Minimum

# CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is an 8-core, 16-thread desktop processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using TSMC's 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, backed by a 32 MB shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 cache per core. The processor supports DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes. Its 65 W TDP places it in the mainstream efficiency tier, and it is unlocked for overclocking.

In this game, the CPU's role is largely about maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions where the graphics card is less stressed. The PassMark single-thread score of 4691 and multithread score of 36470 indicate strong per-core performance and substantial multi-core throughput. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 192 FPS average, which is the highest measured result across all configurations. This suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates, even with eight cores active. The processor's 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs further confirms its high-end positioning.

The nearest rivals in synthetic CPU benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (avg score 69875, 0.2% behind), Intel Core i7-14700KF (avg score 70163, 0.2% ahead), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (avg score 69515, 0.7% behind), and Intel Core i7-14700K (avg score 69355, 0.9% behind). These tight margins—all within 1%—mean the 9700F delivers performance essentially on par with flagship desktop and mobile parts from the previous generation, despite its lower TDP. For a third-person shooter from 2014, the CPU's headroom is more than sufficient; the bottleneck in this pairing will manifest primarily at higher resolutions where GPU load dominates.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is a Pascal-architecture GPU with 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 88 ROPs. It runs at a base clock of 1481 MHz and a boost clock of 1582 MHz, with memory clocked at 1376 MHz (11 Gbps effective). The 11 GB of GDDR5X memory sits on a 352-bit bus, providing 484.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The card is built on TSMC's 16 nm process with 11,800 million transistors and supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The GTX 1080 Ti holds a 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15548. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 M380 (avg score 15521, 0.2% behind), AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (avg score 15679, 0.8% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (avg score 15290, 1.7% behind), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (avg score 15283, 1.7% behind). These comparisons show the 1080 Ti sitting in a peculiar spot: it trades blows with mid-range modern cards while being a generation old, but its 11 GB VRAM and 484.4 GB/s bandwidth are still substantial for its era.

In this game, the GPU is the primary scaling factor as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 33 FPS average, while at 4K Low it reaches 67 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 34 FPS (from 67 to 33), which is a 51% reduction—a clear indication that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being taxed heavily. The card's FP32 throughput of 11.34 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 139.2 GPixel/s provide the raw compute needed for this 2014 title, but the aging architecture shows its limits at extreme settings.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution rises, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 124. Moving to 2560x1440 High drops the average to 80 FPS—a 35% reduction. At 3840x2160 High, the average falls to 43 FPS, which is 65% below the 1080p figure. This steep falloff indicates that the GTX 1080 Ti becomes the limiting component at higher resolutions, while the Ryzen 7 9700F retains ample headroom.

The trend holds across all settings presets. For Low settings, the progression is 192 FPS (1080p) → 124 FPS (1440p) → 67 FPS (4K). This represents a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 65% drop from 1080p to 4K. For Medium settings, the numbers are 147 FPS (1080p) → 95 FPS (1440p) → 51 FPS (4K), with min/max ranges of 125-169 at 1080p, 81-109 at 1440p, and 43-59 at 4K. The Ultra preset shows 94 FPS (1080p) → 61 FPS (1440p) → 33 FPS (4K), a particularly steep decline at 4K.

The resolution scaling behavior suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is still relevant—the jump from High (124 FPS) to Low (192 FPS) is 55%, indicating that reducing GPU load allows the CPU to push higher frame rates. However, at 4K, the difference between Low (67 FPS) and High (43 FPS) is only 56%, and the absolute numbers are much lower, confirming that the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are the binding constraints. The data shows a classic GPU-bound scaling curve, with the CPU contributing less as resolution increases.

# How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti ranks 1615th out of 2939 tested combos in this game, placing it in the 55th percentile of all pairings. This mid-pack ranking reflects the mismatch between a modern high-end CPU and an older high-end GPU. The CPU's 94th percentile standing among all processors is dragged down by the GPU's 58th percentile position, resulting in a combo that is competent but not exceptional.

Relative to other tested combinations, this pairing sits in the upper-middle range. The GTX 1080 Ti, despite its age, still delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p across most settings, with 4K being the only resolution where it falls below 60 FPS on High and above. The CPU's strength ensures that the GPU is the limiting factor in almost every configuration, maximizing the graphics card's potential. However, users with stronger GPUs would see higher overall rankings, as the CPU would not be the bottleneck in any scenario for this title.

