Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a broad spectrum of performance in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released on 2014-06-25. The data set shows this combination ranks 392nd out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the top 11% of all configurations. Across the twelve measured data points, the system transitions from a high-refresh-rate 1080p powerhouse to a playable 4K machine, with the CPU increasingly becoming the limiting factor as resolution drops.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the performance bottleneck shifts across resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 283 FPS. Dropping to 2560x1440 Low reduces this to 228 FPS, a 19.4% decrease. Moving to 3840x2160 Low yields 123 FPS, which is 46.1% lower than the 1440p result and 56.5% lower than the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU-bound scenario at lower settings, where the RTX 4080 SUPER's raw throughput is the primary driver.

The picture changes significantly when examining High settings. At 1080p High, the system achieves 228 FPS; at 1440p High, it reaches 147 FPS (35.5% lower); and at 4K High, it drops to 79 FPS (46.3% lower than 1440p). The relative drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper here than the drop from 1080p to 1440p, suggesting that at 4K High, the GPU is working near its limits with this older title. The Ultra preset tells a similar story: 173 FPS at 1080p, 112 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of exactly 60 FPS indicates a hard cap or a target that the hardware barely meets.

The medium preset shows the most consistent scaling, with 257 FPS at 1080p, 175 FPS at 1440p, and 94 FPS at 4K. The 1440p Medium result includes a minimum FPS of 149 and a maximum of 201, while the 4K Medium row shows 80 FPS minimum and 108 FPS maximum. These variance figures suggest that the game's frame pacing remains stable even when the average drops significantly. The data indicates that from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS loss across all settings is roughly 35-40%, while from 1440p to 4K, the loss accelerates to 45-50%, confirming that the RTX 4080 SUPER's memory bandwidth and compute resources are the dominant constraints at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 3000 series, built on the Zen 2 architecture (Matisse) using a 7 nm process. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU has a 32 MB L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. In the context of Minimum, a game from 2014, these specifications are more than adequate for feeding the GPU. The benchmark scores for the CPU show a Cinebench R15 multicore score of 2092 and a single-core score of 204, alongside a Geekbench multicore score of 8899 and single-core score of 1593. These figures place the CPU at the 84th percentile among all processors.

The game's engine appears to scale well with the 8-core configuration. At 1080p Low, the system hits 283 FPS, which is close to the CPU's practical limit for frame generation in this title. The Passmark multithread score of 22458 and the Passmark single-thread score of 2656 suggest that the CPU can sustain high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions. However, the data shows that the CPU does impose a ceiling: the 1080p Low result of 283 FPS is only 24% higher than the 1080p High result of 228 FPS, whereas the GPU's compute capability would suggest a larger gap if the CPU were not limiting. This indicates that at 1080p, the Ryzen 7 3700X is the primary constraint, preventing the RTX 4080 SUPER from reaching its full potential.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, the AMD EPYC 4244P, the Intel Core i5-13450HX, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H. All of these sit within a 0.5% delta of the 3700X's average benchmark score of 34260. This clustering suggests that in Minimum's CPU-bound scenarios, the 3700X performs comparably to much newer processors, reinforcing the notion that the game's thread utilization does not heavily penalize the older Zen 2 architecture. The 16 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and game logic, while the 4.40 GHz boost clock handles single-threaded workloads effectively.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 3700X and RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a combo rank of 392 out of 3712 tested configurations in Minimum. This places the pairing in the 89.4th percentile of all combos, meaning only 10.6% of tested systems perform better. The ranking is influenced by both the CPU and GPU, but given the age of the game, the GPU's capabilities dominate the score. The RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54209, while the CPU ranks 84th percentile. The combo's rank being slightly lower than either component's individual percentile suggests that the pairing has a minor inefficiency, likely stemming from the CPU's inability to fully utilize the GPU at lower resolutions.

Compared to other combos in the database, this system's 4K Ultra result of 60 FPS is a notable achievement, as many older titles struggle to maintain playable frame rates at that resolution with maxed settings. The 1440p Medium average of 175 FPS with a minimum of 149 FPS indicates that the system is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors at that resolution. The combo's rank of 392 out of 3712 means it outperforms 3320 other configurations, which includes systems with newer CPUs but less powerful GPUs, as well as those with more balanced pairings. The data suggests that the GPU is the star of this pairing, while the CPU holds the system back from the very top tiers of performance in CPU-bound scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system produces the following average FPS: Low 283, Medium 257, High 228, and Ultra 173. The Medium preset includes a minimum of 219 FPS and a maximum of 296 FPS, showing a tight frame delivery window. At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 228, Medium 175, High 147, and Ultra 112. The Medium preset at this resolution has a minimum of 149 FPS and a maximum of 201 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages drop significantly: Low 123, Medium 94, High 79, and Ultra 60. The 4K Medium preset shows a minimum of 80 FPS and a maximum of 108 FPS.

