Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter, and the measured data for the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 shows a system capable of delivering playable frame rates across all tested configurations. This combination ranks 599th out of 2939 tested combos, placing it in the top 20% of all systems, which underscores its strength for this title. The benchmark results reveal a clear hierarchy of performance tied to both resolution and graphical preset, with the system demonstrating particular prowess at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K Ultra presents a more demanding challenge that drops the average frame rate below the standard 60 FPS threshold.

Settings Recommendations

The data indicates that the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions, providing a significant performance uplift over High and Ultra while maintaining respectable visual quality. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 214 FPS, which is 34 FPS higher than High and 77 FPS higher than Ultra, while only sacrificing the top-tier visual effects that Ultra provides. This pattern holds at 2560x1440, where Medium achieves 138 FPS average, comfortably exceeding the 116 FPS of High and the 88 FPS of Ultra, ensuring smooth gameplay on higher refresh rate monitors. At 4K, Medium is the only preset besides Low that maintains an average above 60 FPS, hitting 74 FPS, which makes it the highest visual quality setting that guarantees a fluid experience at that resolution.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset is the obvious choice, yielding 280 FPS at 1080p and 180 FPS at 1440p, which are the highest averages recorded for this combo. However, the jump from Low to Medium is substantial in terms of visual fidelity, and the performance cost is relatively modest compared to the leap from Medium to High or Ultra. The data suggests that High preset is a middle-ground option that still delivers 180 FPS at 1080p and 116 FPS at 1440p, but it falls below 60 FPS at 4K, making it less ideal for 4K users. Ultra is the most demanding preset, and while it produces playable averages at 1080p (137 FPS) and 1440p (88 FPS), its 48 FPS average at 4K is below the target for smooth gameplay, indicating it should be avoided at that resolution.

The measured minimum FPS data for Medium settings reinforces this recommendation. At 1080p, the minimum of 182 FPS is still exceptionally high, and at 1440p, the minimum of 117 FPS remains above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, the Medium preset’s minimum of 63 FPS is just above the 60 FPS line, suggesting that while there may be occasional dips, the experience is largely stable. This consistency across resolutions makes Medium the most reliable preset for a tear-free and stutter-free experience, particularly when considering that the maximum FPS values for Medium at each resolution (246, 159, and 86) show headroom for frame rate variability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the primary driver of performance in Minimum, given its massive 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth. The GPU’s 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and 16,384 shading units provide more than enough raw throughput to handle the game’s rendering demands, as evidenced by the high frame rates at lower resolutions. The 24 GB VRAM capacity is far beyond what Minimum requires, which means there is no risk of texture or geometry data spilling into slower system memory, eliminating a common source of stuttering in other titles. The GPU’s 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores are present, but given the game’s 2014 release date, it is unlikely that these features are heavily utilized, meaning the RTX 4090 is effectively running at a fraction of its capability in this title.

The clock speeds of the RTX 4090, with a base of 2235 MHz and a boost of 2520 MHz, are high for a GPU of its class, and these frequencies contribute to its ability to maintain high frame rates. However, the data shows that the GPU’s performance is not the bottleneck at 1080p, where the CPU’s role becomes more pronounced. The RTX 4090’s 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60347, places it in the upper echelon of graphics cards, but its performance in Minimum is constrained by the game’s engine and the CPU’s ability to feed it frames. The GPU’s memory clock of 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) and 384-bit bus width provide the bandwidth needed to push high resolutions, but at 4K Ultra, the data shows a significant drop to 48 FPS, indicating that even this powerful GPU is challenged by the combination of high resolution and maximum settings.

The GPU’s role is also evident in the scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 143 FPS (280 vs. 137), while at 4K, the difference is 49 FPS (97 vs. 48). This suggests that at lower resolutions, the GPU has ample headroom and the frame rate is more influenced by CPU and driver overhead, while at 4K, the GPU’s rendering load becomes the dominant factor. The RTX 4090’s 450 W TDP and triple-slot design indicate it is a high-power component, but the benchmark results show that it is well-suited for this game, providing playable performance even at 4K High with 62 FPS average.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 180 FPS at 1080p to 116 FPS at 1440p (a 35.6% decrease), and then to 62 FPS at 4K (a 46.6% decrease from 1440p). This indicates that the rendering load scales significantly with pixel count, and the RTX 4090 is increasingly stressed as resolution rises. The Low preset follows a similar trend, with 280 FPS at 1080p dropping to 180 FPS at 1440p and 97 FPS at 4K, showing that even at the lowest settings, the resolution increase has a substantial impact on performance.

The Medium preset shows the most consistent progression, with 214 FPS at 1080p, 138 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p (35.5%) and from 1440p to 4K (46.4%) are nearly identical to the High preset, suggesting that the scaling factor is resolution-dependent rather than settings-dependent. The Ultra preset, however, shows a slightly steeper decline, with 137 FPS at 1080p dropping to 88 FPS at 1440p (35.8%) and then to 48 FPS at 4K (45.5%). This indicates that the Ultra preset’s additional visual effects, likely including higher-quality shadows and post-processing, add a consistent overhead across all resolutions.

The data strongly suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings where the average FPS falls to 48. At 1080p, the high frame rates (137-280 FPS) indicate that the CPU is likely the bottleneck, as the RTX 4090 is capable of much higher output. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly linear with the pixel count increase (2.25x), but the actual FPS drop is less than half, suggesting that other factors like memory bandwidth and CPU overhead play a role. The 4K resolution quadruples the pixel count, and the FPS drops accordingly, but the fact that the RTX 4090 still manages 62 FPS at High and 74 FPS at Medium shows that it is a capable 4K card for this title, provided settings are managed.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset to use for a 60 FPS experience at 4K?

