Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter whose measured performance with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and AMD Radeon RX 580 reveals a system that is clearly bound by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the processor shows its strength at lower settings. The data across four presets and three resolutions paints a consistent picture of a mid-range pairing that delivers playable frame rates at 1080p but struggles to maintain smoothness as pixel count rises.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 91 at 1080p to 32 at 4K, a reduction of 59 frames per second, or roughly a 65% performance loss. This dramatic scaling is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario: the RX 580 is working progressively harder to fill each additional pixel, and the Ryzen 5 5600G’s six cores are not the constraint.

Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings, the average drops from 91 to 59 FPS, a 35% reduction. The step from 1440p to 4K then halves the frame rate again, from 59 to 32 FPS. These are large, consistent deltas that indicate the graphics card is saturated well before the CPU becomes a factor. At 1080p Low, the system produces 91 FPS on average, which is a strong result for this GPU; the fact that it cannot maintain that pace at higher resolutions is purely a matter of pixel throughput.

The scaling pattern at High settings reinforces this analysis. At 1080p High, the average is 58 FPS; at 1440p High, it falls to 38 FPS; and at 4K High, it bottoms out at 20 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 34%, and from 1440p to 4K is roughly 47%. The GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth, listed at 42.88 GPixel/s and 256.0 GB/s respectively, are simply insufficient for 4K rendering in this title, regardless of the CPU’s capability.

Notably, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, Ultra (45 FPS) is about half of Low (91 FPS). At 4K, Ultra (15 FPS) is less than half of Low (32 FPS). This suggests that the GPU is not only pixel-bound but also shader-bound; higher presets add more complex effects that the Polaris 20 chip, with its 2304 shading units, cannot process quickly enough at high pixel counts. The data indicates that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo, and only at Low settings does it approach a smooth 60 FPS, with an average of 59 FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the dominant component in determining Minimum’s performance, and the benchmark data leaves no doubt about its role. With a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1340 MHz, the GPU operates at a modest frequency, but its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a key asset; it allows the card to handle the texture data required by the game’s higher presets without a significant bandwidth bottleneck, as evidenced by the playable 70 FPS average at 1080p Medium.

However, the GPU’s raw compute power, rated at 6.175 TFLOPS FP32, is the limiting factor for resolution scaling. The data shows that at 4K, even the Low preset only yields a 32 FPS average, which is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K produces just 15 FPS average, making it effectively unplayable. These results align with the GPU’s percentile ranking of 53 among all tested graphics cards, placing it in the middle of the pack, and its average benchmark score of 12928.

The RX 580’s nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, with an average score of 12940 and a delta of -0.1%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, with a score of 12986 and a delta of -0.4%. This means the RX 580 performs within a fraction of a percent of these cards in synthetic benchmarks, and the measured FPS in Minimum reflects that tier of performance. The GPU is not a high-end part, but it is not a weak one either; it sits comfortably in the mid-range, capable of handling 1080p and light 1440p gaming, but not more.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game at all tested settings and resolutions, as none of the measured rows show a catastrophic drop that would indicate memory swapping. The GPU’s DirectX 12 support, listed as 12 (12_0), is adequate for the title, and the Vulkan 1.3 API support provides additional compatibility. The data suggests that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate, and any attempt to improve performance should focus on reducing its workload, either through lower resolutions or lower quality presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo achieves in Minimum?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 91 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only measured configuration that exceeds 90 FPS, indicating that the system is capable of high refresh rate play only at the lowest quality preset and standard HD resolution.

Q: Can this system handle 4K resolution in Minimum?

A: The data shows that 4K performance is poor across all presets. The best 4K result is 32 FPS average at Low settings, which drops to 20 FPS at High and 15 FPS at Ultra. These frame rates are below smooth gameplay thresholds, so 4K is not a viable option for this pairing.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600G has an average benchmark score of 21088, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i3-1220P (21066, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V (21112, delta -0.1%). Its performance is statistically tied with these parts, showing that the CPU is a balanced mid-range option.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 59 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 29 FPS. This is a 30 FPS difference, or roughly a 51% drop in performance, demonstrating the significant cost of enabling higher-quality effects at this resolution.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 1080p High?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 58, which is close to but below the 60 FPS target. Given that the CPU has a high multithreaded score of 10551 in Cinebench R23, it is unlikely to be the constraint; the GPU’s mid-range compute power is the more probable limiter at this preset.

Q: How does the combo rank against all other tested combinations?

A: The combination of the Ryzen 5 5600G and RX 580 ranks 3383 out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the lower portion of the database. This rank reflects the GPU’s mid-tier status and the CPU’s solid but not exceptional performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete matrix of average frame rates, with some rows also including minimum and maximum values. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results: Low settings produce an average of 91 FPS, Medium averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 and maximum of 80, High averages 58 FPS, and Ultra averages 45 FPS. This resolution is clearly the sweet spot for the combo, as even the Ultra preset remains above 30 FPS, though it is not consistently smooth.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 59 FPS, which is exactly at the smoothness threshold. Medium settings average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 52 FPS, indicating some frame time variance. High settings average 38 FPS, and Ultra settings average 29 FPS. The 1440p data shows that only the Low preset can maintain a consistent 60 FPS experience, while the Medium preset is playable but with occasional dips.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal at best. Low settings average 32 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS with a minimum of 21 and maximum of 28, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS. None of these configurations reach a playable threshold, and the frame rate consistency is poor, as evidenced by the narrow range in the Medium preset. The 4K data is included for completeness but is not actionable for actual gameplay.

