Minimum

Minimum, the 2014 third-person shooter, still serves as a demanding benchmark for modern mobile hardware. The measured frame rates for the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile combination reveal a system that is well-balanced at lower resolutions but clearly constrained by the GPU at 4K. This analysis breaks down the performance data, focusing on how resolution scaling, CPU capabilities, and GPU features shape the gaming experience, and where this specific combo stands among the 3,712 tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a classic performance curve as resolution increases, with the most significant drop occurring between 1080p and 1440p. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 116 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average falls to 75 FPS, a reduction of 41 frames. This substantial 35% decline indicates that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count, a typical characteristic for a game with detailed environments and effects.

The transition from 1440p to 4K (3840x2160) at High settings shows a further drop from 75 FPS to 40 FPS. This 35 FPS decrease is again a significant step, representing a 47% performance loss. The trend across all settings is consistent: the gap between 1080p and 1440p is large, and the gap between 1440p and 4K is even more pronounced. For instance, at Low settings, performance goes from 180 FPS at 1080p to 116 FPS at 1440p, then down to 62 FPS at 4K. This pattern strongly suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases.

The data indicates that the RTX 4060 Mobile is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but 4K pushes it to its limits. At 4K with Medium settings, the average FPS is 48, with a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 55, showing that even the lowest recorded frames are below the 60 FPS target. At 4K Ultra, the average plummets to 31 FPS, which is not a playable experience for a fast-paced third-person shooter. The scaling behavior makes it clear that for a smooth 4K experience, users would need to significantly lower settings, and even then, the GPU may not consistently deliver high frame rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a high-end mobile processor with 16 cores and 32 threads, based on the Zen 4 architecture. Its performance in synthetic benchmarks is impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,713 and a single-core score of 6,030. This processing power is more than sufficient to handle the game logic and physics of a title like Minimum, which was released in 2014 and does not have the complex AI or simulation systems of modern games.

The CPU's high boost clock of 5.40 GHz and strong single-thread performance are key assets for gaming. The PassMark single-thread score of 3,907 suggests that the CPU can handle the primary game thread without becoming a bottleneck. This is corroborated by the frame rate data at 1080p, where the system achieves 180 FPS at Low settings. Such high frame rates are often limited by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls, and the Ryzen 9's performance here indicates it is not the limiting factor at this resolution.

The CPU's role becomes less critical as resolution increases, as the GPU takes on more of the rendering workload. However, the processor's capability ensures that frame rates do not collapse due to CPU limitations, even when the GPU is under heavy load at 4K. The data shows a smooth degradation in performance from 1080p to 4K, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The Ryzen 9 8945HX, with its 64 MB of L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, provides a robust platform that allows the RTX 4060 Mobile to perform to its full potential. It ranks in the 95th percentile against all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, is only 0.1% different in average benchmark score, indicating they are virtually tied in overall processing capability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile is the definitive factor in this combo's gaming performance. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, it has a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. The GPU's architecture, Ada Lovelace, supports modern features like DirectX 12 Ultimate, which is crucial for a game that can leverage advanced rendering techniques. Its benchmark scores are solid, with a PassMark G3D score of 17,469 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 89,569.

The GPU's clock speeds are a significant contributor to its performance. With a base clock of 1545 MHz and a boost clock of 1890 MHz, the RTX 4060 Mobile can deliver substantial compute power, as evidenced by its 11.61 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. This raw power translates directly into the measured frame rates. At 1080p, the GPU is able to produce very high frame rates, such as 180 FPS at Low settings, showing it is not a bottleneck at this resolution when paired with the powerful CPU.

However, the GPU's limitations become apparent at higher resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are likely contributing factors to the significant performance drops at 4K. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 31, which is a clear sign that the GPU is overwhelmed. The data suggests that the RTX 4060 Mobile is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1440p High, it achieves a respectable 75 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it maintains an average of 88 FPS. The GPU's performance in DirectX 11 (PassMark score of 157) and DirectX 12 (score of 73) benchmarks indicates it is well-optimized for modern APIs, which is reflected in the game's performance. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, is only 0.7% slower on average, while the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is 0.8% faster, placing the RTX 4060 Mobile in a competitive position among desktop-class GPUs.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Minimum, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile ranks 2,262 out of 3,712 combos. This places it in the 39th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that while it is a capable setup, there are many other combinations that deliver higher frame rates. The rank reflects the balance between the high-end CPU and the mid-range mobile GPU.

The rank is likely pulled down by the GPU, as many other combos feature more powerful desktop GPUs or higher-tier mobile graphics solutions. However, the CPU's strength ensures that this combo does not fall to the bottom of the rankings. The Ryzen 9 8945HX's performance, which is on par with the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (0.6% faster) and the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P (0.4% faster), provides a solid foundation that allows the GPU to perform at its best.

This ranking suggests that users of this combo will have a good experience at 1080p and a decent one at 1440p, but they will be in the lower half of systems for 4K performance. The data shows that the combo's performance is more dependent on the GPU than the CPU, as the frame rate scaling with resolution is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. For a game like Minimum, which is not particularly CPU-intensive, this combo's ranking is a direct reflection of the RTX 4060 Mobile's capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the ideal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. For a 60 FPS experience, 1080p is the most accommodating. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the system achieves an average of 88 FPS, providing a high level of visual fidelity with a comfortable frame rate margin. For those who prefer maximum smoothness, dropping to High settings yields 116 FPS, and Low settings push the average to 180 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 1440p, the choices become more nuanced. The High preset delivers an average of 75 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target and offers a good balance of quality and performance. The Medium preset provides 89 FPS, which is smoother but with reduced visual detail. The Ultra preset falls to 57 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in occasional stutters. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience at 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice.

4K gaming is challenging for this combo. The High preset only manages an average of 40 FPS, which is not smooth enough for a third-person shooter. The Medium preset improves this to 48 FPS, but it is still below the 60 FPS target. The Low preset achieves 62 FPS, which is playable but requires a significant sacrifice in visual quality. Given the data, 4K gaming is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the experience may not be ideal. For most users, sticking to 1440p or 1080p will provide a much better experience, with the 1440p High preset being the sweet spot for balancing visual quality and performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60 FPS?

A: At 1080p, all settings presets exceed 60 FPS, with the Ultra preset averaging 88 FPS. At 1440p, the High preset averages 75 FPS and the Medium preset averages 89 FPS, both above the 60 FPS target. 4K is not recommended for 60 FPS, as only the Low preset reaches an average of 62 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 116 FPS at 1920x1080 to 40 FPS at 3840x2160, a decrease of 76 FPS or roughly 65%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K. The frame rate drops significantly as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU is powerful enough to keep up, as shown by its high benchmark scores.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 8945HX compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX?

A: The two processors are virtually identical in performance. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX has an average benchmark score of 76,155, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX's average score.

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 1440p for a smooth experience?

A: The High preset, with an average of 75 FPS, is the recommended choice for a smooth experience at 2560x1440. It offers a good balance between visual quality and performance, staying above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Does the combo rank in the top half of all tested systems?

A: No, it ranks 2,262 out of 3,712 tested combos, placing it in the lower half of all systems tested for Minimum. This is primarily due to the performance of the RTX 4060 Mobile GPU.