Minimum

The Intel Core i5-14400F and Intel Arc B570 combination produces a highly variable experience in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released on 2014-06-25. The data shows a system that can handle the game at high refresh rates in Full HD but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra settings. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data, the GPU and CPU roles, and how this specific pairing ranks among other tested combinations.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Minimum with this CPU and GPU combo?*

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 1920x1080 (1080p) is the only resolution where all four settings presets achieve an average FPS above 70. The 2560x1440 (1440p) resolution is also viable, with all presets staying above 46 FPS on average, but 3840x2160 (4K) dips below 50 FPS on every preset except Low.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570’s memory configuration affect performance in this game?

A: The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). At 4K resolution with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 25, suggesting that the memory bandwidth and capacity are insufficient to maintain smooth performance at the highest graphical demands.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 145 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 71 FPS. This represents a difference of 74 FPS, meaning the Low preset is roughly 104% faster than Ultra. The Medium preset averages 111 FPS, and High averages 93 FPS, showing a clear performance gradient as settings increase.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F a bottleneck at any resolution in this game?

A: The CPU has 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz. At 1080p, the GPU produces 145 FPS on Low settings, which is a high frame rate that could still be CPU-limited in some scenes. However, the data shows GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions, as FPS drops significantly from 1080p to 4K across all settings, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

*Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations in Minimum?*

A: The combo ranks 2336 out of 2939 total tested combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the database (roughly the 21st percentile). This ranking is based on the measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings, and it reflects the GPU’s mid-range performance relative to other hardware pairings.

Q: What is the difference between the Medium preset’s average FPS and its minimum FPS?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data in the measured results. At 1080p, the average is 111 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS and maximum of 128 FPS. At 1440p, the average is 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS and maximum of 82 FPS. At 4K, the average is 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS and maximum of 44 FPS. This data shows that frame pacing is relatively stable, with the minimum staying within 12-16% of the average.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, specifically the Battlemage generation (Arc 5). The chip, BMG-G21, is manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC and contains 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. The GPU has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, alongside 18 ray tracing cores. Its base and boost clocks are both set at 2500 MHz, which is a consistent clock speed across the entire operating range.

The memory subsystem consists of 10 GB of GDDR6 memory operating at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective), connected via a 160-bit bus. This configuration yields a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s, which is a crucial factor for Minimum’s performance at high resolutions. The pixel rate is 200.0 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 360.0 GTexel/s. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 11.52 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 23.04 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio).

In the measured FPS data, the GPU demonstrates a clear scaling pattern. At 1080p, the Low preset hits 145 FPS average, but at 4K Low, it drops to 50 FPS. This 95 FPS drop indicates that the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are heavily taxed at higher resolutions. The Ultra preset shows the most severe degradation: 71 FPS at 1080p down to 25 FPS at 4K, a 46 FPS drop that renders 4K Ultra essentially unplayable. The 10 GB memory capacity is sufficient for the game’s assets, but the 160-bit bus width limits the bandwidth available for high-resolution textures and effects.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (avg score 20534, delta 0.1%), the Intel Arc A750 (avg score 20582, delta -0.1%), the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (avg score 20480, delta 0.4%), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (avg score 20662, delta -0.5%). These close deltas indicate that the Arc B570 performs at a level comparable to these established GPUs, though Minimum’s specific workload may favor or penalize it differently.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset to use at each resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets deliver playable frame rates, but the choice depends on the desired balance between visual quality and performance. The Low preset achieves 145 FPS average, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 111 FPS average (with a minimum of 95 FPS) offers a good balance, providing smoother visuals than Low while maintaining frame rates well above 60. The High preset at 93 FPS average is still excellent for most displays, while the Ultra preset at 71 FPS average remains playable but may not fully utilize a 144 Hz monitor.

At 2560x1440, the recommended preset is Medium, which achieves 72 FPS average with a minimum of 61 FPS. This provides the best combination of visual fidelity and performance, staying above the 60 FPS threshold throughout the measured frame range. The High preset at 60 FPS average is also viable, though it lacks the headroom of Medium. The Low preset at 94 FPS average is the best choice for competitive play, offering high frame rates with reduced visual detail. The Ultra preset at 46 FPS average is below the 60 FPS standard and may be less desirable for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is recommended, as it achieves 50 FPS average. The Medium preset at 39 FPS average (minimum 33 FPS) is borderline, and the High preset at 32 FPS average drops below acceptable playability. The Ultra preset at 25 FPS average is not recommended for any scenario. For 4K gaming, the data suggests that players should either reduce resolution to 1440p or accept the Low preset’s visual compromises. The scaling from Low to Medium at 4K costs 11 FPS (from 50 to 39), while the jump from Medium to High costs another 7 FPS (from 39 to 32), demonstrating diminishing returns as settings increase.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2336 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the bottom 21% of the database. This ranking is derived from the measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings, and it reflects the overall performance of this pairing relative to other CPU/GPU combinations. The rank of 2336 suggests that while the system is functional, it trails a significant portion of the tested hardware configurations in this specific game.

