Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER represents a familiar pairing: a capable six-core Zen 3 processor driving an older but still relevant Turing-based GPU. In the game "Minimum," a third-person shooter from 2014, this combination produces a wide spread of frame rates depending on resolution and quality settings. The measured data shows a system that can handle 1080p gaming comfortably but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, particularly when image quality settings are pushed to their highest levels. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS results, examines how the components interact, and provides practical guidance for getting the most out of this specific hardware configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with Low settings, the system delivers an average of 131 FPS, which drops to 85 FPS at 1440p and further to 46 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 65% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, indicating that the GTX 1660 SUPER’s rendering capabilities become the dominant factor at higher resolutions.

Under Medium settings, the frame rate pattern follows a similar trajectory: 100 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 35% and 65% respectively, matching the Low setting scaling almost exactly. This consistency suggests that the GPU’s pixel throughput, not the CPU, is the limiting factor when resolution increases. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s 192-bit memory bus and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth appear to be the constraining resources at 4K, as the frame rate drops below 30 FPS at High settings and bottoms out at 22 FPS on Ultra.

At High settings, the scaling becomes more severe: 84 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 46%, which is steeper than the 35% drop observed from 1080p to 1440p. This indicates that at 4K High, the GPU is approaching its memory bandwidth limit, causing a disproportionate performance hit. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling: 64 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is barely playable, with an average frame rate that would cause noticeable stuttering in a fast-paced third-person shooter.

The data suggests that the Ryzen 5 5600F is not the bottleneck in this configuration. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU has the least amount of GPU work to wait for, the system reaches 131 FPS. This is well within the capabilities of a six-core, twelve-thread processor with a 4.00 GHz boost clock. The 5600F’s PassMark single-thread score of 2872 and multithread score of 19236 indicate it can easily feed the GTX 1660 SUPER at lower resolutions. The GPU becomes the limiting factor at 1440p and above, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate drops that track with pixel count rather than CPU load.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this CPU/GPU combo in Minimum?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 provides the most consistent experience, with average FPS ranging from 64 on Ultra to 131 on Low. At 1440p, the system still delivers playable frame rates, with 41 FPS on Ultra and 85 FPS on Low. 4K is only viable at Low settings, where the average FPS is 46, while Medium drops to 35 FPS and Ultra falls to 22 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB VRAM affect performance in this game?

A: The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Minimum. At 4K, the frame rate drops suggest that memory bandwidth, not capacity, is the limiting factor. The 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is shared across a 192-bit bus, and the measured FPS at 4K High (29 FPS) and 4K Ultra (22 FPS) indicates the GPU cannot sustain the pixel fill rate required at that resolution.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600F holding back the GTX 1660 SUPER?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is not the bottleneck. The 5600F’s PassMark multithread score of 19236 and single-thread score of 2872 place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 131 FPS, which is far below the CPU’s theoretical maximum. The GPU’s 53rd percentile ranking among all GPUs means it is the weaker component in this pairing.

Q: What settings preset provides the smoothest gameplay at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 85 FPS average, while Medium provides 65 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS. High yields 54 FPS, and Ultra drops to 41 FPS. For a third-person shooter requiring responsive controls, Medium at 1440p offers the best balance, as the 55 FPS minimum is above the threshold where frame pacing issues typically become noticeable.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2509 out of 2939 tested combinations in Minimum. This places it in the lower portion of the ranking, but the game is from 2014, so many newer GPUs will outperform the GTX 1660 SUPER. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (0.4% higher average score) and the RX 580 (0.4% higher), showing it is competitive with those parts.

Q: Can this system run Minimum at 4K with any settings?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it averages 46 FPS. Medium drops to 35 FPS with a 30 FPS minimum, which is borderline playable. High and Ultra presets at 4K produce 29 FPS and 22 FPS respectively, which are below acceptable levels for a shooter.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimizing the gameplay experience. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset stands out as the best overall choice, delivering 100 FPS average with a minimum of 85 FPS and a maximum of 115 FPS. This frame rate range is smooth enough for competitive play while still offering better visual quality than Low. The High preset at 1080p produces 84 FPS, which is also playable, but the 16 FPS drop from Medium is not worth the modest visual improvement in a game from 2014.

For users with 1440p monitors, the Medium preset is again the recommended starting point. The 65 FPS average with a 55 FPS minimum provides a solid experience, though users who prioritize frame rate over visuals can drop to Low for 85 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p, at 41 FPS, should be avoided for serious gameplay, as the frame rate dips below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider ideal for shooters.

At 4K, only the Low preset is viable, with 46 FPS average. The Medium preset at 4K produces 35 FPS with a 30 FPS minimum, which will result in noticeable stuttering during fast camera movements. The High and Ultra presets at 4K, at 29 FPS and 22 FPS respectively, are not recommended for any gameplay scenario. The data shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER simply does not have enough pixel throughput to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with higher quality settings.