The minimum and maximum values, where available, show that the frame pacing is generally stable. At 1080p Medium, the spread from 59 to 80 FPS is wide, suggesting that scenes with heavy effects can cause significant drops. At 1440p Medium, the spread is from 38 to 52 FPS, a narrower range but still indicative of variability. At 4K Medium, the spread is from 21 to 28 FPS, showing that the system is consistently stressed and cannot provide headroom for demanding moments.

How This Combo Ranks

The Ryzen 5 5600G and RX 580 combination holds a rank of 3383 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the 9th percentile of all tested systems, meaning that roughly 91% of other combinations perform better in this specific game. The low rank is primarily attributable to the GPU, which is a mid-range part from the Polaris generation, and is not well suited to the demands of higher resolutions in this title.

The CPU’s individual percentile ranking is 74, indicating it outperforms 74% of all tested processors. In contrast, the GPU’s percentile ranking is 53, meaning it is exactly in the middle of the pack. This disparity confirms that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing. The CPU has the headroom to support a more powerful graphics card, as evidenced by its synthetic scores: a multithreaded score of 10551 in Cinebench R23 and a single-threaded score of 1409, which are strong for a six-core part.

The combo’s rank is not surprising given the GPU’s performance class. Its nearest rivals in the database include the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and GTX 1660 SUPER, both of which are also mid-range parts. The RX 580’s average benchmark score of 12928 is nearly identical to these cards, so the measured FPS in Minimum is representative of this performance tier. A user looking to improve the rank would need to upgrade the GPU, as the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor in most scenarios.

The data shows that the combo is capable of a decent 1080p experience, but its rank reflects that it is not competitive at higher resolutions. For a game like Minimum, which is not particularly demanding by modern standards, this pairing serves as a baseline for entry-level gaming, but it is far from the top of the database.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a six-core, twelve-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its synthetic benchmark scores are solid: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10551 and a single-core score of 1409, along with a Geekbench multicore score of 8428 and a single-core score of 1801. These numbers indicate a capable mid-range CPU that should not bottleneck a mid-range GPU in most games.

In Minimum, the CPU’s role is somewhat secondary, as the measured FPS scaling suggests the GPU is the primary constraint. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 91 FPS, which is high enough that the CPU must be feeding the GPU efficiently. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau across different resolutions at the same settings. The data does not show this; instead, FPS drops consistently as resolution increases, which is a classic GPU-limited signature.

The CPU’s 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support, with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, provide adequate data throughput for the game’s engine. The processor’s percentile ranking of 74 and its average benchmark score of 21088 place it near the Intel Core i3-1220P and Core Ultra 7 256V, according to the nearest rivals data. This means the CPU is performing as expected for its class, and there is no indication in the FPS data that it is holding back the GPU.

At the highest settings, such as 4K Ultra with 15 FPS average, the CPU is clearly idle waiting for the GPU to complete its work. Even at 1440p High, where the average is 38 FPS, the CPU has ample headroom. The only scenario where the CPU might matter more is at 1080p Low, where 91 FPS is achieved; even then, the six cores and twelve threads are sufficient to handle the game’s logic and draw calls without issue. The data suggests that overclocking the CPU would yield no measurable benefit in Minimum, as the GPU is the limiting factor in nearly all configurations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only option, delivering an average of 91 FPS with ample headroom. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 70 FPS, which is also smooth, but its minimum of 59 FPS indicates that it can dip below 60 in demanding scenes; this is still a viable choice for most players.

At 1440p, the Low preset is the only configuration that approaches 60 FPS, with an average of 59 FPS. This is a borderline result, and the Medium preset at 45 FPS average may be preferable for those who prioritize visual quality over a locked frame rate. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p, with averages of 38 and 29 FPS respectively, are not recommended for competitive play but could be acceptable for slower-paced exploration.

For 4K, none of the presets are playable, with the best result being 32 FPS at Low. Users should avoid 4K entirely with this hardware. The data strongly suggests that 1080p Medium is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, offering a 70 FPS average and a minimum of 59 FPS, which is just at the edge of smoothness. For those who require a constant 60 FPS, 1080p Low is the safest choice, providing a 91 FPS average that ensures no dips below the target.

The Ultra preset at 1080p, with a 45 FPS average, is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action in a third-person shooter. Given the game’s genre, which benefits from responsive controls, prioritizing frame rate over visual effects is advisable. The Medium preset at 1080p offers the best compromise, and the data indicates that this is the highest quality setting that maintains a playable frame rate without significant drops.