Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D produces a striking performance profile in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. The data shows a combination that is heavily influenced by resolution, with the GPU dominating at higher settings while the CPU becomes a more significant factor at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across three resolutions and four quality presets, contextualizes the combo’s standing among 2,939 tested configurations, and examines the specific roles of the processor and graphics card in delivering these results.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic shift in bottleneck behavior. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 359 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 277 FPS, a reduction of 82 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 149 FPS. This steep decline—from 359 to 149 FPS—indicates that at lower resolutions and settings, the system is not purely GPU-limited; the CPU’s capability becomes the ceiling, allowing the GPU to push extremely high frame rates that scale sharply as pixel count increases.

However, the scaling pattern changes dramatically at higher settings. At Ultra settings, the average FPS goes from 210 at 1080p, to 136 at 1440p, and down to 73 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is roughly 65%, whereas at Low settings the drop is approximately 58%. This suggests that at Ultra, the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the increased graphical load (shaders, textures, effects) saturates the graphics card before the CPU can become a bottleneck.

The Medium preset provides the most detailed data, as it is the only settings tier with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 326 FPS with a minimum of 277 and maximum of 375. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 212 FPS, with a minimum of 180 and maximum of 244. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 114 FPS, with a minimum of 97 and maximum of 131. The spread between minimum and maximum FPS narrows as resolution increases—from a 98 FPS gap at 1080p to a 34 FPS gap at 4K. This tighter range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is working more consistently, whereas at 1080p, the CPU’s frame delivery is more variable, causing larger swings in frame time.

The data clearly shows that the RTX 5090 D is not fully utilized until the resolution and settings are high enough to demand its full compute capability. At 1080p High, the average is 276 FPS, which is still far below the 359 FPS at Low, showing that even High settings begin to load the GPU substantially. The jump from High to Ultra at 4K is particularly steep: 96 FPS down to 73 FPS, a 24% reduction, emphasizing that Ultra settings at 4K are the most demanding scenario tested.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks 43rd out of 2,939 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the top 1.5% of all configurations tested, which is an exceptional standing given the game’s age and the high-end nature of the GPU. The rank is a composite measure of performance across all tested resolutions and settings, and it reflects the GPU’s immense capability, though the CPU’s 75th percentile standing among all CPUs suggests that the processor is not the absolute top tier, potentially holding the combo back from an even higher rank.

To contextualize the CPU’s contribution: the Ryzen 5 5600X has an average benchmark score of 21,771, placing it at the 75th percentile. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H (score 21,749, deltaPct 0.1), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U (score 21,874, deltaPct -0.5), and the Intel Core i7-11700 (score 21,891, deltaPct -0.5). These scores are all within 0.6% of the 5600X, meaning that for this game, the CPU’s performance is comparable to several mid-range and older high-end processors. This suggests that while the CPU is not a bottleneck at high resolutions, it does not provide the same headroom as a top-tier 16-core processor might at lower resolutions.

The GPU’s ranking is far more dominant. The RTX 5090 D sits at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (score 76,904, deltaPct 1.1), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (score 78,940, deltaPct -1.6), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (score 79,396, deltaPct -2.1). These deltas are small, but the GPU’s overall percentile indicates it is a top-tier part. In Minimum, the combo’s 43rd rank out of 2,939 is largely attributable to the GPU’s strength, as the CPU’s mid-pack performance among rivals does not drag the overall score down significantly at higher resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Minimum?*

A: The highest average FPS is 359, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration that breaks the 350 FPS barrier.

Q: How much does the average FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 326 at 1080p to 212 at 1440p, and then to 114 at 4K. This represents a 212 FPS reduction from 1080p to 4K, or a 65% decrease.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, the average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 73 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered playable, though it is the lowest average recorded in the dataset.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 43rd out of 2,939 tested combos, placing it in the top 1.5% of all configurations tested for Minimum.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to limit performance at 1080p Low?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p Low, as the average FPS of 359 is extremely high, and the GPU has ample headroom. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, are likely the ceiling at this low-resolution, low-settings scenario.

Q: Are there any recorded minimum or maximum FPS values for High and Ultra settings?

A: No, the dataset only includes minimum and maximum FPS values for the Medium preset across all three resolutions. High and Ultra settings only have average FPS values recorded.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience balances frame rate and visual quality. For 4K displays, the High preset at 96 FPS average is the best choice, as it offers a significant improvement over Ultra (73 FPS) while still providing high visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 114 FPS is also viable, but High provides a better balance of image quality and smoothness, with only an 18 FPS penalty over Medium.

For 1440p, the High preset at 178 FPS average is excellent, providing a very smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 136 FPS is also playable, but the 42 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gains, especially in a fast-paced third-person shooter where fluidity matters. The Medium preset at 212 FPS is the best for competitive play, but most users will find High to be the sweet spot for visual quality and performance.

