Minimum

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a severely GPU-limited configuration in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter from 2014. The benchmark data shows that the GTX 1050 Ti is the definitive bottleneck, as performance collapses when resolution increases, while the six-core processor has ample headroom. This combination ranks in the bottom percentile of all tested system combos, indicating that it is only suitable for low-resolution, low-detail play.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting component. At the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 65 FPS at 1920x1080 to 39.9 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 38.6%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 26.2 FPS, which is only 40.3% of the 1080p performance. This steep decline is a classic sign of pixel-throughput saturation, meaning the GTX 1050 Ti’s rendering units are overwhelmed by the increasing number of pixels.

The trend is even more pronounced at higher settings. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 41.4 at 1080p to 28 at 1440p, and then to 12.4 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K represents a 55.7% performance loss, which is far greater than the 2.25x pixel count increase would suggest if the system were balanced. This indicates that the GPU is not just limited by raw pixel count, but also by the increased shading and texture work required at higher detail levels.

At the Ultra preset, the situation becomes untenable. The average FPS at 4K is just 10.1, which is below playable thresholds. The data suggests that the GTX 1050 Ti, with its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 128-bit bus, simply cannot handle the memory bandwidth and compute demands of 4K Ultra. The CPU, an Intel Core i5-11400F with 6 cores and 12 threads, is not the limiting factor here; if it were, the frame rate would remain relatively flat across resolutions. Instead, the consistent and steep decline across all settings confirms a pure GPU bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark results place this combination at rank 1714 out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the bottom 1.1% of all systems, a position that reflects the GTX 1050 Ti’s age and entry-level positioning. The GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs is 30, meaning it performs better than only 30% of all graphics cards, and its average benchmark score of 5316 is nearly identical to mobile and low-end desktop parts like the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5317) and the NVIDIA GeForce 940M (5297).

This low ranking is not a surprise given the data. While the CPU is a relatively modern part, the GPU is from an older generation and was entry-level at launch. The comboRankInGame field indicates that this pairing is near the very bottom of the list, suggesting that almost any other combination of hardware tested will deliver higher frame rates. For context, the CPU itself ranks in the 75th percentile vs all CPUs, but its potential is entirely wasted in this configuration. The system’s overall performance is dictated by the weakest link, and the GTX 1050 Ti is a very weak link for a game that can be demanding at high resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve in Minimum?*

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 65 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

*Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Minimum?*

A: No. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 10.1 on Ultra to 26.2 on Low, with the High preset yielding only 12.4 FPS. These figures are all below standard playable thresholds.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its direct rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17181. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, scores 17189, a deltaPct of 0. The Intel Core i7-1260P scores 17212, which is -0.2% slower, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17215, also -0.2% slower. The i5-11400F is effectively tied with these parts.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 39.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers 23.6 FPS. This represents a 40.8% performance drop when moving to the highest quality settings.

Q: Does the GPU’s memory configuration affect 4K performance?

A: Yes. The GTX 1050 Ti has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K, the data shows a collapse in performance, dropping to 12.4 FPS at High, suggesting the memory subsystem is insufficient for the high-resolution textures and framebuffer demands.

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

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti ranks 1714 out of 1733 total tested combos, placing it in the bottom percentile of all configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo’s capabilities. At 1920x1080, the performance is usable at lower settings: the Low preset averages 65 FPS, Medium averages 48.1 FPS, and High averages 41.4 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 33.2 FPS, which is still technically playable but approaches the lower limit for smooth action in a Third-Person Shooter.

Moving to 2560x1440, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. The Low preset averages 39.9 FPS, which is a significant drop from 1080p. Medium averages 33.6 FPS, High averages 28 FPS, and Ultra averages 23.6 FPS. None of these figures are ideal for fast-paced gameplay, though the Low and Medium presets might be tolerable for slower moments.

At 3840x2160, the results are mostly unplayable. The Low preset is the only one that breaks the 20 FPS barrier, averaging 26.2 FPS. Medium averages 16.1 FPS, High averages 12.4 FPS, and Ultra averages 10.1 FPS. These numbers confirm that 4K is not a viable option for this hardware. The data also shows a clear pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases, from a 31.8 FPS difference at 1080p to a 16.1 FPS difference at 4K, indicating that the GPU’s fillrate and shading capacity are exhausted.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the primary determinant of performance in this configuration. Its specifications reveal why it struggles: it has 768 shading units and 32 ROPs, with a base clock of 1291 MHz and a boost clock of 1392 MHz. The memory operates at 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus, yielding 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a modest amount of memory bandwidth for a game running at high resolutions.

The GPU’s benchmark scores are consistent with its low percentile ranking (30th). Its Passmark G3D score is 6340, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 305. These figures place it in the same performance tier as the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5317) and the AMD Radeon R7 240 (5280), which are considerably older and less capable parts. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is also a limiting factor; while it is enough for 1080p, the data suggests it is insufficient for 1440p and 4K with higher details, as the frame rate collapses at those resolutions. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 2.138 TFLOPS is simply too low to handle the pixel shader workload of Minimum at high resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which delivers an average of 65 FPS. This is the only configuration that consistently provides a frame rate high enough for smooth, responsive gameplay in a Third-Person Shooter. The Medium preset at 1080p, averaging 48.1 FPS, is a viable alternative if visual quality is preferred over maximum smoothness, but it comes with a 26% performance penalty.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only reasonable choice, averaging 39.9 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS target but may be acceptable for single-player experiences. The Medium preset at 1440p (33.6 FPS) is borderline, and the High and Ultra presets should be avoided due to sub-30 FPS averages. For 3840x2160, no settings are recommended, as even the Low preset fails to reach 30 FPS, averaging 26.2 FPS. The data clearly suggests that users should stay at 1080p and prioritize the Low or Medium presets to maintain a playable experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a capable processor that is not the limiting factor in this game. It features 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, built on Intel’s 14 nm Rocket Lake architecture. Its benchmark scores are strong: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and a single-core score of 2029, alongside a Geekbench multicore score of 7579. These results put it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189), the Intel Core i7-1260P (17212), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (17215), all of which have nearly identical average scores. This indicates that the i5-11400F has ample processing power for Minimum, a 2014 title that is unlikely to stress modern multi-core processors. The evidence for a GPU bottleneck is conclusive: if the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be low at all resolutions. Instead, we see high FPS at 1080p Low (65 FPS) and a steep decline with increasing resolution, which is the signature of a graphics card that is overwhelmed. The CPU’s 12 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (51.2 GB/s bandwidth) are more than sufficient to feed the GTX 1050 Ti, meaning the processor sits idle while the GPU works at full capacity.