Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination delivers a wide spread of performance in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter that remains demanding at high resolutions. The measured data shows a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but one that progressively struggles as pixel count climbs, revealing a clear performance ceiling tied to the graphics card.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 187 FPS, but at 4K with Low settings, that figure falls to 65 FPS. That is a 65% reduction in average frame rate when moving from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. This steep decline strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component; the CPU is capable of feeding frames at the lower resolution but cannot compensate for the massive increase in pixel shading work at 4K.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 143 at 1080p to 92 at 1440p, and then further down to 50 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep—a 46% reduction—while the drop from 1080p to 1440p is a 36% reduction. This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth become increasingly critical as resolution rises.

The Ultra preset shows the same trend but with lower absolute numbers. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 92 FPS, which is still smooth. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 59 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 32 FPS. The data suggests that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, where the CPU's strength can shine, while 4K pushes the GPU to its absolute limits, resulting in frame rates that barely cross the playable threshold at lower settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 44 chip. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock reaches 2990 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz. These specifications directly influence the measured results, particularly at higher resolutions where memory capacity and bandwidth become more important.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a key factor at 4K. The fact that 4K Ultra produces only 32 FPS while 4K Low produces 65 FPS suggests that the game is not only shader-bound but also potentially memory-bound at the highest settings. The 128-bit bus width and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are moderate figures, and the data implies that the GPU is saturating its memory subsystem at 4K, especially with higher texture quality settings.

Benchmark scores for the GPU place it in the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16014. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129 (a 0.7% difference), and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 at 15852 (a 1% difference). The RX 9060's performance is essentially on par with these cards, which aligns with the measured FPS data showing competent but not exceptional 4K performance. The GPU's 21.43 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 334.9 GTexel/s texture rate are solid, yet the 4K results indicate that these figures are insufficient for maintaining high frame rates in Minimum at that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1677 out of 2939 total combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the rankings, which is somewhat surprising given the CPU's high performance. The CPU alone sits in the 87th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39768. The discrepancy between the CPU's high ranking and the combo's mid-tier ranking reinforces the conclusion that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing.

The combo rank of 1677 suggests that while the CPU is a top-tier part, the GPU holds the system back from achieving higher overall performance positions. The nearest CPU rivals—the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS, AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Ryzen AI 7 450, and AMD Ryzen 7 7700—all have average scores within 0.8% of the 9800X3D. This indicates that the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo's ranking. Instead, the RX 9060's 59th percentile GPU ranking drags the overall combo position down, as many other tested systems pair stronger graphics cards with similar or weaker CPUs.

FAQ

Q: What is the playable resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the most practical resolution, with all settings producing average FPS above 90. At 1440p, High settings deliver 78 FPS, but 4K drops below 65 FPS even on Low settings.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: At 1080p Low, the system hits 187 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for this game. However, the steep FPS drops at higher resolutions indicate the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck above 1080p.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RX 9060's average benchmark score is 16014, placing it 0.7% below the RTX 3060 Ti and 1% above the Radeon RX 7700. These are effectively negligible differences in synthetic tests.

Q: Is 8 GB of VRAM sufficient for 4K in this game?

A: The 4K results suggest it is limiting. The 32 FPS at 4K Ultra versus 65 FPS at 4K Low indicates that memory bandwidth and capacity are significant constraints at this resolution.

Q: What is the best preset for a 60 FPS target at 1440p?

A: Medium settings produce 92 FPS at 1440p, while High produces 78 FPS. Both exceed the 60 FPS target, but only Medium and High are viable; Ultra drops to 59 FPS, which is borderline.

Q: Why is the combo rank lower than expected given the CPU's performance?

A: The CPU ranks in the 87th percentile, but the GPU ranks in the 59th percentile. The combo rank of 1677 out of 2939 reflects the GPU's mid-tier performance, which limits the overall system capability.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a high-end desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). It operates at a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, with a 120 W TDP. The CPU features 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a significant asset for gaming workloads. Its benchmark results are strong: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23230 and a single-core score of 2080, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 18696.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the GPU is less stressed. The 187 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU can push frame rates well beyond what most displays can show. The CPU's 3DMark scores are also relevant: 10081 for 16 threads and 1212 for single-thread, indicating robust multi-threading capabilities that prevent CPU bottlenecks in this game. The CPU's 87th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39768, confirms that it is not the limiting factor in this combo.

The large L3 cache is particularly beneficial for gaming, and the measured FPS at lower resolutions supports this. The CPU's ability to maintain high frame rates at 1080p, even at Ultra settings (92 FPS), demonstrates that it provides ample headroom for the GPU to work with. However, at 4K, the CPU's advantages are masked by the GPU's limitations, as the frame rates drop to levels where CPU performance is irrelevant.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset to use for different targets. For a 60 FPS experience at 4K, the only viable option is Low settings, which produces 65 FPS. Medium settings at 4K drop to 50 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but High and Ultra fall below 42 FPS, which is likely too low for smooth gameplay.

At 1440p, the situation is more flexible. For a 60 FPS target, both High (78 FPS) and Medium (92 FPS) are excellent choices. Ultra at 59 FPS is right at the threshold, and while it is playable, it leaves no headroom for frame drops. For a 144 Hz display, Medium at 92 FPS is the highest setting that approaches refresh rate parity, though Low at 121 FPS is the only preset that fully saturates a 120 Hz panel.

At 1080p, the recommendation is simple: use Ultra settings. The 92 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a high-quality visual experience. If a higher refresh rate is desired, High at 120 FPS or Medium at 143 FPS are available, but Ultra offers the best visual fidelity without sacrificing playability. Low at 187 FPS is unnecessary unless chasing maximum frame rates on a 165 Hz or higher display.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full set of measured data reveals the performance envelope of this combo across all tested configurations.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 187 FPS, making this the fastest configuration. Medium settings yield 143 FPS, with a minimum of 122 FPS and a maximum of 165 FPS. High settings drop to 120 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 92 FPS. All 1080p presets are comfortably playable, with even the most demanding Ultra setting maintaining a frame rate above 90.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades noticeably. Low settings still manage 121 FPS, which is excellent. Medium settings average 92 FPS, with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS. High settings drop to 78 FPS, and Ultra falls to 59 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 62 FPS, indicating that the GPU is becoming a significant factor at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings produce 65 FPS, which is the only preset above 60. Medium settings average 50 FPS, with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 57 FPS. High settings drop to 42 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS represents a 83% reduction from the 1080p Low result, highlighting the GPU's inability to handle the pixel load at this resolution. The data clearly shows that 4K is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is barely above the 60 FPS threshold.