Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter whose engine workload, at least for this AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and Intel Arc B390 pairing, shows a dramatic and consistent bias toward resolution over settings. The measured frame rates across the board indicate a system that is fundamentally constrained by the graphics processor, with the CPU's substantial headroom remaining largely untapped even at the lowest preset. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to explore the performance characteristics, scaling behaviors, and the practical implications for playing this title with this specific hardware combination.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals an extremely steep performance cliff as resolution increases, which is the clearest indicator that the Intel Arc B390 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 61 to 39, a substantial 36% reduction. The scaling continues to be punishing when moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160, where the average frame rate falls further from 39 to 21, another 46% decrease. This pattern of nearly halving performance with each step up in resolution strongly suggests that the GPU is running out of fillrate and raw shading throughput, rather than being limited by any other component.

The pattern holds true across all settings presets. At Low settings, the 1080p result of 95 FPS is impressive, but this collapses to 61 FPS at 1440p and then to just 33 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K at Low is a 65% reduction in average frame rate. For Medium settings, the progression is 72 FPS at 1080p, 47 FPS at 1440p, and 25 FPS at 4K. Even at the lowest fidelity, the game struggles to maintain playable rates at 4K, with a 21 FPS minimum recorded at Medium settings. This indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth, which is system-dependent, and its 24 ROPs are simply overwhelmed by the pixel count of 4K resolution.

What is particularly telling is the scaling factor at Ultra settings. The average FPS at 1080p is 46, which drops to 30 at 1440p and then plunges to 16 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is a 65% drop from the 1080p Ultra result. This suggests that the combination of high resolution and high shading complexity creates a compounding effect on the GPU's limited resources. The frame rates at 4K across all settings (16-33 FPS) are consistently below the threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo, regardless of how much graphical fidelity is sacrificed. The data implies that the limiting component is definitively the GPU, as the scaling behavior is purely a function of pixel throughput and shader load.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience for this hardware combination is achieved at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which yields an average of 72 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS. This preset provides a balanced frame rate that is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, while maintaining a minimum that should prevent noticeable stuttering. While the Low preset at 1080p delivers a higher average of 95 FPS, the Medium preset offers a significantly better visual experience for only a 23 FPS average cost, and the minimum frame rate of 62 FPS remains solid. The data suggests that Medium is the optimal balance point for this game and this combination.

Moving up to High settings at 1080p drops the average to 61 FPS, which is technically playable but leaves very little headroom for demanding scenes, and the data does not provide a minimum FPS value for this configuration to guarantee stability. The Ultra preset at 1080p, with an average of 46 FPS, falls below the desirable 60 FPS target and is likely to feel less fluid. For users who prioritize frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 1080p provides the highest average, but the jump to Medium is generally worth the performance trade-off. At 1440p, the best option is the Low preset, which achieves an average of 61 FPS, though the other presets at this resolution (High at 39 FPS, Medium at 47 FPS) suggest that any increase in quality will result in a sub-60 FPS experience. The data indicates that 4K is not a viable option for any settings preset, as even Low struggles to maintain 33 FPS on average.

The recommendation, therefore, is clear: play at 1080p with Medium settings for the most consistent and visually pleasing experience. This configuration offers a good blend of performance and quality, utilizing the measured data to ensure a stable frame rate. The 1440p Low preset is a viable alternative for those who prefer a higher resolution, but it requires accepting a lower fidelity preset to maintain a similar frame rate to the 1080p Medium preset. The data strongly suggests that pushing the resolution higher than 1080p with this GPU requires significant compromises in visual quality that may not be worth the performance cost.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is a powerful processor that is greatly underutilized in this game at these settings. Its benchmarks show strong performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 12735 and a single-core score of 1852. In the context of Minimum's results, this CPU power is not the limiting factor. The evidence lies in the FPS scaling: if the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau or even drop when lowering the resolution, as the CPU would be unable to feed the GPU more frames. Instead, we see a massive increase in FPS when moving from 4K to 1080p (e.g., from 21 to 61 FPS at High settings), which indicates that the CPU has ample headroom to process more frames as the GPU's workload decreases.

The CPU's high boost clock of 5.10 GHz and its architecture (Zen 4) are more than sufficient for a game from 2014. The 3DMark single-thread score of 999 and Geekbench single-core score of 2521 suggest strong per-core performance, which is often critical for older game engines that may not be well-optimized for multi-core processors. However, the data shows that even at the lowest resolution and settings (1080p Low), the CPU is not the constraint. The 95 FPS result at 1080p Low is likely near the game's engine limit or is still limited by the GPU's ability to draw the scene, but it is not a sign of CPU saturation. The Ryzen 5 7600's Passmark multithread score of 27058 and its 78th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicate that it is a high-performing part that should not cause issues in this title.

The core count and thread count are also not a concern. With 6 cores and 12 threads, this processor is well-equipped to handle the game's logic, AI, and physics. The L3 cache of 32 MB is shared and provides ample fast-access storage for game data. The fact that the FPS scales so dramatically with resolution is the definitive proof that the CPU is not the bottleneck. In a CPU-limited scenario, we would see similar FPS numbers across different resolutions, as the CPU's processing speed would be the determining factor. The data shows nothing of the sort; performance is almost entirely dictated by the resolution and settings, which are GPU-dependent variables. Therefore, the CPU's role in this specific combination is to provide a stable and fast foundation that allows the GPU to be the sole determinant of performance.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2602 out of 2939 tested combos for the game Minimum. This places it in the bottom 11% of all tested pairings, indicating that this is a low-performance configuration for this title. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's limitations, as the Arc B390's benchmark scores are exceptionally low, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 is very low, and its nearest rivals are significantly older and less capable cards like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 and GT 520MX.

