Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti pairing in Minimum delivers a dataset that is less about raw extremes and more about the delicate balance between a modern CPU and an older GPU. The measured frames per second reveal a system where the graphics card is consistently the primary constraint, yet the processor’s capabilities define the ceiling of possibility. This analysis breaks down the numbers to understand what this specific combination achieves in a 2014 third-person shooter.

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, built on a 5 nm process. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz provide substantial single-thread headroom, which is crucial for a game like Minimum that relies on consistent frame pacing. The processor’s benchmark scores reinforce this profile: a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3218 and a multi-core score of 22799 show a strong balance, while a 3dMark single-thread score of 974 indicates that individual core performance is a standout feature.

In the context of the game’s measured results, the CPU’s role becomes apparent when analyzing frame rates at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 131.4 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure in the entire dataset. This suggests that when the GPU is not heavily burdened, the Ryzen 5 7500F has no trouble feeding frames. The processor’s PassMark multithread score of 26825 and its 3dMark max-thread score of 6379 indicate that even if the game were to spawn more background tasks, the 12 threads would handle them without significant drops. The CPU’s percentile rank of 82 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 24993, places it in a strong position, but the data shows that in this game, the GPU is the limiting factor far more often than the processor.

The Ryzen 5 7500F’s memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR5 bus also supports the high frame rates seen at 1080p. When the GPU is waiting for data, the CPU can deliver it quickly, which is why the transition from Low to Medium settings at 1080p only drops the average FPS from 131.4 to 103.7, a 21% reduction. The processor’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed game data close, reducing latency in a fast-paced shooter. The data implies that the CPU is not a bottleneck here; its scores and the FPS numbers at lower resolutions suggest it could push even higher frame rates if paired with a more powerful GPU.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a Turing-architecture card with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock of 1500 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz are modest by modern standards, and the card’s 1536 shading units produce a FP32 performance of 5.437 TFLOPS. These specifications explain the GPU’s percentile rank of 55 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13925. The card’s PassMark G3D score of 12871 and DirectX 11 score of 103 indicate that it is a mid-range part that excels in older titles like Minimum, which was released before the card’s 2019 debut.

The GPU’s influence is most evident when comparing the measured FPS across resolutions. At 4K (3840x2160) with High settings, the average FPS drops to 30.3, while at 1080p with the same settings, it reaches 83.1. This 63% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K is a clear sign of the GPU being overwhelmed by pixel count. The 6 GB VRAM is also a factor; at 4K Ultra, the card only manages 25.1 FPS, suggesting that both the memory capacity and the shading power are insufficient for high-resolution workloads. The card’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 570X with a deltaPct of 0.4 and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile with a deltaPct of 0.8, show that the 1660 Ti sits at a competitive but not dominant position.

At 1080p, the GPU’s limits are less pronounced. The card’s boost clock of 1770 MHz allows it to maintain 83.1 FPS on High settings and 65.2 FPS on Ultra, which are playable numbers for a third-person shooter. However, the jump from Medium (103.7 FPS) to High (83.1 FPS) at 1080p is a 20% drop, indicating that the GPU is starting to work harder with each settings increase. The data suggests that the GTX 1660 Ti is a capable 1080p card for this game, but its 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit bus become liabilities at higher resolutions, where the 4K results show it struggling to maintain even 30 FPS on anything above Low settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain over 60 FPS?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where average FPS consistently exceeds 60 across all settings. At 2560x1440, only Low (85.9 FPS) and Medium (66.3 FPS) settings achieve this, while High drops to 54 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in multi-threaded performance?

A: The Ryzen 5 7500F’s average benchmark score of 24993 is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-11850H (24974) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX (24897). This shows a very tight grouping in overall performance.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more responsible for the frame rate drops at 4K?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The CPU’s strong single-thread score of 3218 in Cinebench R23 does not prevent the 4K Ultra setting from falling to 25.1 FPS, while the GPU’s 6 GB VRAM and 5.437 TFLOPS are insufficient for that workload.

Q: What settings provide the highest frame rate at 1080p?

A: Low settings deliver the highest average FPS at 131.4, followed by Medium at 103.7 and High at 83.1. Ultra is the lowest at 65.2 FPS, which is still above 60.

Q: How does the GPU’s DirectX 11 performance affect the game?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti’s PassMark DirectX 11 score of 103 is its second-highest API score, behind DirectX 9 (190). Since Minimum is a 2014 title, it likely relies on older APIs, which this card handles well, as shown by the playable 1080p results.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 1510 out of 1733 tested combos, placing it in the lower 13% of all configs. This is a low rank, but the game-specific FPS numbers show it is still playable at lower settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1510 out of 1733 test configurations is a stark indicator of its overall position in the database. This places it in the 12th percentile of all combos, meaning that 87% of tested pairings outperform it in Minimum. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s modest performance, as the CPU’s own percentile of 82 is much higher. The data suggests that this is a pairing where the GPU drags down the overall score, as the CPU could easily support a more powerful graphics card.

