Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that, on paper, should be a lightweight title for modern hardware, yet the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D reveals a fascinating scaling curve that tells a story about where bottlenecks actually emerge. The combination of a 12-core Zen 5 processor with a 32 GB Blackwell GPU produces frame rates that range from the sublime to the merely excellent, and the way those numbers shift across resolutions and presets provides a clear picture of the engine's limitations and strengths.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a dramatic and predictable drop in average FPS as resolution increases, but the shape of that drop is more revealing than the raw numbers. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves a staggering 430 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 277 FPS, a 35.6% reduction. Pushing further to 4K Low yields 149 FPS, which is a 46.2% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline at lower settings strongly suggests that the GPU is not the primary constraint at 1080p; the processor and memory subsystem are feeding frames faster than the graphics card can render them, but the gap closes as pixel count rises.

When we switch to High settings, the pattern shifts. At 1080p High, the average is 276 FPS. At 1440p High, it falls to 178 FPS (a 35.5% drop), and at 4K High, it lands at 96 FPS (a 46.1% drop from 1440p). The percentage losses are nearly identical to the Low preset, which indicates that the game's engine scales resolution in a linear fashion regardless of the visual complexity. The limiting component at 1080p High is still likely the CPU, given that the 276 FPS figure is far below what the 430 FPS Low result suggests the processor can deliver.

The Ultra preset tells a slightly different story. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 73, which is a 46.3% drop from the 136 FPS at 1440p Ultra. The 1440p Ultra to 1080p Ultra drop is 35.2%, from 210 FPS to 136 FPS. The consistency of these percentage drops—roughly 35% between 1080p and 1440p, and 46% between 1440p and 4K—across all settings indicates a well-behaved scaling curve, but the absolute numbers reveal that the RTX 5090 D is being pushed hard at 4K Ultra. The 73 FPS average suggests that at this extreme configuration, the GPU is now the definitive bottleneck, as the CPU is unlikely to struggle with a 2014 title even at 12 cores.

The Medium preset offers the only min/max FPS data in the pack, but it confirms the trend. At 4K Medium, the average is 114 FPS with a min of 97 and max of 131. At 1440p Medium, the average rises to 212 FPS with a min of 180 and max of 244. At 1080p Medium, the average is 329 FPS with a min of 280 and max of 379. The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases, which is typical behavior: at higher resolutions, frame times become more consistent because the GPU is working uniformly hard, whereas at lower resolutions, CPU variability causes larger swings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide clear guidance on which preset offers the best experience for different priorities. For players targeting the highest possible frame rates on a high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor, the Low preset at 430 FPS is the obvious choice, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 329 FPS is a better balance, delivering 23.5% fewer frames than Low but with improved visual quality. At 1440p, Medium at 212 FPS is the sweet spot for competitive play, offering more than double the frame rate of the Ultra preset at 136 FPS.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that High is the most sensible default. At 96 FPS average, it provides a smooth experience that is 31.6% faster than Ultra's 73 FPS, while the visual difference between High and Ultra is often marginal in third-person shooters. The Medium preset at 4K (114 FPS) is also viable, but the 18.8% improvement over High may not justify the reduction in shadow and texture quality. The Ultra preset at 4K should be reserved for players who prioritize image quality over frame rate and have a display that supports VRR, as the 73 FPS average is below the 96 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a responsive shooter.

The data implies that the game engine is not particularly demanding on modern hardware, and the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far more frames than it can render at higher settings. Therefore, the recommendation is to prioritize GPU-bound settings like resolution and anti-aliasing, while keeping CPU-intensive settings like draw distance and physics at Medium or High. The measured Medium preset's min FPS of 97 at 4K indicates that even in demanding scenes, the combo rarely dips below 60 FPS, making it a safe choice for consistent performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a monster of a GPU, with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2407 MHz and 21,760 shading units give it a theoretical FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS. In Minimum, these specifications translate to extraordinary raw throughput, but the game's age means that the GPU is often underutilized at lower resolutions. The 430 FPS at 1080p Low is likely limited by the CPU's ability to issue draw calls, not by the GPU's rendering capacity.

The VRAM capacity is almost certainly irrelevant in this title. Even at 4K Ultra, a 2014 game is unlikely to use more than a few gigabytes of memory, so the 32 GB buffer sits mostly idle. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, however, does contribute to the smooth scaling from 1080p to 4K, as texture streaming and memory access are never bottlenecks. The GPU's benchmark scores—3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 at 14,326 and Passmark G3D at 44,065—place it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, but the nearest rivals in the data are mobile chips like the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and RX 6850M XT, which are 1.1% slower and 1.6% faster, respectively. This is an odd comparison set, but it underscores that the RTX 5090 D is operating in a class of its own for desktop gaming.

The GPU's role in Minimum is defined by the resolution and settings. At 1080p and 1440p, it is underutilized, with the CPU holding it back. At 4K Ultra, it becomes the limiting factor, as evidenced by the 73 FPS average. The 575 W TDP and 950 W suggested PSU indicate that this is a power-hungry card, but the performance it delivers at 4K justifies the requirement for a robust power supply. The data shows that the GPU's 104.8 TFLOPS are more than enough to handle this game's graphics, and the bottleneck is purely a matter of software optimization and resolution scaling.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Minimum?

