Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers a remarkably consistent experience across the tested resolutions in Minimum, with the data indicating a system that is clearly capable of high refresh rates even at demanding settings. The measured frames per second show a predictable scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K, revealing where the performance bottleneck shifts between the CPU and GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and expected decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly between settings presets. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 354 FPS at 1920x1080 to 228 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 126 FPS, and then further to 123 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 65% decrease from 1080p to 4K, indicating that even at the lowest graphical load, the GPU is still the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The Medium preset tells a similar story with slightly smaller absolute drops: from 271 FPS at 1080p to 175 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 94 FPS at 4K. The High preset follows the same trajectory, moving from 228 FPS at 1080p down to 147 FPS at 1440p and settling at 79 FPS for 4K. In all three of these presets, the step from 1440p to 4K results in a roughly 45-47% performance loss, which is a strong indicator that the rendering workload at 4K is consistently taxing the GPU.

Ultra settings demonstrate the steepest curve, with 173 FPS at 1080p, 112 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is notably the only average frame rate in the entire dataset that falls below 60 FPS, suggesting that this specific configuration pushes the hardware to its absolute limit. The scaling from 1440p to 4K on Ultra shows a 46% drop, consistent with the other presets, but the absolute floor of 60 FPS highlights that this is the most demanding scenario measured.

The pattern across all settings suggests that at 1080p, the CPU has ample headroom, as even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains a high 173 FPS average. However, the 4K results, regardless of preset, place significant pressure on the GPU, with the frame rate being heavily influenced by the resolution's pixel count. The data implies that for 4K gaming, the RTX 4080 SUPER is the definitive bottleneck, while at 1080p, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D's capabilities are more than sufficient to feed the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz. These specifications directly correlate with the observed performance, particularly at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth and raw compute become critical.

At 4K resolution, the GPU's 16 GB frame buffer is sufficient for all tested settings, as evidenced by the playable frame rates at High and Medium presets. The 79 FPS average at 4K High and 94 FPS at 4K Medium demonstrate that the memory capacity is not a limiting factor, as performance scales predictably with the rendering load. The 60 FPS result at 4K Ultra suggests that while the memory is adequate, the GPU's compute units are fully saturated by the increased shader complexity.

The GPU's benchmark scores further contextualize its position. Its Passmark G3D score of 34245 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600 are strong, but its percentile ranking of 86 vs all GPUs places it in the upper tier, not the absolute top. In the nearest rivals comparison, the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209 in average benchmark, which is a mere 0.1% behind the standard RTX 4080 (54247) and 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828). This indicates that the SUPER variant provides a marginal improvement over its non-SUPER counterpart, and the performance in Minimum aligns with this incremental positioning.

The GPU's clock behavior is not directly measured in the FPS data, but the consistent scaling between 1440p and 4K across all presets suggests that the boost clock is being maintained under load. The 2550 MHz boost clock, combined with the 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 performance, enables the high frame rates seen at 1080p, where the GPU is not the primary constraint. The data shows that the GPU's role transitions from being sufficient at lower resolutions to being the dominant factor at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings where the 60 FPS average represents its practical ceiling for this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined system of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a combo rank of 311 out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum. This places the pairing in the top 8.4% of all tested configurations, indicating a high-performing combination that is well above the median. The rank reflects the cumulative capability of both components, and the measured FPS data supports this positioning, with strong results across all resolution and settings combinations.

When considering the individual components, the CPU's percentile ranking of 95 vs all CPUs is notably higher than the GPU's percentile of 86 vs all GPUs. This disparity suggests that the CPU is a more exceptional performer relative to its peers than the GPU is relative to its own class. The combo rank of 311, while impressive, is likely held back by the GPU's slightly lower relative standing, as the CPU has more headroom to pair with a more powerful graphics card.

The nearest CPU rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 (75738 avg score, 0.1% delta), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D (75716, 0.1% delta), the AMD EPYC 8224P (75582, 0.3% delta), and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 (75488, 0.4% delta). All of these are extremely close in average benchmark score, with the 9950X3D's 75779 score being virtually identical. This indicates that the CPU is operating at the very top of its performance class.

Similarly, the GPU rivals show a tight cluster: the RTX 4080 (54247, -0.1% delta), AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828, -1.1% delta), AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55698, -2.7% delta), and AMD Radeon 8060S (55757, -2.8% delta). The RTX 4080 SUPER's 54209 score is essentially tied with the standard RTX 4080, and the negative deltas for the other rivals indicate they score higher in synthetic benchmarks, yet the measured FPS in Minimum still favors this combo. The rank of 311 thus reflects a balanced system where the CPU's exceptional standing complements the GPU's solid, if not class-leading, performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend entirely on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For users prioritizing the highest frame rates, the Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers an exceptional 354 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor. Even at 2560x1440, the Low preset maintains a 228 FPS average, ensuring a fluid experience in competitive scenarios.