A: The Medium preset is the only setting above Low that maintains an average above 60 FPS at 3840x2160, with an average of 74 FPS and a minimum of 63 FPS. High preset drops to 62 FPS average, which is still playable, but Medium offers more headroom for stable performance.

Q: How does the RTX 4090’s 24 GB VRAM affect performance in Minimum?

A: The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory is more than sufficient for this game, eliminating any risk of VRAM capacity being a bottleneck. The 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution rendering are not hindered by memory limitations.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data indicates that the CPU is the limiting factor at 1920x1080, as the frame rates are exceptionally high (137-280 FPS) and the RTX 4090 has significant headroom. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395’s 16 cores and 32 threads are likely the bottleneck in this scenario.

Q: What is the maximum FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 280 at 1080p with Low settings. The maximum FPS measured for any configuration is 246 FPS, which occurs at 1080p with Medium settings, indicating that frame rates can spike well above the average.

Q: How does this combo’s performance at 4K Ultra compare to 1080p Low?

A: The difference is substantial. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 48, which is below the 60 FPS target, while at 1080p Low, the average is 280 FPS. This represents a 5.8x performance difference, highlighting the significant impact of both resolution and settings.

Q: Does the game support high refresh rate monitors at 1440p?

A: Yes, at 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 138 FPS average, and Low delivers 180 FPS average, both of which are well above the 144 Hz refresh rate commonly found on gaming monitors. Even High preset at 116 FPS supports 120 Hz displays.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 599th out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum, placing it in the 79.6th percentile of all systems tested. This rank indicates that while it is not the absolute top performer, it is still in the upper quintile, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of other hardware combinations in this game. The rank reflects the system’s ability to deliver high frame rates across most resolutions and settings, but the 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS prevents it from ranking higher, as many other combos likely achieve better 4K performance.

The combo’s rank is particularly strong given the CPU’s mobile market segment and 55 W TDP, which suggests that the RTX 4090 is doing most of the heavy lifting. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 77740 places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rivals including the Intel Core i9-14900K, which scores 79097 (1.7% higher). The GPU’s average benchmark score of 60347 places it in the 88th percentile, with its closest rival being the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, which scores 61896 (2.5% higher). These benchmark scores are consistent with the in-game performance, showing that the system is well-balanced but not the absolute best.

The rank of 599 out of 2939 suggests that there are 598 other combos that perform better in Minimum, likely including systems with more powerful desktop CPUs or GPUs, or perhaps SLI/CrossFire configurations. However, for a mobile CPU paired with a desktop-class GPU, this rank is impressive, indicating that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 provides sufficient processing power to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4090 in most scenarios. The rank also implies that for users with this specific combo, they can expect a top-tier experience in Minimum, with the only significant compromise being at 4K Ultra settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its 64 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 cache per core provide ample fast memory for game logic and physics calculations, which are likely to be single-threaded or lightly threaded in a 2014 title. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, as indicated by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2044 and Geekbench single-core score of 2464, is crucial for maintaining high frame rates in Minimum, as the game’s engine may not scale well across many cores.

The CPU’s 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77740, shows that it is a top-tier processor for its market segment. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900K, scores 1.7% higher, indicating that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is competitive with desktop flagship CPUs from a generation prior. In Minimum, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates are highest and the GPU is less likely to be the bottleneck. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 280 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s limit for this game, as the RTX 4090 is capable of much higher output.

The CPU’s 16 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for Minimum, even if the game only utilizes a few cores, as the high boost clock of 5.10 GHz ensures that single-threaded tasks are handled quickly. The 4 nm process node and TSMC foundry contribute to the CPU’s efficiency, allowing it to maintain high clocks within its 55 W TDP. The CPU’s memory support for LPDDR5X with quad-channel configuration and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that the RTX 4090 is fed data quickly, reducing potential stalls. The data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this game except at the very highest frame rates at 1080p, where its single-thread performance becomes the ceiling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 280 FPS, which is the highest recorded for any configuration. The Medium preset follows with 214 FPS average, with a minimum of 182 FPS and a maximum of 246 FPS, showing a tight frame time distribution. The High preset drops to 180 FPS average, while the Ultra preset maintains 137 FPS average. All 1080p presets are well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this resolution is not challenging for the combo.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. The Low preset averages 180 FPS, matching the 1080p High preset, while the Medium preset averages 138 FPS, with a minimum of 117 FPS and a maximum of 159 FPS. The High preset delivers 116 FPS average, and the Ultra preset falls to 88 FPS average. All 1440p presets remain above 60 FPS, with even the most demanding Ultra preset providing a smooth experience. The Medium preset’s minimum of 117 FPS ensures that there are no noticeable stutters or dips below the refresh rate of most 1440p monitors.

At 3840x2160, the system’s performance is more varied. The Low preset averages 97 FPS, which is still playable, while the Medium preset averages 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 86 FPS. The High preset drops to 62 FPS average, which is just above the 60 FPS target, but the Ultra preset falls to 48 FPS average, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. The data shows that at 4K, the Medium preset is the best choice for a stable experience, as its minimum FPS of 63 is the only one above 60 FPS for presets other than Low. The High preset’s average of 62 FPS suggests that it may dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes, making Medium the safer option.