Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that scales predictably across resolutions, and the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB delivers a playable experience at 1440p and a competitive one at 1080p, though 4K Ultra pushes the combo to its limits. The measured data, drawn from a real benchmark run, shows a system that is GPU-bound at higher settings but reveals CPU headroom at lower presets, making it a balanced pairing for this title’s engine. This analysis breaks down the frame rate behavior across every tested configuration, interprets the role of each component, and ranks the combo against the broader database of tested systems.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, which is typical for a GPU-intensive title like Minimum. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 234 FPS average, but at 4K Low, that falls to 81 FPS—a 65% reduction in frame rate. This massive gap indicates that at lower resolutions and settings, the system is not fully stressed, but as pixel count rises, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 115 FPS, while 4K Ultra drops to 40 FPS, a 75% loss, showing that the RTX 4060 Ti’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are strained by 4K’s pixel throughput.

Looking at the intermediate steps, 1440p High yields 97 FPS, which is 35% lower than 1080p High’s 150 FPS. This scaling is more moderate than the jump to 4K, suggesting that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo where the GPU still has enough bandwidth to maintain high frame rates without the extreme penalty seen at 4K. The data shows that 4K is only viable at Low settings (81 FPS), and even then, it is below the 90 FPS threshold many players prefer for a shooter. At Medium settings, 4K produces 62 FPS average with a minimum of 53 FPS, which is playable but not smooth for competitive play.

The resolution scaling pattern reveals that the limiting component changes with settings. At 1080p Low, the 234 FPS result is likely CPU-bound, as the i5-11400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at such a low load. However, at 4K Ultra, the 40 FPS result is clearly GPU-bound, with the RTX 4060 Ti struggling to fill 8.3 million pixels per frame. The 1440p results sit in a balanced zone where both components contribute, with High settings at 97 FPS indicating a good equilibrium.

For players targeting 60 FPS, the data suggests that 4K Medium (62 FPS) is the maximum viable configuration, while 1440p Ultra (74 FPS) offers a higher fidelity option with a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The 1080p results, ranging from 115 to 234 FPS, are all well above the refresh rate of most standard monitors, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. The scaling is not linear—the jump from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 35-40% of performance, while 1440p to 4K costs another 45-50%—indicating that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s is a bottleneck at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. In Minimum, this CPU provides ample headroom at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 234 FPS average at 1080p Low. The processor’s multi-threaded performance, reflected in a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340, suggests it can handle the game’s physics and AI calculations without becoming a bottleneck, even when the GPU is outputting hundreds of frames per second. However, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 40 FPS, which is far below what the CPU can theoretically feed, confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint at high resolutions.

The single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2024 and a PassMark single-thread score of 2981. This is relevant because Minimum, like many shooters from its era, may rely heavily on a single main thread for game logic. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the CPU can push frame rates to 234 FPS, which is near the practical limit for many displays, indicating that the i5-11400F is not a limiting factor in this scenario. At 1440p Low, the 151 FPS result further supports this, as the CPU still has headroom while the GPU begins to take on more work.

The CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for this title. The processor’s 65 W TDP and 14 nm process node are not directly reflected in game performance, but the benchmark scores place it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17177. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-11400F is within 0.6% of the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G and 0.4% of the Intel Core i5-12450H, showing that it is a competitive mid-range option. In Minimum, the CPU’s role is to avoid holding back the GPU, and the data indicates it does so effectively up to 1440p, where the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1440p High (97 FPS) offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with 1440p Ultra (74 FPS) also viable. 1080p is overkill for most displays, with High at 150 FPS, while 4K is only playable at Low (81 FPS) or Medium (62 FPS).

Q: How does the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB perform at 4K in this game?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is 40 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. Dropping to 4K High yields 52 FPS, and 4K Medium produces 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS. Only 4K Low (81 FPS) provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F a bottleneck in Minimum?

A: No, the benchmark results indicate the CPU is not a bottleneck at any tested setting. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 234 FPS, which is near the limit of most displays, and at 1440p, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for this title.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested systems in Minimum?

A: The combo ranks 1432 out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the top 38.6% of all systems. This is a solid mid-range ranking, reflecting the balance between the i5-11400F and RTX 4060 Ti.

Q: What settings should I use for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: For 60 FPS, you can use 4K Medium (62 FPS) or 1440p Ultra (74 FPS). At 1080p, all settings exceed 100 FPS, with Low at 234 FPS, Medium at 179 FPS, High at 150 FPS, and Ultra at 115 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM limit performance in Minimum?

