Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing ranks 1247th out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. This position reflects a system that is competent for the game but not exceptional, sitting closer to the bottom 28% of configurations. The ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU, a legacy Turing card, being the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU demonstrates it has ample headroom. The data suggests this combo is best suited for 1080p play, where it can deliver high frame rates, but it struggles to maintain playable performance at 4K with higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1247 out of 1733 means that roughly 72% of tested systems outperformed it in Minimum. This is not a top-tier configuration, but it is far from the bottom. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU’s age and performance ceiling. The CPU, however, is a modern powerhouse; its average benchmark score of 28246 places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a strong component that is not holding the system back. The bottleneck is clearly the GPU, which only sits in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. The delta between the CPU’s high percentile and the GPU’s mid-tier percentile means the Ryzen 5 9600X is waiting on the RTX 2060 SUPER in most scenarios. This is a classic pairing of a new processor with an older graphics card, and the results reflect that imbalance. The combo’s rank would be significantly higher with a more modern GPU, as the CPU has demonstrated it can push far beyond the frame rates this GPU can deliver.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the determining factor in this combo’s performance. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, it provides a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the card’s compute capabilities are limited. Its FP32 performance is rated at 7.181 TFLOPS, and it has 2176 shading units. The card’s boost clock is 1650 MHz, with a base clock of 1470 MHz. In Minimum, the GPU’s limits are exposed at 4K. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 37.2 on High settings and plummets to 27.9 on Ultra. This shows that the 8 GB VRAM and the GPU’s raw processing power are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in this title. The card’s PassMark G3D score of 16462, while placing it in the 63rd percentile, is simply not enough for high-resolution gaming. The RTX 2060 SUPER is a capable 1080p card, and the data confirms it is best utilized at that resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data points to a clear recommendation for the best experience. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 111.4 FPS on High settings, which is excellent for a smooth experience. Pushing to Ultra at 1080p drops the average to 82.5 FPS, which is still playable. However, the sweet spot is the High preset at 1080p. It provides a high frame rate that is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay, and it doesn’t sacrifice the visual quality that Low settings would. The Low preset at 1080p yields 169.3 FPS, but this is unnecessary for a smooth experience and likely degrades visual fidelity for no practical benefit. For a balanced experience, the High preset at 1080p is the optimal choice. At 1440p, High settings produce 71.2 FPS, which is also playable, but the 1080p High preset offers a more consistent and higher frame rate. The Ultra preset at any resolution is not recommended, as it places too heavy a load on the GPU, resulting in sub-60 FPS at 1440p and 27.9 FPS at 4K.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Minimum?*

A: No, not with playable frame rates. At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 37.2 on High settings and only 27.9 on Ultra. Even on Low settings, it only reaches 57.5 FPS, which is marginal. The GPU is the bottleneck at this resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the best resolution. The combo achieves 111.4 FPS on High settings there, making it the highest resolution with a comfortable frame rate. At 1440p, High settings drop to 71.2 FPS, which is still playable but less consistent.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 9600X compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X has an average benchmark score of 28246. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-13490F, scores 28173, which is 0.3% lower. The AMD Ryzen 5 230 is also 0.3% behind, and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS is 0.4% ahead. The performance difference is negligible.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU is in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 63rd percentile. This is evident in the frame rate scaling; from 1080p to 4K, the FPS drops by over half, indicating the GPU is struggling with the increased resolution, not the CPU.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 71.2 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 56.7 FPS. This is a 14.5 FPS drop, which is significant and pushes the game below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER outperform its direct rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN scores 19706, which is 0.3% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 scores 19680, which is 0.5% lower. It is slightly ahead of both.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and dramatic drop as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 111.4 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the average drops to 71.2 FPS, a decrease of 36%. At 3840x2160, the average falls to 37.2 FPS, which is a 67% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep scaling curve is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 2060 SUPER’s rendering capabilities are being saturated as the pixel count increases. The CPU is not the cause of this drop, as its performance is consistent across resolutions. The pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component. The card’s 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply not enough to handle the workload of 4K rendering in this game. For a smooth experience, the resolution must be kept at 1080p, where the GPU can keep up with the CPU’s processing power.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a high-performance processor that is not the bottleneck in this system. It features 6 cores and 12 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong; it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 25525 and a single-core score of 3603. In PassMark, it scores 30027 in multithread and 4570 in single thread. These numbers place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, showing it is a top-tier processor. In Minimum, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with data. The frame rates at 1080p, such as 169.3 FPS on Low, show that the CPU can handle high frame rate scenarios without breaking a sweat. The bottleneck is the GPU, which cannot translate the CPU’s speed into higher frame rates at higher resolutions. The CPU is a future-proof component; if paired with a more powerful GPU, the system’s performance would scale significantly. The data shows the CPU has plenty of headroom, with a 0.3% difference in average benchmark scores compared to its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-13490F.