Minimum

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

The measured FPS data for this AMD Ryzen 9 5900X + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti pairing reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution climbs. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 135.6 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to just 20.9 FPS — a drop of roughly 85% from the best-case scenario. This dramatic scaling pattern is the hallmark of a GPU-bound configuration at higher resolutions.

Looking at the 1440p to 4K transition specifically, the data shows the GTX 1660 Ti struggling to maintain playable framerates. At 1440p High, the system produces 55.6 FPS, which drops to 30.5 FPS at 4K High — a 45% reduction. The 4K Medium setting yields 34.3 FPS, while 4K Low manages 45.2 FPS. These numbers suggest that the 6 GB GDDR6 memory buffer and the GPU's 192-bit bus are being saturated as pixel count increases.

The resolution scaling also reveals an interesting dynamic when compared to the CPU's capabilities. The Ryzen 9 5900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is clearly not the limiting factor here. At 1080p, where CPU overhead is typically more pronounced, the system still achieves 87.6 FPS on High settings. Had the CPU been the bottleneck, we would expect to see less variation between 1080p and 1440p results. Instead, the data shows a consistent drop across every settings tier when moving up in resolution — a classic GPU-limited pattern.

The 4K Ultra result of 20.9 FPS is particularly telling. This represents the absolute worst-case scenario for this combo, and it suggests that the GTX 1660 Ti's 48 ROPs and 5.437 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are simply insufficient for 4K gaming at maximum quality. Even the 4K Low setting at 45.2 FPS falls short of smooth 60 FPS gameplay, indicating that 4K is largely out of reach for this GPU regardless of settings.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best framerate this combo can achieve in Minimum?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 135.6, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 65.2 FPS at 1080p Ultra, showing a wide performance range depending on quality settings.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in Minimum?

A: At 4K, the best result is 45.2 FPS on Low settings, while Ultra drops to 20.9 FPS. None of the 4K settings reach 60 FPS, so 4K gaming would require significant compromises or is not recommended for smooth play.

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

A: The GTX 1660 Ti has an average benchmark score of 13925, placing it 0.4% above the AMD Radeon RX 570X (13871) and 0.8% above both the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (13821) and GeForce GTX 680 (13812). It sits 0.7% below the NVIDIA Tesla K10 (14029).

Q: What is the CPU's performance standing relative to other processors?

A: The Ryzen 9 5900X ranks in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39453. It is 0.2% above the AMD EPYC 4245P (39383) and 0.9% above the Intel Core i7-13700F (39095), but 1% below the Intel Core i7-13700 (39857).

Q: What settings should be avoided at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Ultra settings produce 43.4 FPS, which may feel sluggish for a third-person shooter. High and Medium settings deliver 55.6 FPS and 64.1 FPS respectively, while Low reaches 84.7 FPS, making the lower presets more suitable for smooth gameplay.

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

A: The data suggests no CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system hits 135.6 FPS, which is well within the GPU's capability. The Ryzen 9 5900X's 3DMark max-threads score of 10075 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 33150 indicate ample headroom for this game's demands.

# Settings Recommendations

For this combo in Minimum, the data points to a clear sweet spot at 1920x1080 with High settings, delivering 87.6 FPS. This provides a smooth experience while maintaining visual quality above the low preset. The Medium setting at 102.1 FPS is also viable, offering a 17% framerate boost over High with presumably modest visual trade-offs.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 64.1 FPS appears to be the optimal balance. High drops to 55.6 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Low at 84.7 FPS is the fastest 1440p option but sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a game released in 2014, where textures and effects benefit from higher settings.

The 4K resolution is problematic across all settings. The best option, Low at 45.2 FPS, is below the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra at 20.9 FPS is unplayable for a shooter. Given these numbers, users should avoid 4K or accept sub-60 FPS performance. The 1080p High or Medium presets are the recommended configurations, as they deliver framerates well above 60 FPS while keeping the GTX 1660 Ti within its comfortable operating range.

