Minimum

# Minimum — AMD Ryzen 7 5800X + AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT

The measured frame rates for this combination in Minimum reveal a system that scales predictably across resolutions, with the GPU becoming the dominant constraint as pixel count rises. At 1080p, the combo delivers 204 FPS on Low settings, dropping to 100 FPS on Ultra — a 104 FPS spread that shows the graphics card is heavily taxed by the game's higher presets. Moving to 1440p, the same settings span yields 132 FPS to 64 FPS, and at 4K the range tightens to 71 FPS on Low versus 35 FPS on Ultra. The data indicates that this pairing is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p, but 4K Ultra remains firmly out of reach for smooth gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, pointing to the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 204 FPS at 1080p to 132 FPS at 1440p — a 35% reduction — and then to 71 FPS at 4K, which is a further 46% decline. This pattern suggests that the RX 6700 XT's rendering throughput, rather than the CPU's processing power, governs performance once pixel count increases. The 12 GB VRAM and 384.0 GB/s memory bandwidth appear sufficient for the game's demands, as no min FPS anomalies suggest stuttering from memory exhaustion.

At Medium settings, the scaling is slightly less aggressive: 156 FPS at 1080p, 101 FPS at 1440p, and 54 FPS at 4K. The min FPS figures for Medium — 133 at 1080p, 86 at 1440p, and 46 at 4K — show that even the worst-case dips remain playable at lower resolutions but become marginal at 4K. High settings follow a similar trajectory: 131 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p, and 46 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings, however, expose the GPU's limits most clearly, with 100 FPS at 1080p collapsing to 64 FPS at 1440p and a skeletal 35 FPS at 4K.

The implication is that this combo is optimized for 1080p or 1440p gaming, where even Ultra settings can maintain acceptable frame rates. At 4K, the only viable path to smooth play is Low settings, and even then 71 FPS is below what many players would consider ideal for a third-person shooter. The data suggests that the 5800X's eight cores are not the limiting factor here — the gap between resolutions is far too uniform for a CPU bottleneck to be responsible.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X brings eight cores and sixteen threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. In Minimum, this CPU's role is best understood through its benchmark scores: Cinebench R23 multi-core reaches 15,476 points, while single-core hits 1,574.5. Geekbench results show 11,036 multi-core and 2,032 single-core. These figures place the 5800X in the 81st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29,123. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H, scores 29,093 — a 0.1% difference — suggesting the 5800X is competitive with modern mobile silicon in synthetic tests.

For Minimum, the CPU's high single-thread performance likely matters more than its multi-core prowess. The game, released in 2014, probably doesn't scale perfectly across 16 threads, so the 4.70 GHz boost clock becomes crucial for maintaining frame pacing. The 3DMark results reinforce this: single-thread score is 943, but 2-thread jumps to 1,846, and 16-thread reaches 7,586. This scaling curve indicates that the CPU can handle lightly-threaded workloads efficiently, which aligns with a game that may not fully utilize all cores.

The fact that frame rates at 1080p Low reach 204 FPS suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions. If the 5800X were struggling, we would expect to see diminishing returns when lowering graphics settings, but the jump from 131 FPS at High to 204 FPS at Low shows the GPU is still the primary constraint. The CPU's 32 MB L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth likely help maintain consistent frame delivery, as no min FPS data for Low settings indicates stability.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is built on RDNA 2.0 architecture with 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Its boost clock reaches 2,581 MHz, with a game clock of 2,424 MHz, and the 12 GB GDDR6 memory operates at 16 Gbps effective across a 192-bit bus, yielding 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's FP32 throughput is 13.21 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 165.2 GPixel/s. These specifications place it in the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27,425 — nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile's 27,435.

In Minimum, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 1080p, the GPU is capable of delivering 204 FPS on Low, but Ultra settings cut that to 100 FPS — a 51% reduction that shows the game's higher presets heavily tax the shading units and memory bandwidth. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,435 indicates decent DirectX 12 performance, which aligns with the game's era and API expectations. Passmark G3D score of 19,786 and GPU compute of 9,336 further characterize the GPU's raw capabilities.

