Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a dominant performance profile in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. The measured data shows this combination achieving exceptionally high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, with the 1080p Low preset reaching an average of 396.9 FPS. This pairing ranks 35th out of 1,733 tested combos for this game, placing it in the top 2% of all configurations. The following analysis breaks down the benchmark results, component roles, and optimal settings based strictly on the measured data.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 delivers the highest frame rates, with averages ranging from 195 FPS at Ultra to 396.9 FPS at Low. At 2560x1440, averages run from 126.5 FPS at Ultra to 256.9 FPS at Low, while 3840x2160 produces averages between 66.6 FPS at Ultra and 136.6 FPS at Low.

Q: How much performance is gained by dropping from Ultra to Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate increases from 195 FPS to 396.9 FPS, a gain of roughly 103.5%. At 2560x1440, the increase is from 126.5 FPS to 256.9 FPS, approximately 103.1% higher. At 3840x2160, the jump is from 66.6 FPS to 136.6 FPS, about 105.1% faster.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 show a significant bottleneck at lower resolutions?

A: The data indicates diminishing returns at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 Low, the average is 396.9 FPS, but at 2560x1440 Low, it drops to 256.9 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 1440p Medium is 301.6 FPS versus 194.9 FPS respectively, suggesting the CPU becomes more influential as resolution drops.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 35th out of 1,733 tested combos, placing it in the 98th percentile. This indicates it outperforms the vast majority of other CPU-GPU pairings in this game.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's memory bandwidth a factor in these results?

A: The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth. In Minimum, a 2014 title, this massive bandwidth ensures no memory-related bottlenecks, even at 3840x2160 Ultra where the average frame rate remains at 66.6 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 9600X compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 28,246. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-13490F, scores 28,173, representing a delta of 0.3%. The AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS scores 28,369, a delta of -0.4%, indicating the 9600X is nearly identical in overall synthetic performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with an AD102 chip fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It contains 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units, along with 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores. The GPU runs at a base clock of 2,235 MHz and boosts to 2,520 MHz, providing substantial raw compute power for a game from 2014.

The memory subsystem is particularly relevant for high-resolution gaming. The RTX 4090 carries 24 GB of GDDR6X memory across a 384-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. Memory operates at 1,313 MHz, translating to 21 Gbps effective. This configuration is far beyond what Minimum requires, and the measured frame rates confirm no memory-related limitations. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the GPU produces an average of 66.6 FPS, while dropping to Low settings at the same resolution yields 136.6 FPS.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores place it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 66,473. The nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla T4 with a score of 66,733 (a delta of -0.4%) and the NVIDIA Tesla P40 at 66,127 (a delta of 0.5%). In gaming, the RTX 4090's FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s enable the high frame rates observed, particularly at 1920x1080 where the average exceeds 300 FPS on Medium settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 9000 series, based on the Zen 5 architecture (codenamed Granite Ridge). It operates with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz on the AMD Socket AM5 platform. The CPU has a 65 W TDP and supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration is well-suited for gaming workloads, though in Minimum, the frame rates at lower resolutions suggest the CPU is keeping pace with the GPU. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo achieves 396.9 FPS, which is likely near the practical limit for this game engine.

Synthetic benchmarks show the Ryzen 5 9600X's strengths. It scores 25,525 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,603 in single-core. In Geekbench, it achieves 15,182 multi-core and 3,363 single-core. The CPU's average benchmark score is 28,246, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13490F (28,173, +0.3% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 230 (28,164, +0.3% delta), showing the 9600X sits in a highly competitive performance tier.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 35th out of 1,733 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the top 2% of all configurations tested, indicating that this pairing is among the most capable for this game. The rank reflects the synergy between the fast 6-core processor and the flagship GPU.

Given the game's 2014 release date, modern hardware is expected to excel, and the data confirms this. The 35th rank suggests there are 34 other combinations that perform slightly better, likely involving higher-end CPUs or more optimized pairings, but the 9600X + RTX 4090 remains an elite option. The percentile placement of the GPU (91st) and CPU (85th) individually is slightly lower than the combo's overall game rank, indicating that the pairing works particularly well together in this specific title.

In practical terms, this rank means the combo delivers frame rates that exceed the refresh rates of most monitors. At 2560x1440 High, the average of 162.3 FPS is sufficient for high-refresh displays, while 3840x2160 High at 87.4 FPS is solid for 4K gaming. The only scenario where it falls below 60 FPS is at 3840x2160 Ultra, where the average is 66.6 FPS, still above the 60 FPS threshold.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear trade-off between visual quality and frame rate. For players prioritizing maximum smoothness, the Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers an average of 396.9 FPS, which is far beyond what any display can showcase. At 2560x1440 Low, the average of 256.9 FPS remains exceptionally high, making this a strong choice for competitive play.

For a balance of visual fidelity and performance, the Medium preset is the recommended option. At 1920x1080, it produces an average of 301.6 FPS, while at 2560x1440, it maintains 194.9 FPS. These frame rates are well above the 144 Hz threshold common on many gaming monitors. At 3840x2160, Medium yields 103.9 FPS, which is excellent for 4K gaming with a high-refresh display.

The High preset is suitable for players who prioritize image quality. It achieves 256.3 FPS at 1920x1080, 162.3 FPS at 2560x1440, and 87.4 FPS at 3840x2160. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with averages of 195 FPS at 1080p, 126.5 FPS at 1440p, and 66.6 FPS at 4K. Given the data, Medium at 2560x1440 offers the best combination of high frame rate and enhanced visuals, while High at 3840x2160 provides a premium 4K experience without dropping below 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 396.9 FPS, while Medium reaches 301.6 FPS. High follows at 256.3 FPS, and Ultra produces 195 FPS. These numbers show a consistent scaling: dropping from Ultra to Low nearly doubles the frame rate, with each step (Ultra to High, High to Medium, Medium to Low) providing a significant boost.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but scales down proportionally. Low averages 256.9 FPS, Medium achieves 194.9 FPS, and High reaches 162.3 FPS. Ultra drops to 126.5 FPS. The pattern is consistent with the 1080p results, showing that the RTX 4090 has ample headroom at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are lower but still impressive. Low averages 136.6 FPS, Medium delivers 103.9 FPS, and High produces 87.4 FPS. Ultra drops to 66.6 FPS, which is the only preset and resolution combination that approaches the 60 FPS baseline. Across all resolutions, the scaling between settings is smooth, with no anomalies in the data. The measured FPS values are averages only, with no minimum or maximum values provided.