The combo's ranking reflects the practical FPS data we see. A rank of 2602 out of 2939 suggests that most other hardware combinations will provide a better experience in Minimum. The CPU, while ranking in the 78th percentile, is being held back by a GPU that is in the 9th percentile. This creates a massive imbalance in the system's capabilities. The CPU is a modern, high-end desktop processor, while the GPU is an integrated graphics solution on a mobile chip (classified as an IGP). This pairing is highly unusual, and the ranking accurately reflects the severe performance constraint imposed by the GPU.

The delta percentages for the GPU's rivals show just how low its performance is. It is only 1.3% faster than the GT 520MX, 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M, and 2.7% faster than the GT 710. These are all entry-level or legacy mobile/desktop parts. In contrast, the CPU's rivals are much closer in performance, with the Ryzen 9 6900HX, Ryzen 7 7435HS, and Core i9-11900KF all within a 0.5% delta. This comparison highlights that the CPU is a competitive part, but the GPU is not. The overall combo rank is, therefore, a direct reflection of the GPU's low standing in the benchmark hierarchy, making this pairing one of the weaker options for playing Minimum.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this system?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides the best experience, with an average of 72 FPS and a minimum of 62 FPS. This is the only configuration that consistently delivers a smooth frame rate above 60 FPS without sacrificing too much visual quality.

Q: Can this system run Minimum at 4K resolution?

A: Based on the measured data, 4K is not playable. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 33 at Low settings, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. At High settings, it drops to 21 FPS, and at Ultra, it is only 16 FPS.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 or the Intel Arc B390 the bottleneck in this game?

A: The Intel Arc B390 is clearly the bottleneck. The FPS scales dramatically with resolution, dropping from 95 FPS at 1080p Low to 33 FPS at 4K Low. This indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU is not able to increase frame rates even when the resolution is lowered.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 is only 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% faster than the GT 710 in average benchmark scores. This shows it is a very low-performance part, ranking in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: How does this combo rank against all other tested combinations in Minimum?

A: This combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2602 out of 2939 combos. This places it in the bottom 11% of all tested configurations for this game, indicating a low overall performance level.

Q: What is the expected frame rate at 2560x1440 with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS for this configuration is 39 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, indicating that 1440p High settings are not suitable for a good experience with this hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

This section details the exact measured average FPS values for every resolution and settings combination, along with minimum and maximum FPS where available.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: The average frame rate is 95 FPS.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 72 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS.
• High: The average frame rate is 61 FPS.
• Ultra: The average frame rate is 46 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: The average frame rate is 61 FPS.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS.
• High: The average frame rate is 39 FPS.
• Ultra: The average frame rate is 30 FPS.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: The average frame rate is 33 FPS.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 25 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS.
• High: The average frame rate is 21 FPS.
• Ultra: The average frame rate is 16 FPS.

The data shows a clear and consistent degradation in performance as resolution and settings increase. The jump from Low to Ultra at any given resolution results in approximately a 50-55% reduction in average FPS (e.g., from 95 to 46 at 1080p, and from 33 to 16 at 4K). This indicates that both resolution and settings have a significant impact on the GPU's workload. The minimum FPS values provided for Medium settings show that even this moderate preset can dip below the average, but at 1080p, the minimum remains above the 60 FPS target.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the dominant factor in this system's performance in Minimum, and its specifications explain why. As an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 300 MHz base clock and a 2500 MHz boost clock, it is designed for power efficiency rather than high-end gaming. Its 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs are relatively few, and its memory is "System Shared," meaning its bandwidth is dependent on the rest of the system and is not dedicated. This is a fundamental limitation for a game like Minimum that requires high memory bandwidth for textures and framebuffer operations, especially at higher resolutions.

The GPU's low performance is confirmed by its benchmark scores. Its single 3DMark Steel Nomad test score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s are the theoretical limits that the measured FPS data reflects. The high resolution demands of 4K (3840x2160) require the GPU to fill over 8 million pixels per frame, and with only 24 ROPs, the pixel fillrate becomes a critical constraint, leading to the very low FPS numbers observed. The FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS is also a limiting factor for the shader complexity of the Ultra preset.

The GPU's architecture, Xe3-LPG, and its 3 nm process node are modern, but its target market is clearly mobile and integrated devices, not desktop gaming. The fact that it is an IGP with no power connectors and a 80 W TDP reinforces this. In Minimum, this translates to a performance ceiling that is well below what a dedicated graphics card would offer. The data shows that the GPU is the sole determinant of the low frame rates, as even at 1080p Low, it can only achieve 95 FPS, which is not an exceptionally high frame rate for a 2014 game. The GPU's VRAM, being system shared, also means that the game's assets are competing with the operating system for memory bandwidth, further hindering performance in demanding scenes. This combination's low combo rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's limited capabilities.