Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that still punishes hardware at high settings, and the data for the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F + Intel Arc B570 combination shows a system that is clearly GPU-bound at nearly every step. The benchmark results indicate a pairing where the CPU has ample headroom, but the graphics card dictates the playable experience, especially when moving beyond 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic and steep resolution scaling curve that firmly places the Intel Arc B570 as the limiting component. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 145 FPS, which is a very high refresh-rate experience. Moving up to 1440p Low drops the average to 94 FPS, a 35% reduction in performance. At 4K Low, the average falls to 50 FPS, which is a 66% drop from the 1080p baseline. This pattern is consistent across all settings: the GPU's rendering load increases dramatically with pixel count, and the CPU cannot compensate.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is particularly telling when comparing the ratio of FPS at different settings. At 1080p High, the system produces 93 FPS. At 4K High, it produces 32 FPS, which is roughly a third of the performance. This 3x reduction in frame rate when quadrupling the pixel count indicates that the Arc B570's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are being saturated. The GPU's 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply insufficient for 4K at higher quality presets. The data suggests that 4K is only viable for this combo with Low settings, where the 50 FPS average is borderline playable, but anything above that will result in a sub-40 FPS experience.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (145 FPS) and Ultra (71 FPS) is 74 FPS, a 51% performance hit. At 4K, the difference between Low (50 FPS) and Ultra (25 FPS) is 25 FPS, a 50% hit. While the percentage hit is similar, the absolute frame rates at 4K Ultra (25 FPS) become unplayable, whereas 1080p Ultra (71 FPS) remains a solid console-level experience. This reinforces that the GPU is the bottleneck; the CPU's ability to feed frames is not the issue, as evidenced by the high frame rates at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?

A: The data shows 1440p is the sweet spot. At High settings, the combo achieves 60 FPS at 2560x1440, which is a playable and smooth experience. 1080p is also excellent, with High settings hitting 93 FPS, but 1440p offers a better balance of visual fidelity and performance without the steep penalties seen at 4K.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Minimum?

A: Only at the Low settings preset. The measured 4K Low average is 50 FPS, which is playable. However, at 4K Medium, the average drops to 39 FPS, and at 4K High it falls to 32 FPS. 4K Ultra is not a viable option, with an average of just 25 FPS.

Q: How much performance does the Ultra preset cost compared to High?

A: Across all resolutions, the Ultra preset results in a significant frame rate drop. At 1080p, the drop is from 93 FPS (High) to 71 FPS (Ultra), a 24% decrease. At 1440p, it falls from 60 FPS to 46 FPS, a 23% decrease. At 4K, it drops from 32 FPS to 25 FPS, a 22% decrease.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F holding back the Intel Arc B570?

A: No, the benchmark data suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck. The high frame rates at 1080p Low (145 FPS) indicate the CPU can feed frames efficiently. The performance drops at higher resolutions are consistent with GPU limitations, not CPU processing power. The CPU's high multi-threaded benchmark scores (e.g., 20851 in Cinebench R23) suggest it has plenty of headroom for this game.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its closest rivals in terms of raw power?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 20556, which is nearly identical to the Intel Arc A750 (20582, deltaPct -0.1%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, deltaPct 0.1%). This indicates the B570 offers performance on par with these cards, though the benchmark results are synthetic and game-specific performance can vary.

Q: What is the minimum FPS I can expect at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured data shows a minimum FPS of 61 at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, with an average of 72 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. This indicates that the frame pacing is stable and the game should feel consistent without major stutters.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the primary driver of performance in this game, and its specifications align directly with the observed frame rates. With 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, the GPU has a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. This is a moderate amount of bandwidth that is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The 25 million transistors on the BMG-G21 chip (Xe2-HPG architecture) are arranged with 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. This configuration, running at a fixed 2500 MHz clock, delivers 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

The game's performance scaling with settings correlates strongly with the GPU's pixel rate and texture rate. At 1080p, the GPU can easily manage the pixel workload, resulting in high frame rates. However, as the resolution increases to 4K, the 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate becomes a bottleneck, explaining the dramatic FPS drop. The 4K Ultra setting, which likely increases texture detail and shadow quality, further taxes the 144 TMUs and the memory bandwidth, resulting in the lowest measured average of 25 FPS. The benchmark results indicate that the B570's 10 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor at these settings, as the game is a 2014 title and likely does not exceed this capacity, but the bandwidth is the key constraint.

