Minimum

This page analyzes the performance of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT in the game Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014. The data is measured directly, and the following breakdown covers CPU and GPU roles, resolution scaling, combo ranking, and settings recommendations.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Raphael), built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It operates on the AMD Socket AM5 platform and supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The base clock is 3.70 GHz, and the boost clock reaches 5.00 GHz. The CPU has a 65 W TDP and includes a 32 MB shared L3 cache, with 1 MB L2 per core and 64 KB L1 per core. This is a desktop-class part with an unlocked multiplier, meaning it can be overclocked if the user chooses, though the stock boost behavior is already aggressive.

Benchmark results for this CPU show strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for older games like Minimum that often rely on one or two primary threads. In the 3DMark suite, the single-thread score is 974, and the 2-thread score is 1902. The 4-thread score jumps to 3621, and 8-thread to 5372, with max-thread at 6379. Cinebench R23 scores reflect a similar pattern: 3218 single-core and 22799 multi-core. Geekbench reports 2374 single-core and 12362 multi-core. The PassMark single-thread score is 3841, and the multithread score is 26825. These numbers indicate that the CPU has ample headroom for game logic, physics, and draw calls, even when the GPU is the limiting factor.

In Minimum, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and lower graphics settings, where frame rates are higher. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 177, which is well above what most 60 Hz displays can show. This suggests the CPU can feed the GPU with enough data to sustain high framerates, even with only 6 cores. The 12 threads help with background tasks and any multi-threaded game systems, but the single-thread strength is what prevents stuttering in a title from this era.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 7500F sits in a tight performance cluster. The Intel Core i7-11850H has an average score 0.1% higher, the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is 0.2% lower, the Intel Core i7-13620H is 0.2% higher, and the Intel Core 5 210H is 0.4% higher. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning the 7500F is neither a bottleneck nor a standout; it is simply a competent mid-range part. The CPU's percentile rank is 77, meaning it outperforms 77% of all tested CPUs, which is respectable for a mainstream processor.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture (Navi 23 chip) and is manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 2190 MHz (17.5 Gbps effective). The GPU has a base clock of 2055 MHz, a game clock of 2410 MHz, and a boost clock of 2635 MHz. It features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operations pipelines, along with 32 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 168.6 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 337.3 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 10.79 TFLOPS.

The GPU's TDP is 176 W, and it requires a single 8-pin power connector, with a suggested power supply of 450 W. It uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface. This is an end-of-life product, but it was designed for 1080p and 1440p gaming, which aligns with its performance in Minimum. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game, even at 4K, as the measured data shows the game is more limited by raw compute than by memory capacity.

In Minimum, the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and quality settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS drops to 87, while at 1080p Low it reaches 177. This gap widens significantly at 4K, where the Ultra preset averages only 30 FPS, and even the Low preset averages 61 FPS. The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its mid-range positioning: PassMark G3D score is 17166, and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1859. Geekbench Vulkan score is 81306, and OpenCL is 10111. The GPU's percentile rank is 65, meaning it beats 65% of all GPUs tested.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the RX 6650 XT is in a strange group. The NVIDIA Tesla K40m is 0.6% higher, the AMD FirePro D300 is 0.7% lower, the AMD FirePro W7000 is 0.7% lower, and the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 is 0.8% higher. These are professional or older workstation cards, not direct gaming competitors, which indicates that the 6650 XT's raw compute is comparable to those, but its gaming-specific features (like DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 support) make it far more suitable for a title like Minimum.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 177. Moving to 1440p Low, it drops to 114, a 36% reduction. At 4K Low, it falls to 61, a 66% drop from 1080p. This steep decline indicates that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being taxed heavily, while the CPU has enough headroom to maintain the same frame delivery.

For the Medium preset, the trend is similar but with lower absolute numbers. At 1080p Medium, the average is 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 and maximum of 156. At 1440p Medium, it drops to 87 FPS (min 74, max 100), and at 4K Medium, it is 47 FPS (min 40, max 54). The consistency of the minimum-to-average ratio suggests the GPU is working steadily without sudden spikes, which is a sign of stable driver performance.

The High preset shows the same scaling. 1080p High averages 114 FPS, 1440p High averages 73 FPS, and 4K High averages 39 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding: 1080p Ultra averages 87 FPS, 1440p Ultra averages 56 FPS, and 4K Ultra averages just 30 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate is essentially at the edge of playability, and the GPU is clearly the limiting component, as the CPU's single-thread performance would not cause such a dramatic drop.

