Minimum

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Minimum shows a steep and predictable drop as resolution increases, but the shape of that curve tells a clear story about where the bottleneck sits. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, this AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination reaches 240 FPS average. Jumping to 2560x1440 at Low drops that to 155 FPS, a 35% reduction. Going all the way to 3840x2160 at Low yields 84 FPS, which is 65% below the 1080p Low result.

The scaling pattern across settings reinforces the same conclusion. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 122 FPS (240 down to 118), which is a 51% performance hit purely from graphics settings. At 1440p, the Low-to-Ultra spread is 79 FPS (155 down to 76), a 51% drop as well. At 4K, the Low-to-Ultra spread is 43 FPS (84 down to 41), again a 51% reduction. This consistent proportional drop across resolutions indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter throughout — the CPU has enough headroom that it isn't creating a ceiling at lower resolutions, and the GPU's workload scales evenly with pixel count and settings complexity.

The Medium preset provides the only measured min/max FPS data in the pack, which offers additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 184 FPS with a min of 156 and max of 212. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 119 FPS with min 101 and max 137. At 4K Medium, the average is 64 FPS with min 54 and max 74. The frame time consistency, measured as the gap between min and max, stays tight at roughly 30% of the average across all three resolutions. This suggests the combo delivers stable frame pacing rather than erratic spikes, which matters for a third-person shooter where smoothness affects aiming and camera movement.

The 4K Ultra result of 41 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players would consider playable for an action title. The 4K High result of 54 FPS is borderline. If you want 4K at playable frame rates, the data shows you need to settle for Medium (64 FPS) or Low (84 FPS). At 1440p, every preset except Ultra clears 100 FPS, and Ultra sits at 76 FPS which is still respectable. At 1080p, even Ultra delivers 118 FPS, so this resolution is where the combo has the most freedom to max out settings.

The fact that 1080p Low hits 240 FPS while 1080p Ultra drops to 118 FPS — a halving — points directly at the RTX 3070 Ti as the limiting component. A stronger GPU would compress that spread. Conversely, the CPU's influence is visible in the fact that even at 4K Ultra, the combo doesn't collapse below 40 FPS, which indicates the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is feeding the GPU enough data to keep it busy even under heavy load.

# CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D brings 12 cores and 24 threads from the Zen 5 architecture, built on a 4nm process at TSMC. Its base clock is 4.40 GHz with a boost of 5.50 GHz. The cache configuration is substantial: 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 128 MB of L3 total. This large L3 cache is the 3D V-Cache hallmark, and it matters for gaming workloads that repeatedly access the same data sets.

For Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter, the CPU demands are modest compared to modern titles. The game's release date means it was designed for CPUs with far fewer cores and much lower clock speeds. The 9900X3D's single-thread performance is exceptional — the Cinebench R23 single-core score is 6739, and the Geekbench single-core score is 3041. The 3DMark single-thread test returns 1269. These numbers indicate the CPU can handle Minimum's game logic, physics, and draw call submission without breaking a sweat.

Multi-threaded performance is equally strong, though less relevant for this particular title. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 47737, and the 3DMark max-threads score is 13795. The 16-thread 3DMark score of 12490 shows that scaling from 8 threads (9002) to 16 threads yields a 39% improvement, which is decent but not linear — a sign that the chip's Zen 5 cores share resources efficiently. For Minimum, the game likely uses only a handful of threads, so the 24-thread capability is largely untapped headroom.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 91 out of 100 against all tested CPUs places it in the top tier. Its average benchmark score of 54762 is nearly identical to the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which scores 55093 (a 0.6% delta in the Intel's favor). The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K is 1.3% behind the 9900X3D, and the Intel Xeon 6505P is 2% behind. This means the 9900X3D sits in a tight cluster of high-end desktop and workstation chips, none of which are meaningfully faster or slower in aggregate.

In the context of Minimum's measured FPS, the CPU's role is to stay out of the way. The fact that 1080p Low achieves 240 FPS suggests the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at that setting. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see the FPS plateau at a specific value regardless of resolution or settings. Instead, the FPS scales consistently with GPU load, confirming the CPU has excess capacity. The 5.50 GHz boost clock is particularly valuable here because Minimum's engine likely relies on a few high-frequency threads for core game simulation, and the 9900X3D delivers that without issue.

# How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 1005 out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum. That places it in the 66th percentile — better than two-thirds of all tested configurations, but not in the top tier. This is a telling result because both components individually rank high: the CPU is in the 91st percentile and the GPU is in the 75th percentile. The combo ranking being lower than either component's individual percentile suggests that Minimum's performance is constrained by the GPU in a way that prevents the CPU's strength from fully manifesting.

The gap between the combo rank (1005 of 2939) and what the CPU alone can achieve is substantial. A combo ranked in the top 500 would indicate that the GPU is keeping pace with the CPU's capabilities. Instead, the RTX 3070 Ti, while a capable card, holds this pairing back in Minimum's specific workload. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 240 FPS, which is likely near the GPU's render ceiling for this game rather than a CPU limitation.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals provides context for where the RTX 3070 Ti sits. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile scores 29928, a 0.1% delta from the 3070 Ti's 29945 average. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 scores 30095, which is 0.5% ahead, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti scores 29783, 0.5% behind. The AMD Radeon RX 6700 is 1.6% ahead at 30433. These are all within a 2% band, meaning the 3070 Ti is squarely in the middle of its performance class. The combo rank reflects this — a mid-pack GPU paired with a top-tier CPU lands the combo in the upper-middle range of all tested pairings.