The GPU's position in the market is clear from its percentile rank of 65, placing it above the median of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, has a nearly identical average benchmark score, suggesting that the B570 is a refinement of the previous generation's performance tier rather than a significant step up. The synthetic benchmarks (e.g., Passmark G3D score of 14195) confirm that the B570 is a mid-range performer that excels at 1080p and handles 1440p well, but it is not designed for 4K high-fidelity gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Minimum, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2336 out of 2939 tested combos. This places it in the 21st percentile of all tested systems, which is a low ranking overall. However, this ranking must be interpreted with caution, as the benchmark database includes combinations with far more powerful and expensive components. The rank reflects the absolute performance of the combo in this specific game, not its efficiency or suitability for a given price point.

The low combo rank is primarily attributable to the GPU's performance, as the CPU is a strong performer in its own right. The Ryzen 5 8400F has a percentile rank of 77 among all CPUs, indicating it is in the top quarter of processors tested. This means the system is held back by the Arc B570, which has a GPU percentile rank of 65. The data shows that while the CPU is capable of driving high frame rates, the GPU's limits cap the overall system performance, leading to the lower combo rank. In other words, this is a balanced pairing in terms of avoiding a severe CPU bottleneck, but it is not a high-performance combination for enthusiasts seeking top-tier frame rates.

When compared to other combos, the system's rank suggests that many other pairings can achieve higher frame rates in Minimum, primarily due to more powerful GPUs. The combo's performance is competitive with other mid-range systems, but it does not break into the upper echelons of the rankings. For a 2014 game, the absolute frame rates are respectable, but the rank reflects the presence of many other tested systems with superior hardware.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F plays a supporting role in this combo, providing a solid foundation that does not bottleneck the GPU. The CPU is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Phoenix) and built on a 4 nm process. Its base clock of 4.20 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz are high for a modern desktop chip. The CPU's 16 MB of shared L3 cache is relatively modest compared to some competitors, but it is sufficient for modern gaming workloads.

In Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, the CPU's workload is not exceptionally demanding. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as evidenced by the high frame rates at lower resolutions and settings. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 145 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that a weaker CPU would likely struggle to maintain. The CPU's multi-threaded performance, as measured by a Cinebench R23 score of 20851, indicates that it has ample processing power for the game's logic and AI, which typically scales with a few cores.

The CPU's single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3685. This is crucial for older games like Minimum, which often rely heavily on a single core for game logic. The data shows that the Ryzen 5 8400F provides enough single-core speed to ensure the GPU is fully utilized up to 1440p. The CPU's 65W TDP and 4 nm process node make it an efficient choice, but its role in this combo is clearly to support the GPU, not to drive frame rates. The nearest CPU rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, has a nearly identical average benchmark score (24964 vs 25005, deltaPct 0.2%), confirming that this is a standard mid-range CPU performance tier.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The detailed FPS measurements provide a clear picture of the system's capabilities across all settings and resolutions. The data is presented as average FPS, with minimum and maximum values only recorded for the Medium preset.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 145 FPS average.
• Medium: 111 FPS average, with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS.
• High: 93 FPS average.
• Ultra: 71 FPS average.

At 1080p, the system is highly capable. The Low preset delivers a very high frame rate suitable for competitive play, while High and Ultra settings still provide smooth, playable experiences. The Medium preset's minimum of 95 FPS indicates excellent frame pacing with no significant drops.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 94 FPS average.
• Medium: 72 FPS average, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS.
• High: 60 FPS average.
• Ultra: 46 FPS average.

1440p is the recommended resolution for this combo. The High preset hits the 60 FPS target, which is the standard for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset offers a slight performance bump with a stable minimum of 61 FPS, while Ultra remains playable but dips below 50 FPS.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 50 FPS average.
• Medium: 39 FPS average, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS.
• High: 32 FPS average.
• Ultra: 25 FPS average.

4K is only viable with the Low preset, which achieves a playable 50 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 33 FPS indicates noticeable stuttering, and High and Ultra presets are not recommended for a smooth experience. The data clearly shows that the GPU's limitations at 4K make this resolution unsuitable for anything but the lowest settings.