The deltas between presets are informative. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium reduces FPS by 9.2%, from Medium to High by 11.3%, and from High to Ultra by 24.1%. At 1440p, the reductions are 23.2% (Low to Medium), 16.0% (Medium to High), and 23.8% (High to Ultra). At 4K, the reductions are 23.6% (Low to Medium), 16.0% (Medium to High), and 24.1% (High to Ultra). The Ultra preset consistently exacts a heavy toll, costing roughly a quarter of the frame rate relative to High across all resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 60 FPS exactly matches a common v-sync or display refresh rate target, suggesting that the game may be capping the frame rate at that value.

The minimum FPS data, only available for the Medium preset, reveals that the system maintains healthy frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 219 FPS is 85.2% of the average, indicating minimal stutter. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 149 FPS is 85.1% of the average. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 80 FPS is 85.1% of the average. This consistency across resolutions indicates that the game's performance is stable and that the hardware combination does not introduce erratic frame time spikes.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with an AD103 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. The GPU has 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, along with 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. Its base clock is 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2550 MHz, and the memory runs at 1438 MHz (23 Gbps effective). The FP32 performance is 52.22 TFLOPS, and the texture rate is 816.0 GTexel/s. These specifications make it a top-tier GPU for 2014 titles, which were designed for hardware that is now several generations old.

In Minimum, the GPU's role is dominant at 4K resolutions. The 4K Low result of 123 FPS demonstrates that even with reduced graphical load, the GPU's rendering pipeline is the limiting factor. The 4K Ultra result of 60 FPS shows that the GPU is fully saturated when all effects are enabled. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 34245 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600 corroborate its high-end positioning. The GPU ranks 86th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 (within 0.1%), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (within 1.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (within 2.7%), and the AMD Radeon 8060S (within 2.8%). These small deltas indicate that the RTX 4080 SUPER is tightly clustered with other high-performance GPUs, but in Minimum, the differences may be amplified by the game's specific rendering demands.

The GPU's 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Minimum, even at 4K Ultra, as the game's texture and geometry requirements are modest by modern standards. The 736.3 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming is not a bottleneck. The GPU's boost clock of 2550 MHz, combined with the 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, provides ample raw compute for the game's shader workloads. The data shows that at 1440p High, the GPU delivers 147 FPS, which is 86.1% of the 4K High result's 79 FPS, adjusted for resolution scaling. This suggests that the GPU scales predictably with pixel count, and the main variation in performance comes from the CPU's ability to feed it at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 283 FPS, which is far beyond any standard display refresh rate. The Medium preset at 257 FPS offers a marginal 9.2% reduction but provides better visual fidelity. For most users with a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor, the Medium preset at 1080p is the best balance, as it maintains a minimum of 219 FPS and keeps the average well above 240. The High preset at 228 FPS is also viable for 144Hz displays, but the Ultra preset at 173 FPS is unnecessary for competitive play and offers diminishing returns.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 228 FPS, which is sufficient for high-refresh-rate gaming. The Medium preset at 175 FPS with a minimum of 149 FPS provides a smoother experience than Low while still supporting 144Hz monitors. The High preset at 147 FPS is borderline for 144Hz, as occasional dips could drop below the refresh rate. For the best visual experience without sacrificing responsiveness, the Medium preset at 1440p is recommended, as it maintains an average above 144 FPS and a minimum above 149 FPS. The Ultra preset at 112 FPS is playable on 60Hz or 120Hz displays but does not maximize the GPU's potential.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 123 FPS, which is excellent for 4K gaming. The Medium preset at 94 FPS with a minimum of 80 FPS is ideal for 60Hz displays, as it provides headroom above 60 FPS and better visual quality than Low. The High preset at 79 FPS is also suitable for 60Hz displays, but the Medium preset offers a 19.0% higher average with only a marginal visual downgrade. The Ultra preset at exactly 60 FPS is the most visually impressive option, but it leaves no headroom for frame drops, and the minimum FPS is not recorded. For a stable 4K experience, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it balances visual fidelity with a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. For users with 120Hz or 144Hz 4K displays, the Low preset at 123 FPS is the only option that fully utilizes the display's refresh rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for a 144Hz monitor?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo achieves 175 FPS average with a minimum of 149 FPS, which is the highest fidelity preset that stays above 144 FPS. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 228 FPS, also suitable for 144Hz displays.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160, the High preset produces 79 FPS, and the Ultra preset produces exactly 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 94 FPS provides the best balance for 60Hz displays, with a minimum of 80 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 34260. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 with a delta of 0.1%, the AMD EPYC 4244P with a delta of 0.1%, the Intel Core i5-13450HX with a delta of -0.2%, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H with a delta of 0.5%.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Low, the average FPS is 283. At 3840x2160 Low, the average FPS is 123, which is 56.5% lower than the 1080p result.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more limiting in this game?

A: The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU limits performance, as the 283 FPS Low result is only 24% higher than the 228 FPS High result. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, with the 4K Low result of 123 FPS dropping to 60 FPS at Ultra.

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

A: The combo ranks 392nd out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the top 11% of all systems tested in Minimum.