Minimum

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Minimum shows a steep, predictable drop as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 158.2 fps at 1080p to 100.1 fps at 1440p—a roughly 37% reduction—and then to 54.3 fps at 4K, which is another 46% decline from the 1440p figure. This pattern strongly suggests the GPU becomes the dominant limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the workload per pixel scales with the total pixel count.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more punishing. The average FPS at 1080p is 74.9, dropping to 49.4 at 1440p (a 34% decrease) and then to 27.4 at 4K (a 45% drop from 1440p). The fact that the percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is consistently larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p across all settings indicates that the Radeon RX 6600's memory bandwidth and compute throughput are being saturated as the pixel count grows.

The data also reveals how settings interact with resolution. At 1080p, the spread between Low and Ultra is 158.2 fps versus 74.9 fps—a 2.1x difference. At 4K, the spread narrows to 54.3 fps versus 27.4 fps, which is a 1.98x difference. This narrowing suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so constrained that even lowering settings yields diminishing returns, as the raw pixel throughput becomes the bottleneck rather than the specific graphical features being toggled.

What is curious is that the Medium preset at 4K (42.9 fps) sits closer to Low (54.3 fps) than to High (37.8 fps). This implies that the step from Medium to High introduces a disproportionately heavy rendering cost at 4K, possibly related to shadow quality or post-processing effects that are not as expensive at lower resolutions. The data cannot confirm which specific effect causes this, but the pattern is consistent across all three lower resolutions as well.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip, and its specifications directly inform the measured results. It carries 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K Ultra, where the frame rate collapses to 27.4 fps, the 8 GB VRAM capacity and the relatively narrow memory bus are likely the primary constraints, as high-resolution textures and effects can exceed the available memory and bandwidth.

The GPU's clock behavior is also relevant. The base clock is 1626 MHz, the game clock is 2044 MHz, and the boost clock reaches 2491 MHz. The fact that the game clock is significantly closer to the boost clock than to the base clock suggests that the card can sustain high frequencies under load, which is consistent with the 1080p Low result of 158.2 fps. However, at 4K, the card's 8.928 TFLOPS FP32 compute throughput appears insufficient to maintain high frame rates, as the 4K Ultra figure of 27.4 fps is barely playable.

The GPU's pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s are moderate figures for the RDNA 2 generation. In Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter from 2014, the rendering engine likely relies heavily on fill-rate and texture bandwidth. The data shows that at 1440p High, the card manages 66.7 fps, but at 4K High it drops to 37.8 fps. This halving of performance when quadrupling pixels indicates that the GPU's fill-rate is being taxed heavily, rather than the CPU being the limiting factor.

Interestingly, the GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, with deltaPct values of -0.2% and 0.5% respectively. This places the RX 6600 in a competitive mid-range tier, but the measured FPS data shows that it cannot handle 4K Ultra in this title at a smooth frame rate. The 69th percentile ranking versus all GPUs further confirms that this is a mainstream part, not a high-end solution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 1373 out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the lower 21% of all combinations. This ranking reflects the fact that the GPU is the weaker component in this pairing, as the CPU is a strong mid-range part. The Ryzen 5 5600X has a percentile rank of 78 versus all CPUs, while the RX 6600 sits at 69 versus all GPUs. The combo's rank suggests that many other pairings—likely those with more powerful GPUs—achieve higher frame rates in this game.

When compared to other combos, the data implies that the 5600X is not holding back the RX 6600 in most scenarios. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, are more than sufficient for a 2014 title like Minimum. The bottleneck is almost certainly the GPU, especially at 1440p and 4K resolutions. The combo's rank of 1373 out of 1733 indicates that there are 360 other combinations that outperform it, which is a substantial number.

