Minimum

How This Combo Ranks

This pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER lands at rank 2142 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. That places it in the lower-middle portion of the database — roughly the 42nd percentile of all tested CPU/GPU pairings for this title. The ranking reflects a fundamental imbalance: a top-tier 2024 processor paired with a 2019 mid-range graphics card. The CPU is doing everything it can, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher settings and resolutions.

The Ryzen 9 9900X itself sits in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 57498. Its nearest rivals show how tightly clustered the top-end is: the AMD EPYC 9015 scores 57555 (0.1% higher), the AMD EPYC 7313 scores 57399 (0.2% lower), the Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58115 (1.1% higher), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M scores 58323 (1.4% higher). The 9900X is within striking distance of all of them, meaning the processor is not the bottleneck here.

The RTX 2070 SUPER, by contrast, sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 20282. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M at 20480 (1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534 (1.2% higher), the Intel Arc B570 at 20556 (1.3% higher), and the Intel Arc A750 at 20582 (1.5% higher). The 2070 SUPER is competitive with these cards, but none of them are modern high-end parts. This is a GPU that was mid-range at launch in 2019, and it remains mid-range relative to today's field.

The combo ranking makes sense when you consider what Minimum demands. This is a third-person shooter from 2014, so it is not particularly demanding by modern standards. The CPU has plenty of headroom — the 12-core, 24-thread Ryzen 9 9900X with a 5.60 GHz boost clock is far more than this game needs. The GPU, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 256-bit bus, is adequate but not exceptional. The result is a system that can push high frame rates at 1080p but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K on higher presets.

GPU Role

The RTX 2070 SUPER is the defining component in this combo for Minimum. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth — sufficient for a 2014 title at 1080p and 1440p, but the memory capacity becomes a constraint at 4K with higher settings. The card's base clock runs at 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and the memory operates at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These figures place it squarely in the mid-range of the Turing generation.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output pipelines. It also carries 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, though Minimum predates widespread ray tracing adoption and will not benefit significantly from those features. The card's FP32 performance of 9.062 TFLOPS is respectable but modest by current standards. Its pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s are the raw throughput figures that matter for a game like this.

The data shows how the GPU's limitations emerge as settings increase. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 188 FPS average — clearly CPU-bound territory. But at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 32 FPS, which is below playable thresholds for most users. The GPU's 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs underscores that this is not a card designed for maximum fidelity at high resolutions in modern titles, and while Minimum is older, the same scaling patterns apply.

The 2070 SUPER's nearest rivals reinforce its position. The Intel Arc A750 sits just 1.5% higher in average benchmark score, and the RTX 3070 Mobile is 1.2% higher. These are all comparable performers, meaning the 2070 SUPER is not an outlier in either direction — it is simply a competent mid-range card that has aged gracefully but not spectacularly.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p, the combo delivers 188 FPS on Low settings — a figure that suggests the CPU is doing most of the work. Moving to 1440p, the same Low preset drops to 121 FPS, a 36% reduction. At 4K, Low settings yield 65 FPS, which is another 46% drop from 1440p. These percentage declines are steep and indicate that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint as pixel count rises.

The scaling across settings at each resolution tells the same story. At 1080p, the spread from Low (188 FPS) to Ultra (92 FPS) is roughly a 51% performance penalty. At 1440p, the spread from Low (121 FPS) to Ultra (59 FPS) is about 51% as well. At 4K, Low (65 FPS) to Ultra (32 FPS) represents a 51% penalty too. This consistent percentage drop across resolutions suggests that the GPU's shading throughput and memory bandwidth are scaling predictably with workload — there is no sudden cliff, just a steady degradation.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 92nd percentile CPU ranking and 12 Zen 5 cores running at up to 5.60 GHz, is not being stressed by Minimum. The 4 nm process and 16,630 million transistors provide far more compute capability than this 2014 title requires. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau across resolutions — but instead, they fall steadily from 188 FPS at 1080p Low to 65 FPS at 4K Low.

The practical implication is that users with high-refresh 1080p or 1440p monitors will get the most out of this combo. At 1440p Medium, the system delivers 93 FPS average with a minimum of 79 FPS and maximum of 106 FPS — a smooth experience for a third-person shooter. At 4K, even Low settings only produce 65 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action sequences. The GPU's 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 8 GB capacity starts to feel tight at 4K with higher presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p: The combo performs best at this resolution across all settings. On Low, the average FPS is 188 — well above any refresh rate currently on the market. Medium settings produce 144 FPS average with a minimum of 122 FPS and maximum of 165 FPS. High settings yield 121 FPS average, which is still excellent for competitive play. Ultra drops to 92 FPS average, but that remains smooth for most displays. The minimum FPS data is only available for Medium (122 FPS), suggesting that the other presets did not exhibit significant frame-time spikes.