A: The highest average FPS is 430, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only preset that exceeds 400 FPS, highlighting the CPU's ability to push extreme frame rates when graphical load is minimal.

Q: How much does the average FPS drop from 1440p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 178 at 2560x1440 to 96 at 3840x2160, a 46.1% reduction. This is consistent with the scaling seen at other presets, suggesting a linear relationship between pixel count and rendering load.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D the bottleneck at 1080p Low?

A: No, the data indicates the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p Low. The 430 FPS average is far below the GPU's theoretical capability, and the steep drop to 277 FPS at 1440p Low suggests that the GPU only becomes a constraint as resolution increases.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at 4K Medium?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 114, with a minimum of 97 and a maximum of 131. This narrow spread indicates stable frame times, making it a reliable preset for 4K gaming.

Q: How does the combo rank among other tested systems for Minimum?

A: The combo ranks first out of 2,939 tested combinations, meaning no other CPU-GPU pairing in the database achieves higher average FPS in this game. This is expected given the high-end nature of both components.

Q: Does the Ultra preset at 4K provide a playable experience?

A: Yes, at 73 FPS average, the Ultra preset is playable, but it is 24% slower than High at 96 FPS. For a third-person shooter, the lower frame rate may affect fluidity, so High is generally recommended for 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its 128 MB of L3 cache is the standout feature, designed to reduce memory latency in gaming workloads. In Minimum, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations, and the data shows it excels at this task. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 12,490 and the max-thread score of 13,795 indicate strong multi-threaded performance, while the single-thread score of 1,269 is moderate but sufficient for a game from 2014.

The CPU's benchmarks in Cinebench R23 (47,737 multi-core, 6,739 single-core) and Geekbench (22,884 multi-core, 3,041 single-core) place it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in the data are the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which is 0.6% slower, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, which is 1.3% faster. This suggests that the 9900X3D is competitive with mid-range Intel parts in synthetic tests, but in Minimum, its 12 cores and large cache provide a distinct advantage. The Passmark multi-thread score of 56,154 and single-thread score of 4,646 further confirm its capability.

The CPU's 120 W TDP is modest for a 12-core part, and its 4 nm process node from TSMC ensures efficient operation. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth from dual-channel DDR5 is more than enough for this game, and the 24 PCIe Gen 5 lanes provide ample bandwidth for the GPU. In Minimum, the CPU is the star at lower resolutions, enabling frame rates that exceed 400 FPS. The data suggests that the 9900X3D is not a bottleneck until 4K Ultra, where the GPU's rendering load becomes the primary constraint. The 128 MB L3 cache likely helps maintain high minimum frame rates, as evidenced by the 97 FPS minimum at 4K Medium, which is only 14.9% below the average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers a full spread of results. Low settings produce an average of 430 FPS, which is the highest in the entire dataset. Medium settings reduce the average to 329 FPS, with a minimum of 280 and a maximum of 379. High settings lower the average to 276 FPS, and Ultra settings drop it to 210 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 220 FPS, a 51.2% reduction, showing that the graphical presets have a significant impact even at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but clearly GPU-bound. Low settings average 277 FPS, Medium averages 212 FPS with a minimum of 180 and maximum of 244, High averages 178 FPS, and Ultra averages 136 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 141 FPS, a 50.9% reduction, which is nearly identical to the 1080p percentage. This consistency suggests that the preset scaling is resolution-independent.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor. Low settings average 149 FPS, Medium averages 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 and maximum of 131, High averages 96 FPS, and Ultra averages 73 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 76 FPS, a 51.0% reduction, maintaining the same proportional scaling. The 4K Medium minimum of 97 FPS is notable, as it indicates that the combo rarely drops below 60 FPS even in the most demanding scenarios. The 4K Ultra average of 73 FPS is the only result below 96 FPS, reinforcing that this preset is the most demanding on the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks first out of 2,939 tested combos in Minimum. This top position is consistent with the hardware's specifications, but the margin of victory is not quantified in the data. The GPU's percentile rank of 92 and the CPU's percentile rank of 91 both indicate high-end components, and their pairing produces the best measured performance in this title. The nearest GPU rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and RX 6850M XT, are mobile parts that score within 2% of the RTX 5090 D in synthetic benchmarks, but their desktop counterparts are not in the dataset. The CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF and 245K, are within 1.3% of the 9900X3D's average benchmark score, yet the 9900X3D's 128 MB L3 cache likely provides a gaming-specific advantage that synthetic tests do not capture.

The rank of 1 out of 2,939 means that no other tested combination achieves higher FPS in Minimum, which reflects the sheer performance of both components. However, the data also shows that the CPU is overkill for this game at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is the limiting factor. At lower resolutions, the CPU's 12 cores and high boost clock enable frame rates that far exceed what most displays can show, making this combo a future-proof choice for high-refresh-rate gaming. The rank is impressive, but the real takeaway is that this pairing excels across the entire resolution spectrum, with no obvious weakness in this particular title.