Minimum

Launched on June 25, 2014, Minimum is a third-person shooter that remains a demanding title for modern hardware, particularly at higher resolutions. The benchmark data for this analysis pairs the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, a combination that produces a wide spread of performance depending on the resolution and quality preset selected. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is capable of high refresh rate play at 1080p but transitions into a more GPU-bound scenario at 4K, with the data providing clear insight into which component is the primary driver of performance in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep, indicating that the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 178.9 FPS at 1080p to 113.3 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 65.6 FPS. Moving to 4K, the average falls further to 64.3 FPS, representing a 114.6 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This pattern clearly demonstrates that the GPU’s rendering workload scales significantly with pixel count.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is not entirely GPU-bound, as the frame rates are exceptionally high. For instance, at Low settings, the 1080p average of 276.7 FPS is more than double the 4K Low average of 93.9 FPS. This implies that at lower resolutions, the CPU has a more significant role in maintaining high frame rates, but the GPU still handles the bulk of the work. The transition from 1440p to 4K shows a notable performance penalty across all settings, reinforcing that the RX 9070 XT’s compute and memory resources are heavily taxed at the highest resolution.

The scaling between Medium and High settings is also informative. At 1440p, the difference between Medium (138.6 FPS) and High (113.3 FPS) is 25.3 FPS, while at 4K, the gap narrows to 6.0 FPS (70.3 vs. 64.3). This convergence at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes the absolute bottleneck, and the incremental cost of higher quality settings is less impactful when the base resolution is already pushing the hardware to its limits. The most substantial single-step drop occurs when moving from High to Ultra at 4K, where performance falls from 64.3 FPS to 45.1 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, featuring a base clock of 4.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. In Minimum, this processor provides a strong foundation for high frame rates, particularly at 1080p. The benchmark results show that at 1080p with Low settings, the system reaches 276.7 FPS, a figure that is likely near the upper limit of what the game engine can produce, suggesting that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU effectively at this resolution.

The processor’s multi-threaded capabilities, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30325, suggest it can handle the game’s background tasks and physics calculations without becoming a bottleneck. The single-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4281, is also robust, which is critical for game logic and draw call submission. However, the data shows that the CPU’s influence wanes as resolution increases. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU’s workload does not scale with resolution.

The Ryzen 7 7700X’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s provide ample data throughput for the GPU. The processor’s performance relative to others is solid, ranking in the 89th percentile versus all CPUs. When compared to its nearest rivals, it is 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13500 and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i7-12800HX, but 0.8% behind the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and AMD EPYC 4244P. These small deltas suggest that for Minimum, the CPU is not the differentiating factor in performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is a high-end graphics card built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1660 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2970 MHz. Its 4096 shading units and 128 ROPs are directly responsible for the pixel throughput observed in the benchmark results. With a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s, the card has substantial raw processing power.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for Minimum at all tested settings and resolutions, as the game is from 2014 and does not require excessive memory. The memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s ensures that the GPU is not starved for data, even at 4K with Ultra settings. The benchmark data shows that the GPU’s performance is the primary factor in the frame rate differences between resolutions. The 4K Ultra average of 45.1 FPS is the lowest recorded score, indicating that the GPU’s compute units are fully saturated at this configuration.

The RX 9070 XT’s overall performance is strong, placing in the 82nd percentile versus all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 39647 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with a -0.1% delta against the AMD Radeon Pro 575, a 0.2% delta against the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile, and a -0.5% delta against the AMD Radeon Pro 575X. This indicates that in synthetic tests, the card is well-matched with these competitors, but the real-world gaming data in Minimum shows it is capable of delivering playable frame rates at 4K and exceptional performance at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers high refresh rate performance across all settings. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 276.7 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth. Medium settings reduce this to 211.9 FPS, and High settings yield 178.9 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still produces an average of 136.8 FPS, which is well above the 120 FPS threshold for high refresh rate monitors. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 139.9 FPS drop, indicating that the GPU is still the primary constraint even at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a more pronounced impact from the GPU workload. Low settings produce an average of 180.3 FPS, while Medium dips to 138.6 FPS. High settings maintain a smooth 113.3 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 84.4 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 1440p is significant, with a 96.4 FPS drop at Low settings, highlighting the increased pixel count. The 1440p Ultra average of 84.4 FPS is still playable for most users, but it is a clear step down from the 1080p results.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed, and frame rates drop considerably. Low settings yield an average of 93.9 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium settings reduce this to 70.3 FPS, and High settings produce 64.3 FPS. The most demanding configuration, Ultra, results in an average of 45.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. The data shows that for a consistent 60 FPS experience at 4K, users would need to select Medium settings or lower, as High settings hover just above the threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X + AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination ranks 507th out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the upper third of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a competitive pairing for this game. The data shows that this combo is not at the very top of the leaderboard, but it is far from the bottom, suggesting that there are many other hardware combinations that can outperform it, likely with more powerful GPUs or CPUs.

The ranking of 507 out of 1733 means that roughly 29% of tested combos are faster in this game. This is a solid result, but it also implies that the system is not the absolute best for maximizing frame rates. The performance data suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing, especially at higher resolutions. If the goal is to achieve higher frame rates at 4K Ultra, a more powerful GPU would be necessary. However, for 1080p and 1440p gaming, this combo is well-positioned to deliver high frame rates.

The percentile rankings of the individual components support this analysis. The CPU is in the 89th percentile, while the GPU is in the 82nd percentile. This suggests that the CPU is comparatively stronger than the GPU relative to other parts. The combo’s overall rank of 507 out of 1733 is a reflection of this balance, where the GPU’s performance is the primary driver of the in-game results.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate is 136.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the performance at 4K High settings compare to 1440p High settings?

A: At 1440p High, the average is 113.3 FPS, while at 4K High, it drops to 64.3 FPS, a reduction of 49.0 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: No, the data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K. The frame rate drops significantly from 1440p to 4K, which is consistent with GPU-bound performance.

Q: What is the best settings preset to achieve a stable 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Medium settings at 4K produce an average of 70.3 FPS, while High settings yield 64.3 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 45.1 FPS, so Medium or High is recommended for a 60 FPS target.

Q: How much faster is the system at 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The 1080p Low average is 276.7 FPS, while the 4K Ultra average is 45.1 FPS, making the 1080p result 231.6 FPS higher.

Q: Does the CPU’s performance relative to its rivals impact the gaming results?

A: The CPU is ranked in the 89th percentile, and its nearest rival deltas are small (between -0.8% and 0.5%). This indicates that CPU differences are minimal and the GPU has a larger impact on the measured frame rates.