The ranking also suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it achieves 158.2 fps at Low settings and 98.6 fps at High settings. At 1440p, it can still deliver playable frame rates on Medium (77.8 fps) and High (66.7 fps), but at 4K, only the Low preset (54.3 fps) approaches a smooth experience. The data shows that this combo is not designed for 4K gaming in Minimum, and the ranking reflects that limitation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce 158.2 fps, Medium reaches 119.1 fps, High achieves 98.6 fps, and Ultra drops to 74.9 fps. All of these figures are above 60 fps, making 1080p the sweet spot for this pairing. The transition from Medium to High costs 20.5 fps, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 23.7 fps, indicating that Ultra introduces significant rendering overhead.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades noticeably. Low settings yield 100.1 fps, Medium hits 77.8 fps, High manages 66.7 fps, and Ultra falls to 49.4 fps. The 1440p High figure of 66.7 fps is just above 60 fps, but Ultra drops below that threshold. This resolution is playable on Medium and High, but users seeking 60+ fps on Ultra will be disappointed.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal. Low settings produce 54.3 fps, Medium drops to 42.9 fps, High falls to 37.8 fps, and Ultra bottoms out at 27.4 fps. None of these figures reach 60 fps, and even Low is below the ideal smoothness threshold. The 4K data clearly shows that this GPU is not suited for 4K gaming in Minimum, regardless of settings.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: Low is always the fastest, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the slowest. The gaps between settings are not uniform, however. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Medium is 39.1 fps, but at 4K, the same gap is only 11.4 fps. This compression of performance differences at higher resolutions reinforces the notion of a GPU bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 98.6 fps is recommended for most users, as it provides a smooth experience while maintaining visual quality. Those with high-refresh-rate monitors can use the Medium preset at 119.1 fps or even Low at 158.2 fps, but the visual compromise may not be worth the extra frames.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 77.8 fps offers the best balance of smoothness and visual fidelity. The High preset at 66.7 fps is also acceptable, but it is closer to the 60 fps threshold. The Ultra preset at 49.4 fps is not recommended for competitive play, as the frame rate dips below 50 fps.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that even the Low preset at 54.3 fps is barely playable, and the Medium preset at 42.9 fps is marginal. If 4K is a requirement, users should expect to play on Low settings and accept frame rates below 60 fps. Alternatively, dropping to 1440p Medium or High will provide a much better experience. The data does not support 4K Ultra for this combo in Minimum, as the 27.4 fps result is below playable thresholds.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 32 MB of L3 cache. In a 2014 title like Minimum, the CPU's single-threaded performance is likely more important than its multi-threaded capabilities, and the data supports this.

The CPU's single-core benchmarks are strong: a 3DMark single-thread score of 917, a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2622, and a Geekbench single-core score of 2111. These figures indicate that the 5600X has excellent per-core performance, which is crucial for games that rely on a single primary thread. The multi-core scores, such as Cinebench R23 multi-core at 18578 and Geekbench multi-core at 8673, are also robust, but they are less relevant for this particular game.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and the Intel Core i7-10700, with deltaPct values of -0.3% for both. This places the 5600X in a tight cluster of comparable CPUs, meaning that the choice of CPU is unlikely to cause significant frame rate differences in Minimum. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this combo, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings, which are GPU-bound factors.

The CPU's TDP of 65 W and its 7 nm process node contribute to its efficiency, but these factors do not directly impact the measured FPS. Instead, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with enough data to keep it busy. The fact that the combo ranks 1373 out of 1733 suggests that the CPU is doing its job adequately, and the GPU is the limiting factor.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves 54.3 fps. The Medium preset at 42.9 fps and High at 37.8 fps are below 60 fps, and Ultra at 27.4 fps is not playable.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1920x1080 is the best resolution, as all settings from Low (158.2 fps) to Ultra (74.9 fps) exceed 60 fps. The High preset at 98.6 fps offers the best balance of quality and speed.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this pairing?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU's single-core score of 2622 in Cinebench R23 is strong, and frame rates drop consistently with resolution increases, which is a GPU-bound behavior.

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

A: It ranks 1373 out of 1733 combos, placing it in the lower 21%. This ranking is due to the GPU's performance, as the RX 6600 has a 69th percentile rank versus all GPUs.

Q: What settings should I use for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset at 77.8 fps is recommended, as it provides smooth gameplay. The High preset at 66.7 fps is also viable, but the Ultra preset at 49.4 fps is below 60 fps.

Q: Does the CPU's multi-threading matter for this game?

A: The data suggests it is less important than single-threaded performance. The CPU's single-thread score of 2622 in Cinebench R23 is high, and the game is likely not heavily multi-threaded given its 2014 release date.