Minimum

Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014, responds to hardware in a way that clearly separates GPU-bound and CPU-bound operating points. The measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER provides a clean example of how resolution and settings shift the bottleneck. This analysis walks through the measured FPS figures, comparing them across resolutions and presets to determine where each component's influence is strongest.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 shows a dramatic and consistent drop in frame rates across all settings, which is the hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 354 at 1080p to 228 at 1440p, a 126 FPS drop, and then further to 123 at 4K. This represents a 65% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is similar for High settings, where the average FPS goes from 228 at 1080p to 147 at 1440p and finally to 79 at 4K, a 65% reduction as well. This consistent percentage drop indicates that the graphics card is the primary constraint at these higher resolutions.

At Ultra settings, the pattern holds, but the absolute numbers are lower. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 173, which drops to 112 at 1440p and 60 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of exactly 60 FPS suggests a hard performance floor, likely tied to the GPU's rendering limits under maximum load. The data shows that the gap between 1080p and 1440p is larger than the gap between 1440p and 4K in absolute terms for Low and High settings, but the relative drop remains steep. This behavior is expected when the GPU's pixel throughput, listed at 285.6 GPixel/s, becomes the limiting factor.

The scaling from Medium settings provides the only min/max FPS data in the pack, which allows for a check on frame time consistency. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 94, with a minimum of 80 and a maximum of 108. Moving down to 1440p Medium, the average jumps to 175, with a minimum of 149 and a maximum of 201. At 1080p Medium, the average is 271, with a minimum of 230 and a maximum of 312. The spread between min and max FPS widens at lower resolutions, which is common when the CPU begins to supply frames faster than the GPU can render them, leading to more variability. The data suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, while at 1080p, the CPU's role becomes more significant, though still secondary to the massive headroom of the RTX 4080 SUPER.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS for this combo at 1440p High is 147. This is nearly double the 4K High result of 79 FPS, showing that 1440p is a sweet spot for high refresh rate gaming on this hardware.

Q: How does the 1080p Low setting performance compare to the 4K Ultra setting?

A: The 1080p Low setting averages 354 FPS, which is 5.9 times higher than the 4K Ultra average of 60 FPS. This massive difference highlights the extreme load that 4K Ultra places on the GPU.

Q: Is there a measurable difference between Medium and High settings at 4K?

A: Yes, the data shows a clear step. At 4K, Medium settings average 94 FPS, while High settings average 79 FPS. This 15 FPS difference indicates that the jump from Medium to High has a notable performance cost at this resolution.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for any configuration?

A: The only minimum FPS values provided are for Medium settings. The lowest of these is 80 FPS at 4K, followed by 149 FPS at 1440p, and 230 FPS at 1080p. No minimum FPS data is available for Low, High, or Ultra presets.

Q: Does the combo achieve over 200 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes, it does on two presets. The Low setting averages 354 FPS, and the Medium setting averages 271 FPS. The High setting averages 228 FPS, also exceeding 200 FPS. Only the Ultra preset at 1080p falls below this threshold, with an average of 173 FPS.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra result compare to the 1440p Ultra result?

A: The 4K Ultra average is 60 FPS, while the 1440p Ultra average is 112 FPS. This is a 52 FPS difference, or an 87% performance uplift when moving down from 4K to 1440p at the Ultra preset.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant force in this pairing, and its specifications explain the performance ceilings observed. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, the memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s is substantial. For a game from 2014, this capacity and bandwidth are far beyond what is necessary for typical texture loads, meaning VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios. The GPU's boost clock of 2550 MHz, alongside its 10240 shading units, drives the raw compute throughput that the FPS figures depend on.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate its high-end positioning. It scores 34245 in Passmark G3D and 6600 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the data include the standard RTX 4080 with a delta of -0.1%, showing the SUPER variant is nearly identical in average score, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, which scores 2.7% higher on average. This indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is a top-tier card, and the game's performance is consistent with such a powerful GPU.

The data shows that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is exactly 60, which is a common target for console-like experiences but low for a card of this caliber. The fact that dropping from Ultra to Low at 4K results in a jump from 60 to 123 FPS confirms that the game’s visual settings have a massive impact on the GPU's workload. The GPU's pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s is being saturated at higher resolutions, which is why the FPS drops so steeply as resolution increases. The GPU is not the bottleneck at 1080p Low, where 354 FPS is achieved, but it becomes the primary constraint as resolution and settings increase.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend entirely on the target refresh rate of the display. For a standard 60 Hz display, the 4K Ultra preset, with an average of 60 FPS, is perfectly viable. This allows for maximum visual fidelity without dropping below the refresh rate, as the average is exactly at the target. For 1440p users with 144 Hz monitors, the High preset is the best choice, delivering 147 FPS, which slightly exceeds the refresh rate and ensures smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1440p, averaging 112 FPS, would also be suitable for a 120 Hz display, but High provides more headroom.

