Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER pairing delivers a wide spread of frame rates in Minimum, ranging from a playable 42 FPS at 4K High to a fluid 188 FPS at 1080p Low. The data suggests a system where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong cache architecture keeps performance competitive at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent drop as resolution increases. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 92 FPS at 1920x1080 to 59 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 32 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 65% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, which is a substantial decline. The scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the GPU must process an exponentially larger number of pixels. The 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, while the 4K Medium result of 50 FPS is more acceptable.

The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep at every setting level. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 78 to 42, a 46% decrease. At Low settings, the drop is from 121 to 65, a 46% decrease as well. This consistent percentage drop across settings strongly suggests that the GPU's raw fillrate and memory bandwidth are the decisive factors at 4K. The RTX 2070 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, which appears to be insufficient for maintaining high frame rates at 4K in this title.

Interestingly, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less severe. At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 92 to 59, a 36% decrease. At Medium settings, the drop is from 144 to 93, a 35% decrease. This moderate decline suggests that the GPU is still handling the workload but with diminishing returns. The data implies that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo if aiming for 60+ FPS at higher settings, while 1080p is where the system can fully stretch its legs.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1659 out of 2939 tested combinations for Minimum, placing it in the 43rd percentile of all tested systems. This is a mid-pack ranking that reflects a balanced but not exceptional pairing. The rank suggests that while this system can run the game, many other combinations achieve higher average frame rates. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicate a mismatch: the CPU is capable of more, but the GPU holds the combo back.

The nearest rival GPUs provide context for the GPU's performance. The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282, which is only 1% lower than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480) and 1.2% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534). The Intel Arc B570 (20556) and Intel Arc A750 (20582) are also close, with the RTX 2070 SUPER trailing them by 1.3% and 1.5% respectively. This tight cluster of scores indicates that the GPU is performing at a level comparable to these mid-range options, and the combo rank reflects this.

The CPU's nearest rivals show a different story. The Ryzen 5 7500X3D has an average benchmark score of 44573, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H (44466) and 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i9-13950HX (44342). It also leads the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (44309) by 0.6%, but trails the Intel Core i5-14600 (44889) by 0.7%. This indicates that the CPU is a strong performer, sitting at the top of its immediate competitive tier. The combo rank of 1659 is therefore more indicative of the GPU's limitations than the CPU's capabilities.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU104 chip. Its base clock is 1605 MHz and it boosts to 1770 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specs are directly reflected in the measured frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth becomes critical.

The GPU's performance at 4K is telling. At Ultra settings, the average FPS is 32, which is likely due to the combination of the 8 GB memory capacity being maxed out and the 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute being saturated. The 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present but may not be fully utilized in this game, given that the title released in 2014, predating widespread ray tracing adoption. The pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s are adequate for 1080p but struggle at 4K.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its gaming performance. Its PassMark G3D score of 18169 places it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651 is modest, and the Geekbench OpenCL score of 83358 and Vulkan score of 90637 show respectable compute capabilities. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 151 and DirectX 12 score of 67 suggest that the GPU handles older APIs well, which aligns with a 2014 game title like Minimum. The GPU's 215 W TDP and dual-slot design are consistent with its performance class.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on the optimal settings for this combo. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 188 FPS, Medium achieves 144 FPS, and High achieves 121 FPS. All of these are well above 60 FPS, making 1080p a comfortable environment for any setting. The Ultra preset at 92 FPS is also smooth, so players with 1080p monitors can choose Ultra for maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more nuanced. The Low preset delivers 121 FPS, Medium delivers 93 FPS, and High delivers 78 FPS. These are all playable, but the Ultra preset drops to 59 FPS, which is borderline for fast-paced third-person shooters. The data suggests that High settings at 1440p are the sweet spot, offering a 78 FPS average while maintaining better visual quality than Medium. For players who prioritize frame rate, Medium at 93 FPS is a strong alternative.

