Minimum

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers a remarkably strong experience in Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014. The measured data shows this combination is capable of high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, with the primary trade-off being between visual fidelity and the headroom needed for high-refresh-rate displays. The benchmark results indicate a clear hierarchy: at 1080p, the combo easily exceeds 200 FPS on average at Medium settings, while at 4K, it maintains playable performance only when settings are kept in check. For the best balance of image quality and performance, the data points decisively to the High preset at 1440p, which delivers a smooth 112.3 FPS average. This setup leverages the GPU's substantial power without allowing the CPU to become a limiting factor, providing a practical sweet spot for this title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data reveals that the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset produces an average of 136 FPS, which is excellent for most standard 144Hz monitors. However, dropping to High raises this to 181.1 FPS, and the Low preset reaches 269 FPS. Given the substantial gains, the High preset is the recommended choice for 1080p gaming, as it offers a significant boost over Ultra while maintaining high visual quality. The Medium preset at 211.3 FPS is also a viable option for users with 240Hz displays who prioritize smoothness over detail.

Moving to 2560x1440, the High preset achieves 112.3 FPS, which is ideal for a 120Hz or 144Hz monitor. This is the standout recommendation for this resolution. The Medium preset at 136.7 FPS offers even more headroom, but the visual downgrade from High is noticeable in a game of this era. The Ultra preset drops to 87.1 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less margin for demanding scenes. For 4K at 3840x2160, the story changes significantly. The High preset manages a 61.1 FPS average, making it the only viable option for a near-60 FPS experience. The Medium preset at 74.5 FPS is smoother, but it is worth remembering the Ultra preset falls to 50.1 FPS, which is below the standard for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

The data suggests that the High preset is the most efficient choice across all resolutions, offering the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 1080p and 1440p, it provides ample frame rates for competitive play, while at 4K, it is the only preset that consistently stays above the 60 FPS threshold.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications align closely with the measured performance. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. This substantial memory allocation is more than sufficient for Minimum, even at 4K, and ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution assets will not cause stuttering or frame drops. The GPU's clock speeds are high, with a base clock of 1660 MHz and a boost clock of 2970 MHz, allowing for rapid processing of the game's rendering tasks.

The architecture, RDNA 4.0, is built on a 4 nm process at TSMC, which contributes to its efficiency. The card has 4096 shading units and 128 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s. These figures explain the strong scaling from 1080p to 1440p, where the GPU is clearly the primary driver of performance. The data confirms this: at 1440p, the average FPS increases by 65.3% from the Ultra to the Low preset (87.1 to 176.6), demonstrating that the GPU has ample compute headroom when the CPU is not a bottleneck. The card's DirectX 12 Ultimate support is also relevant, as it ensures compatibility with the game's modern API features, though the title's age means it does not fully stress the card's capabilities.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use for a 60Hz display?

A: For a 60Hz display, the 3840x2160 High preset is the most suitable, as it yields an average of 61.1 FPS. This is the only 4K setting that consistently meets the 60 FPS target, making it the recommended choice for 4K monitors.

Q: Will this combo be able to take advantage of a 144Hz monitor?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 181.1 FPS, and the Medium preset reaches 211.3 FPS, both of which exceed the 144Hz refresh rate. At 2560x1440, the High preset at 112.3 FPS will not max out a 144Hz panel, but it provides a smooth experience.

Q: How does the GPU's memory affect performance in this game?

A: The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth is far beyond what Minimum requires. This ensures that there are no memory-related bottlenecks, allowing for consistent frame times even at high resolutions and settings.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1080p produces an average of 136 FPS. While this is playable, the High preset at 181.1 FPS offers a 33.2% performance increase with a minimal visual difference, making High the more practical choice.

Q: Is the CPU a limiting factor at any resolution?

A: The data indicates that the CPU becomes less of a factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are very high, suggesting some CPU involvement, but at 4K, the average FPS drops significantly, indicating the GPU is the primary limiter.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the comprehensive benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT ranks at position 515 out of 1733 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the top 29.7% of all systems tested for this game, indicating a solid and capable pairing. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's mid-range performance and the GPU's high-end capabilities. While the GPU is a top-tier part—its average benchmark score sits at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs—the CPU is less exceptional, ranking in the 73rd percentile. This pairing works well because the game is not heavily CPU-bound at higher resolutions, allowing the GPU's power to shine. The rank of 515 suggests there are many higher-performing combos, likely featuring more powerful CPUs, but this setup still delivers a very playable and enjoyable experience, especially at 1440p and 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Core 10th Gen series, based on the Comet Lake architecture and built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. In Minimum, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with enough data to maintain high frame rates. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not a significant bottleneck at higher resolutions. For instance, at 4K, the FPS scales from 50.1 at Ultra to 93.9 at Low, a change of 87.4%, which is largely driven by GPU load. However, at 1080p, the scaling from Low to Ultra is less pronounced (269 to 136 FPS), indicating that the CPU's single-thread performance, as seen in its 3DMark single-thread score of 688, becomes more relevant at these lower resolutions.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, such as its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10297, are more than adequate for a game of this era. The processor's memory support for DDR4 with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s is sufficient for feeding the GPU's 644.6 GB/s bandwidth, meaning there is no memory starvation. Overall, the CPU provides a stable foundation, and the data suggests that users should not worry about CPU limitations when adjusting settings, as the GPU will be the deciding factor in most scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its greatest strength. The Ultra preset runs at an average of 136 FPS, while High jumps to 181.1 FPS. The Medium preset reaches 211.3 FPS, and Low climbs to 269 FPS. These numbers show a clear progression, with a 97.8% increase from Ultra to Low.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong. The Ultra preset averages 87.1 FPS, High delivers 112.3 FPS, Medium runs at 136.7 FPS, and Low hits 176.6 FPS. The difference between Ultra and Low is 102.8%, showing that the GPU still has significant headroom.

At 3840x2160, the demands increase substantially. The Ultra preset falls to 50.1 FPS, making it the only setting below 60 FPS. High is the sweet spot at 61.1 FPS, while Medium achieves 74.5 FPS and Low reaches 93.9 FPS. This resolution shows the largest relative drop from 1440p, with the High preset losing 45.6% of its performance (from 112.3 to 61.1 FPS). The data across all resolutions highlights that the High preset offers the best balance, with the 4K High setting being the only one that maintains a 60 FPS average in this resolution class.