Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that remains a useful stress point for older hardware, and the measured data for the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 reveals a combo that is capable but heavily constrained by resolution and settings. The benchmark results show a system that can handle 1080p gaming comfortably but begins to struggle as the pixel count climbs, with the GPU clearly acting as the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo delivers consistently playable frame rates, with an average of 91 FPS at Low settings and 58 FPS at High settings. At 2560x1440, the average drops to 59 FPS on Low, and at 3840x2160, even the Low preset only manages 32 FPS, indicating 1080p is the practical target.

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

A: The combo ranks 3383 out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the lower percentile of systems. This low rank is expected given the aging GPU, which sits at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is stronger at the 71st percentile among all CPUs.

Q: Which settings preset provides the smoothest experience at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 yields the highest average frame rate at 91 FPS, while Medium produces 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, Medium is the best choice, as it stays above 60 FPS while offering better visuals than Low.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU boosts to 4.40 GHz with 6 cores and 12 threads, which is far more than a 2014 shooter needs. The GPU, with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and a 256-bit bus, shows massive frame rate drops at higher resolutions, a classic sign of GPU saturation.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Minimum?

A: No, the measured results show 4K is not viable. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages just 15 FPS, and even the Low preset only reaches 32 FPS. These frame rates are well below playable thresholds, making 4K impractical for this pairing.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its nearest rivals in raw performance?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 12928, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 12940 (0.1% faster) and the GTX 1660 SUPER at 12986 (0.4% faster). It also edges out the AMD Radeon 740M by 0.5% and the AMD FirePro W5100 by 0.6%.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It has a 12 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. These specifications position it as a solid mid-range desktop CPU from its generation, and its benchmark scores confirm its strength in multi-threaded workloads.

In the context of Minimum, a game released in 2014, the CPU's capabilities are largely overkill. The game's engine is not likely to stress a 6-core/12-thread processor, especially one that boosts to 4.40 GHz. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and single-core score of 2024 show it has ample headroom for older game engines that primarily rely on single-thread performance. The PassMark single-thread score of 2981 further reinforces this, as it is a strong result for a desktop chip.

The measured FPS data supports this analysis. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 91 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 45 FPS. This 46 FPS drop is far too large to be caused by the CPU, as the processor's workload does not change drastically with graphical settings. Instead, the GPU is being pushed harder at Ultra, and its performance ceiling is being reached. The CPU is likely sitting idle for much of the frame time, waiting for the GPU to deliver the next frame.

Compared to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the i5-11400F is extremely close in average score. It is 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7H12, 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U, but 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-12450H and 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G. These tiny deltas show that the CPU's performance is well within the expected range for its class, and none of these differences would be perceptible in a game like Minimum. The CPU is simply not the bottleneck here.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how settings affect performance at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 91 FPS, which is excellent for a fast-paced third-person shooter. Medium drops to 70 FPS, but the minimum frame rate of 59 FPS ensures a mostly smooth experience. High sits at 58 FPS, while Ultra falls to 45 FPS, which is starting to feel less responsive.

For the best experience at 1080p, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. It offers a 70 FPS average and a 59 FPS minimum, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth. The jump from Low to Medium costs 21 FPS on average, but the visual improvements in a game like Minimum are likely significant. High is a viable alternative at 58 FPS, but the minimum frame rate is not recorded, making it riskier than Medium.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more challenging. Low averages 59 FPS, which is playable but leaves little headroom for dips. Medium averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS, which can feel stuttery in action sequences. High drops to 38 FPS, and Ultra falls to 29 FPS. For 1440p, Low is the only preset that maintains a playable average, but the lack of headroom means users should expect occasional frame drops.

At 3840x2160, no preset is truly playable. Low averages 32 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS. The minimum frame rate for Medium is 21 FPS, which is a poor experience. Given these numbers, 4K should be avoided entirely with this combo, and users should stick to 1080p for the best balance of quality and performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 580 combination ranks 3383 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the bottom 9% of all systems tested. This low rank is primarily due to the GPU's age and performance ceiling, as the CPU is significantly stronger relative to its peers. The CPU sits at the 71st percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, showing a clear imbalance.