The VRAM situation is interesting: 12 GB is more than sufficient for a 2014 title, even at 4K Ultra. The absence of min FPS data for most settings suggests the GPU maintains steady frame delivery without memory-related hitches. However, the 4K Ultra result of 35 FPS shows the GPU's compute limits rather than memory constraints. The texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s are the likely bottlenecks at 4K, as the GPU must process four times the pixels of 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best experience. At 1080p, Medium settings deliver 156 FPS average with a min of 133 FPS and max of 180 FPS — this is the sweet spot for high refresh rate displays. High settings at 131 FPS are also excellent, but the 25 FPS gain from switching to Medium is substantial for competitive play. Ultra at 100 FPS is playable but sacrifices 56 FPS compared to Medium, which many players may find unnecessary given the visual differences in a shooter.

At 1440p, Medium settings produce 101 FPS average with a min of 86 FPS and max of 116 FPS. This is the recommended preset for 1440p, as High drops to 85 FPS and Ultra to 64 FPS — the latter falling below the 70 FPS threshold many players consider minimum for smooth gameplay. Low settings at 132 FPS remain an option for those prioritizing frame rate over visuals, but Medium offers a better balance.

At 4K, no preset achieves 60 FPS average. Low settings at 71 FPS is the only playable option, while Medium at 54 FPS and High at 46 FPS will feel stuttery. Ultra at 35 FPS is not recommended for any scenario. Players with 4K displays should either accept Low settings or consider this combo unsuitable for 4K gaming in Minimum.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: Medium settings deliver 156 FPS average with a min of 133 FPS, offering the best balance between visual quality and frame rate. High settings at 131 FPS are close, but Medium provides a 25 FPS improvement.

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

A: Only at Low settings, which achieves 71 FPS average. Medium drops to 54 FPS, High to 46 FPS, and Ultra to 35 FPS — none of which are ideal for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RX 6700 XT compare to the RTX 4070 Mobile in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 6700 XT has an average benchmark score of 27,425, while the RTX 4070 Mobile scores 27,435 — a 0% difference. They are effectively tied in synthetic performance.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. At 1440p, Low settings achieve 132 FPS, but Ultra drops to 64 FPS — a 68 FPS difference that indicates the GPU cannot keep up with higher presets.

*Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in Minimum?*

A: This combo ranks 1,935 out of 3,712 total combinations, placing it in the upper half of tested systems.

Q: Does the CPU's multi-thread performance matter for this game?

A: The 5800X's 16 threads likely don't all get utilized by Minimum. Its single-thread score of 943 in 3DMark and boost clock of 4.70 GHz are more important for frame pacing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 204 FPS on Low, 156 FPS on Medium (min 133, max 180), 131 FPS on High, and 100 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows the most complete data with min and max values, indicating consistent performance. The spread from Low to Ultra is 104 FPS, demonstrating significant GPU scaling with settings.

At 2560x1440, Low achieves 132 FPS, Medium 101 FPS (min 86, max 116), High 85 FPS, and Ultra 64 FPS. The 68 FPS spread between Low and Ultra is smaller than at 1080p, confirming the GPU becomes more constrained. The Medium min FPS of 86 ensures smooth playable experiences even during intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, Low reaches 71 FPS, Medium 54 FPS (min 46, max 62), High 46 FPS, and Ultra 35 FPS. The Medium min FPS of 46 is notably low, suggesting occasional frame drops that could affect gameplay. The 36 FPS spread between Low and Ultra is the narrowest of all resolutions, indicating the GPU is near its absolute limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1,935 out of 3,712 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the 52nd percentile overall. This position reflects a balanced pairing where neither component severely bottlenecks the other, but neither is top-tier for this specific game. The CPU's 81st percentile ranking among all CPUs is stronger than the GPU's 72nd percentile, suggesting the 5800X has more headroom relative to its peers than the RX 6700 XT.

The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4070 Mobile, has an identical average score (27,435 vs 27,425, 0% delta), yet the RTX 3090 scores 27,565 — only 0.5% higher. This tight clustering means the RX 6700 XT is positioned in a very competitive segment. The CPU's rivals show similar clustering: the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is just 0.1% ahead, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT is 0.6% behind. This suggests the 5800X sits in a crowded performance bracket.

The rank of 1,935 out of 3,712 means this combo outperforms roughly 52% of all tested systems in Minimum. For a 2014 game, this is a solid result, but not exceptional. The data implies that players seeking higher 4K performance would need a more powerful GPU, while those targeting 1080p competitive play could consider this combo sufficient. The CPU's synthetic scores indicate it has more to give, but the game's optimization likely limits further gains.