Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pairing in Minimum delivers a benchmark data set that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet surprisingly CPU-bound at 1080p. The 12-core, 24-thread Zen 3 processor with a 4.80 GHz boost clock provides ample headroom, while the RTX 4090’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth push frame rates to extreme levels. The data shows a combo ranking of 50 out of 1733 tested configurations, placing this pairing in the top 3% of all recorded results. Across 12 measured data points, the average FPS ranges from a low of 67.7 at 4K Ultra to a high of 373 at 1080p Low, indicating a wide performance envelope that depends heavily on both resolution and quality preset.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 373, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is followed closely by 300.5 FPS at 1080p Medium and 256.2 FPS at 1080p High.

Q: How does the RTX 4090’s average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66473. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, scores 66733, which represents a deltaPct of -0.4% — meaning the Tesla T4 is marginally ahead in aggregate synthetic benchmarks, though this does not reflect gaming performance.

Q: What is the CPU’s percentile ranking among all processors?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X falls in the 90th percentile of all CPUs tested. Its average benchmark score is 39453, placing it within 1% of rivals like the AMD EPYC 4245P (39383) and the Intel Core i7-13700F (39095).

Q: Which settings preset shows the largest performance drop from 1080p to 4K?

A: The Low preset shows the largest absolute drop, falling from 373 FPS at 1080p to 139.1 FPS at 4K — a reduction of 233.9 FPS. The High preset drops from 256.2 to 87.9 FPS, a 168.3 FPS decrease.

Q: Is the system more CPU-limited or GPU-limited at 1440p?

A: The data indicates 1440p is still heavily GPU-bound. At 2560x1440, the RTX 4090 delivers 252.7 FPS on Low settings and 125.1 FPS on Ultra. Given the CPU’s 90th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 91st percentile, the performance scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p (a 127.6 FPS drop) suggests the GPU is the primary constraint.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GPU and CPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 has a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X has a launch MSRP of $549.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090’s specifications are central to understanding its performance in Minimum. With 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, the card delivers 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The base clock runs at 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and memory operates at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). These numbers translate into a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s.

In Minimum, the GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 1080p, the CPU’s 12 cores can feed frames fast enough that the GPU is not fully saturated — the 373 FPS at Low settings suggests headroom remains. However, at 4K, the GPU’s shading units (16,384) and 128 RT cores are pushed harder. The 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is the key driver here. The measured data shows a clear pattern: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 67.7, which is 81.8% lower than the 4K Low result of 139.1 FPS. This scaling indicates that the GPU’s compute resources, not memory bandwidth, are the limiting factor at high settings.

The 24 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Minimum, a 2014 title, meaning memory size is not a bottleneck even at 4K Ultra. Instead, the data suggests the RTX 4090’s raw rasterization power defines the ceiling. The GPU’s 91st percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66473, aligns with its measured gaming performance here.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for settings optimization. At 1920x1080, all presets exceed 195 FPS, with Low hitting 373, Medium at 300.5, and High at 256.2. For competitive play on a high-refresh 1080p monitor, the Low preset offers the highest frame rates, but even Ultra at 195 FPS is well above typical 144Hz refresh rates. The data shows no practical need to drop below High at 1080p unless chasing maximum FPS.

At 2560x1440, the picture changes. Low settings produce 252.7 FPS, Medium drops to 192.5, High to 162, and Ultra falls to 125.1. For 1440p gaming, the High preset strikes the best balance: 162 FPS remains above 144Hz thresholds while providing improved visual fidelity over Medium’s 192.5 FPS. The step from High to Ultra costs 36.9 FPS (22.8% reduction), which may not justify the visual gains in a fast-paced third-person shooter.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly stressed. Low settings yield 139.1 FPS, Medium 108.1, High 87.9, and Ultra drops to 67.7. For 4K, the Medium preset at 108.1 FPS is the recommended starting point — it clears 100 FPS while retaining moderate quality. High at 87.9 FPS is viable for slower gameplay, but Ultra’s 67.7 FPS may feel sluggish for a shooter. The data suggests that 4K Ultra should be reserved for scenarios where visual fidelity trumps frame rate, as the 20.2 FPS difference between High and Ultra is substantial.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 5900X and RTX 4090 ranks 50th out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum. This top-3% placement reflects the synergy between the CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33150) and the GPU’s exceptional rasterization capabilities. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking among all processors, with a 0.2% deltaPct against the AMD EPYC 4245P, indicates it is not a weak link. Similarly, the GPU’s 91st percentile ranking, with a -0.4% deltaPct versus the Tesla T4, confirms it performs near the top of its class.

The 50th rank out of 1733 is notable because it places this combo ahead of 97.1% of all recorded configurations. The data implies that only 49 other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average FPS in Minimum. Given that the RTX 4090 is end-of-life per the production status, this ranking represents a peak for the Ada Lovelace generation. The CPU’s 12 cores and 24 threads, paired with 64 MB of L3 cache, ensure that even at 1080p where CPU load is highest, the processor does not bottleneck the GPU below 195 FPS on Ultra settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K reveal distinct scaling patterns across presets. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 373 at 1080p to 252.7 at 1440p (a 32.2% reduction), then to 139.1 at 4K (a 44.9% reduction from 1440p). This steep drop at 4K indicates the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, as the CPU has ample headroom at these frame rates.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is different: 195 FPS at 1080p drops to 125.1 at 1440p (35.8% reduction) and then to 67.7 at 4K (45.9% reduction). The relative consistency of these percentage drops suggests that the RTX 4090’s load scales predictably with pixel count. However, comparing Low and Ultra at 1080p — 373 vs 195 FPS — shows that settings have a 47.7% impact at that resolution, while at 4K the same settings comparison yields a 51.3% impact (139.1 vs 67.7).

The data points to the GPU as the primary limiter at 4K. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33150 and 3DMark max-thread score of 10075 suggest it can handle the draw calls and physics at 4K Ultra, but the RTX 4090’s 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is saturated. At 1080p, the CPU’s role is more prominent — the fact that Low settings hit 373 FPS but Ultra only reaches 195 FPS indicates that the GPU’s shading load, not the CPU, is still the bottleneck, but the gap narrows.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 373.0 FPS average
• Medium: 300.5 FPS average
• High: 256.2 FPS average
• Ultra: 195.0 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 252.7 FPS average
• Medium: 192.5 FPS average
• High: 162.0 FPS average
• Ultra: 125.1 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 139.1 FPS average
• Medium: 108.1 FPS average
• High: 87.9 FPS average
• Ultra: 67.7 FPS average

The 1080p results show that Low settings are 24.1% faster than Medium, and Medium is 17.2% faster than High. High to Ultra drops 23.9%. At 1440p, the pattern is similar: Low to Medium is 23.8% faster, Medium to High is 15.8% faster, and High to Ultra is 22.8% faster. At 4K, the deltas are 28.7% (Low to Medium), 18.7% (Medium to High), and 23.0% (High to Ultra).

The widest spread occurs at 1080p between Low and Ultra, a 178 FPS difference. The narrowest spread is at 4K between High and Ultra, a 20.2 FPS difference. These numbers confirm that the RTX 4090’s performance ceiling is highest at lower resolutions, where the CPU can deliver frames quickly enough to keep the GPU fed. At 4K, the GPU’s compute resources are the constraint, making the choice between High and Ultra a trade-off of 20.2 FPS. The data suggests that for consistent 144Hz+ gameplay, 1080p Ultra and 1440p High are the sweet spots, while 4K users should accept Medium or Low for competitive frame rates.