Minimum

# FAQ

Q: What is the comboRankInGame for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + AMD Radeon RX 9070 in Minimum?

A: This combination ranks 832nd out of 2,939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the upper third of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 262 FPS. This is the highest measured average across all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU appear to be the limiting factor at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 45 (Ultra) to 91 (Low). The sharp drop from 1080p to 4K at each settings level indicates the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, as the CPU's performance headroom is less utilized.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 169 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 83 FPS average. This represents a 86 FPS reduction, or roughly a 51% decrease in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: What are the measured minimum and maximum FPS values at 1080p Medium?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the measured range spans from a minimum of 171 FPS to a maximum of 231 FPS, with an average of 201 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's percentile rank compare to its nearest rival?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 sits at the 69th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23,877. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z, scores 23,736, which is 0.6% lower.

# GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 brings 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This memory configuration is substantial for a 2014 title like Minimum, where texture loading and memory allocation are far less demanding than modern releases. The 16 GB capacity means the game's assets — even at Ultra settings — stay comfortably within VRAM limits, preventing any memory-related stuttering or texture pop-in that could otherwise cap performance.

The GPU's clock behavior is defined by a base clock of 1330 MHz, a game clock of 2070 MHz, and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. The game clock represents the expected sustained frequency during typical gaming workloads, while the boost clock is the maximum achievable under favorable thermal and power conditions. In a title like Minimum, which is a third-person shooter from 2014, the rendering load is relatively modest by modern standards, allowing the RX 9070 to operate closer to its boost clock more frequently than in heavier titles.

Benchmark data shows the RX 9070's performance profile: its PassMark G3D score is 25,381, with a DirectX 11 score of 281 and a DirectX 12 score of 74. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,290 provides a synthetic measure of its DX12 capabilities. The GPU's percentile rank of 69 among all GPUs indicates it outperforms a majority of the database's tested graphics cards, though it is not in the top tier.

In Minimum's measured results, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 45, while at 4K Low it reaches 91. This 46 FPS swing demonstrates how the GPU's shading units — 3,584 in total — and 128 ROPs are taxed by the resolution and image quality demands. The pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput needed to fill 4K frames, but the Ultra preset's additional effects push the GPU to its limits.

The RX 9070's FP32 performance of 36.13 TFLOPS is more than sufficient for Minimum's DirectX 12 rendering path, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures full feature compatibility with the game's rendering requirements.

# Settings Recommendations

The measured data across four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — at three resolutions provides a clear picture of the optimal settings for this combo. At 1080p, all presets exceed 120 FPS average, with Low at 262, Medium at 201, High at 169, and Ultra at 128. For competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors, Low or Medium delivers the smoothest experience, with Medium's 171 FPS minimum still well above typical display refresh rates.

At 1440p, the trade-off between visual quality and performance becomes more meaningful. Low yields 169 FPS average, Medium 130, High 109, and Ultra 83. For a balance of visual fidelity and smoothness, Medium at 130 FPS average with a minimum of 110 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains high frame pacing while offering improved texture detail and effects over Low.

At 4K, the options narrow considerably. Ultra drops to 45 FPS average, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold most players consider playable for a third-person shooter. High achieves 59 FPS average, just shy of 60, while Medium reaches 70 FPS average with a minimum of 59. Low produces 91 FPS average. For 4K gaming, Medium is the best experience per the data, providing a 70 FPS average and avoiding the sub-60 dips seen at High and Ultra.

The best overall experience per the measured rows depends on the target display. For 1080p users, Medium offers 201 FPS average with a minimum of 171, providing a large safety margin above 144 Hz displays. For 1440p, Medium's 130 FPS average and 110 FPS minimum suit high-refresh 120 Hz panels. At 4K, Medium's 70 FPS average is the only preset that maintains a consistent 60+ FPS experience, making it the clear recommendation for 4K displays.

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination ranks 832nd out of 2,939 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the 72nd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly 72% of the database's combinations for this specific game. The rank reflects the combined capability of the CPU and GPU working together in Minimum's workload, which is a moderately threaded third-person shooter from 2014.

The CPU's individual standing supports this ranking. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D sits at the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,762. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, scores 55,093, which is 0.6% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K trails by 1.3%, scoring 54,053. This indicates the 9900X3D is a top-tier processor in the database, and its multi-threaded capabilities are well above the median.

The GPU, however, is more mid-range in its standing. At the 69th percentile among all GPUs, the RX 9070 is competent but not exceptional. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800S (0.8% higher) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (1.2% higher), with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z 0.6% lower. The GPU's average benchmark score of 23,877 places it in a competitive cluster where small percentage differences separate adjacent cards.

