Minimum

# Minimum: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti delivers a playable but resolution-dependent experience in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. At 1080p, this combo comfortably exceeds 60 FPS on Medium and High presets, but 4K Ultra falls to just 22 FPS, making the GPU the decisive bottleneck. The 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 5800X provides ample headroom, as even the most demanding 1080p setting only reaches 64 FPS, indicating the GTX 1660 Ti's 6 GB VRAM and Turing architecture are the limiting factors at higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all presets remain playable. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 131 FPS, while Ultra still holds 64 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra drops to 41 FPS, and at 3840x2160, even Medium only reaches 35 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 Ti perform relative to its GPU rivals?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti's average benchmark score is 7723, placing it 0.7% above the AMD Radeon 540 (7673), 1.9% above the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (7580), and 2.3% above the Intel Arc A310 (7550). Its percentile rank is 41, meaning it outperforms roughly two-fifths of all GPUs.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5800X a bottleneck at 4K in this game?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiter. The CPU's 3dmark single-thread score of 943 and multi-thread score of 7578 are far above what Minimum requires, given its 2014 release. The FPS drop from Low (45 FPS) to Ultra (22 FPS) at 4K directly correlates with GPU workload, not CPU capability.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows 65 FPS average, with a minimum of 55 FPS and maximum of 74 FPS. This is the only 1440p preset with recorded minimum/maximum values, indicating a stable frame delivery for this setting.

Q: How does this combo rank against all other tested combinations?

A: This specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 3198 out of 3712 total combos in Minimum, placing it in the lower 14% of all tested configurations. This low rank is driven primarily by the GTX 1660 Ti's modest 41st percentile GPU score, while the CPU ranks in the 81st percentile.

Q: Does the CPU's multi-threading advantage show up in this game?

A: The data suggests minimal impact. The Ryzen 7 5800X's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15476 is strong, but Minimum's FPS scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p (131 to 64 FPS) follows GPU load almost linearly. The 16-thread 3dmark score of 7586 indicates the CPU can handle far more than this game demands.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and smooth gameplay, the 1920x1080 High preset is the optimal choice. It delivers 84 FPS average, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for fluid third-person shooting, while still offering meaningful graphical upgrades over Low. The 1080p Medium preset at 100 FPS (85 min, 115 max) is the safe choice for competitive play, but High's 84 FPS is close enough that most players will prefer the visual improvement.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset (65 FPS, 55 min, 74 max) is the only 1440p option that maintains playability without dropping to Low. The High preset at 54 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 41 FPS is too inconsistent for fast-paced combat. For 1440p users, Medium is the clear recommendation, as it holds above 55 FPS even in worst-case moments.

At 3840x2160, no preset is truly ideal. Low at 45 FPS is the only 4K option above 30 FPS, while Medium drops to 35 FPS (30 min, 40 max). High and Ultra at 29 and 22 FPS respectively are not recommended for any gameplay. Given the 2014 game release, 4K users should either accept Low settings or step down to 1440p Medium for a significantly better experience.

The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p (64 FPS). At any higher resolution, the GTX 1660 Ti's 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth cannot sustain the load. The data shows a clear pattern: each preset tier costs roughly 20-25% performance, and Ultra at 1440p (41 FPS) or 4K (22 FPS) falls below the minimum acceptable frame rates for this genre.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the primary performance determinant in this combo. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivering 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, the card has enough memory capacity for 1080p and 1440p gaming but struggles at 4K. The GPU's base clock of 1500 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz, combined with 1536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, produce a 5.437 TFLOPS FP32 throughput that is adequate for a 2014 title at mainstream resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark data reveals its mid-range positioning. Its Passmark G3D score of 12871 places it in the 41st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 7723. The nearest rivals show tight competition: the AMD Radeon 540 trails by just 0.7%, and the Intel Arc A310 is 2.3% behind. This narrow margin explains why the GTX 1660 Ti delivers competent but not exceptional frame rates in Minimum.

The VRAM situation is critical at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, the frame rates collapse: 45 FPS on Low, 35 FPS on Medium, 29 FPS on High, and 22 FPS on Ultra. This pattern suggests that beyond raw compute, the 6 GB frame buffer becomes insufficient as texture resolutions and draw distances increase. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is also strained, as evidenced by the steep drop from 1440p Medium (65 FPS) to 4K Medium (35 FPS) — a 46% reduction that cannot be explained by pixel count alone.

The GTX 1660 Ti's DirectX 12 Passmark score of 51 is notably lower than its DirectX 11 score of 103, which is relevant since Minimum's 2014 release predates widespread DX12 adoption. The 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1061 further indicates that the card's DX12 path is not its strength. However, the game's older engine likely uses DX11, where the card performs relatively better.

