Minimum

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread desktop processor built on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, drawing a 65 W TDP. This is a modern mid-range CPU that relies on high single-thread performance for gaming workloads, and its 32 MB shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores.

In the context of Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic updates. The game is not particularly new, but the benchmark data reveals how this CPU pairs with the flagship RTX 4090 across different resolutions and settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 394 FPS average — a figure that clearly exceeds the refresh rate of most displays and indicates the CPU is keeping pace with the GPU's raw throughput. The 3DMark single-thread score of 974 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3218 suggest strong per-core performance, which is essential for a game that likely relies on a few primary threads for simulation.

The Ryzen 5 7500F's 12 threads and 6 cores provide enough parallelism for modern game engines, but in Minimum, the data shows that the bottleneck shifts heavily based on settings. At 1080p Low, the FPS reaches 394, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. This suggests that at lower settings, the GPU has less work per frame, and the CPU's ability to issue draw calls becomes the limiting factor. However, the fact that the GPU is the RTX 4090 — a card with 16,384 shading units and an 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 compute rating — means that even at 1080p Low, the CPU is not completely holding back the system, as the FPS remains in the hundreds.

Compared to its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 7500F sits extremely close to the Intel Core i7-11850H (deltaPct of 0.1% higher average score) and the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (deltaPct of -0.2%, meaning the 7500F is slightly lower). The Intel Core i7-13620H and Intel Core 5 210H are also within 0.2% and 0.4% respectively. This indicates that the 7500F's gaming performance in Minimum is not unique to its architecture — the scores are tightly clustered among these mid-range parts. However, the measured FPS data in this game shows that the combo achieves remarkably high frame rates, suggesting that the CPU is not the primary constraint in most tested configurations.

# FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in Minimum?*

A: The highest average FPS is 394, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the peak performance point in the measured dataset.

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

A: The Ryzen 5 7500F has an average benchmark score of 24,964, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-11850H and 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F. It also edges out the Intel Core i7-13620H by 0.2% and the Intel Core 5 210H by 0.4%.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded, and under what conditions?

A: The lowest average FPS is 67, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This represents the most demanding configuration tested, where the GPU is heavily loaded.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo produces 394 FPS, which is extremely high. Given that the RTX 4090 is a top-tier GPU, the CPU's single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 974) is sufficient to drive frame rates well beyond typical display refresh rates, indicating the CPU is not a significant bottleneck at this setting.

*Q: Does the combo support ray tracing in Minimum?*

A: The RTX 4090 has 128 RT cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, but the measured FPS data for Minimum does not include ray tracing settings. The game's release date of 2014 predates widespread ray tracing adoption, so the benchmark results likely reflect rasterized rendering.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 126th out of 3,712 tested combinations, placing it in the top 4% of all tested systems for Minimum.

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 126th out of 3,712 tested combos in Minimum, which places it in the top 3.4% of all configurations. This is a strong result, though it is not the absolute top performer. The ranking reflects the fact that while the RTX 4090 is an exceptionally powerful GPU — sitting in the 88th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 60,347 — the Ryzen 5 7500F is a more modest CPU, ranking in the 77th percentile of all CPUs.

The gap between the CPU's percentile (77) and the GPU's percentile (88) suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios, the system may not fully utilize the RTX 4090's potential. However, the measured FPS data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the combo sustains 67 FPS average, which is playable. The rank of 126 out of 3,712 indicates that many other combos — likely those with higher-end CPUs like the Ryzen 7 or Core i7/i9 parts — achieve higher frame rates in this game, particularly at lower resolutions where CPU overhead is more pronounced.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4090 is virtually tied with the Intel Arc Pro A60 (deltaPct of 0%) and slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (deltaPct of 0.3%). However, these are workstation-oriented cards, and in gaming, the RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth provide a significant advantage in texture-heavy scenes. The combo's rank reflects the balance between this GPU and the 7500F's six cores, which is adequate for a 2014 title but not optimal for maximizing the GPU's headroom at lower resolutions.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) and four settings tiers (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 1080p, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 394 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 301 FPS with a minimum of 256 and a maximum of 347, indicating smooth frame pacing. High settings drop to 253 FPS average, while Ultra settings still manage 193 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the system is capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors (240 Hz or more) even at Ultra settings.