At 3840x2160, the options are limited. The Low preset achieves 65 FPS, which is playable, and Medium achieves 50 FPS. The High preset drops to 42 FPS, and Ultra to 32 FPS, both of which are below ideal playability thresholds. The recommendation for 4K is to use Low or Medium settings, with Medium providing a better visual experience at 50 FPS. The 4K Medium result includes a min FPS of 42 and max of 57, indicating some variability but generally consistent performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings produce 188 FPS, Medium produces 144 FPS with a min of 122 and max of 165, High produces 121 FPS, and Ultra produces 92 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 51% reduction in average FPS, moving from 188 to 92.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low at 121, Medium at 93 with a min of 79 and max of 106, High at 78, and Ultra at 59. The reduction from Low to Ultra is 51%, mirroring the 1080p scaling. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a 26 FPS spread between min and max, suggesting some frame time variance.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: Low at 65, Medium at 50 with a min of 42 and max of 57, High at 42, and Ultra at 32. The reduction from Low to Ultra is 51% again, showing consistent scaling behavior. The 4K Medium preset has a 15 FPS spread between min and max, which is tighter than at 1440p, indicating more consistent frame pacing at lower settings.

The overall pattern shows that the FPS drop from Low to Ultra is consistently around 51% across all resolutions. This suggests that the settings impact is resolution-independent, and the GPU's relative performance at each setting level is consistent. The min FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings, where 1080p has a min of 122, 1440p has a min of 79, and 4K has a min of 42.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 4.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is the defining characteristic of the X3D series and is likely a key factor in its gaming performance.

The CPU's benchmark scores are robust. Its PassMark multithread score is 25047, and its single-thread score is 3494. The floating point math score is 43594, and integer math is 70774. The extended instructions score is 20455, and data encryption scores 15797. The data compression score is 271649, and random string sorting is 32999. The physics score is 2779, and find prime numbers is 221. These scores indicate strong all-around performance, but the gaming-specific advantage likely comes from the large L3 cache.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms its high-end status. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600, scores 44889, which is 0.7% higher. The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H scores 44466, 0.2% lower, and the Intel Core i9-13950HX scores 44342, 0.5% lower. The AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 scores 44309, 0.6% lower. This tight grouping shows the CPU is competitive with top-tier mobile and desktop chips.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is likely to ensure consistent frame delivery at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the 188 FPS average suggests the CPU can feed frames quickly, and the 96 MB L3 cache helps with game data access. The 4.50 GHz boost clock provides high single-thread performance, which is crucial for game logic. The CPU's 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and DDR5 support also contribute to overall system responsiveness, though the GPU's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is the more critical figure for high-resolution gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60+ FPS consistently?

A: At 1920x1080, all settings including Ultra achieve above 92 FPS. At 2560x1440, High settings achieve 78 FPS and Medium achieves 93 FPS, both above 60. At 3840x2160, only Low (65 FPS) and Medium (50 FPS) are near or above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282. It is 1% lower than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480), 1.2% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534), 1.3% lower than the Intel Arc B570 (20556), and 1.5% lower than the Intel Arc A750 (20582).

*Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested combinations in Minimum?*

A: The combo ranks 1659 out of 2939 tested combinations, placing it in the 43rd percentile. This is a mid-pack ranking, indicating that the system performs adequately but is not top-tier for this game.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D has an average benchmark score of 44573. It is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H (44466), 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i9-13950HX (44342), and 0.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (44309). It trails the Intel Core i5-14600 (44889) by 0.7%.

Q: What are the measured FPS values for the Medium preset at each resolution?

A: At 1920x1080, Medium achieves an average of 144 FPS with a min of 122 and max of 165. At 2560x1440, Medium achieves an average of 93 FPS with a min of 79 and max of 106. At 3840x2160, Medium achieves an average of 50 FPS with a min of 42 and max of 57.

Q: What is the FPS drop from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution?

A: At 1920x1080, the drop is from 188 FPS (Low) to 92 FPS (Ultra), a 51% reduction. At 2560x1440, the drop is from 121 to 59, a 51% reduction. At 3840x2160, the drop is from 65 to 32, also a 51% reduction.