For a balanced experience that preserves visual fidelity without sacrificing performance, the Medium preset is the most versatile option. At 1920x1080, it achieves 271 FPS with a minimum of 230 FPS, ensuring no significant frame drops. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset still delivers a robust 175 FPS average with a min of 149 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming. The 4K Medium result of 94 FPS is also respectable, providing a playable experience with good visual quality.

The High preset is recommended for users who prioritize image quality over raw frame rate. At 2560x1440, it offers 147 FPS, which remains well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. However, at 3840x2160, the High preset drops to 79 FPS, which is still playable but begins to show the GPU's limitations. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p gaming, where it achieves 173 FPS, but its 60 FPS result at 4K is marginal and may not be ideal for all users.

The data suggests that the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best combination of visual fidelity and performance, as it maintains a 175 FPS average while providing a 149 FPS minimum. For 4K users, the Medium preset at 94 FPS is the most sensible choice, as the jump to High reduces performance to 79 FPS, and Ultra drops to 60 FPS. The Low preset at 4K (123 FPS) is viable for those who prioritize frame rate above all, but it sacrifices significant visual quality.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in Minimum?*

A: The highest measured average FPS is 354, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Does this system maintain above 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, the system exceeds 60 FPS at 4K for all settings except Ultra, which averages exactly 60 FPS. At 4K Low, it achieves 123 FPS; at Medium, 94 FPS; and at High, 79 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to the standard RTX 4080 in benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54209, which is 0.1% lower than the standard RTX 4080's score of 54247, indicating they are effectively equal in synthetic performance.

Q: What settings provide the best experience at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers a 175 FPS average with a 149 FPS minimum, making it the most balanced choice for high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the GPU is not the limiting factor, as even the Ultra preset achieves 173 FPS. The data suggests the CPU, with its high single-thread performance, is more than capable of feeding the GPU at this resolution.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 311 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the top 8.4% of all tested systems.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) built on a 4 nm process. It features a base clock of 4.30 GHz and a boost clock of 5.70 GHz, with a 128 MB L3 cache. This high core count and substantial cache are designed to excel in both multi-threaded and gaming workloads, and the benchmark scores confirm its top-tier status.

In the 3DMark tests, the CPU scores 16374 with 16 threads and 17184 with max threads, while the single-thread score is 1292. The Cinebench R23 results show a multicore score of 42018 and a singlecore score of 2259. These scores indicate that the CPU has exceptional multi-threaded capability, which is relevant for Minimum's engine that may utilize multiple cores for game logic and physics. The Passmark multithread score of 70255 and the 3DMark 8-thread score of 9259 further demonstrate the CPU's ability to handle parallel workloads.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 95 vs all CPUs places it in the top 5% of all processors, and its average benchmark score of 75779 is within 0.4% of its nearest rivals. This suggests that the 9950X3D is operating at the absolute peak of its class, with no meaningful performance gap to the next-best alternatives. In the context of Minimum, the CPU's role is to ensure that frame rates are not limited by processor throughput, particularly at lower resolutions.

At 1080p, the high FPS results (228 FPS on High, 354 FPS on Low) indicate that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the frame rates are primarily dictated by the GPU's rendering speed. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2549 and single-thread score of 1292 suggest that the CPU's per-core performance is strong enough to handle the game's primary thread, while the additional cores manage background tasks and AI. The data shows that even with the most demanding CPU-bound scenarios at 1080p, the processor maintains high frame rates, confirming that the Ryzen 9 9950X3D provides ample headroom for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset achieves 354 FPS average, followed by Medium at 271 FPS (with a minimum of 230 FPS and maximum of 312 FPS), High at 228 FPS, and Ultra at 173 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 181 FPS, showing a wide performance range depending on visual quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease but remain high. The Low preset averages 228 FPS, Medium drops to 175 FPS (min 149, max 201), High reaches 147 FPS, and Ultra falls to 112 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction across all presets, with the Medium preset losing 96 FPS, High losing 81 FPS, and Ultra losing 61 FPS. The Low preset loses 126 FPS, which is the largest absolute drop, indicating that the GPU becomes more involved even at lower settings when resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the performance is significantly lower but still playable for most settings. The Low preset averages 123 FPS, Medium drops to 94 FPS (min 80, max 108), High falls to 79 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 60 FPS. The 4K results show that the GPU is the definitive limiting factor, as the frame rates are tightly clustered around the GPU's rendering capacity. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 80 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target, making it a reliable choice for 4K gaming. The Ultra preset's 60 FPS average is the only result in the dataset that falls to the 60 FPS threshold, highlighting its demanding nature.