At 1080p, the GPU's capabilities are sufficient even for Ultra (64 FPS), but the card is clearly maxed out. The 131 FPS on Low versus 64 FPS on Ultra represents a 51% performance swing, demonstrating that the GTX 1660 Ti has no headroom to spare when visual settings are maxed. Players seeking higher refresh rates should prioritize Low or Medium settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results across all four presets. Low settings produce 131 FPS average, which is exceptionally smooth. Medium achieves 100 FPS with a minimum of 85 and maximum of 115, showing tight frame pacing. High drops to 84 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS target. Ultra maintains 64 FPS, which is playable but leaves little margin for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down predictably but remains usable for most presets. Low delivers 84 FPS — identical to 1080p High, illustrating the pixel-count penalty. Medium achieves 65 FPS (55 min, 74 max), which is the sweet spot for 1440p. High falls to 54 FPS, crossing below the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra drops to 41 FPS, which is marginal for a shooter.

At 3840x2160, the experience degrades significantly. Low manages 45 FPS, which is the only 4K preset above 30 FPS. Medium averages 35 FPS with a minimum of 30 and maximum of 40, indicating frequent drops to the edge of playability. High falls to 29 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 22 FPS. None of these 4K results are recommended for active gameplay, though Low could be acceptable for slower-paced exploration.

The frame rate deltas between presets are consistent across resolutions. At 1080p, the gap from Low to Ultra is 67 FPS (131 to 64). At 1440p, the same spread is 43 FPS (84 to 41). At 4K, it narrows to 23 FPS (45 to 22). This compression at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is hitting absolute limits, where even reducing settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel load.

The Medium preset is the only setting with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all three resolutions, providing the most complete picture of frame stability. At 1080p (85-115 FPS), 1440p (55-74 FPS), and 4K (30-40 FPS), the Medium preset shows consistent frame delivery with no severe stutters, making it the most reliable choice for consistent performance.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti ranks 3198 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the bottom 14% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's modest 41st percentile position, not the CPU's strength. The Ryzen 7 5800X ranks in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29123, but the pairing's overall performance is dragged down by the graphics card.

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H (29093, 0.1% behind), Intel Xeon Phi 7210 (29245, 0.4% ahead), and Intel Core i5-13500HX (29270, 0.5% ahead). These tiny deltas show the Ryzen 7 5800X is well-positioned among processors, but this advantage does not translate into a high combo rank because Minimum is GPU-bound at most settings.

The GPU's nearest rivals — AMD Radeon 540 (7673, 0.7% behind), AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (7580, 1.9% behind), and Intel Arc A310 (7550, 2.3% behind) — all sit within a narrow band around the GTX 1660 Ti's 7723 average score. This clustering means small GPU performance differences produce meaningful FPS variations in Minimum, explaining why the combo ranks so low despite having a top-tier CPU.

Compared to the 3712 total combos, the 3198th rank indicates that most other CPU-GPU pairings outperform this one in Minimum. This is expected for a mid-range GPU from 2019 paired with a 2020 flagship CPU; the combination is heavily unbalanced toward CPU capability. The data shows that the GTX 1660 Ti holds back the Ryzen 7 5800X, which would otherwise rank much higher with a more powerful GPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X plays a supporting role in this combo, providing far more processing power than Minimum requires. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer codename), manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process, the CPU offers a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its 32 MB L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth ensure that the GPU is never starved for data.

The CPU's benchmark results are consistently strong. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15476 and singlecore score of 1574.5 demonstrate excellent multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. The Geekbench multicore score of 11036 and singlecore score of 2032 further confirm this. The 3dmark scores show scaling from 943 (single-thread) to 7578 (max threads), indicating robust multi-threading efficiency.

However, Minimum's measured FPS data shows no scenario where the CPU becomes the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 131 FPS, which is high but not CPU-limited in a way that would show advantage over a weaker processor. The 2014 release date means the game's engine predates modern CPU-heavy rendering techniques, and the Ryzen 7 5800X's 105 W TDP and 4,150 million transistors provide far more headroom than needed.

The CPU's 81st percentile rank among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 29123, places it near the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H (0.1% difference) and Intel Core i5-13500HX (0.5% difference). Yet in Minimum, this CPU power does not translate into higher frame rates because the GTX 1660 Ti's 5.437 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 6 GB VRAM are the limiting factors at every resolution above 1080p Low.

The practical implication is that users could pair this CPU with a significantly stronger GPU to unlock much higher frame rates in Minimum. The Ryzen 7 5800X's 16 threads, 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, and PCIe Gen 4 support (20 lanes) provide a solid foundation for future GPU upgrades. For this title, however, the CPU's role is to maintain consistent frame pacing, which it does admirably — the Medium preset's minimum FPS values (85 at 1080p, 55 at 1440p, 30 at 4K) show no signs of CPU-induced stuttering.

The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 27732 and single-thread score of 3445 indicate that even the most demanding CPU-bound scenarios in Minimum would be handled with ease. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 7586 versus 2-thread score of 1846 shows that the CPU scales well across thread counts, but the game's modest demands mean this scaling is never fully utilized. In short, the Ryzen 7 5800X is overqualified for this pairing, and its performance headroom is wasted until paired with a more capable GPU.