Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers exceptional performance in Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014. With measured frame rates ranging from 73 FPS at 4K Ultra to 430 FPS at 1080p Low, this combination ranks first out of 2,939 tested configurations. The data reveals a system with massive headroom, where the GPU dominates at higher resolutions and the CPU’s strong single-thread performance becomes evident at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 430 FPS, which drops to 277 FPS at 1440p Low, and further to 149 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 35.6% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and an additional 46.2% reduction when moving from 1440p to 4K. For the High preset, the progression is 276 FPS at 1080p, 178 FPS at 1440p, and 96 FPS at 4K, showing a similar relative decline.

The scaling behavior indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. At 1080p, the frame rates are extraordinarily high, suggesting the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates. The RTX 5090 D’s massive compute resources, including 21,760 shading units and a 512-bit memory bus, are clearly being utilized more heavily at 1440p and 4K, where the pixel throughput demands increase substantially.

Analyzing the Medium preset data provides further insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 329 FPS with a minimum of 280 FPS and maximum of 379 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 212 FPS with a range of 180 to 244 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS and maximum of 131 FPS. The spread between minimum and maximum FPS narrows as resolution increases, indicating more consistent frame pacing at higher resolutions where the GPU workload is more uniform.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with 210 FPS at 1080p, 136 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. This 65.2% reduction from 1080p to 4K Ultra is the steepest among all settings presets, suggesting that Ultra settings introduce additional GPU-intensive effects that scale disproportionately with resolution. The data indicates that at 4K Ultra, the system is firmly GPU-bound, while at 1080p Low, the CPU’s capabilities are more prominently showcased.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications align with the measured performance. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is particularly relevant for Minimum, as the game’s texture and geometry demands at Ultra settings across all resolutions are likely substantial, though the data does not specify VRAM utilization.

Clock speeds for the RTX 5090 D are listed as a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The GPU’s pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s provide theoretical ceilings that explain the high frame rates observed at 1440p and below. The FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS is consistent with the GPU’s ability to maintain 96 FPS at 4K High, a demanding scenario for a game from 2014.

The RTX 5090 D’s benchmark scores place it in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, has an average score of 76,904, representing a 1.1% difference, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940, a -1.6% delta. These comparisons are based on synthetic benchmarks, but the measured FPS in Minimum shows the RTX 5090 D performing at levels that far exceed what these rival comparisons might suggest, indicating the game is particularly well-optimized for this GPU architecture.

The GPU’s 176 ROPs and 680 texture mapping units are key contributors to the high fill rates observed. At 4K Ultra, the 73 FPS average suggests the GPU is still delivering playable performance despite the extreme workload. The transition from High to Ultra at 4K results in a 24% performance drop (96 to 73 FPS), which is a smaller relative penalty than the 31% drop seen from Medium to High at the same resolution (114 to 96 FPS). This non-linear scaling suggests that certain Ultra settings have diminishing returns on visual quality relative to their performance cost.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X provides the processing foundation for this combination, and its characteristics are well-matched to the GPU’s capabilities. With 6 cores and 12 threads, the CPU runs at a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This high boost clock is critical for Minimum, a game that likely relies on single-thread performance given its 2014 release date and third-person shooter genre.

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 supports the high frame rates observed, particularly at 1080p where the CPU must process game logic and physics at rates exceeding 400 FPS. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1,253 and PassMark single-thread score of 4,570 both place the 9600X in the 81st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29,713.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE with an average score of 29,656 (0.2% delta), the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H at 29,868 (-0.5% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT at 29,879 (-0.6% delta). These comparisons show the 9600X performing competitively with higher-core-count processors in multi-threaded tests, while its single-thread performance is a standout feature. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 2,183.5 in single-core and 17,528.5 in multi-core, demonstrating a strong balance.

At 1080p Low, the 430 FPS average indicates the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the boost clock of 5.40 GHz allows the game’s main thread to execute rapidly. The transition from Low to Medium at 1080p (430 to 329 FPS, a 23.5% drop) is primarily GPU-driven, but the CPU’s ability to maintain high minimum frame rates (280 FPS at Medium) suggests it can keep up with the GPU’s output. The measured data does not indicate any CPU-bound scenarios, as even at 4K Ultra with 73 FPS, the frame rates are likely limited by the GPU’s fill rate rather than processor throughput.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this CPU-GPU combination in Minimum?*

A: The highest average FPS is 430, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This represents the peak measured performance for this configuration.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks first out of 2,939 tested combinations, with a combo rank of 1 in game.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1440p High and 4K High?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the average FPS is 178, while at 3840x2160 High, it drops to 96. This represents a 46.1% reduction in performance when moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings.

