 FPS. Medium settings average 39.9 FPS, and High settings drop to 36.4 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is nearly unplayable, with an average of just 27.3 FPS. The data confirms that 4K gaming is not a viable option for this combination except at the lowest settings. The performance degradation from 1080p to 4K is steep, showing that the GPU's memory bandwidth and processing power are insufficient for the pixel count at higher quality presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the primary driver of frame rates in Minimum, as evidenced by the resolution scaling. The GPU features 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, which handle the bulk of the rendering workload. Its boost clock of 1680 MHz and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, are key factors in its performance profile. The GPU has an average benchmark score of 16074, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs.

The benchmark data positions the RTX 2060 very close to its nearest rivals. It is 0.5% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, which scores 15996, and 1.8% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500, which scores 15786. It is 1.7% slower than both the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, which share a score of 16351. This indicates that the RTX 2060's performance is solidly in the mid-range tier, with no significant advantage or disadvantage over its immediate competitors.

In Minimum, the GPU's role is most critical at higher resolutions. The data shows a clear pattern where the GPU's throughput becomes the limiting factor. At 1080p, the GPU can deliver high frame rates across all settings, but as the resolution increases, the demands on the memory bus and shading units grow. The 6 GB memory capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with higher textures, the system may be pushing against the memory limit, contributing to the lower average frame rates. The GPU's performance, as measured by its average benchmark score and its rank in this game's combo list (1426 out of 1733), confirms that it is a mid-range part that pairs well with the Ryzen 5 5600 for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it is not suited for 4K at high settings.