This ranking means the combo is outclassed by the vast majority of modern systems, even in a game from 2014. The low rank is not surprising given the hardware's release dates: the CPU was released in 2021, while the GPU was released in 2017 and is now end-of-life. The GPU's performance is competitive with mobile parts like the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and the GTX 1660 SUPER, but these are not high-end desktop parts by modern standards.

The implications of this rank are straightforward: the combo is suitable for esports titles and older games at 1080p, but it will struggle with newer, more demanding titles. In Minimum specifically, the combo can deliver smooth frame rates at 1080p Medium, but it cannot push high resolutions or max settings. The rank of 3383 out of 3712 is a warning that this is a budget-oriented pairing, not a high-performance one.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is built on the Polaris 20 chip using the GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process. It has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1340 MHz, with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory running at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s.

The GPU's role in Minimum is the dominant factor in determining performance. The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, frame rates drop significantly, which is the classic behavior of a GPU-bound system. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 91 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 32 FPS. This 59 FPS drop is almost entirely due to the GPU's limited pixel throughput and memory bandwidth.

The RX 580's benchmark scores reflect its mid-range positioning. Its PassMark G3D score is 8813, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1005. The GPU's average benchmark score of 12928 places it just behind the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940) and GTX 1660 SUPER (12986), and just ahead of the Radeon 740M (12870) and FirePro W5100 (12847). These close margins suggest that the RX 580 performs similarly to entry-level modern GPUs, but it is outclassed by any mid-range or high-end part from the last few years.

In Minimum, the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is not a limiting factor, as the game is from 2014 and likely does not require large texture pools. However, the GPU's raw compute power, rated at 6.175 TFLOPS FP32, is the key constraint. At higher settings, the GPU has to do more work per frame, and its aging architecture cannot keep up with the demands of 1440p and 4K resolutions. The result is the steep FPS drops seen in the measured data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how the combo performs across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 91 FPS, the highest recorded for this combo. Medium averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS. High averages 58 FPS, and Ultra averages 45 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 46 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for higher visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 59 FPS, a 32 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. High averages 38 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at this resolution is 30 FPS, which is less severe than at 1080p but still substantial. The minimum frame rate of 38 FPS at Medium indicates that even this setting can stutter in demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 32 FPS, a 27 FPS drop from 1440p Low. Medium averages 24 FPS with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS. High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 17 FPS, but even the best case of 32 FPS is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The minimum frame rate of 21 FPS at Medium confirms that 4K is not a viable option for this combo.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 46 FPS (91 vs 45). At 1440p, it is 30 FPS (59 vs 29). At 4K, it is 17 FPS (32 vs 15). This trend suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even reducing settings cannot overcome the pixel count, making the GPU the clear bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is a clear indicator of where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the combo achieves 91 FPS at 1080p, 59 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 32 FPS (a 35% reduction), and the drop from 1440p to 4K is 27 FPS (a 46% reduction). These massive drops show that the GPU is being overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. At Medium, the FPS drops from 70 at 1080p to 45 at 1440p to 24 at 4K. At High, it drops from 58 to 38 to 20. At Ultra, it drops from 45 to 29 to 15. In every case, the GPU cannot maintain playable frame rates beyond 1080p, and the scaling is not linear. The per-pixel cost of rendering at 4K is four times that of 1080p, and the RX 580's 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 6.175 TFLOPS of compute simply cannot handle that load.

This data indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor in resolution scaling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively stable across resolutions, as the CPU workload does not scale with pixel count. Instead, the FPS drops dramatically, proving that the GPU is the sole constraint. The CPU's 4.40 GHz boost clock and 12 threads are more than sufficient for Minimum's engine, even at 1080p Low where the GPU is least stressed.

The practical implication is that users with this combo should stick to 1080p for a smooth experience. At 1440p, only Low settings are playable, and at 4K, no settings are viable. The GPU's age and architecture make it a poor match for high-resolution gaming, and the measured data confirms that the RX 580 is the limiting component in this pairing.