Minimum

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process at TSMC. It runs at a base clock of 4.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, and its 120 W TDP places it firmly in the high-end desktop segment. The CPU has 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a defining feature for gaming workloads, and it supports DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth.

For Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, the CPU's role is substantial but not overwhelming. The game's measured FPS at 1080p Low settings reaches 188 FPS, which is the highest recorded value for this combo. That number indicates the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with frames well beyond typical 144 Hz displays. The 3DMark scores support this: the single-thread score is 1212, while the 16-thread score is 10081, and the max-thread score is 10067. These numbers suggest the CPU has strong single-core performance that older games like Minimum often rely on, while the 16 threads handle background tasks and any modern overhead.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 39768. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS scores 39603, which is 0.4% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 scores 40081, which is 0.8% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 is 0.7% higher at 40048, while the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 is 0.7% lower at 39485. These deltas are all within 1% of each other, meaning the 9800X3D sits in a tight performance band with these processors in general compute benchmarks. The CPU's percentile versus all CPUs is 87, placing it well above the median.

In Minimum, the 9800X3D's 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient. The game is not heavily threaded based on the FPS scaling we see, but the high boost clock and large L3 cache help maintain consistent frame delivery. The data shows that at 1080p, dropping from Low to Ultra reduces FPS from 188 to 92, which is a 96 FPS penalty. This is a significant drop, but the CPU is not the bottleneck at any settings level; the GPU handles the graphical load, and the CPU keeps up without issue.

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

The measured FPS rows for this combo span three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 188 FPS average, which is far above the 144 Hz refresh rate many monitors support. The Medium preset at 1080p gives 144 FPS average, with a minimum of 122 FPS and a maximum of 165 FPS. This is a very smooth experience, and the variance of 43 FPS between min and max suggests occasional dips but nothing that would cause stutter on a standard 144 Hz panel.

High settings at 1080p produce 121 FPS average, which is still playable but starts to approach the threshold where some users might notice frame drops below 120 FPS. Ultra at 1080p drops to 92 FPS average, which is fine for 60 Hz displays but not ideal for high-refresh monitors. The best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset at 1080p: it offers 144 FPS average, which matches the refresh rate of common gaming monitors, and the minimum of 122 FPS ensures the experience stays smooth even in demanding scenes.

At 1440p, Medium settings deliver 93 FPS average, with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS. This is a solid 60+ FPS experience, but the min-to-max range of 27 FPS indicates more variance than at 1080p. High settings at 1440p give 78 FPS average, which is acceptable for 60 Hz displays but not for 144 Hz. Low settings at 1440p reach 121 FPS average, which is great for high-refresh 1440p monitors if you prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. Ultra at 1440p drops to 59 FPS average, which is right at the edge of 60 Hz playability.

For 4K, the story is different. Medium settings at 3840x2160 yield 50 FPS average, with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 57 FPS. This is playable but not ideal, and the minimum of 42 FPS could cause noticeable stutter in fast-paced moments. Low settings at 4K give 65 FPS average, which is the best 4K option if you want to stay above 60 FPS. High settings at 4K produce 42 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 32 FPS average, which is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

The data suggests that Medium settings provide the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium gives 144 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh displays. At 1440p, Medium gives 93 FPS, which is smooth on 60-100 Hz monitors. At 4K, Medium gives 50 FPS, which is playable but requires a tolerance for occasional dips to 42 FPS. If you must have 60+ FPS at 4K, Low settings are the only option that achieves this at 65 FPS average.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 188 at 1080p to 121 at 1440p, then to 65 at 4K. That is a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 46% drop from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor at Low settings, because the CPU can handle the frame generation at all resolutions, but the RTX 2070 SUPER struggles to maintain frame rates as pixel count increases.

At Medium settings, the FPS goes from 144 at 1080p to 93 at 1440p, then to 50 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 35%, and from 1440p to 4K is 46%. This pattern is similar to Low settings, confirming the GPU is the limiting component. The RTX 2070 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. These specs are modest by modern standards, and the 4K resolution demands more memory bandwidth and fill rate than this GPU can provide at higher settings.

At High settings, the FPS goes from 121 at 1080p to 78 at 1440p, then to 42 at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 36%, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 46%. Ultra settings show the same pattern: 92 at 1080p, 59 at 1440p, and 32 at 4K, with drops of 36% and 46% respectively. The consistency of these percentages across all settings presets is notable. It suggests that the RTX 2070 SUPER scales predictably with resolution, and the CPU is not introducing any unusual bottlenecks.

The GPU's benchmark data supports this conclusion. The passmark G3D score is 18169, with a passmark GPU compute score of 7557, and the GPU's percentile versus all GPUs is 65. The nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M at 20480 (-1%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534 (-1.2%), the Intel Arc B570 at 20556 (-1.3%), and the Intel Arc A750 at 20582 (-1.5%). The RTX 2070 SUPER's average benchmark score is 20282, which is slightly below these rivals, confirming it is a mid-range GPU that will struggle at 4K in demanding scenarios.