A: The 8 GB VRAM is not directly measured in the FPS data, but the 4K results suggest memory bandwidth (288.0 GB/s) is a factor. At 4K Ultra, the 40 FPS result indicates the GPU is the primary constraint, which could be related to both VRAM capacity and the 128-bit bus width.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB ranks 1432 out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the 61.4th percentile of systems. This is a strong mid-range ranking, indicating that this pairing is well-suited for the game’s demands. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 17177 puts it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2913 places it in the 19th percentile of all GPUs, though this benchmark is not game-specific.

The ranking reflects a balance: the CPU is above average, while the GPU is below average in synthetic benchmarks, but in Minimum, the combination performs respectably. The GPU’s nearest rival, the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB, is only 0.2% faster in synthetic testing, showing that the 8 GB variant loses little in this game. The CPU’s rivals, including the AMD EPYC 7H12 (0.3% faster) and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (0.6% faster), are all within a negligible margin, confirming that the i5-11400F is a consistent performer.

In the context of all tested combos, this rank means that 2,280 other systems outperform it, but 1,432 are slower. For a 1080p or 1440p gaming setup, this is a reasonable position, especially considering that the game is from 2014 and does not require top-tier hardware. The ranking also suggests that this combo is more CPU-limited than GPU-limited at lower resolutions, as the CPU’s percentile is higher than the GPU’s, but the measured FPS data shows the opposite at higher settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, featuring 4352 shading units and 136 tensor cores. Its boost clock of 2535 MHz and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provide a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. In Minimum, the GPU’s role becomes critical at higher resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the GPU is not fully utilized, as the 234 FPS result is likely CPU-limited, but at 4K Ultra, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, producing only 40 FPS.

The GPU’s FP32 performance of 22.06 TFLOPS is sufficient for a 2014 title, but the 4K results show that the memory subsystem is a limiting factor. The 128-bit bus and 8 GB VRAM are not ideal for 4K, where texture data and pixel fill rates demand more bandwidth. The measured data supports this: 4K Medium (62 FPS) is only 23% faster than 4K Ultra (40 FPS), while 4K Low (81 FPS) is 30% faster than 4K Medium. This suggests that reducing settings helps, but the GPU’s raw compute power is not the only constraint.

At 1440p, the GPU performs admirably, with High at 97 FPS and Ultra at 74 FPS, both above the 60 FPS target. The 1440p Medium result of 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 FPS shows that the GPU can handle moderate settings with ease. The GPU’s 48 ROPs and 136 TMUs are adequate for this resolution, and the 22.06 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is more than enough. The GPU’s percentile ranking of 19th among all GPUs is low, but in Minimum, it delivers playable frame rates at all resolutions except 4K Ultra.

The GPU’s nearest rival, the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB, is only 0.2% faster in synthetic benchmarks, indicating that the 8 GB memory capacity is not a significant drawback in this game. The GPU’s 160 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface are not directly measured in game performance, but the data shows that the RTX 4060 Ti is a capable mid-range card for Minimum at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K requiring lower settings for smooth play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 234 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 179 FPS, with a minimum of 152 FPS and a maximum of 206 FPS, indicating consistent frame pacing. High settings average 150 FPS, while Ultra drops to 115 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS target. These results show that at 1080p, the system is never GPU-bound, and the CPU’s headroom allows for maximum frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU starting to take on more load. Low settings average 151 FPS, a 35% drop from 1080p Low, but still very high. Medium settings average 115 FPS, with a minimum of 98 FPS and a maximum of 133 FPS, providing a smooth experience. High settings average 97 FPS, and Ultra averages 74 FPS. All 1440p results are above 60 FPS, making this resolution the recommended choice for a balance of visual fidelity and performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. Low settings average 81 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. Medium settings average 62 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS, barely hitting the 60 FPS target. High settings average 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra averages 40 FPS, which is not smooth. The 4K results show a clear pattern: as settings increase, the frame rate drops significantly, with Ultra being 51% slower than Low. For 4K gaming, players should stick to Medium settings or lower to maintain a playable frame rate.

The complete dataset shows a consistent scaling pattern across all resolutions. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 119 FPS (234 vs 115), at 1440p it is 77 FPS (151 vs 74), and at 4K it is 41 FPS (81 vs 40). This indicates that the GPU’s performance scales with pixel count, but the CPU’s role diminishes as resolution increases. The Medium settings results provide the only min/max FPS data in the dataset, showing that frame pacing is consistent at 1080p (152-206 FPS) and 1440p (98-133 FPS), but at 4K, the minimum of 53 FPS shows some stutter potential, though the average of 62 FPS is still acceptable for most players.