Minimum

# Minimum — AMD Ryzen 9 5950X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090

This combination of AMD's 16-core Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA's flagship RTX 5090 delivers exceptional frame rates in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter that scales well across resolutions. The data shows this pairing sits at rank 24 out of 1733 tested combos, placing it in the top 1.4% of all configurations. The measured FPS figures range from a low of 67.4 frames per second at 4K Ultra to a staggering 370.9 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that this system has enough headroom for nearly any display configuration a builder might pair with it.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals how the workload shifts between CPU and GPU as pixel count increases. At Low settings, the system produces 370.9 FPS at 1080p, 260.3 FPS at 1440p, and 143.6 FPS at 4K. That represents a 61.3% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a substantial scaling penalty typical of a GPU-bound scenario at lower quality presets. The RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are clearly being utilized heavily as resolution climbs.

Moving to High settings, the pattern shifts slightly. The 1080p result of 259.5 FPS falls to 168.1 FPS at 1440p (a 35.2% drop) and then to 92.1 FPS at 4K (a 64.5% drop from 1080p). The diminishing returns between 1440p and 4K suggest the GPU is nearing its practical limit for this title at high quality, though 92.1 FPS remains comfortably playable.

Ultra settings show the steepest scaling curve. Starting at 199.7 FPS in 1080p, the frame rate drops to 130.9 FPS at 1440p and finally 67.4 FPS at 4K. The 66.2% total reduction from 1080p to 4K indicates that Ultra settings place the heaviest load on the GPU, with the CPU having less influence on the final frame rate. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 76.2 FPS, whereas at 1080p that same gap is 171.2 FPS — a clear sign that resolution scaling compresses the settings-based performance differences.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience across different display targets. For 4K displays, High settings at 92.1 FPS delivers the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. Ultra at 4K drops to 67.4 FPS, which is still playable but leaves little margin for demanding scenes. Medium at 4K offers 109.5 FPS, which is a strong option if the visual differences between Medium and High are acceptable to the user.

At 1440p, the choice becomes more flexible. High settings produce 168.1 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most 144Hz monitors. Medium pushes to 200.2 FPS, and Low reaches 260.3 FPS — the latter being ideal for competitive play where maximum frame rate matters more than visual fidelity. Ultra at 130.9 FPS still clears 120Hz, making it viable for high-refresh displays.

For 1080p, the RTX 5090 is almost overkill. Even Ultra settings produce 199.7 FPS, which is beyond the refresh rate of most standard 1080p panels. Low settings at 370.9 FPS are essentially academic, as no mainstream 1080p monitor can display that many frames. The data suggests that 1080p users should select Ultra settings without hesitation, as the performance headroom is substantial enough to absorb any future driver or game updates.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming at high refresh rates?

A: Yes, but not at maximum settings. The data shows 92.1 FPS at 4K High and 109.5 FPS at 4K Medium. Ultra drops to 67.4 FPS. For a 120Hz 4K display, Medium settings are the practical ceiling.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 5950X's 16-core configuration affect performance in this game?

A: The CPU's 16 cores and 32 threads provide significant headroom. With a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost up to 4.90 GHz, single-thread performance is strong. The benchmark scores show a Cinebench R23 single-core result of 5450 and multi-core of 38607, indicating the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution tested.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: Low settings produce 260.3 FPS while Ultra produces 130.9 FPS, a difference of 129.4 FPS. This represents a 49.7% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: Should I use Medium or High settings at 4K for the best experience?

A: Medium provides 109.5 FPS while High provides 92.1 FPS. The 17.4 FPS difference may be worth the visual upgrade on High, but if frame rate consistency is the priority, Medium delivers a smoother experience with more margin above 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 24th out of 1733 tested combos, placing it in the top 1.4% of all systems tested for this game. This is an elite-tier result.

Q: Is the RTX 5090's 32 GB memory capacity relevant for this game?

A: Minimum was released in 2014 and is not memory-hungry by modern standards. The 32 GB GDDR7 allocation is far more than needed, but the 512-bit bus and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth contribute to the high frame rates observed across all settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The rank 24 out of 1733 combos places this pairing in the upper echelon of tested systems. The CPU's percentile of 93 among all processors, combined with the GPU's percentile of 94 among all graphics cards, indicates both components are near the top of their respective categories. The Ryzen 9 5950X's average benchmark score of 49062 places it nearly even with the Intel Core i5-14600K (49166, delta -0.2%) and i5-14600KF (49367, delta -0.6%), while slightly ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, delta 0.7%). The RTX 5090's average score of 84306 is within 1.6% of the NVIDIA CMP 40HX (85637) and 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (83209).

The gap between this combo and the top-ranked systems is likely attributable to other CPU-GPU pairings that offer better balance for this specific title. However, with 1733 total combos, finishing 24th means this configuration outperforms roughly 98.6% of alternatives. The measured FPS data confirms this ranking is earned: even the most demanding configuration tested (4K Ultra) maintains a playable 67.4 FPS, which is more than sufficient for a third-person shooter.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 5950X brings 16 cores and 32 threads from the Zen 3 architecture on TSMC's 7 nm process. With a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz, it offers strong single-threaded performance — a key factor for games that rely on a few heavily utilized threads. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5450 and multi-core score of 38607 demonstrate the CPU's capability across both lightly and heavily threaded workloads.

The game's performance patterns suggest that at 1080p, the CPU has more influence on frame rates than at higher resolutions. The difference between 1080p Low (370.9 FPS) and 1440p Low (260.3 FPS) is 110.6 FPS, while the difference between 1440p Low and 4K Low (143.6 FPS) is 116.7 FPS. This relatively even scaling indicates the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently at all resolutions tested. The L3 cache of 64 MB and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s provide ample bandwidth for game data.

The 5950X's 105 W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it a versatile choice for builders who want headroom for overclocking. Its Socket AM4 compatibility means it can drop into existing motherboards, though the PCIe Gen 4 support (20 lanes from CPU) is one generation behind the RTX 5090's PCIe 5.0 x16 interface. In practice, the data shows this does not bottleneck performance, as frame rates remain high across all settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 370.9 FPS, Medium yields 313.3 FPS, High achieves 259.5 FPS, and Ultra reaches 199.7 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 46.2% reduction in frame rate, with each settings tier costing roughly 50-60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected scaling penalty. Low settings deliver 260.3 FPS, Medium produces 200.2 FPS, High achieves 168.1 FPS, and Ultra reaches 130.9 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 29.8% at Low to 34.5% at Ultra, indicating consistent scaling behavior across settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU workload dominates. Low settings produce 143.6 FPS, Medium delivers 109.5 FPS, High achieves 92.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 67.4 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper, ranging from 44.8% at Low to 48.5% at Ultra. This confirms that 4K resolution amplifies the differences between settings tiers, with Ultra costing more than double the frame rate of Low.

The overall pattern shows that this combo delivers playable frame rates at every resolution and settings combination tested. Even the most demanding scenario — 4K Ultra — maintains 67.4 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold considered standard for smooth gameplay. For competitive play, the 1080p Low setting at 370.9 FPS provides maximum responsiveness, though most users will find the 1440p High setting at 168.1 FPS to be the best balance of visual quality and performance for high-refresh displays.