# How This Combo Ranks

This combination of AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti ranks 1492 out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the bottom 14% of all configurations tested for this game, which is notable given the CPU's high-end positioning. The Ryzen 9 5900X sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, but the GTX 1660 Ti only reaches the 55th percentile of all GPUs.

The ranking disparity highlights a significant imbalance. While the CPU is a top-tier performer — its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 33150 places it among the best processors — the GPU's 12871 Passmark G3D score holds the system back. This combo ranks low because Minimum's performance is heavily GPU-dependent, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data. The 1492nd rank out of 1733 suggests that most other tested combos include either a stronger GPU or a more balanced pairing.

The deltaPct values for the GPU's nearest rivals show a tight cluster: the RX 570X is 0.4% behind, the Tesla K10 is 0.7% ahead, and the RTX A2000 Mobile and GTX 680 are 0.8% behind. This indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti is competitive with its direct peers but faces a steep climb to reach higher-performing GPUs that could improve this combo's rank.

# CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on Zen 3 architecture, built on TSMC's 7 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boosts up to 4.80 GHz. In Minimum, these specifications translate to substantial compute headroom. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 941 and multi-thread score of 10075 suggest it can handle any game logic or physics calculations the title throws at it.

The game's 2014 release date means it predates many modern multi-threading optimizations, but the Ryzen 9 5900X's high single-core performance — evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4680 — ensures strong performance even in lightly threaded workloads. The 64 MB L3 cache is particularly beneficial for gaming, as it reduces memory latency and improves data access patterns.

The measured FPS data confirms that the CPU is not a limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 135.6 FPS, and the framerate drops consistently as resolution increases — a pattern that would not occur if the CPU were the bottleneck. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus of 90 and average benchmark score of 39453, which is 0.2% above the AMD EPYC 4245P and 0.9% above the Intel Core i7-13700F, demonstrate its competitive standing. The 105W TDP and DDR4 dual-channel memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game's requirements.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its strongest results. Low settings yield 135.6 FPS average, Medium reaches 102.1 FPS, High achieves 87.6 FPS, and Ultra drops to 65.2 FPS. These figures show a clear progression where each settings tier costs roughly 15-30 FPS, with Ultra representing a 52% reduction from Low.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low delivers 84.7 FPS, Medium 64.1 FPS, High 55.6 FPS, and Ultra 43.4 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 1440p ranges from 37.5% at Low (135.6 to 84.7) to 33.4% at Ultra (65.2 to 43.4), indicating that the GPU's rendering load increases substantially with pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low produces 45.2 FPS, Medium 34.3 FPS, High 30.5 FPS, and Ultra 20.9 FPS. These results are below the playable threshold for a third-person shooter, where smooth aiming requires at least 60 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows reductions of 46.6% at Low (84.7 to 45.2) and 51.8% at Ultra (43.4 to 20.9), demonstrating that the GTX 1660 Ti's memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s and 6 GB VRAM are insufficient for 4K workloads.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a Turing-architecture GPU built on TSMC's 12 nm process, with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. It operates at a base clock of 1500 MHz and boosts to 1770 MHz, delivering 5.437 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. These specifications place it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13925.

In Minimum, the GPU is clearly the performance bottleneck. The measured FPS data shows that the system cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K on any setting, and even 1440p Ultra falls to 43.4 FPS. The GPU's 48 ROPs and 169.9 GTexel/s texture rate are adequate for 1080p gaming, where it achieves over 65 FPS on all settings, but they are insufficient for higher resolutions.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a tight competitive cluster. The AMD Radeon RX 570X scores 13871 (0.4% behind), the NVIDIA Tesla K10 scores 14029 (0.7% ahead), the RTX A2000 Mobile scores 13821 (0.8% behind), and the GTX 680 scores 13812 (0.8% behind). This indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti is a mid-range performer, well-matched to 1080p gaming but outclassed at 1440p and 4K. The 120W TDP and 300W suggested PSU are modest, but the 1x 8-pin power connector limits overclocking headroom, which could otherwise help close the gap at higher resolutions.