Q: Are there any settings presets where the minimum FPS is recorded?

A: Yes, minimum FPS values are only recorded for the Medium preset across all three resolutions. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 97 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 180 FPS; and at 1080p Medium, it is 280 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest GPU rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712, which is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904) and 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940).

Q: What is the performance scaling from Ultra to Low at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 73 FPS, while the Low preset averages 149 FPS. This means Low settings provide 104.1% higher performance than Ultra at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination holds the top position in Minimum, ranking first out of 2,939 tested configurations. This rank places it ahead of every other CPU-GPU pairing in the database for this specific game, indicating that the combination of the 9600X’s high single-thread performance and the RTX 5090 D’s overwhelming compute power is optimal for Minimum’s engine.

The CPU’s percentile ranking of 81 among all CPUs and the GPU’s percentile ranking of 92 among all GPUs suggest that both components are individually strong, but their combination is particularly effective. The 9600X’s boost clock of 5.40 GHz and the RTX 5090 D’s 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance create a balanced system where neither component consistently bottlenecks the other across the tested resolutions and settings.

The rank of 1 out of 2,939 combos is notable given the game’s age. Minimum was released in 2014, and the measured FPS data shows that modern high-end hardware can achieve frame rates far exceeding what displays of that era could handle. The combo’s ability to maintain 73 FPS at 4K Ultra, a resolution that was not mainstream in 2014, demonstrates the substantial headroom provided by this configuration.

When compared to the CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, the 9600X shows deltas of only 0.2% to -0.8% against processors like the Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE and Ryzen 7 7840H. This indicates that the CPU’s performance is representative of its class, and the rank is likely driven by the GPU’s exceptional capabilities combined with the CPU’s strong single-thread performance. The GPU’s nearest rivals show larger deltas (up to -2.4% for the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB), reinforcing that the RTX 5090 D is a significant contributor to this top ranking.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 430 FPS average, Medium delivers 329 FPS with a minimum of 280 and maximum of 379, High delivers 276 FPS, and Ultra delivers 210 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 51.2% performance drop, with each settings tier costing approximately 15-20% performance.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 277 FPS, Medium averages 212 FPS with a range of 180 to 244, High averages 178 FPS, and Ultra averages 136 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 50.9%, nearly identical to the 1080p scaling. This consistency suggests that the settings presets have similar relative costs regardless of resolution, with the GPU handling the additional pixel workload efficiently.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 149 FPS, Medium averages 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 and maximum of 131, High averages 96 FPS, and Ultra averages 73 FPS. The Low to Ultra drop at 4K is 51.0%, maintaining the pattern seen at lower resolutions. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings (97 FPS at 4K, 180 FPS at 1440p, 280 FPS at 1080p) represent the only recorded variance data, and they show that the system maintains playable frame rates even under load.

Comparing across resolutions at the same settings, the High preset shows 276 FPS at 1080p, 178 FPS at 1440p, and 96 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35.5% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 46.1% drop from 1440p to 4K. The Ultra preset shows 210 FPS at 1080p, 136 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K, with drops of 35.2% and 46.3% respectively. The consistency of these percentages across settings indicates that resolution scaling is independent of the settings preset chosen.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target display resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 276 FPS provides an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, well above any standard 144Hz or 240Hz display refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 210 FPS still offers substantial headroom, and the 24% performance difference between High and Ultra may be worthwhile for users seeking maximum visual fidelity on high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1440p, the High preset at 178 FPS is recommended for most users, as it comfortably exceeds 144Hz refresh rates while maintaining strong visual quality. The Medium preset at 212 FPS is preferable for competitive play where higher frame rates are prioritized over visual effects, and the 19.1% performance gain over High could provide a tangible benefit in fast-paced third-person shooter scenarios. The Ultra preset at 136 FPS remains viable for 120Hz displays, though the 23.6% drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual improvements.

For 4K resolution, the High preset at 96 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides smooth gameplay on 90Hz or 100Hz displays while maintaining significant visual detail. The Medium preset at 114 FPS offers an 18.8% performance increase over High and is better suited for 120Hz displays, though the visual quality reduction is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 73 FPS is playable on 60Hz displays and provides the maximum visual experience, but the 24% drop from High to Ultra represents a substantial performance cost.

The Low preset is only recommended for 1080p competitive play, where 430 FPS provides the absolute lowest latency possible, though the visual sacrifices are significant. At 1440p and 4K, the Low preset’s performance gains (55.6% over Medium at 1440p, 30.7% over Medium at 4K) do not justify the substantial visual quality reduction for most users. The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best overall balance of performance and visual quality across all resolutions, with the High preset being the best choice for users prioritizing visual fidelity without sacrificing playability.