Minimum

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Minimum shows a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, and the pattern clearly identifies the GPU as the dominant bottleneck. At 1080p High settings, the combo delivers 59.5 FPS, which drops by roughly 40% to 35.9 FPS at 1440p, and then nearly halves again to 18.8 FPS at 4K. This scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario: the Intel Core i5-14400F has ample headroom, but the AMD Radeon RX 580's pixel throughput is exhausted as pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

The most telling comparison comes from the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system hits 90.3 FPS, which is a playable level for a third-person shooter. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 57.7 FPS, and 4K Low falls to 28.9 FPS. The fact that even the lowest settings cannot maintain 30 FPS at 4K indicates that the RX 580's raw fillrate and shading capacity are simply insufficient for that resolution, regardless of how much load is removed from the CPU.

The Ultra preset tells an even harsher story. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 12.8, which is a slideshow by any measure. Even at 1080p Ultra, the system only manages 45 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at the same resolution widens as resolution increases: at 1080p the spread is 45 FPS (90.3 vs 45), at 1440p it is 29.4 FPS (57.7 vs 28.3), and at 4K it is 16.1 FPS (28.9 vs 12.8). This narrowing spread at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU's compute units are saturated before the settings can meaningfully differentiate performance.

In practical terms, the limiting component at 4K is unambiguously the RX 580. The i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is not the constraint here; a stronger GPU would show a much flatter scaling curve across resolutions. The data suggests that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can offer a consistently smooth experience across multiple presets, while 1440p is borderline and 4K is effectively unplayable for anything beyond static scenes.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F brings substantial processing power to this pairing, and benchmark results indicate it is not the limiting factor in Minimum. With 10 cores and 16 threads, a base clock of 2.50 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, this chip provides far more computational throughput than the RX 580 can feed. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and single-core score of 3093 place it in the 88th percentile among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of processors on the market.

In a third-person shooter like Minimum, the CPU's job is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls while the GPU renders frames. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where CPU overhead is typically highest relative to GPU load, the system reaches 90.3 FPS. If the i5-14400F were the bottleneck, we would expect to see FPS plateau at some CPU-imposed ceiling regardless of resolution or settings. Instead, FPS scales inversely with resolution and settings, which is the signature of GPU limitation.

The CPU's nearest rivals reinforce its capability. The AMD Ryzen 7 250 scores 32584 on average, a delta of -0.2% relative to the i5-14400F's 32508 average benchmark score, while the Intel Core i7-13705H sits at 32586, also -0.2%. These are essentially performance twins, indicating that the i5-14400F is in the upper echelon of desktop processors. Its L3 cache of 20 MB shared and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 give it ample bandwidth for feeding a mid-range GPU.

The conclusion is straightforward: the CPU role in this combo is to provide a stable, high-throughput platform that never holds the GPU back. At 1080p, where the RX 580 is most capable, the i5-14400F's 4.70 GHz boost clock ensures that frame times remain consistent. The data does not show any scenario where CPU cores or clocks become the deciding factor in Minimum's performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience for this combo is achieved at 1080p with Medium settings, which delivers 67.4 FPS. This strikes the optimal balance between visual fidelity and smoothness, staying well above the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider the minimum for an action game. The High preset at 1080p is close behind at 59.5 FPS and is also viable, but Medium offers a 13% FPS advantage with only a modest visual downgrade.

At 1440p, the data shows that Low settings are the only practical choice, delivering 57.7 FPS. Medium at 1440p drops to 47.3 FPS, which is playable but noticeably less smooth, while High falls to 35.9 FPS and Ultra to 28.3 FPS. For players with a 1440p monitor, the Low preset is the recommended choice if frame rate is the priority, as it keeps the experience close to 60 FPS.

4K is not recommended for this combo under any preset. Even Low settings only reach 28.9 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS floor for acceptable playability. Medium at 4K manages 27 FPS, High drops to 18.8 FPS, and Ultra is an unplayable 12.8 FPS. The data strongly suggests that users should avoid 4K entirely with the RX 580 and instead target 1080p or, at most, 1440p with reduced settings.

The Ultra preset is the worst value in performance terms across all resolutions. At 1080p Ultra delivers 45 FPS, which is 34% slower than Medium and 50% slower than Low. Given that the visual gains from Ultra are typically marginal in a game from 2014, the measured FPS data supports skipping Ultra altogether and using Medium as the primary preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 1623 out of 1733 tested combos for Minimum, placing it in the bottom 6% of all configurations. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU is in the top 12% of all processors while the GPU sits in the 53rd percentile among all GPUs. The pairing of a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU from 2017 creates a significant imbalance that the benchmark results reflect.