For 1080p, the High preset at 276 FPS is more than sufficient for any display, including 240 Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 210 FPS also remains highly playable, and given the high frame rates, users can afford to push to Ultra for maximum visual detail. The Low preset at 359 FPS is unnecessary for normal play, as it sacrifices too much visual quality for marginal frame rate gains that exceed most display refresh rates.

The data indicates that the Medium preset is the only one with recorded frame time variance, showing minimums of 277 FPS at 1080p, 180 FPS at 1440p, and 97 FPS at 4K. These minimums are still well above playable thresholds, suggesting that even the worst-case frame drops at Medium settings are not problematic. For the best experience, users should prioritize High settings at any resolution, as it offers a strong balance of quality and performance without the steep drop seen at Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset is as follows:

At 1920x1080:

• Low: average 359 FPS
• Medium: average 326 FPS, minimum 277 FPS, maximum 375 FPS
• High: average 276 FPS
• Ultra: average 210 FPS

At 2560x1440:

• Low: average 277 FPS
• Medium: average 212 FPS, minimum 180 FPS, maximum 244 FPS
• High: average 178 FPS
• Ultra: average 136 FPS

At 3840x2160:

• Low: average 149 FPS
• Medium: average 114 FPS, minimum 97 FPS, maximum 131 FPS
• High: average 96 FPS
• Ultra: average 73 FPS

The progression across resolutions is consistent: every preset shows a monotonic decrease in average FPS as resolution increases. The Low preset sees the largest absolute drop (210 FPS from 1080p to 4K), while Ultra sees the smallest absolute drop (137 FPS). However, the relative drop is more severe for Ultra, as the starting point is lower. The Medium preset’s minimum FPS values remain above 90 FPS even at 4K, which is a strong indicator of consistent performance. The maximum FPS values at Medium settings show the GPU’s potential, reaching 375 FPS at 1080p, but these peaks are less relevant than the averages for understanding sustained performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture (codename Vermeer), manufactured on a 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and a 32 MB L3 cache. This CPU supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel configuration, providing a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The 5600X has a TDP of 65 W and is unlocked for overclocking.

In Minimum, the CPU’s performance is most evident at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 359 suggests the CPU is delivering frames as fast as the game’s engine allows, but the processor’s 6 cores and 12 threads are not the limiting factor for most users. The CPU’s 75th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21,771, puts it slightly above the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H (score 21,749, deltaPct 0.1) and below the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U (score 21,874, deltaPct -0.5) and Intel Core i7-11700 (score 21,891, deltaPct -0.5). This tight grouping indicates that for a 2014 title like Minimum, which may not be heavily multi-threaded, the 5600X’s single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 917, passmark_single_thread score of 3,364) is adequate, but not exceptional.

The CPU’s boost clock of 4.60 GHz is crucial for maintaining high frame rates at 1080p, where the GPU is not fully saturated. The data shows a 359 FPS average at 1080p Low, which is higher than the 277 FPS at 1440p Low, indicating that the CPU can push more frames when the GPU has less work. However, the 32 MB L3 cache and 12 threads are sufficient for this game, as the combo’s 43rd rank out of 2,939 suggests that the CPU is not a significant drag on overall performance. The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s may be a minor factor, but the game’s asset streaming demands are likely low given its 2014 release.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship graphics card based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture (chip GB202), manufactured on a 5 nm process. It features 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units. The GPU has 170 ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores. Its boost clock is 2407 MHz, with a base clock of 2017 MHz. The memory subsystem is substantial: 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The GPU has a TDP of 575 W and is a dual-slot card with a 16-pin power connector, requiring a 950 W PSU.

In Minimum, the RTX 5090 D’s immense power is the primary driver of the combo’s high ranking. At 4K Ultra, the GPU still manages 73 FPS average, which is remarkable for a game from 2014, though the game’s age means it may not utilize all the GPU’s features. The GPU’s 92nd percentile ranking, with an average benchmark score of 77,712, places it well above the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (score 76,904, deltaPct 1.1) and AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (score 78,940, deltaPct -1.6). The 32 GB VRAM is far more than Minimum requires, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor; instead, the GPU’s compute power and memory bandwidth (1.79 TB/s) allow it to push high frame rates even at 4K.

The GPU’s role is most evident when comparing the FPS scaling from Low to Ultra settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low (359 FPS) and Ultra (210 FPS) is 149 FPS, showing that the GPU’s rendering workload increases significantly with settings. At 4K, the difference between Low (149 FPS) and Ultra (73 FPS) is 76 FPS, a smaller absolute drop but a larger relative one. This indicates that at 4K Ultra, the GPU is fully occupied, as the pixel shader load and texture bandwidth demands approach the card’s limits. The 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 1,636.8 GTexel/s texture rate are more than sufficient for this title, but the data confirms that the RTX 5090 D is the component that determines performance at high resolutions and settings, while the CPU takes over as the limiter only at 1080p Low.