1440p: Performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's limits. Low settings deliver 121 FPS average — a figure that drops by 36% from 1080p. Medium settings produce 93 FPS average with a minimum of 79 FPS and maximum of 106 FPS. High settings yield 78 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh monitors. Ultra drops to 59 FPS average, right at the edge of smooth 60 Hz gameplay. The minimum FPS of 79 FPS on Medium indicates that even in demanding scenes, the system maintains decent frame pacing.

4K: This is where the GPU struggles. Low settings produce 65 FPS average, which is playable but not smooth for a shooter. Medium settings drop to 50 FPS average with a minimum of 42 FPS and maximum of 57 FPS — the minimum is below the 60 FPS threshold most players prefer. High settings yield 42 FPS average, which is borderline. Ultra drops to 32 FPS average, which is not recommended for any gameplay scenario. The minimum FPS of 42 FPS on Medium suggests that frame drops are significant and could affect gameplay in busy scenes.

The data shows a clear progression: 1080p is excellent across all presets, 1440p is good on Low through High but marginal on Ultra, and 4K is only viable on Low or Medium. The 42 FPS minimum at 4K Medium is particularly telling — it indicates that the GPU cannot maintain consistent frame delivery at that resolution with moderate settings.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K smoothly?*

A: Only on Low settings, where it averages 65 FPS. Medium drops to 50 FPS average with a 42 FPS minimum, High drops to 42 FPS, and Ultra drops to 32 FPS. For consistent 60 FPS gameplay at 4K, you would need to stick with Low or accept occasional drops below 60 FPS on Medium.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU pairing?

A: 1080p is the sweet spot. The combo achieves 188 FPS on Low, 144 FPS on Medium, 121 FPS on High, and 92 FPS on Ultra. At 1440p, it still performs well on Low (121 FPS) and Medium (93 FPS), but higher presets start to show GPU limitations.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282, placing it 1% below the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480), 1.2% below the RTX 3070 Mobile (20534), 1.3% below the Intel Arc B570 (20556), and 1.5% below the Intel Arc A750 (20582). It is effectively in the same performance tier as all of these cards.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X overkill for this game?

A: Yes. The CPU ranks in the 92nd percentile of all processors with an average benchmark score of 57498, and Minimum is a 2014 title that does not demand significant CPU resources. The GPU is the limiting factor in all measured scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions and settings.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Low settings produce 188 FPS average, while Ultra produces 92 FPS average — a 51% reduction. Medium sits at 144 FPS and High at 121 FPS, showing a steady degradation as settings increase.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 2070 SUPER cause problems?

A: The data does not show explicit VRAM-related failures, but the 4K results suggest capacity is a limiting factor. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 32 FPS average, and at 4K Medium the minimum FPS drops to 42, indicating the GPU is struggling to maintain performance at high pixel counts with moderate settings.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, the optimal choice is High settings at 121 FPS average. This provides a significant visual improvement over Low without the 24% performance penalty that Ultra imposes (92 FPS). Medium is also viable at 144 FPS if you prefer maximum frame rates, but High offers the best balance of image quality and smoothness for most users. The 121 FPS average is well above 60 Hz and approaches the refresh rates of many gaming monitors.

For 1440p displays, Medium settings deliver 93 FPS average with a 79 FPS minimum — this is the recommended preset. High drops to 78 FPS average, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra at 59 FPS average is borderline and not recommended for competitive play. Low at 121 FPS is an option if you prioritize frame rate over visuals, but the visual fidelity loss is substantial for a game from 2014 that already looks dated.

For 4K displays, the situation is more constrained. Low settings at 65 FPS average is the only preset that maintains a consistent 60+ FPS experience. Medium drops to 50 FPS average with a 42 FPS minimum, which will be noticeable in fast-paced combat. High and Ultra are not recommended at this resolution — 42 FPS and 32 FPS averages, respectively, are too low for a third-person shooter. If 4K is your target, you should accept Low settings or consider upgrading the GPU.

The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at High or Ultra settings, or 1440p gaming at Medium settings. The Ryzen 9 9900X provides ample CPU headroom, but the RTX 2070 SUPER's 65th percentile GPU ranking means it cannot fully utilize that processing power at higher resolutions. For users with 1080p 144 Hz monitors, this pairing will deliver an excellent experience. For 1440p 60 Hz, it is also solid. For 4K, it is only passable on the lowest preset.