The frame time consistency, as indicated by the min and max FPS values for Medium settings, is worth noting. At 1080p Medium, the range from 85 to 115 FPS represents a 30 FPS spread, which is relatively tight. At 1440p Medium, the range from 55 to 74 FPS is also consistent. This suggests the GTX 1660 SUPER maintains stable frame pacing when not pushed beyond its memory bandwidth limits. For the best experience, users should target settings that keep the average FPS above 60, which means Medium at 1080p or 1440p, or Low at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 2509 out of 2939 tested combinations in Minimum. This places it in the bottom 15% of all tested configurations, which is expected given the GPU’s age and mid-range positioning. The GTX 1660 SUPER, released in 2019, was designed for 1080p gaming at high settings, and the data confirms it performs best at that resolution. The CPU, however, is a much newer part released in 2025, and its 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it is not contributing to the low combo ranking.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 12986 places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (score 12940, delta 0.4%), the RX 580 (score 12928, delta 0.4%), and the Radeon 740M (score 12870, delta 0.9%). These deltas are all within 1% of the GTX 1660 SUPER’s score, indicating that the GPU is performing exactly as expected for its class. The only rival with a higher score is the Tesla M2090 (score 13075, delta -0.7%), which is a professional compute card not intended for gaming.

The CPU’s nearest rivals tell a similar story. The Ryzen 5 5600F’s average benchmark score of 36945 is nearly identical to the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (score 36938, delta 0%), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (score 37018, delta -0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (score 37093, delta -0.4%). These results confirm that the 5600F is a well-balanced mid-range processor, but its performance is not enough to overcome the GTX 1660 SUPER’s limitations in this game.

The ranking suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at medium-to-high settings. Users with 1440p monitors can still achieve playable frame rates, but they will need to accept lower quality settings. The combo is not competitive at 4K beyond the Low preset, and users who prioritize high-resolution gaming would need to upgrade the GPU to improve their ranking.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary determinant of frame rates in Minimum, particularly at higher resolutions. This GPU features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, with a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The memory runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. The GPU’s base clock is 1530 MHz with a boost clock of 1785 MHz, and it has 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units.

The GPU’s pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s are sufficient for 1080p gaming but become strained at 4K. At 4K resolution, the GPU must process 8.3 million pixels per frame, which requires a proportional increase in pixel fill rate. The measured 4K results—46 FPS at Low, 35 FPS at Medium, 29 FPS at High, and 22 FPS at Ultra—show a clear correlation with the GPU’s rendering workload. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is not the issue, as even at 4K Ultra, the game likely uses less than 6 GB. Instead, the 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient to feed the GPU at 4K with higher quality settings.

The GTX 1660 SUPER’s Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process, provides DirectX 12 (12_1) support, which is more than adequate for a 2014 game. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 12699 and DirectX 11 score of 104 indicate it performs well in DirectX 11 titles, which includes most games from that era. The GPU’s 53rd percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects its position as a mid-range part. Its nearest rival, the RX 580, has a nearly identical average score (12928 vs 12986), confirming that the GTX 1660 SUPER is a solid but not exceptional performer.

The GPU’s role in this combo is clear: it is the limiting factor at resolutions above 1080p. The Ryzen 5 5600F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, can easily feed the GTX 1660 SUPER at any resolution. The GPU’s 125 W TDP and suggested 300 W PSU make it an efficient choice, but its performance ceiling is what it is. Users looking to improve frame rates in Minimum would need to upgrade the GPU, as the CPU has headroom to spare.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Minimum is as follows, organized by resolution and settings:

1920x1080:

• Low: 131 FPS average
• Medium: 100 FPS average, 85 FPS minimum, 115 FPS maximum
• High: 84 FPS average
• Ultra: 64 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 85 FPS average
• Medium: 65 FPS average, 55 FPS minimum, 74 FPS maximum
• High: 54 FPS average
• Ultra: 41 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 46 FPS average
• Medium: 35 FPS average, 30 FPS minimum, 40 FPS maximum
• High: 29 FPS average
• Ultra: 22 FPS average

Starting at 1080p, the system delivers excellent performance across all settings. The Low preset at 131 FPS is ideal for competitive play, while Medium at 100 FPS offers a good balance of visual quality and speed. High at 84 FPS is still smooth, and Ultra at 64 FPS is playable for users who prioritize image quality. The frame time data for Medium shows a tight range from 85 to 115 FPS, indicating consistent performance.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates drop by approximately 35% across all settings. Low at 85 FPS remains very playable, Medium at 65 FPS with a 55 FPS minimum is acceptable, and High at 54 FPS is borderline. Ultra at 41 FPS is below the ideal threshold for a shooter, and users should expect occasional frame drops during intense action sequences. The Medium preset’s range of 55 to 74 FPS shows some variance but remains within playable territory.

At 4K, the GTX 1660 SUPER struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low at 46 FPS is the only preset that provides a smooth experience, though even this is below the 60 FPS target most players prefer. Medium at 35 FPS with a 30 FPS minimum will produce visible stuttering, and High at 29 FPS and Ultra at 22 FPS are effectively unplayable for a fast-paced shooter. The frame time data for 4K Medium (30 to 40 FPS) indicates significant variance, which will result in inconsistent gameplay.

The overall pattern is consistent: the GTX 1660 SUPER performs as expected for its class, delivering strong 1080p performance, acceptable 1440p performance at lower settings, and poor 4K performance. The Ryzen 5 5600F provides ample CPU headroom, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p Low, where the CPU is least likely to be the bottleneck. For users with this combo, sticking to 1080p or 1440p with Medium or Low settings will provide the best experience in Minimum.