Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that still gets played for its tense, methodical combat. This analysis pairs the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D with the Intel Arc B570, using measured FPS data to show exactly what this combination delivers. The data shows a system that is clearly capable of smooth 1080p and 1440p play, but which runs into a hard wall at 4K. The results are what you would expect from a strong mid-range GPU paired with one of the fastest gaming CPUs available; the GPU is almost always the limiting factor, and the CPU has ample headroom to spare.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Minimum?

A: The data clearly shows 2560x1440 as the sweet spot. At High settings, the average FPS is 60, which is a playable baseline. At Medium settings, it jumps to 72 FPS, giving you both quality and speed. While 1920x1080 offers higher frame rates (up to 145 FPS on Low), the visual jump to 1440p is significant, and the system maintains a solid 60 FPS or more there.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 perform relative to its closest competitors?

A: Based on average benchmark scores, the Arc B570 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, trailing it by a negligible 0.1%. It is also within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon R9 M390X and the Intel Arc A750. The data shows it sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, indicating a solidly mid-range performer.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D a bottleneck for the Arc B570 in this game?

A: No. Benchmark results indicate the CPU is far more powerful than needed. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D sits in the 87th percentile of all CPUs. Even at 1080p with Low settings, where the CPU load is highest relative to the GPU, the system achieves 145 FPS, suggesting the GPU is still the primary limiter. The CPU's high multi-core and single-core scores provide massive headroom.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. The data shows a 74 FPS gap between the two presets. At Low settings, the average FPS is 145, while at Ultra, it drops to 71 FPS. This represents a performance drop of roughly 51% when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: Which settings preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset is the most balanced choice. It delivers an average of 72 FPS, which is a significant improvement over the 60 FPS at High. While the Ultra preset offers the best visuals, its 46 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target many players prefer for a shooter.

Q: How does the combo's ranking in this game compare to its overall hardware percentiles?

A: The combined system ranks 2336 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum, which places it in the bottom 20% of all possible configurations for this specific game. This is a notable outlier given that the CPU is in the 87th percentile and the GPU is in the 65th percentile. It suggests that the game's engine may not be well-optimized for this particular hardware combination.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the central figure in these performance figures. With 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, it offers a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. This is a critical specification for a modern game, as it directly impacts texture streaming and asset loading. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both locked at 2500 MHz, and its 2304 shading units are responsible for the raw processing power. The data shows that this configuration is sufficient for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 60+ FPS at 1440p in Minimum.

The Arc B570's performance profile is consistent with its benchmark scores. Its Passmark G3D score of 14195 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2649 place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The measured FPS data in this game aligns with that positioning. At 1080p, the GPU is able to push frame rates from 71 FPS on Ultra up to 145 FPS on Low, showing it has enough raw power to handle the game's demands at lower resolutions. However, the 4K results (max 50 FPS on Low) clearly show that the GPU's 10 GB frame buffer and overall compute power are not enough to maintain high frame rates at that extreme resolution.

The GPU's VRAM capacity of 10 GB is likely a factor in the 4K performance. At 3840x2160, the frame buffer requirements increase dramatically. The data shows that even on Low settings, the average FPS drops to 50, and on High it falls to 32. This suggests that the GPU is not only compute-bound but also potentially memory-bandwidth or capacity-bound at this resolution. The 380.0 GB/s bandwidth, while adequate for 1440p, appears to be a limiting factor when pushing the higher pixel counts of 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for settings presets at each resolution. For players targeting a 60 FPS experience, the choices are straightforward. At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an average of 60 FPS, making it the highest quality setting that hits this target. For those with high-refresh-rate monitors, the Medium preset at 1440p is the best option, as it delivers 72 FPS, a 20% improvement over High while still looking significantly better than Low.

At 1920x1080, the situation is more flexible. The High preset provides an excellent 93 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for most gaming monitors. The Ultra preset, with a 71 FPS average, is also perfectly playable for those who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rate. The Low preset, at 145 FPS, is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is the sole priority.

The 4K results are not recommended for a smooth experience. No preset at 3840x2160 achieves a 60 FPS average. The best result is 50 FPS on Low, which is below the target for most players. The Ultra preset at 4K, with an average of 25 FPS, is not viable for gameplay. Based on the data, the best experience is to play at 2560x1440 with the Medium or High preset. The Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of high frame rates and visual quality, while High offers a solid 60 FPS experience with better graphics.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 145 FPS on Low, 111 FPS on Medium, 93 FPS on High, and 71 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a recorded minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS, showing a stable frame time distribution within a 33 FPS range.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 94 on Low, 72 on Medium, 60 on High, and 46 on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution shows a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. This indicates that even during demanding scenes, the frame rate remains comfortably above 60 FPS, providing a smooth gameplay experience.

At 3840x2160, the performance takes a significant hit. The average FPS is 50 on Low, 39 on Medium, 32 on High, and 25 on Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS. These numbers are all below the 60 FPS target, and the 4K resolution is clearly not suitable for this game with this GPU. The frame times at this resolution are also likely to be less consistent, given the lower overall headroom.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the system's limiting component. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 93 to 60, a 35% decrease. This is a significant drop, but it's a typical cost for the 78% increase in pixel count. The system is still playable at 1440p, which shows it has a healthy balance for this workload.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is even more drastic. At High settings, the FPS drops from 60 to 32, a 47% decrease. At Low settings, the drop is from 94 to 50, also a 47% decrease. This consistent percentage drop regardless of settings points to a hard limit. This is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU is not the bottleneck; if it were, the percentage drop would be less severe at higher resolutions where the GPU has to work harder.

The pattern confirms that the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting factor at 4K. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s and 10 GB VRAM capacity are simply not enough to handle the pixel throughput required at 3840x2160 in Minimum. The data indicates that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D has more than enough headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but at 4K, the GPU is unable to keep up with the CPU's demands.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a powerhouse that is not the bottleneck in this configuration. It features 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. Its 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a massive amount, designed to reduce memory latency in gaming workloads. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23230 and a single-core score of 2080.

In this game, the CPU's role is to prepare frames and manage game logic. Its high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4430, ensures that the game's main thread is never starved. The data supports this. Even at 1080p with Low settings, where the CPU load is typically highest, the system reaches 145 FPS. This is a frame rate that is more likely limited by the GPU's rendering speed than the CPU's processing power.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, with a Passmark multithread score of 40009, also provide headroom for background tasks and future games. While Minimum may not use all 16 threads, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's performance is so far ahead of the GPU's needs that it is effectively a non-factor. The data suggests that players could pair this CPU with a much more powerful GPU and still see performance gains, as the CPU would not be a limiting factor. In this specific combo, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, particularly at 4K.