Moving to 1440p, the performance remains strong but scales down predictably. Low settings produce 254 FPS average, Medium delivers 194 FPS (with a minimum of 165 and maximum of 223), High settings reach 163 FPS, and Ultra drops to 124 FPS. The 1440p results show a consistent reduction of roughly 35-40% compared to 1080p across all settings, which is typical for a resolution that has 1.78 times the pixel count of 1080p.

At 4K (3840x2160), the GPU begins to show its limits. Low settings still manage 137 FPS average, Medium produces 105 FPS (with a minimum of 89 and maximum of 120), High settings drop to 88 FPS, and Ultra falls to 67 FPS. The 4K results demonstrate that the RTX 4090 is capable of handling this resolution well, but the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens significantly at 4K compared to lower resolutions — the difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 70 FPS, whereas at 1080p it is 201 FPS. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, and the CPU's role diminishes as pixel count increases.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important information about the system's bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 394 at 1080p to 254 at 1440p (a 35.5% reduction) and then to 137 at 4K (a 46.1% reduction from 1440p). This scaling is steeper than the pixel count increase would suggest — 1440p has 1.78 times the pixels of 1080p, but the FPS only drops by 35.5%, indicating that at 1080p Low, the CPU is limiting performance. The fact that 394 FPS is achieved at 1080p Low, while the GPU could theoretically render more frames, points to the Ryzen 5 7500F's single-thread performance as the constraint.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more linear with pixel count. The FPS drops from 193 at 1080p to 124 at 1440p (a 35.8% reduction) and then to 67 at 4K (a 46.0% reduction from 1440p). This pattern suggests that at Ultra settings, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, as the increased shading and texture work overwhelm the RTX 4090's capabilities. The 4K Ultra result of 67 FPS is the lowest measured value, and it is consistent with the GPU being fully saturated.

The data shows that the crossover point between CPU and GPU limitation occurs somewhere between 1080p and 1440p at Medium and High settings. At 1080p Medium, the FPS is 301, while at 1440p Medium it drops to 194 — a 35.5% reduction. At High settings, the drop is from 253 to 163, a 35.6% reduction. These consistent ratios suggest that the system is balanced at these settings, with neither component being overwhelmingly dominant. At 4K, all settings show a further drop of approximately 46%, which aligns with the pixel count increase from 1440p to 4K (a 2.25 times increase in pixels, but with diminishing returns due to memory bandwidth and fill rate limits).

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target display refresh rate and resolution. For 1080p users with a 240 Hz monitor, High settings at 253 FPS average is the best choice, as it provides a smooth experience above the refresh rate while maintaining higher visual quality than Medium. Ultra at 193 FPS is also viable for 144 Hz displays, but the 60 FPS gap between High and Ultra suggests that High offers better frame pacing for competitive play.

For 1440p, the data shows that Medium settings at 194 FPS average is the sweet spot for 165 Hz monitors, as it exceeds the refresh rate while keeping the minimum FPS at 165. High settings at 163 FPS is nearly identical to a 165 Hz display's refresh rate, which may cause minor tearing without V-Sync. Ultra at 124 FPS is suitable for 120 Hz displays, but the drop from High to Ultra is 39 FPS, making High the more balanced choice.

At 4K, the situation is different. Low settings at 137 FPS average is the only configuration that exceeds 120 Hz, making it suitable for high-refresh 4K monitors. Medium at 105 FPS is playable on 100 Hz displays, but the minimum of 89 FPS may result in occasional stutter. High at 88 FPS is acceptable for 60 Hz displays, and Ultra at 67 FPS provides the best visual quality but with a noticeable reduction in smoothness. For most 4K users, Medium settings offer the best compromise between visual fidelity and frame rate, as the 105 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS baseline and the minimum of 89 FPS ensures consistent performance.

The data indicates that this combo is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p or 1440p gaming, where it can deliver frame rates well above 144 FPS at most settings. At 4K, the RTX 4090's power is sufficient for 60+ FPS at Ultra, but users seeking higher frame rates should consider dropping to High or Medium settings to achieve a smoother experience.