Minimum

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Minimum with the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT reveal a classic scaling curve that shifts from a CPU-bound scenario at low resolutions to a GPU-bound one as pixel count climbs. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 301.7 FPS, but this drops to 233 FPS at Medium and 192.8 FPS at High. The gap between Low and High at 1080p is substantial, indicating that the graphics card has plenty of headroom and that the processor is likely the primary limiter at this resolution, especially when settings are reduced.

Moving to 1440p, the average frame rates remain high, with Low settings hitting 196 FPS, Medium at 148.6 FPS, and High at 121.5 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at High settings shows a reduction from 192.8 FPS to 121.5 FPS, a 37% decrease that points to the GPU becoming a more significant factor. At 4K, the trend accelerates dramatically. The High preset yields 68.5 FPS, which is a 44% drop from the 1440p High result. This steep decline at 4K is the hallmark of a graphics-heavy workload, confirming that the RX 7900 XT is the bottleneck at this resolution.

The data indicates that the transition from 1080p to 4K is not linear. At 1080p Low, the system is clearly CPU-limited, as the GPU is capable of far more than the 301.7 FPS being delivered. The 4K results, by contrast, show the GPU being pushed to its limits, with frame rates dropping to 48.8 FPS on Ultra. This suggests that for competitive play at high refresh rates, 1080p or 1440p is the sweet spot, while 4K is reserved for visual fidelity over raw speed. The overall scaling pattern shows that the i5-14400F holds its own until the resolution increases, at which point the RX 7900 XT's raw throughput dictates the final performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the dominant component in this pairing for Minimum, especially at higher resolutions. Its 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus provides 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for a 2014 title. The GPU's boost clock of 2394 MHz and game clock of 2025 MHz are high for the RDNA 3.0 architecture, and the raw compute power is evident in its 51.48 TFLOPS FP32 rating. In the synthetic benchmarks, the card scores 29009 in Passmark G3D and 5623 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs.

When looking at the measured FPS, the GPU's role becomes clear. At 4K Ultra, the card delivers 48.8 FPS, which is a demanding scenario for any graphics processor. The fact that dropping from Ultra to High at 4K improves performance from 48.8 FPS to 68.5 FPS shows how sensitive the card is to shading and texture loads. The card's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile, scores nearly identically with a deltaPct of 0, indicating that the RX 7900 XT is at the top of its class in this game. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support ensures compatibility with modern rendering paths, though Minimum's age means it likely relies on older APIs, which the card still handles efficiently.

The VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor here; 20 GB is far beyond what Minimum requires. The card's pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s are the key specs that drive performance at 4K. The data shows that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rates at 1440p and 4K, as evidenced by the large performance deltas between Low and Ultra presets at those resolutions. For instance, at 1440p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 99.4 FPS, which is a GPU-bound differential.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F plays a supporting role in this configuration, but its capabilities are still critical for achieving high frame rates at lower resolutions. This 10-core, 16-thread processor has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, making it a strong mid-range option. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and a single-core score of 3093. In Geekbench, it scores 11209 multi-core and 2333 single-core, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p. The jump from Low to High settings at 1080p only reduces frame rates from 301.7 FPS to 192.8 FPS, which is a smaller relative drop than what is seen at 4K. This indicates that the i5-14400F is keeping up with the GPU's output at lower resolutions. The processor's Passmark single-thread score of 3723 and multi-thread score of 25783 suggest it has the single-core strength needed for games that are not heavily threaded. The L3 cache of 20 MB shared is adequate for this workload.

Notably, the CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12800H, has an average score of 32513, which is virtually identical to the i5-14400F's 32508, showing that this desktop chip is competitive with mobile high-end parts. The data suggests that the i5-14400F is not a bottleneck at 4K, where the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. However, at 1080p Low, the 301.7 FPS result is likely capped by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls. The processor's 65 W TDP and efficient Raptor Lake architecture ensure it delivers consistent performance without thermal throttling in this scenario.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average frame rate is 192.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with the High preset.

Q: How does the RX 7900 XT compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Radeon RX 7900 XT scores 38358 on average, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile's 38349, resulting in a deltaPct of 0.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K, as frame rates drop significantly from 105.1 FPS on Low to 48.8 FPS on Ultra, showing heavy dependence on graphics processing.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate achieved in this configuration?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 301.7 at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: Does the i5-14400F have enough cores for this game?

A: With 10 cores and 16 threads, the processor is sufficient, as evidenced by its 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs and its multi-core Cinebench R23 score of 21914.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and is it sufficient?

A: The RX 7900 XT has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is more than ample for this title, given the game's release date and the card's 800.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display and performance goals. For 4K gaming, the High preset at 68.5 FPS offers the best balance, as the Ultra preset drops to 48.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 79.6 FPS is also viable, but High provides a better visual experience with only a minor performance cost compared to the jump from High to Ultra.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 121.5 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 96.6 FPS is still playable and offers enhanced visuals, but the 25 FPS difference between High and Ultra is not worth the fidelity gain for most users. The Medium preset at 148.6 FPS is a strong choice for competitive players who prioritize frame rate over image quality.

For 1080p, the High preset at 192.8 FPS is recommended for most users, as it provides a great balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 147.6 FPS is also fine, but the Low preset at 301.7 FPS is only useful for esports-style play where maximum frame rates are paramount. The data shows that the GPU has enough headroom at 1080p to run High settings without compromising the experience. In summary, the High preset is the best overall choice across all resolutions, with Medium as a fallback for those seeking higher frame rates at 4K.