When looking at the nearest rivals for each component, the CPU’s performance is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-11850H (deltaPct 0.1) and the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (deltaPct -0.3). The GPU, however, is only slightly above the AMD Radeon RX 570X (deltaPct 0.4) and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (deltaPct 0.8). This indicates that the combo’s low rank is not due to any single component being a complete outlier, but rather the combination of a high-tier CPU with a mid-tier GPU. In a game like Minimum, where frame rates are often CPU-bound at low resolutions, this pairing could perform better than the rank suggests, but the 4K results show that the GPU is a hard ceiling.

The rank of 1510 also reflects the fact that many other combos in the database likely include newer or more powerful GPUs. The GTX 1660 Ti is end-of-life, while the Ryzen 5 7500F is active, which creates an imbalance. For a 2014 game, the rank is not flattering, but it does not tell the full story. The measured FPS at 1080p shows that this combo can deliver a smooth experience, even if it cannot compete with modern high-end setups.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This configuration achieves an average FPS of 103.7, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and it provides a significant visual improvement over Low settings (131.4 FPS). Medium settings offer a 21% reduction in frame rate compared to Low, but the trade-off in visual fidelity is worth it for a game like Minimum, where clarity can be important for spotting enemies.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation changes to Low settings, which deliver 85.9 FPS. Medium at this resolution drops to 66.3 FPS, which is still playable but closer to the edge. High settings at 1440p (54 FPS) are not recommended, as the frame rate dips below 60, which can cause noticeable stutter in a fast-paced shooter. For 4K, the data shows that only Low settings (45.9 FPS) are remotely playable, and even that is below the 60 FPS ideal. The 4K results are more of a stress test than a practical setting.

The overall pattern suggests that High settings are only viable at 1080p, where the card can maintain 83.1 FPS. Ultra settings at 1080p (65.2 FPS) are also playable, but the margin above 60 FPS is thin. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, Medium at 1080p is the clear winner, as it offers a high frame rate without sacrificing too much detail. The data does not support using High or Ultra at any resolution above 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average FPS of 131.4, which is the highest in the dataset. Medium settings follow at 103.7, High at 83.1, and Ultra at 65.2. These numbers indicate a smooth scaling, with each settings tier reducing performance by roughly 20-25%. The 1080p results show that the CPU and GPU work well together at this resolution, with no single component causing a severe bottleneck.

Moving to 2560x1440, the impact of the GPU becomes clearer. Low settings average 85.9 FPS, which is a 35% drop from 1080p Low. Medium drops to 66.3 FPS, a 36% reduction from its 1080p counterpart. High settings fall to 54 FPS, a 35% drop, while Ultra drops to 40 FPS, a 39% reduction. The consistent percentage drops across all settings at 1440p suggest that the GPU is scaling predictably with pixel count, but the absolute numbers show that only Low and Medium are viable.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. Low settings average 45.9 FPS, which is a 65% drop from 1080p Low. Medium drops to 32.6 FPS, a 69% reduction from its 1080p setting. High settings fall to 30.3 FPS, a 64% drop, and Ultra bottoms out at 25.1 FPS, a 62% reduction. The 4K data shows that the GPU cannot maintain playable frame rates at any setting, with even Low struggling to stay above 30 FPS. The 6 GB VRAM and 5.437 TFLOPS are simply not enough for this resolution in Minimum.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear pattern of GPU limitation. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 131.4 at 1080p to 85.9 at 1440p and then to 45.9 at 4K. This represents a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 47% drop from 1440p to 4K. The cumulative drop from 1080p to 4K is 65%, which is close to the theoretical pixel count increase of 4.5x, indicating that the GPU is working linearly with pixel load.

At High settings, the scaling is similar but with lower absolute numbers. The FPS drops from 83.1 at 1080p to 54 at 1440p (a 35% drop) and then to 30.3 at 4K (a 44% drop). The cumulative drop is 64%. This consistency across settings suggests that the GPU is the dominant limiting factor, as the CPU’s performance does not change with resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers at 1080p and 4K, but that is not the case.

The data implies that the GTX 1660 Ti’s 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 1536 shading units are the primary constraints. The 4K results, which all fall below 46 FPS, show that the card cannot handle the pixel throughput required. The CPU’s high single-thread score of 3218 in Cinebench R23 does not help at 4K, because the GPU is doing all the heavy lifting. This resolution scaling analysis confirms that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p possible only at lower settings, and 4K being impractical for anything but a slideshow.