Minimum

# Minimum: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER — Benchmark Analysis

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a formidable Minimum experience, placing 300th out of 1733 tested combos — comfortably inside the top 17% of all configurations. The data shows a combination that excels at high-refresh 1080p and 1440p play, with 4K Ultra remaining the only setting where frame rates dip below a smooth 60 FPS threshold. This pairing leverages a 16-core, 32-thread Zen 5 processor with 128 MB of shared L3 cache alongside a 12 GB GDDR6X GPU built on Ada Lovelace, producing results that are consistently strong across all measured resolutions and presets.

FAQ

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

A: The combo ranks 300th out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the 83rd percentile. This indicates it outperforms roughly 83% of all tested CPU-GPU pairings in this game.

Q: What is the best 4K performance this combo can achieve?

A: At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 108.3 FPS on Low settings. Ultra settings at 4K yield 50.7 FPS, High yields 66.8 FPS, and Medium yields 82.2 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER's average benchmark score of 42576 is within 0.3% of the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42653) and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42723). It sits 1.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 580X and 1.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M40.

Q: What CPU benchmark scores stand out for this processor?

A: The Ryzen 9 9950X3D scores 59712 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 8430 in single-core. It also achieves 70255 in Passmark multithread and 4737 in Passmark single-thread.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Minimum?

A: Yes, the 12 GB GDDR6X memory with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth sustains all tested presets, including 4K Ultra at 50.7 FPS. The memory clock runs at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective speed.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 9 9950X3D's average benchmark score of 71660 is 0.9% ahead of the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 (71056) and 1.8% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70420). It trails the Intel Xeon 6517P by 1.9% and beats the Intel Core i7-14700KF by 2.2%.

How This Combo Ranks

The 300th rank out of 1733 tested combos places this pairing in the top 17.3% of all configurations tested in Minimum. This is a strong result, indicating the hardware combination is well-matched for this third-person shooter. The data shows the combo outperforms the vast majority of alternatives, with only 299 combinations delivering higher measured frame rates.

The ranking reflects the synergy between the Ryzen 9 9950X3D's exceptional multi-threaded throughput and the RTX 4070 SUPER's Ada Lovelace architecture. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 59712 and the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4627 both contribute to a balanced platform. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 29995 and the CPU's Passmark physics score of 5670 indicate neither component bottlenecks the other significantly across the tested resolution range.

Performance relative to rivals reinforces this balance. The CPU sits within 2.2% of its nearest rivals, with the Intel Core i7-14700KF trailing by 2.2% and the Intel Xeon 6517P leading by 1.9%. The GPU is similarly competitive, with all four nearest rivals within 1.6% of the RTX 4070 SUPER's average score. This tight clustering suggests the combo's 300th rank stems from well-rounded performance rather than dominance in any single metric.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how the limiting component shifts as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 308.6 FPS — a figure far beyond typical display refresh rates, indicating the CPU is the primary driver at this resolution. The 16-core, 32-thread Ryzen 9 9950X3D with its 5.70 GHz boost clock keeps the GPU fed with frames.

Moving to 2560x1440, Low settings drop to 200.6 FPS, a 35% reduction from 1080p. At 3840x2160, Low settings yield 108.3 FPS, another 46% drop. This scaling pattern reveals the GPU becoming progressively more dominant as pixel count rises. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth handle the increased load, but frame rates halve from 1080p Low to 4K Low.

The scaling across presets tells a similar story. From 1080p Ultra (150.2 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (101.2 FPS) is a 32.6% drop, while 4K Ultra (50.7 FPS) represents a 66.2% reduction from 1080p Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra also widens with resolution: 1080p shows a 51.3% difference (308.6 vs 150.2), 1440p shows a 49.5% difference (200.6 vs 101.2), and 4K shows a 53.2% difference (108.3 vs 50.7). This consistency suggests the GPU's 220 W TDP and 2475 MHz boost clock are the binding constraints at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional frame rates across all presets. Low settings average 308.6 FPS, Medium 234.5 FPS, High 202.2 FPS, and Ultra 150.2 FPS. These numbers indicate the RTX 4070 SUPER is not the limiting factor at this resolution; even Ultra settings maintain over 150 FPS, leaving headroom for high-refresh monitors.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the GPU's increasing load. Low averages 200.6 FPS, Medium 152.2 FPS, High 126.8 FPS, and Ultra 101.2 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result still crosses the 100 FPS threshold, making this resolution viable for competitive play on high-refresh displays.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low averages 108.3 FPS, Medium 82.2 FPS, High 66.8 FPS, and Ultra 50.7 FPS. The 4K Ultra result falls below 60 FPS, suggesting players targeting 4K should select High or Medium settings for a smoother experience. The step from Medium to High at 4K costs 15.4 FPS (82.2 to 66.8), while High to Ultra costs 16.1 FPS (66.8 to 50.7).