The data shows that from 1080p to 4K, the average FPS drops by roughly 60-65% across all settings. This is expected for a GPU with a 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB VRAM, as the higher resolutions require more pixels to be shaded and more memory traffic. The CPU's role becomes more prominent at 1080p Low, where the 177 FPS result is close to what the CPU can deliver, but even then, the GPU is not fully saturated, as the 1080p Ultra result of 87 FPS shows there is room for more graphical load.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Ryzen 5 7500F and RX 6650 XT ranks 2422 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the lower half of all combinations, which might seem surprising given the CPU's strong single-thread performance and the GPU's reasonable mid-range capability. However, this rank is relative to all combos tested by the database, many of which include high-end GPUs like the RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XTX, which naturally achieve much higher frame rates.

The rank of 2422 means that roughly 65% of tested combos perform better in this game. This is not a reflection of the combo being weak, but rather that Minimum is an older title that is heavily GPU-bound at high settings, and the RX 6650 XT is a mid-range card. The CPU's percentile rank of 77 is much higher than the GPU's percentile rank of 65, indicating that the CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU in this pairing. This imbalance means that in CPU-light scenarios (like 1080p Low), the combo punches above its weight, but in GPU-heavy scenarios (like 4K Ultra), it falls behind.

The fact that the combo ranks 2422 out of 3712 suggests that for a user aiming for 1080p or 1440p gaming, this is a solid pairing. The data shows that at 1080p High, the average FPS is 114, which is excellent for smooth gameplay. At 1440p High, the average is 73 FPS, which is still very playable. The rank only becomes a concern if the user expects 4K Ultra performance, where the combo averages only 30 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. For 1080p, the High preset offers an average of 114 FPS, which is ideal for fast-paced third-person shooting. The Ultra preset drops to 87 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices some smoothness for marginal visual gains. The Medium preset at 135 FPS is smoother, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often noticeable, so High is the recommended choice for 1080p.

For 1440p, the High preset averages 73 FPS, which is acceptable for most players, but the Medium preset at 87 FPS provides a better balance. The Medium preset has a minimum of 74 FPS, ensuring that frame drops are rare. The Ultra preset at 56 FPS is borderline, and the Low preset at 114 FPS is overkill for visual quality. Therefore, Medium is the recommended preset for 1440p, as it provides a smooth experience without sacrificing too much detail.

For 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset averages 61 FPS, which is playable but looks dated. The Medium preset averages 47 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. The High preset averages 39 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 30 FPS. If a user insists on 4K, the Low preset is the only one that maintains a playable frame rate, but the visual compromise is significant. For this combo, 1440p is the sweet spot, as it allows for Medium or High settings without hitting the GPU's limits.

The data shows that the Medium preset at 1440p (87 FPS average) is the most balanced option, offering a 74 FPS minimum and a 100 FPS maximum. This ensures consistent performance during intense gameplay. The High preset at 1080p (114 FPS average) is the best for competitive play, as it provides a high frame rate with good visual fidelity.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Minimum?*

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p is the best resolution. The Medium preset averages 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS, while the High preset averages 73 FPS. Both are playable, but Medium offers a more consistent experience.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Minimum?*

A: At 4K, the Low preset averages 61 FPS, which is technically playable, but the Medium preset drops to 47 FPS and the High preset to 39 FPS. The Ultra preset averages only 30 FPS, so 4K is only viable with the Low preset, which sacrifices visual quality.

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

A: The Ryzen 5 7500F is within 0.4% of its nearest rivals in average benchmark score. The Intel Core i7-11850H is 0.1% higher, the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is 0.2% lower, the Intel Core i7-13620H is 0.2% higher, and the Intel Core 5 210H is 0.4% higher. These differences are negligible.

Q: Is the GPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 177, which is very high. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 87 FPS, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher settings. The CPU has enough headroom, as its single-thread score of 974 in 3DMark is strong.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among all tested combos?

A: The combo ranks 2422 out of 3712 tested combos. This places it in the lower half, but this is relative to all combos, many of which include much higher-end GPUs. For its class, the combo performs well.

Q: Should I use the High or Ultra preset at 1080p?

A: The High preset averages 114 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 87 FPS. The difference of 27 FPS is noticeable for smoothness, and the visual improvement from High to Ultra is typically minor in a 2014 game. High is the recommended preset for 1080p.