Minimum

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Minimum with the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo delivers an average of 131.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings, the average drops to 84.7 FPS, a reduction of roughly 36%. At 4K Ultra, the average falls further to 46.1 FPS, which is about 55% lower than the 1440p result and 65% lower than the 1080p figure.

This steep decline from 1080p to 4K indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The RTX 3080, with its 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth, is being pushed harder as pixel count rises. The data supports this interpretation when examining the Low settings preset. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 266 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 92.6 FPS. The fact that even the Low preset cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K confirms the GPU-bound nature of the workload at that resolution.

The scaling factor between presets is also revealing. At 4K, the difference between Low (92.6 FPS) and Ultra (46.1 FPS) is exactly a 2x gap. At 1080p, the gap between Low (266 FPS) and Ultra (131.5 FPS) is nearly identical in proportional terms. This consistency suggests that the game's settings have a uniform impact on GPU load regardless of resolution, reinforcing that the RTX 3080's compute throughput is the bottleneck at 4K.

Conversely, at 1080p, the CPU begins to show its influence. The Ryzen 5 9600X, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, reaches a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1253 and multi-thread score of 7590 indicate strong per-core performance. At 1080p Low, the 266 FPS average suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately, but the diminishing returns from Low to Medium at 1080p (266 to 202.9 FPS) hint that the CPU's single-thread performance may start to cap the frame rate in less GPU-intensive scenarios.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 9600X is built on the Zen 5 architecture with a 4 nm process node. Its base clock is 3.90 GHz, boosting to 5.40 GHz. The processor has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a 32 MB shared L3 cache. These specifications contribute to its 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28246.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is not saturated. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 266 FPS. This is the highest measured average on 1080p, and the gap from Low to Medium (202.9 FPS) is 63.1 FPS, while the gap from Medium to High (172.4 FPS) is 30.5 FPS. The diminishing returns suggest that as settings increase, the GPU takes over more of the workload, and the CPU becomes less of a limiting factor.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are adequate for this game. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25525 and single-core score of 3603 place it well above the average CPU. However, Minimum is a 2014 title, and its engine likely does not utilize more than a few threads effectively. The Ryzen 5 9600X's 12 threads are more than sufficient, and the single-thread performance is what matters most for maintaining high frame rates at 1080p.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 9600X has an average score of 28246, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i5-13490F (28173) and 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 230 (28164). It is 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (28369) and 0.5% lower than the Intel Core i5-14500T (28377). These deltas are negligible, indicating that the CPU is not a differentiating factor in this game at any resolution. The data shows that the GPU is the dominant component across all measured settings.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Minimum?*

A: The highest average is 266 FPS, measured at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra compared to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average is 46.1 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra, it is 131.5 FPS. The 4K result is 65% lower.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1440p Medium?

A: At 1440p Medium, the average is 133.3 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Medium (202.9 FPS) to 1440p Medium shows a 34% drop, indicating the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at this resolution.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 530 out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the top 31% of all combos.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 9600X outperform its nearest rival in multi-threaded benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X has an average score of 28246, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i5-13490F and 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 230. It is 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 4K, Low averages 92.6 FPS, while Ultra averages 46.1 FPS. The difference is 46.5 FPS, meaning Ultra is exactly half the frame rate of Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 530 out of 1733 tested combinations in Minimum. This places the combo in the 69th percentile, meaning it outperforms roughly 69% of all tested hardware pairings in this game. Given that the RTX 3080 has a percentile rank of 80 among all GPUs and the Ryzen 5 9600X has a percentile rank of 85 among all CPUs, the combo's overall ranking is slightly lower than either component's individual percentile.

This discrepancy is explained by the game's age and GPU-bound nature at higher resolutions. The RTX 3080's 80th percentile GPU ranking is based on a wide range of modern workloads, but Minimum's 2014 engine may not fully utilize the Ampere architecture's features. The GPU's average benchmark score of 35787 places it in close competition with the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35860, 0.2% higher) and the AMD Radeon 880M (35646, 0.4% lower). The RTX 3080 is 0.9% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36101) and 1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (35435).

The combo's rank of 530 suggests that while it is a strong performer, there are many other combinations that achieve higher frame rates in this specific title. The data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as its nearest rivals show negligible performance differences. The GPU's mid-range percentile ranking among all GPUs, combined with the game's heavy reliance on raw rasterization power, explains why the combo does not crack the top 500.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 266 FPS, Medium yields 202.9 FPS, High reaches 172.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 131.5 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 50.6% reduction, reflecting the increasing GPU load from more complex shading and effects.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 171.8 FPS for Low, 133.3 FPS for Medium, 111.3 FPS for High, and 84.7 FPS for Ultra. The proportional drop from Low to Ultra is 50.7%, nearly identical to the 1080p scaling. This consistency across resolutions indicates that the settings presets impose a similar relative cost on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the results are 92.6 FPS for Low, 70.4 FPS for Medium, 58.5 FPS for High, and 46.1 FPS for Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is exactly 50.2%. The 4K results show that even the Low preset cannot reach 100 FPS, and the Ultra preset barely maintains playable frame rates above 45 FPS.

The data shows that the RTX 3080's 10 GB memory buffer is sufficient for all settings at 4K, as there are no anomalies such as sudden frame rate collapses. The consistent scaling pattern suggests the game is well-optimized for this GPU generation, with no unexpected bottlenecks at any resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, the High preset at 172.4 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 131.5 FPS is still smooth for most displays, but the 40.9 FPS gain from dropping to High is substantial. The Low preset at 266 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 133.3 FPS is the recommended choice. It provides a 22 FPS improvement over High (111.3 FPS) while retaining moderate visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 84.7 FPS is below the 100 FPS threshold that many gamers prefer, so Medium or High are better options. The Low preset at 171.8 FPS is viable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Medium preset at 70.4 FPS is the only option that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The High preset at 58.5 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 46.1 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 92.6 FPS is the best choice for 4K if frame rate is the priority, but it sacrifices significant visual detail.

The data suggests that the combo is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it can maintain high frame rates at Medium to High settings without dropping below 100 FPS. For 4K, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, offering a playable experience while keeping the visual quality acceptable. The 1080p resolution is where this combo excels, with all presets delivering well above 130 FPS.