Minimum

Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014, presents an interesting benchmark scenario for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER. The data shows a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, yet reveals a clear bottleneck dynamic between the two components depending on the workload. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across all configurations, interpreting what these numbers mean for the overall capability of this specific hardware combination.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a classic GPU-bound progression. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 168.5 FPS, which is a massive 175% higher than the 61.3 FPS achieved at 3840x2160 with the same Low settings. This dramatic drop is the first indicator that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The scaling is not linear; moving from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings results in a 34.6% performance decrease (from 168.5 to 110.3 FPS), while the subsequent step from 1440p to 4K at Low settings incurs a 44.4% drop (from 110.3 to 61.3 FPS). This increasing rate of decline is symptomatic of the GPU exhausting its memory bandwidth and raw compute resources as pixel count rises.

The data for higher settings reinforces this conclusion. At High settings, the frame rate falls from 111.8 FPS at 1080p to 68.4 FPS at 1440p, a 38.8% reduction, and then to 36.5 FPS at 4K, a further 46.6% reduction. This pattern is consistent with the GPU being the primary constraint. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, has ample headroom to feed the GPU at these resolutions. The fact that the FPS drop is steep and consistent across all quality presets suggests that the rendering pipeline is saturated by the GPU's limits rather than by any CPU-side stalls. For a game from 2014, the Ryzen 5 5600G’s single-thread performance is more than sufficient to handle the game logic at these frame rates.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 83.7 FPS (168.5 vs 84.8). At 4K, this difference shrinks to 30.6 FPS (61.3 vs 30.7). This compression of the performance envelope at 4K further proves that the GPU is the absolute bottleneck; at 4K Ultra, the system is struggling to maintain playable frame rates, with the GPU working at its maximum capacity. The benchmark results indicate that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the GPU can flex its muscles, while 4K is only viable at lower settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its characteristics directly explain the observed frame rates. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the GPU has a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This is a substantial figure for a card of this class, but it is clearly insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with demanding settings. The benchmark data shows that at 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 30.7, indicating that the GPU is not only compute-bound but also potentially limited by memory throughput. The 4K High setting (36.5 FPS) and 4K Medium setting (47 FPS) further illustrate the struggle, with only the Low preset (61.3 FPS) achieving a playable level of performance.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1470 MHz and a boost of 1650 MHz, are typical for the Turing architecture. The boost clock behavior is important; under sustained load, the card will attempt to reach and maintain its 1650 MHz boost, but thermal and power constraints can cause fluctuations. The data does not include minimum FPS figures, so we cannot see the severity of any frame-time spikes, but the average FPS numbers suggest a consistent, albeit limited, performance level. The RTX 2060 SUPER also features 2176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, which are the core rendering resources. The 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is a key metric, and it is this raw throughput that is being taxed at higher resolutions.

The GPU's role is clear: it is the performance ceiling for this combination. The Ryzen 5 5600G, despite being a capable processor, never becomes the limiting factor in these tests. The evidence for this is the consistent FPS scaling with resolution changes. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see similar FPS numbers across different resolutions, which is not the case. Instead, we see a clear inverse relationship between resolution and FPS, which is the definitive signature of a GPU-limited scenario. The RTX 2060 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM is also a consideration; while it does not appear to be exhausted at these settings based on the average FPS data, it is a factor that could cause texture pop-in or stuttering in more demanding scenes, though the measured averages do not reflect this.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 168.5 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with significant compromises. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 30.7 on Ultra settings to 61.3 on Low settings. Only the Low preset provides a frame rate above 60 FPS, while the High and Medium presets yield 36.5 and 47 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the performance drop from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the system delivers 111.8 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 High, the average frame rate falls to 68.4 FPS, a decrease of 43.4 FPS.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces 110.3 FPS, while the Ultra preset produces 55.7 FPS. This represents a performance gap of 54.6 FPS between the two quality settings.

Q: Where does this combination rank among all tested combos?

A: The combo ranks 1214 out of 1733 tested combinations for this game, placing it in the lower third of all tested hardware configurations.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more?

A: The benchmark data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The FPS scales inversely with resolution, which is a clear sign of GPU saturation. The CPU's performance is sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck, as evidenced by the large FPS differences between resolution settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of the system's capabilities across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system is highly capable. The Low preset delivers an average of 168.5 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth for competitive play. The Medium preset drops to 127.8 FPS, still providing a fluid experience. High settings yield 111.8 FPS, and the Ultra preset brings the average down to 84.8 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the RTX 2060 SUPER has enough headroom to run the game at very high frame rates, even with maximum quality settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the demands on the GPU increase substantially. The Low preset sees an average of 110.3 FPS, which is still very playable. Medium settings produce 83.5 FPS, and High settings drop to 68.4 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, brings the average down to 55.7 FPS, dipping below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. This resolution is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a good balance between visual fidelity and performance for most users.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly struggling. The Low preset is the only one that manages to stay above 60 FPS, with an average of 61.3 FPS. Medium settings fall to 47 FPS, High settings drop to 36.5 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 30.7 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is only feasible with the lowest quality settings, and even then, the frame rate is marginal. The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is excellent, 1440p is good, and 4K is poor for this hardware combination.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination ranks 1214 out of 1733 tested combos for Minimum. This places the system in the 30th percentile of all tested configurations, indicating that it is outclassed by a significant majority of other hardware pairings in this specific game. The rank is a holistic measure that considers the average performance across all tested settings and resolutions. Given that the system struggles at 4K and only shows strong performance at 1080p, this lower ranking is expected. The combo is not a high-end performer, but rather a mid-range solution that excels in less demanding scenarios.

The rank is determined by the overall measured FPS, and the data shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER’s age is a factor. While its performance is respectable, it is clearly not competitive with newer or higher-end cards that would be found in the top ranks. For a game released in 2014, the absolute performance is what matters, and this combo does not have the raw power to compete with the top-tier systems that can maintain high frame rates at 4K with maximum settings. The 1214th position out of 1733 is a definitive statement that this pairing is a mid-pack performer, adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but not for high-resolution or high-refresh-rate enthusiasts.