The CPU, by contrast, has a percentile of 87 versus all CPUs, and its passmark multithread score is 40009 with a passmark physics score of 4083. The CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution, as evidenced by the fact that FPS scales almost entirely with resolution and settings changes, not with CPU load. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller FPS drops at higher resolutions, because the GPU would be waiting on the CPU. Instead, the FPS drops are consistent, indicating the GPU is saturated.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2142 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. That places it in the 58th percentile of all combos tested for this game. This is a mid-pack ranking, which aligns with the GPU's mid-range position. The CPU is high-end, but the GPU holds the combo back from reaching the upper echelons of the ranking.

The rank of 2142 out of 3712 means there are 1570 combos that perform better, and 2142 that perform worse. This is a respectable position for a system that pairs a top-tier 2024 CPU with a 2019 mid-range GPU. The CPU's high performance ensures the combo is not CPU-limited, but the GPU's 65th percentile versus all GPUs means it lags behind many modern alternatives.

To contextualize the rank, consider that the CPU alone is in the 87th percentile versus all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 65th percentile versus all GPUs. The combo rank of 2142 out of 3712 (58th percentile) reflects a weighted average of these two components, with the GPU having a larger impact on game performance in Minimum. If the GPU were upgraded to a higher-performing model, the combo rank would improve substantially, as the CPU has headroom to support faster graphics cards.

The data also shows that the measured FPS values are actual measurements, not estimates, which gives confidence in the ranking. The combo's performance at 1080p Medium (144 FPS) and 1440p Medium (93 FPS) are strong numbers for a 2019 GPU, but the 4K performance is weak, with only Low settings achieving 60+ FPS. This mixed performance profile explains the mid-pack ranking.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 144 FPS on a 1440p monitor?*

A: No, not at Medium or higher settings. At 1440p, the Medium preset gives 93 FPS average, High gives 78 FPS, and Ultra gives 59 FPS. Only Low settings at 1440p reach 121 FPS average.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: Low settings at 3840x2160 produce 65 FPS average, which is the only 4K preset that stays above 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 50 FPS average, and High and Ultra fall to 42 FPS and 32 FPS respectively.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the limiting component. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent across all settings presets (approximately 36% from 1080p to 1440p, and 46% from 1440p to 4K), indicating the RTX 2070 SUPER is saturated. The CPU's high benchmark scores (87th percentile) show it has ample headroom.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested combos?

A: This combo ranks 2142 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the 58th percentile. This is a mid-pack ranking, with the GPU's 65th percentile holding back the CPU's 87th percentile.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 122 FPS, with an average of 144 FPS and a maximum of 165 FPS. This ensures a smooth experience on most high-refresh monitors.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 2070 SUPER cause issues at 4K?

A: The data shows 4K performance is weak, with only Low settings achieving 65 FPS average. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for Low settings but struggles at Medium and above, where FPS drops to 50 and below.

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

The measured FPS data for the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER in Minimum is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low settings: 188 FPS average
• Medium settings: 144 FPS average, 122 FPS minimum, 165 FPS maximum
• High settings: 121 FPS average
• Ultra settings: 92 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low settings: 121 FPS average
• Medium settings: 93 FPS average, 79 FPS minimum, 106 FPS maximum
• High settings: 78 FPS average
• Ultra settings: 59 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low settings: 65 FPS average
• Medium settings: 50 FPS average, 42 FPS minimum, 57 FPS maximum
• High settings: 42 FPS average
• Ultra settings: 32 FPS average

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p delivers the best frame rates, with Low settings hitting 188 FPS and Medium reaching 144 FPS. At 1440p, Low settings still manage 121 FPS, but Medium drops to 93 FPS. At 4K, only Low settings remain above 60 FPS at 65 FPS, and Medium falls to 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS. Ultra settings are only viable at 1080p, where they produce 92 FPS average, but at 1440p they drop to 59 FPS and at 4K they fall to 32 FPS.

The minimum FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings in the data. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 122 FPS, which is 85% of the average. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 79 FPS, which is 85% of the average. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 42 FPS, which is 84% of the average. This consistent ratio suggests the frame time variance scales with resolution, but the relative stability remains similar.

For users targeting specific frame rate goals, the data provides clear guidance. To maintain 144 FPS at 1080p, use Medium settings (144 FPS average). To maintain 120 FPS at 1080p, High settings work (121 FPS average). To maintain 60 FPS at 1440p, Medium settings are the minimum requirement (93 FPS average), while High settings (78 FPS) provide a buffer. At 4K, 60 FPS is only achievable with Low settings (65 FPS average), and anything above that requires accepting 50 FPS or lower.