The combo's rank suggests it is a viable pairing for 1080p and 1440p gaming at high refresh rates, particularly for games that are not extremely demanding. The 2014 release date of this game means the hardware is more than adequate for its requirements, but the ranking reflects the broader database of combos, many of which include newer GPUs with better scaling at 4K. The data indicates that this pairing is best suited for competitive or fast-paced play at lower resolutions, where the CPU's single-thread performance and the GPU's raw throughput combine to deliver high frame rates.

# FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS measured is 192 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At Medium settings, the average is 147 FPS, while High yields 124 FPS and Ultra yields 94 FPS.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 33, which is the lowest measured result. For comparison, 4K High averages 43 FPS, 4K Medium averages 51 FPS, and 4K Low averages 67 FPS.

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

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440, performance scales significantly with settings: Low averages 124 FPS, Medium 95 FPS, High 80 FPS, and Ultra 61 FPS. The spread indicates the GPU is the primary limiter, as reducing settings yields large FPS gains, while the CPU has enough headroom to support these variations.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum FPS is 125. At 2560x1440 Medium, it is 81. At 3840x2160 Medium, it is 43. Maximum FPS values are 169, 109, and 59 respectively.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F has an average benchmark score of 69996. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX is 0.2% lower, the Intel Core i7-14700KF is 0.2% higher, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is 0.7% lower, and the Intel Core i7-14700K is 0.9% lower.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking and how does it affect the combo?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti ranks in the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15548. This mid-tier ranking, combined with the CPU's 94th percentile, places the combo at 1615th out of 2939 tested pairings, indicating that the GPU limits overall performance in this configuration.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive picture of performance.

At 1920x1080, the combo achieves the following average FPS: Low settings produce 192 FPS, Medium settings produce 147 FPS (with a range of 125-169), High settings produce 124 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 94 FPS. This resolution shows the widest spread between presets—98 FPS from Low to Ultra—indicating that the GPU is not fully saturated at lower settings and the CPU can push higher frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low settings at 124 FPS, Medium at 95 FPS (range 81-109), High at 80 FPS, and Ultra at 61 FPS. The spread narrows to 63 FPS, showing the GPU becoming more of a factor. The Medium preset's minimum of 81 FPS still provides smooth gameplay, while Ultra remains above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low settings at 67 FPS, Medium at 51 FPS (range 43-59), High at 43 FPS, and Ultra at 33 FPS. The spread is 34 FPS, and only Low settings maintain an average above 60 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 43 FPS indicates potential stutter in demanding scenes, while Ultra dips to 33 FPS, which is borderline playable for slower-paced gameplay.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset provides the only complete min/max data, with consistent ranges: at 1080p the range is 125-169, at 1440p it is 81-109, and at 4K it is 43-59. These ranges highlight the frame time variance that increases with resolution, a typical characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1920x1080, the High preset at 124 FPS average is the best balance for most users, as it provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium (147 FPS) while still maintaining frame rates well above 60 FPS. For competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount, the Low preset at 192 FPS offers the smoothest experience, though the visual fidelity is reduced. Ultra at 94 FPS is also viable, but the 24% drop from High may not justify the visual gains in a fast-paced third-person shooter.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 80 FPS average is the recommended choice, as it delivers smooth gameplay with good visual quality. The Medium preset at 95 FPS is a strong alternative if higher frame rates are preferred, and its minimum of 81 FPS ensures consistent performance. The Ultra preset at 61 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes; the Low preset at 124 FPS is overkill for most displays and sacrifices too much visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 67 FPS is the only configuration that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 51 FPS may be acceptable for those prioritizing visual quality, but its minimum of 43 FPS risks noticeable stutters. High and Ultra at 43 and 33 FPS respectively are only suitable for slower-paced gameplay or screenshots, as the frame rates fall below the threshold for smooth motion.

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers the most balanced combination of visual fidelity and performance, with an average of 95 FPS and a minimum of 81 FPS. This configuration leverages the CPU's strength while keeping the GPU within its comfort zone, providing a smooth and responsive experience for this third-person shooter. Users with 1080p displays should favor High settings, while those with 4K displays should accept Low settings to maintain playability.