The combination of a top-decile CPU with a mid-upper-range GPU produces a balanced system for Minimum. The game's CPU demands are modest by modern standards, so the 9900X3D's 12 cores and 24 threads provide ample headroom, while the GPU's performance becomes the deciding factor at higher resolutions. The 832nd rank out of 2,939 reflects this balance — the combo is not in the top tier, but it sits comfortably in the upper third, with the CPU's strength compensating for the GPU's mid-range position in lighter workloads.

# CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, built on TSMC's 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a TDP of 120 W. The processor's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache, which is characteristic of the X3D series and beneficial for gaming workloads that frequently access shared data.

In Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter, the CPU's role is less demanding than in modern titles, but the 9900X3D's high single-thread performance and large cache still contribute to the measured frame rates. The CPU's single-thread scores include a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,269, a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6,739, and a Geekbench single-core score of 3,041. These figures indicate strong per-core performance, which matters for games that rely on a primary game thread.

The multi-threaded capabilities are substantial: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 47,737, Geekbench multicore 22,884, and 3DMark max threads 13,795. However, Minimum's engine is unlikely to fully utilize all 24 threads, so the CPU's advantage lies more in its high clock speeds and cache efficiency rather than raw thread count. The 128 MB L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, which can improve frame pacing in scenarios where the CPU must quickly feed data to the GPU.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth provides adequate data throughput for the game's requirements. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 24 lanes ensures the GPU has sufficient bandwidth, though Minimum is not bandwidth-intensive by modern standards.

At 1080p, the CPU's influence is more apparent. The jump from 169 FPS at High to 262 FPS at Low suggests that at lower settings, the CPU can feed frames faster, and the 9900X3D's high clock speeds enable these elevated frame rates. At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes the bottleneck, evidenced by the narrower FPS spread across settings at higher resolutions.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 262 FPS average (no min/max recorded)
• Medium: 201 FPS average, 171 FPS minimum, 231 FPS maximum
• High: 169 FPS average (no min/max recorded)
• Ultra: 128 FPS average (no min/max recorded)

At 1080p, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The 262 FPS at Low is the highest measured result in the entire dataset, indicating the CPU-GPU pairing is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming. Even at Ultra, 128 FPS average is smooth, and Medium's 201 FPS average with a 171 FPS minimum provides a robust experience for 144 Hz displays.

2560x1440:

• Low: 169 FPS average (no min/max recorded)
• Medium: 130 FPS average, 110 FPS minimum, 149 FPS maximum
• High: 109 FPS average (no min/max recorded)
• Ultra: 83 FPS average (no min/max recorded)

At 1440p, performance scales down predictably. Low stays above 160 FPS, Medium maintains a 110 FPS minimum, and High remains above 100 FPS. Ultra drops to 83 FPS, which is still playable but shows the increased GPU load. The Medium preset's 130 FPS average represents a good balance for 1440p high-refresh displays.

3840x2160:

• Low: 91 FPS average (no min/max recorded)
• Medium: 70 FPS average, 59 FPS minimum, 80 FPS maximum
• High: 59 FPS average (no min/max recorded)
• Ultra: 45 FPS average (no min/max recorded)

At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. Low achieves 91 FPS, Medium averages 70 FPS with a 59 FPS minimum, High averages 59 FPS, and Ultra drops to 45 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one that consistently stays above 60 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below the 60 FPS threshold, making them less suitable for smooth gameplay.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the bottleneck characteristics of this combo. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 262 at 1080p to 169 at 1440p (a 35.5% decrease) and then to 91 at 4K (a 46.2% decrease from 1440p). This progressive decline indicates that even at low visual fidelity, the GPU's rendering load increases substantially with resolution, pointing to the GPU as the primary limiter at higher resolutions.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is steeper: 128 FPS at 1080p, 83 at 1440p (a 35.2% decrease), and 45 at 4K (a 45.8% decrease from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that resolution scaling follows a predictable pattern, with the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth becoming increasingly constrained as pixel count rises.

The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU still has headroom to push higher frame rates — the 262 FPS at Low versus 128 FPS at Ultra demonstrates that settings changes have a large impact, which is typical when the CPU is not fully saturated. At 4K, the narrower range (91 FPS at Low to 45 FPS at Ultra) indicates the GPU is the dominant constraint, as even lowering settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel fill rate demanded by 3840x2160.

The 1080p to 4K drop at each settings level is substantial: Low drops 171 FPS (262 to 91), Medium drops 131 FPS (201 to 70), High drops 110 FPS (169 to 59), and Ultra drops 83 FPS (128 to 45). The larger absolute drops at lower settings reflect the higher starting frame rates, but the percentage drops remain similar, confirming that the GPU's scaling behavior is consistent regardless of preset.

This analysis indicates that for maximum frame rates, 1080p is where the combo shines, with the CPU's high clock speeds enabling 200+ FPS at medium settings. For 4K, the GPU's mid-range position in the database (69th percentile) becomes apparent, as it cannot maintain 60+ FPS at High or Ultra, making Medium the sensible ceiling for 4K gaming with this configuration.