Compared to other combos in the database, this configuration is at a clear disadvantage. The RX 580's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, which has an average score of 13564 (0% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 at 13549 (0.1% delta). These are all older or lower-tier GPUs, and none of them are capable of delivering high frame rates in modern games. The combo rank of 1623 indicates that most tested systems, even those with weaker CPUs, outperform this pairing because they have stronger GPUs.

The ranking data reveals that the i5-14400F is not the problem. Its percentile of 88 means it outperforms 88% of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 32508 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-12800H (32513, 0% delta). The bottleneck is the RX 580, whose 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are simply not enough to push high frame rates in Minimum at higher resolutions. Users considering this combo for Minimum should expect performance in line with the bottom 6% of tested configurations, which aligns with the measured FPS data showing playable results only at 1080p.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the defining component in this combo's performance, and the data makes its limitations clear. Based on the Polaris 20 chip with a 14 nm process node, the GPU features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. Its base clock of 1257 MHz and boost clock of 1340 MHz, combined with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, provide a memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. These specifications place the RX 580 in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13559.

The GPU's nearest rivals highlight its mid-range positioning. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 scores 13564 (0% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro 455 scores 13416 (1.1% delta). These comparisons show that the RX 580 is competitive with GPUs from an older generation but far behind modern mid-range and high-end offerings. In Minimum, this translates to the measured FPS numbers: the GPU's pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s are insufficient for high-resolution rendering.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is not a limiting factor in this game, as Minimum from 2014 does not require large texture pools. However, the GPU's raw compute power is the constraint. At 1080p Low, the RX 580 delivers 90.3 FPS, which shows it can handle the game when the load is light. But as resolution increases, the GPU's fillrate limitations become apparent. The 4K results, ranging from 12.8 FPS at Ultra to 28.9 FPS at Low, demonstrate that the RX 580's 32 ROPs cannot keep up with the pixel count required at 2160p.

The GPU's end-of-life production status and 185 W TDP are consistent with its performance profile. The data indicates that the RX 580 is best suited for 1080p gaming in Minimum, where it can maintain playable frame rates across Medium and High presets. For higher resolutions, the GPU simply does not have the computational headroom, and the measured FPS confirms this.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p is the only resolution where this combo consistently exceeds 45 FPS across all presets. At 1440p, only Low settings reach 57.7 FPS, while 4K never exceeds 28.9 FPS even at Low.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14400F compare to its nearest rival?

A: The i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32508, which is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 7 250 (32584) and the Intel Core i7-13705H (32586). This places it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 580 the bottleneck in this combo?

A: Yes. The GPU ranks in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 88th percentile. The measured FPS scales inversely with resolution and settings, which is the signature of GPU limitation.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1080p Ultra?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 45 FPS. This is significantly lower than the 67.4 FPS at Medium and 90.3 FPS at Low, making Ultra a poor choice for this combo.

Q: How does this combo rank overall for Minimum?

A: This combo ranks 1623 out of 1733 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 6% of configurations. This is due to the GPU's limitations despite the CPU's strong performance.

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

A: No. The best 4K result is 28.9 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 30 FPS playability threshold. Ultra at 4K drops to 12.8 FPS, which is unplayable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 90.3 FPS average
• Medium: 67.4 FPS average
• High: 59.5 FPS average
• Ultra: 45 FPS average

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 57.7 FPS average
• Medium: 47.3 FPS average
• High: 35.9 FPS average
• Ultra: 28.3 FPS average

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 28.9 FPS average
• Medium: 27 FPS average
• High: 18.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 12.8 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern across all settings: performance degrades by roughly 35-45% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 45-55% when moving from 1440p to 4K. The only exception is Medium settings, where the 4K result (27 FPS) is only 43% lower than the 1440p result (47.3 FPS), suggesting the GPU hits a wall regardless of the moderate load. The largest absolute drop occurs from 1080p Low (90.3 FPS) to 4K Low (28.9 FPS), a 68% reduction that underscores the GPU's inability to scale to high pixel counts. For players, the takeaway is clear: stay at 1080p for the best experience, use Medium as the default preset, and reserve Ultra for screenshots rather than gameplay.