Minimum

Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014, presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 pairing. This combination produces a wide spread of frame rates across resolutions and settings, revealing distinct bottlenecks. The data indicates a system where the modern CPU has ample headroom, while the older GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured performance figures to understand how this specific hardware duo handles the game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern: performance degrades as resolution increases, but the rate of degradation is heavily influenced by the graphics preset. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 155 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 100 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 54 FPS, a further 46% drop from 1440p. This steep decline indicates that even at low graphical fidelity, the pixel throughput demand of higher resolutions significantly stresses the RTX 2060.

However, the scaling is different with higher graphics presets. At 1080p High, the system averages 100 FPS. Dropping to 1440p High yields 64 FPS (a 36% reduction), and 4K High produces 35 FPS (a 45% reduction from 1440p). The percentage drops are remarkably similar between Low and High settings across the resolution steps. This suggests that the performance scaling is dominated by the GPU's rendering load, which increases proportionally with pixel count, regardless of whether the game is using simpler or more complex effects.

The most telling data point for identifying the limiting component comes from the 4K results. With the RTX 2060, performance at 4K Ultra is just 26 FPS, while 4K Low is 54 FPS. This 28 FPS gap between the lowest and highest settings at the same resolution shows that the GPU is fully engaged; it is not waiting on the CPU. If the CPU were the primary bottleneck, we would expect to see a much smaller difference between settings, as the CPU's workload would be similar. The fact that frame rates nearly double when settings are lowered from Ultra to Low at 4K reinforces that the RTX 2060 is the constraining component in this scenario.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and RTX 2060 holds a rank of 2929 out of 3712 combos for this game. This places it in the lower 21% of all tested systems, a position that reflects the significant performance gap between the two components. The CPU is a high-end 2023 part, while the GPU is an end-of-life 2019 product, and the ranking demonstrates the consequence of that pairing.

The combo's percentile ranking for the CPU is 83, suggesting the processor is capable of outperforming the vast majority of other CPUs in general benchmarks. The GPU, however, sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs. This contrast is stark. The system is effectively anchored by its graphics card. Benchmark results indicate that this ranking is not a reflection of the CPU's capability, but rather a direct consequence of the GPU's performance ceiling in this title. The score is a measure of the system's overall gaming performance, and in this case, the GPU is the component that determines the final outcome.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a Zen 4 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, boasting a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. For a game released in 2014, this processor provides a massive amount of computational headroom. Its single-threaded performance, as measured by a 959 score in 3dmark_single_thread and 3759 in Passmark, is more than sufficient to handle the game's logic and physics. The data suggests that in this title, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU is under more stress.

The 3D V-Cache technology, which provides a large 96 MB of shared L3 cache, is a key feature for gaming. While its benefits are often seen in modern, cache-sensitive titles, it also helps to prevent frame time spikes and maintain smooth minimums in older games. However, the measured FPS data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the average frame rate is 155 FPS. This is likely close to the engine's limit or the point where the CPU's per-core performance starts to have an impact, but it is still a very high number. The CPU's multi-threaded might, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16817, is largely irrelevant here, as a 2014 shooter will not be able to utilize all 16 threads effectively.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across nine distinct configurations. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 155 FPS for Low, 119 FPS for Medium, and 100 FPS for High. The Ultra preset yields 76 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 79 FPS, indicating that the GPU has the capacity to render the game at high speed when the graphical load is light.

At 2560x1440, the scores scale down uniformly. Low settings produce an average of 100 FPS, Medium drops to 77 FPS, and High to 64 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 49 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is now 51 FPS, showing that the increased pixel count is narrowing the performance spread. The minimum FPS recorded for Medium settings at this resolution is 65 FPS, with a maximum of 88 FPS.

At the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the RTX 2060 starts to struggle. Low settings average 54 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 41 FPS, and High to 35 FPS. The Ultra preset averages just 26 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience. The data shows a clear trend: to maintain a 60 FPS average, the system must be run at 1080p with Medium settings or lower. At 1440p, even Low settings can't quite hit 60 FPS on average, producing 100 FPS, but it does offer a very solid experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average frame rate is 100 FPS, with no minimum or maximum values recorded for that specific configuration.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, but only on lower presets. The data shows 100 FPS on Low and 77 FPS on Medium. High settings average 64 FPS, which is close to 60, but the Ultra preset drops to an average of 49 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's performance rank against other GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 has a percentile rank of 58, meaning it performs better than 58% of all GPUs in the database. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon 680M, which has an average score 0.1% higher.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 54 on Low to 26 on Ultra. This significant variation based on settings indicates the GPU's rendering workload is the primary constraint, not the CPU.

Q: What is the best preset for a 60 FPS target at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset achieves an average of 119 FPS, which is well above 60. The High preset also exceeds 60 FPS with an average of 100 FPS, providing a good balance between visual quality and performance.

Q: What are the CPU's core and thread counts?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D has 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 4.20 GHz and its boost clock is 5.00 GHz.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60+ FPS experience at 1920x1080, the High preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 100 FPS. This provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium (119 FPS) while still maintaining a very high frame rate. Pushing to Ultra is possible, but the drop to 76 FPS makes it a less attractive option for competitive or fast-paced play.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. To get close to a 60 FPS average, the High preset, with an average of 64 FPS, is the highest quality option. However, it is not a significant margin above 60, so players might prefer the Medium preset at 77 FPS for a more consistent experience with less risk of drops. The Low preset gives 100 FPS, which is ideal for players who prioritize frame rate above all else.

For 3840x2160, the RTX 2060 is not capable of delivering a high-refresh experience. The Low preset, with an average of 54 FPS, is the only configuration that approaches a playable 60 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 41 FPS and High falls to 35 FPS, both of which are suboptimal for smooth gameplay. Therefore, at 4K, the recommendation is to use Low settings if aiming for playability, or to consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a significantly better experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing architecture GPU with 1920 shading units and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. This provides a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The measured performance in Minimum shows that this card is the definitive bottleneck for this system. Its boost clock of 1680 MHz is standard, but the 6 GB VRAM capacity is a potential concern for future titles, though for this 2014 game, it is not a limiting factor.

The GPU's percentile rank of 58 and its average benchmark score of 15290, which is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon 680M (deltaPct of 0.1), place it as a mid-range performer. In Minimum, its performance caps the system's potential. The data shows that while the CPU can easily push over 150 FPS at 1080p Low, the GPU's rendering capabilities prevent the same level of performance at higher resolutions. The 4K results, where even Low settings produce only 54 FPS, highlight the GPU's struggle with pixel throughput. The GPU's DirectX 12 score in Passmark is 53, while its DirectX 11 score is 110, which may hint at its relative strength in the older API that a 2014 game would likely use. The RTX 2060, with its 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores, has features that are not relevant to this title, but its raw rasterization performance is what ultimately determines the frame rates observed here.