For 1080p gaming, the High preset is the sweet spot. It averages 228 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor, including 240 Hz panels. The Medium preset also performs exceptionally well at 271 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is not necessary given the High preset's performance. The Low preset at 1080p, with a 354 FPS average, is only useful for competitive play where framerate is the absolute priority over visuals, but the High preset’s 228 FPS is already so high that the difference is unlikely to be perceptible in a third-person shooter.

The data suggests avoiding the Ultra preset at 1080p if chasing maximum framerates, as the 173 FPS average, while still high, is a significant 55 FPS drop from High. The Medium preset at 4K, averaging 94 FPS, is an excellent compromise for high-resolution gaming on a 90 Hz or 100 Hz display, offering a 34 FPS improvement over High settings. In summary, the recommended presets are: 4K Ultra for 60 Hz, 1440p High for 144 Hz, and 1080p High for 240 Hz. These choices maximize visual quality while staying at or above the target refresh rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination holds a rank of 311 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the top 8.4% of all configurations tested, which is a strong result. The high rank is primarily driven by the GPU's exceptional performance, as the CPU, while capable, is not the top performer in its own right. The combo rank indicates that this pairing is well-balanced for achieving high frame rates at most resolutions, but it is not the absolute best setup for this game.

The GPU's percentile rank of 86 outperforms the CPU's percentile rank of 77, suggesting that the graphics card is the stronger component in this duo. This is reflected in the measured FPS data, where the GPU's limits are reached at 4K before the CPU becomes a factor. The combo's rank of 311 out of 3712 reflects the GPU's ability to push high frame rates, even with a mid-range CPU like the 8400F. However, there are 310 other combinations that perform better, likely featuring even more powerful GPUs or CPUs that can extract more performance at lower resolutions.

The nearest CPU rivals for the Ryzen 5 8400F include the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, which has a 0.2% higher average benchmark score, and the Intel Core i7-13620H, which is 0.4% higher. These small deltas mean the CPU is not leaving significant performance on the table compared to its direct competitors. The combo's rank is more a reflection of the GPU's tier than the CPU's specific capabilities, as the RTX 4080 SUPER is in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. This pairing is a high-tier setup, but the data shows that the GPU is the star of the show.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance is exceptional across all presets. The Low setting averages 354 FPS, the highest figure in the entire dataset. Medium averages 271 FPS, with a minimum of 230 and a maximum of 312. High averages 228 FPS, and Ultra averages 173 FPS. The progression shows a clear step-down from Low to Ultra, but even the lowest 1080p result is well above 144 Hz.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are still very high. Low averages 228 FPS, which is exactly the same as the 1080p High average, highlighting the resolution's impact. Medium averages 175 FPS, with a minimum of 149 and a maximum of 201. High averages 147 FPS, and Ultra averages 112 FPS. The 1440p results show that High is the only preset that dips below 150 FPS, making it a solid choice for 144 Hz displays.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed much harder. Low averages 123 FPS, which is still playable but a significant drop from the 228 FPS at 1440p. Medium averages 94 FPS, with a minimum of 80 and a maximum of 108. High averages 79 FPS, and Ultra averages exactly 60 FPS. The 4K data shows a clear hierarchy, with Low being the only preset that breaks 100 FPS, and Ultra barely hitting 60 FPS. The Medium preset's min/max spread of 80-108 FPS shows some variability, but the average of 94 FPS is stable enough for a smooth experience on a 90 Hz monitor.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F has 6 cores and 12 threads, based on the Zen 4 architecture. Its base clock is 4.20 GHz and it boosts up to 4.70 GHz. This is a modern, efficient processor, but for a game like Minimum, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with enough draw calls and physics data. The measured data suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck at 4K, as the FPS scales directly with GPU load. However, at 1080p Low, the 354 FPS average is so high that the CPU's single-thread performance becomes a potential limiting factor.

The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20851 and a single-core score of 2943, show it is a capable performer. Its Passmark single-thread score of 3685 is reasonable, but its 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is not a top-tier model. The nearest rivals, like the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, have nearly identical average scores (24964 vs 25005), reinforcing that the 8400F is a solid mid-range choice.

In this game, the CPU's 16 MB of L3 cache is shared across all cores, which is adequate for most gaming workloads. The data shows that at 1440p and 4K, the FPS is dictated by the GPU, as the CPU can keep up with the frame generation demands. At 1080p, the CPU's limits are closer, but the high FPS figures suggest it is still providing enough throughput. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6091 and max-thread score of 6165 indicate strong multi-threaded performance, but Minimum is likely not heavily multi-threaded, meaning the single-core clock speed of 4.70 GHz is more important for ensuring high minimum frame rates. The CPU is a capable partner for the RTX 4080 SUPER, but it does not boost the combo's rank beyond what the GPU alone achieves.