Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers a robust experience in Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014. The benchmark data shows this pairing is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K remains entirely playable with settings adjustments. The measured frame rates indicate a system where the GPU is the primary performance driver, though the CPU’s strong single-threaded capabilities ensure no bottlenecks at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and clearly demonstrates the GPU’s dominance in this workload. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 229 FPS at 1920x1080 to 148 FPS at 2560x1440, a 35.4% reduction. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 79 FPS, which is a 65.5% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is typical for a game where pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The scaling is even more pronounced at lower settings. With Low settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p sees a drop from 356 FPS to 230 FPS (a 35.4% reduction), and then to 124 FPS at 4K (a 65.2% reduction from 1080p). The near-identical percentage drops across High and Low settings suggest that the GPU’s shading and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints, rather than any CPU-side geometry or draw call limits. The RTX 4080’s 716.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are directly reflected in these scaling figures.

Interestingly, the frame rate difference between 1440p and 4K is proportionally larger than the difference between 1080p and 1440p. For example, at Medium settings, the 1440p average of 176 FPS drops to 95 FPS at 4K, a 46% reduction. This indicates that the game becomes increasingly pixel-bound as resolution rises, with the GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 256-bit bus being taxed heavily at 4K. The data shows that 1080p and 1440p are clearly GPU-saturated in the best way, while 4K requires a settings compromise to maintain high refresh rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is a 7000-series processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 4 architecture (Raphael). Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz provide the single-threaded performance that Minimum requires. The CPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its capability: it achieves a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1049 and a cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 1930, placing it in the 87th percentile among all CPUs tested.

In this game, the CPU’s role is secondary but still essential. The measured FPS at 1080p Low settings reaches 356 FPS, a figure that would be impossible if the CPU were the bottleneck. This suggests that the Ryzen 7 7700’s peak single-thread performance is more than sufficient to feed the RTX 4080 at lower resolutions. The 3dmark_2_threads score of 2043 and 3dmark_4_threads score of 3931 indicate that the processor scales well with the limited thread counts often used by older game engines.

However, the CPU’s multi-threaded performance is not the defining factor here. The cinebench_r23_multicore score of 18760 and passmark_multithread score of 34470 show a capable processor, but the frame rates at 4K (e.g., 79 FPS at High) are far below what the CPU could theoretically support. The game’s release date in 2014 means it likely uses fewer threads, making the Ryzen 7 7700’s 8 cores and 16 threads more than adequate. The data indicates that the CPU is never the limiting component in this configuration, as evidenced by the linear FPS scaling with resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the clear performance driver in this pairing. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, it delivers 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s boost clock of 2505 MHz and 9728 shading units provide the raw compute power needed for high frame rates. Its benchmark scores are impressive: a passmark_g3d score of 34457 and a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 6567 place it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs.

The GPU’s role is most evident in the resolution scaling data. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 174, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 61 FPS. This 64.9% reduction is directly attributable to the GPU’s pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth limits. The RTX 4080’s 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate and 761.5 GTexel/s texture rate are being fully utilized at 4K, as the game’s visual complexity scales with resolution.

The VRAM capacity is also a factor. The 16 GB frame buffer is more than sufficient for Minimum, even at 4K Ultra, which explains why the game does not exhibit any sudden performance cliffs beyond the expected resolution scaling. The GPU’s memory clock of 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective) provides the bandwidth necessary to maintain playable frame rates at all tested settings. The data shows that the RTX 4080 is the component that determines the playable settings ceiling, particularly at 4K where the difference between Low (124 FPS) and Ultra (61 FPS) is a 50.8% performance swing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 246th out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the top 6.6% of all configurations, indicating a high-performance pairing that outperforms the vast majority of systems. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU’s 87th percentile standing and the GPU’s 86th percentile standing, resulting in a synergistic setup for this game.

The CPU’s nearest rivals provide context for its performance. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 has an average score of 40048, which is 0.1% higher than the Ryzen 7 7700’s 40081 average. The Intel Core 5 221E scores 40144 (0.2% lower than the 7700), while the AMD Ryzen 9 270 scores 40246 (0.4% lower). The Intel Core i9-13905H scores 40313, which is 0.6% lower than the 7700. These tiny deltas show that the Ryzen 7 7700 is closely matched with its immediate competitors, meaning the combo’s rank is likely driven more by the GPU.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4080’s nearest rivals show a similar pattern. The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average score of 54209, just 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080’s 54247. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 (1.1% lower), while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 (2.6% lower). The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757 (2.7% lower). These deltas are small, but the RTX 4080’s position in the 86th percentile of all GPUs means it is a top-tier component that boosts the combo’s rank.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers exceptional performance across all settings. With Low settings, the average FPS is 356. Medium settings produce an average of 273 FPS, with a minimum of 232 FPS and a maximum of 313 FPS. High settings average 229 FPS, while Ultra settings average 174 FPS. These numbers indicate that the system is heavily GPU-bound at 1080p, with even the most demanding preset providing a comfortable margin above 144 Hz.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. Low settings average 230 FPS, Medium settings average 176 FPS (with a minimum of 149 FPS and maximum of 202 FPS), High settings average 148 FPS, and Ultra settings average 112 FPS. The 1440p results show a predictable decline from 1080p, but every preset remains above 100 FPS on average, making this resolution ideal for high refresh rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limits become apparent. Low settings average 124 FPS, Medium settings average 95 FPS (with a minimum of 80 FPS and maximum of 109 FPS), High settings average 79 FPS, and Ultra settings average 61 FPS. The 4K data shows that while the game is playable at all settings, only the Low preset consistently exceeds 120 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 80 FPS is still smooth, but the Ultra preset’s 61 FPS average is closer to the edge of what many would consider a high refresh rate experience.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 1080p, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as the 174 FPS average still provides a smooth experience on most high refresh rate displays. The data shows no reason to compromise at this resolution, given the ample headroom above 144 FPS at High settings (229 FPS) and even the minimum frame rates at Medium (232 FPS) are excellent.

At 1440p, the High preset strikes the best balance, delivering 148 FPS on average. The Ultra preset at 112 FPS is also viable for 120 Hz displays, but the High preset offers a 32% performance improvement over Ultra (148 FPS vs. 112 FPS) with likely minimal visual difference in a game from 2014. The Medium preset at 176 FPS is overkill for most monitors, making High the recommended sweet spot.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point. The 95 FPS average with a minimum of 80 FPS provides a consistently smooth experience, and the 34% performance improvement over High (79 FPS) is substantial. The Low preset at 124 FPS is better suited for 120 Hz displays, but the visual quality trade-off may be significant. The Ultra preset at 61 FPS is only recommended for players who prioritize image quality above all else and have a 60 Hz display.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS at 1920x1080 is 356 FPS, achieved with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo delivers an average FPS of 61, with no minimum or maximum frame rate data provided for this preset.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 246th out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum.

Q: Which component is the primary bottleneck at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 176, and the scaling from 1080p (273 FPS) indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU’s 87th percentile standing is sufficient for these frame rates.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between 1080p High and 4K High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1080p High is 229 FPS, while at 4K High it is 79 FPS, representing a 65.5% reduction in performance.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, making the RTX 4080 SUPER 0.1% higher in performance.