For a game like Minimum, which favors high frame rates, the 1005th rank out of 2939 combos means there are roughly 1934 configurations that perform worse and 1004 that perform better. The combos that outperform this pairing likely feature faster GPUs — the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth are adequate but not class-leading. The data doesn't specify which combos rank higher, but the implication is clear: upgrading the GPU while keeping the 9900X3D would move this pairing up the rankings significantly.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable to excellent frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 240 FPS average. Medium produces 184 FPS with a min of 156 and max of 212. High produces 155 FPS. Ultra produces 118 FPS. For competitive play, 1080p Low at 240 FPS is ideal. For visual quality at 1080p, Ultra at 118 FPS still clears the 100 FPS threshold that most players consider smooth. The spread from 118 to 240 FPS across settings gives players a wide range of options depending on their preference for visual fidelity versus raw frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the numbers shift down but remain playable across the board. Low produces 155 FPS, Medium produces 119 FPS (min 101, max 137), High produces 100 FPS, and Ultra produces 76 FPS. The Medium preset's min of 101 FPS means even the worst-case frame dips stay above 100, which is good for maintaining smooth camera control. Ultra at 76 FPS is still above the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable play, making 1440p a viable resolution for this combo at any settings preset.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes. Low produces 84 FPS, Medium produces 64 FPS (min 54, max 74), High produces 54 FPS, and Ultra produces 41 FPS. The 4K Medium result of 64 FPS is playable but not ideal for a shooter where frame rate matters. The 4K High result of 54 FPS dips below 60, and 4K Ultra at 41 FPS is likely to feel sluggish. Players targeting 4K should stick to Low or Medium settings with this combo. The 4K Medium min of 54 FPS indicates that heavy scenes can drop below 60, so even Medium isn't guaranteed smooth.

Comparing the Medium presets across resolutions shows the scaling most clearly. At 1080p Medium, the average is 184 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it's 119 FPS — a 35% drop. At 4K Medium, it's 64 FPS — a 65% drop from 1080p. These percentages align almost exactly with the pixel count increase from 1080p to 1440p (78% more pixels but only 35% less FPS) and from 1440p to 4K (125% more pixels but 46% less FPS). The non-linear relationship indicates that Minimum's GPU workload isn't purely pixel-bound; other factors like fill rate and memory bandwidth come into play at higher resolutions.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti uses the GA104 chip on Samsung's 8nm process, with 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die. It has 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. The 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores provide hardware support for modern rendering techniques, though Minimum's 2014 engine likely doesn't use them. The base clock is 1575 MHz with a boost of 1770 MHz. Memory consists of 8 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, delivering 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth.

For Minimum, the GPU's raw rasterization power is what matters. The FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS and the pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s are strong figures for a card in this class. The texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s ensures that texture-heavy scenes don't stall. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Minimum even at 4K — the game's 2014 assets don't demand the 12-16 GB that modern titles need. The GDDR6X memory speed of 19 Gbps effective contributes to the 608.3 GB/s bandwidth, which helps maintain frame rates at higher resolutions where memory throughput becomes a factor.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 29945, placing it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all within 2%: the RTX 5070 Mobile at 29928 (0.1% ahead), the RX 6800 at 30095 (0.5% behind), the RTX 2080 Ti at 29783 (0.5% ahead), and the RX 6700 at 30433 (1.6% behind). This tight clustering means the 3070 Ti is a well-understood performance point — neither a standout nor a laggard in its class.

The measured FPS data shows the GPU hitting 240 FPS at 1080p Low, which is likely near its maximum output for Minimum at that setting. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload scales and FPS drops accordingly. At 4K Ultra, the 41 FPS result reflects the card's limits when pushed to maximum pixel count and settings. The GPU's 75th percentile ranking aligns with the combo's upper-middle rank of 1005 out of 2939 — a good card, but not one that will push this CPU to its full potential in Minimum.

The 8 GB VRAM is worth noting for Minimum specifically. Since the game launched in 2014, its texture sizes and geometry complexity are modest by modern standards. The 8 GB capacity is unlikely to be a limiting factor at any resolution or setting in this title. The bottleneck is pure compute and fill rate, which the 3070 Ti delivers in moderate quantities. For players who want higher frame rates at 4K, the data suggests a GPU with more raw throughput would be the upgrade path, not more memory.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 as the sweet spot. At 1440p, even Ultra settings deliver 76 FPS, and Medium hits 119 FPS with a min of 101. At 4K, only Low (84 FPS) and Medium (64 FPS) stay above 60 FPS, while Ultra drops to 41 FPS.

Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which produce 84 FPS average. Medium at 4K produces 64 FPS average with a min of 54 FPS, so it will dip below 60 in heavy scenes. High and Ultra at 4K fall to 54 FPS and 41 FPS respectively.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this pairing?

A: The GPU is the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 240 FPS, and FPS scales down consistently as resolution increases. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D's 91st percentile ranking and strong single-thread score of 6739 in Cinebench R23 indicate it has ample headroom; the RTX 3070 Ti's 75th percentile ranking aligns with the observed performance ceiling.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti's average benchmark score of 29945 is nearly identical to the RTX 5070 Mobile (29928, 0.1% ahead) and RTX 2080 Ti (29783, 0.5% behind). The RX 6800 is 0.5% ahead and the RX 6700 is 1.6% ahead. All four rivals are within a 2% band.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows 118 FPS average at 1080p Ultra. This is above the 100 FPS threshold for smooth play. For comparison, 1080p Low hits 240 FPS, Medium hits 184 FPS, and High hits 155 FPS.

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

A: It ranks 1005 out of 2939 combos, placing it in the 66th percentile. This is lower than the CPU's individual 91st percentile, confirming the GPU holds back the pairing. The combo rank means roughly 1004 configurations perform better and 1934 perform worse in this game.