Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers a striking performance profile in Minimum, a 2014 Third-Person Shooter. The measured data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at high resolutions but showcases immense CPU headroom at lower settings, creating a complex interplay between components. This analysis examines the measured FPS across resolutions and settings to determine the best user experience and the role each component plays.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). It operates on the AMD Socket AM5 platform with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. For a game released in 2014, this modern CPU provides an immense amount of processing power, far exceeding the typical requirements of a title from that era. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, as evidenced by the massive frame rates achieved. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 353.1 FPS, which indicates the engine is being pushed to its absolute limit, likely constrained by game logic or draw calls rather than the GPU.

The processor’s cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 31,588 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,459 in single-core, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. This high single-thread performance is crucial for older games like Minimum, which often rely heavily on one or two threads. The benchmark results show that the 9700X is marginally ahead of the Intel Core i5-14500HX by 0.2% and behind the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H by 0.4%, indicating that its raw compute is competitive with the latest mobile and desktop parts, though the in-game data shows it is more than sufficient for this title. The CPU’s 65 W TDP is remarkably low for this level of performance, suggesting that thermal throttling is unlikely to be a factor in sustained gaming sessions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Analyzing the measured FPS data, the optimal settings largely depend on the display refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 225.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 174.2 FPS. While Ultra shows a 22% reduction in frame rate compared to High, the absolute numbers are still exceptionally high. The data indicates that the visual fidelity gained from Ultra might not justify the performance loss for competitive play, but for a richer experience, the High preset is the sweet spot, providing high frame rates that exceed most high-refresh-rate monitors’ capabilities.

At 2560x1440, the story changes slightly. The High preset yields 145.7 FPS, and the Ultra preset yields 114.9 FPS. Here, the High preset remains the best choice for a smooth experience, as it stays well above the 144 Hz threshold often targeted by gamers. The Ultra preset still offers a playable experience, but the gap between settings narrows as the resolution increases. For 4K, the High preset provides 79.1 FPS, which is playable but perhaps not ideal for fast-paced action. Given the game’s age, the Medium preset at 4K (92.8 FPS) might be a better choice to secure a higher frame rate. The data shows that the Low preset offers the highest FPS at all resolutions, but this likely comes with significant visual compromises. The measured rows suggest that the High preset provides the most balanced experience across all resolutions, offering substantial frame rates without sacrificing the visual quality that the Ultra preset might demand.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is telling about the system’s bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 225.9. Moving to 2560x1440, the FPS drops to 145.7, a 35.5% decrease. When moving to 3840x2160, the FPS falls to 79.1, a 45.7% decrease from 1440p and a 65% decrease from 1080p. This steep decline as resolution increases is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU is capable of feeding frames at a rate far exceeding what the GPU can render at higher resolutions.

This pattern shifts the limiting component. At 1080p, the CPU is the bottleneck, as indicated by the 353.1 FPS at Low settings; the GPU is not being fully utilized. As the resolution climbs to 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with the RTX 4080 SUPER struggling to maintain frame rates above 60 FPS on Ultra settings (59.6 FPS). The data shows that the CPU has significant headroom at 4K, as the frame rate is dictated almost entirely by the GPU’s rendering capabilities. This is a healthy balance for a gaming system, as it means the CPU is not holding back performance at higher resolutions, but it also suggests that users targeting 4K Ultra might benefit from a different GPU configuration.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 120th out of 1,733 tested combos in Minimum. This places the setup in the top 7% of all configurations tested, which is a strong result for a game that is over a decade old. This high ranking is likely due to the exceptional single-thread performance of the 9700X and the raw rasterization power of the RTX 4080 SUPER. While the rank is impressive, it is not at the very top, suggesting that other combinations of newer or more specialized hardware may push slightly higher frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU is the bottleneck.

The combo’s ranking of 120 is notable because it outperforms the vast majority of the 1,733 tested configurations. However, it does not sit at the absolute pinnacle, indicating that there are 119 other combos that produce higher average FPS. This could be due to CPUs with even higher single-thread clocks or GPUs with marginally better performance. The data suggests that this pairing is exceptionally well-balanced for Minimum, but it is not the absolute fastest setup possible. The high rank, however, confirms that this system will provide a premium experience in this game, with frame rates that will satisfy most users.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is a powerhouse based on the Ada Lovelace architecture (AD103 chip). It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. For a 2014 game, this amount of VRAM is excessive, ensuring that texture memory is never a bottleneck. The GPU’s base clock is 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2550 MHz, and it has 10,240 shading units. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 34,245 in Passmark G3D, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, is 0.2% behind in average benchmark score, while the RTX 5070 Ti is 2.9% ahead.

The GPU’s role in Minimum becomes clearer when observing the frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages 59.6 FPS, which is a demanding workload. The GPU is clearly the limiting factor here, as the CPU has ample headroom. The data implies that the RTX 4080 SUPER is being pushed hard at this resolution and settings, but it still delivers a playable frame rate. At 1080p Low, the GPU is not the bottleneck, as the CPU is likely limiting the frame rate. The 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this title, meaning the GPU’s compute power, rather than its memory capacity, is the defining factor in its performance. The GPU’s TDP is 320 W, and its performance in this game shows a strong correlation with its benchmark scores, confirming its high-end status.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system’s performance across the board.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high across all settings. The Low preset achieves 353.1 FPS, the Medium preset hits 271.7 FPS, the High preset reaches 225.9 FPS, and the Ultra preset maintains 174.2 FPS. These numbers indicate a system that is heavily CPU-bound at this resolution, as even the most demanding settings produce frame rates that are far above typical display refresh rates.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. The Low preset delivers 231.1 FPS, the Medium preset yields 176.5 FPS, the High preset provides 145.7 FPS, and the Ultra preset offers 114.9 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, but the system remains highly capable, with all settings producing frame rates suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. The Low preset achieves 119.7 FPS, the Medium preset produces 92.8 FPS, the High preset delivers 79.1 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 59.6 FPS. The data shows a clear progression: as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, and the gap between the Low and Ultra presets narrows proportionally. This breakdown confirms that the system is highly versatile, capable of delivering competitive frame rates at 1080p and smooth, visually rich experiences at 4K.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Minimum?*

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 353.1, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: At what resolution and settings does the combo drop below 60 FPS?

A: The combo drops below 60 FPS at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings, where it averages 59.6 FPS.

Q: How much faster is the High preset at 1080p compared to the Ultra preset?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 225.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 174.2 FPS. This means the High preset is approximately 29.7% faster than Ultra.

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

A: The combo ranks 120th out of 1,733 tested combinations, placing it in the top 7% of all systems.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 53,610, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT’s score of 53,489.

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

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 225.9 at 1920x1080 to 79.1 at 3840x2160, representing a 65% decrease in frame rate.