The GPU’s percentile rank of 65 among all GPUs does not translate directly to a high combo ranking, which indicates that Minimum may be particularly demanding on certain aspects of this pairing. The CPU’s percentile rank of 83 among all CPUs is notably higher, yet the combo still ranks low, reinforcing that the GPU is the primary constraint in this game. The measured FPS data supports this interpretation: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 145 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 25 FPS, a 120 FPS swing driven almost entirely by GPU workload.

When compared to the GPU’s nearest rivals, the Arc B570’s performance is tightly clustered. The RTX 3070 Mobile has an average score only 0.1% lower, while the Arc A750 is 0.1% higher. Despite these benchmark similarities, the combo ranking in Minimum may differ due to driver optimizations or specific game engine interactions. The 2336 rank out of 2939 combos means that roughly 603 other combinations perform worse, but a larger number perform better, placing this pairing in the lower-middle tier of the database.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops by approximately 35-38% across all settings. For example, the High preset falls from 93 FPS at 1080p to 60 FPS at 1440p, a 33 FPS reduction. The Low preset falls from 145 FPS to 94 FPS, a 51 FPS reduction. This scaling is expected, as 1440p contains roughly 78% more pixels than 1080p, requiring proportionally more GPU work.

The transition from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 produces an even steeper decline, with average FPS dropping by 45-50% across settings. The High preset falls from 60 FPS to 32 FPS, a 28 FPS reduction. The Low preset falls from 94 FPS to 50 FPS, a 44 FPS reduction. The Ultra preset falls from 46 FPS to 25 FPS, a 21 FPS reduction. This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU’s memory bandwidth (380.0 GB/s) and pixel rate (200.0 GPixel/s) become increasingly insufficient as pixel count grows.

The data suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.70 GHz and 20 MB of L3 cache are more than adequate for the game’s CPU demands, especially given that the game was released in 2014 and likely has modest CPU requirements. The fact that FPS drops dramatically from 1080p to 4K, while the CPU remains capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p (145 FPS on Low), confirms a GPU-bound scenario. At 4K, the Arc B570’s 10 GB memory and 160-bit bus are the primary bottlenecks, as the game’s textures and effects at high resolution saturate the available bandwidth.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS data shows a wide range of performance across settings. The Low preset delivers an average of 145 FPS, the highest result in the entire dataset. The Medium preset achieves 111 FPS average, with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS. The High preset averages 93 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 71 FPS. This progression demonstrates a steady decline of 34 FPS from Low to Medium, 18 FPS from Medium to High, and 22 FPS from High to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are substantially lower but remain playable for most presets. The Low preset achieves 94 FPS average, followed by Medium at 72 FPS (minimum 61, maximum 82), High at 60 FPS, and Ultra at 46 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 22 FPS, between Medium and High is 12 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 14 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 61 FPS is particularly noteworthy, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a reliable choice for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 50 FPS, which is the only preset at 4K that approaches playability. The Medium preset averages 39 FPS (minimum 33, maximum 44), the High preset averages 32 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 25 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium at 4K costs 11 FPS, from Medium to High costs 7 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 7 FPS. The Ultra preset’s 25 FPS average is below the standard for even casual gaming, indicating that 4K Ultra is not a viable configuration for this hardware.

The Medium preset is the only one with full min/max data across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 95-128 FPS (span of 33). At 1440p, the range is 61-82 FPS (span of 21). At 4K, the range is 33-44 FPS (span of 11). This shrinking range at higher resolutions indicates that frame time variability decreases as the GPU becomes more consistently saturated, but the lower average FPS negates any benefit from this stability.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture (specifically Raptor Lake-R, the 14th Gen refresh). Its base clock is 2.50 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. The CPU has a 10 nm process node from Intel, with a die size of 215 mm². The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory, with ECC support available. The CPU has a TDP of 65 W and uses the Intel Socket 1700.

In benchmark tests, the i5-14400F performs strongly. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 21645, while the single-core score is 3055. Geekbench results show 11268 for multicore and 2058 for single-core. Passmark tests reveal a multithread score of 25470 and a single-thread score of 3701. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 32279, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (avg score 32233, delta 0.1%), the Intel Core i9-11900 (avg score 32226, delta 0.2%), the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (avg score 32354, delta -0.2%), and the Intel Core i7-12800H (avg score 32121, delta 0.5%).

In the context of Minimum, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. Given the game’s 2014 release date, the CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads are far more than sufficient for the game’s threading requirements. The boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensures strong single-thread performance, which is often the limiting factor in older game engines. The 20 MB of L3 cache provides ample room for frequently accessed data, reducing memory latency.

The measured FPS data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck in Minimum. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 145 FPS average, which is a high enough frame rate that some CPU limitation could occur in complex scenes, but the overall pattern shows GPU dominance. As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the FPS drops in line with GPU workload, confirming that the CPU has headroom to spare. The CPU’s 83rd percentile ranking versus the GPU’s 65th percentile further supports the conclusion that the GPU is the limiting component in this pairing, particularly at higher resolutions and settings.