The data reveals a consistent pattern: each settings tier from Low to Ultra costs roughly 25-30% of the previous tier's frame rate, and this penalty remains proportional across all three resolutions.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, which proves adequate for Minimum at all tested settings. The memory clock runs at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective speed, while the GPU core boosts to 2475 MHz from a 1980 MHz base. These clocks drive 7168 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, delivering 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4627 and Passmark G3D score of 29995 place it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (0.2% higher score) and AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (0.3% higher), showing the 4070 SUPER sits at a competitive performance tier. The Passmark DirectX 11 score of 273 and DirectX 12 score of 110 indicate strong API support for modern game engines.

In Minimum, the GPU's role becomes dominant at 4K resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 50.7 FPS is the only sub-60 FPS measurement in the entire dataset, highlighting the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute limits at high pixel counts. The 80 ROPs and 224 TMUs handle rasterization efficiently, but the 12 GB capacity and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are the constraining factors at 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080 displays, the data supports running Ultra settings. The 150.2 FPS average on Ultra exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors, and dropping to High (202.2 FPS) or Medium (234.5 FPS) only benefits players with 240 Hz or higher panels. Low settings at 308.6 FPS are unnecessary unless chasing maximum competitive advantage.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings remain viable with 101.2 FPS. Players with 144 Hz monitors will want High settings (126.8 FPS) or Medium (152.2 FPS) for additional headroom. The 1440p Low result of 200.6 FPS shows the GPU can still push very high frame rates at this resolution, but the visual quality loss from Low presets is rarely justified.

At 3840x2160, Medium settings (82.2 FPS) offer the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. High (66.8 FPS) is acceptable for players who prioritize image quality, while Ultra (50.7 FPS) falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may cause perceptible stutter. Low (108.3 FPS) provides the smoothest 4K experience but sacrifices significant visual fidelity.

The measured data indicates the sweet spot for this combo is 1440p Ultra or 4K Medium, depending on display resolution. The 4K Medium result of 82.2 FPS is 62% higher than 4K Ultra, making it the recommended preset for 4K users.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D brings 16 cores and 32 threads on the Zen 5 architecture, built on TSMC's 4 nm process. Its 128 MB shared L3 cache and 5.70 GHz boost clock (4.30 GHz base) provide exceptional single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. The CPU's 170 W TDP and AMD Socket AM5 platform with PCIe Gen 5 support ensure it can feed the GPU without bottlenecking.

Benchmark results confirm the CPU's strength. Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 59712, while single-core reaches 8430. Geekbench multi-core hits 22515 with single-core at 3401. Passmark results show 70255 multi-thread, 4737 single-thread, and 5670 in physics — the latter directly relevant to game performance. The 3DMark tests show 17184 max-thread and 1292 single-thread scores.

The CPU's nearest rivals are all within 2.2% in average benchmark score, with the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X trailing by 1.8% and the Intel Core i7-14700KF trailing by 2.2%. The Intel Xeon 6517P leads by 1.9%, but the 9950X3D's 128 MB L3 cache provides a gaming-specific advantage not captured in synthetic averages.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low, where 308.6 FPS demonstrates the processor's ability to maintain extremely high frame rates. The 32 threads handle game logic and physics efficiently, while the large L3 cache reduces memory latency. At higher resolutions, the GPU takes over as the limiting factor, but the CPU's headroom ensures consistent frame pacing even during complex scenes.