Minimum

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination ranks 1384th out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the lower third of the database. This pairing of a modern 14th-gen CPU with an older Turing-generation GPU creates a configuration where the graphics card is the primary determinant of the game's performance envelope. The data shows a system that is entirely capable of delivering smooth gameplay at 1080p, but which struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, particularly with higher graphical presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1384 out of 1733 tested configurations places it firmly in the lower 20% of all tested setups for Minimum. This positioning is heavily influenced by the GPU's performance class rather than the CPU's capabilities. The RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile of all GPUs, while the i5-14400F achieves an 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs, indicating a significant performance disparity between the two components. Benchmark results show the CPU's average benchmark score is 32508, placing it in close competition with the Intel Core i7-12800H (32513, 0% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32446, 0.2% ahead). In contrast, the GPU's average benchmark score of 16074 places it near the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996, 0.5% behind) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15786, 1.8% ahead). This combination of a high-performing CPU with a mid-range GPU results in a system where the processor has substantial headroom, but the graphics card becomes the limiting factor in demanding scenarios. The ranking suggests that while the CPU is more than capable for this title, the overall combo performance is anchored by the GPU's capabilities, which are modest by current standards.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. Its memory operates at 1750 MHz, translating to 14 Gbps effective speed. The card's base clock runs at 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz. In terms of raw compute, the GPU delivers 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, with pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s and texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s. These specifications directly influence the measured FPS results in Minimum. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this 2014 title, even at 4K resolution, as the game's texture requirements are modest by today's standards. However, the GPU's overall throughput becomes the bottleneck when settings are increased to Ultra or resolution is raised to 4K. The data indicates that the GPU's Turing architecture, while older, still provides adequate DirectX 12 support with a score of 53 in Passmark's DirectX 12 test, which is relevant for a game that can utilize modern APIs. The card's 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs determine its fill rate capabilities, which are crucial for maintaining frame rates at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the GPU's limitations are evident, with frame rates dropping to 28.7 FPS, indicating that the card is being pushed to its limits. The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals in the database shows it is competitive with the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (16351 avg score, 1.7% ahead) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16351, 1.7% ahead), but this does not translate into high-end gaming performance.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best performance this combo achieves in Minimum?*

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 155.7 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The most balanced performance appears to be at 1080p High, which achieves 99 FPS, matching the 1440p Low result of 99 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-14400F scores 32508 on average, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-12800H (32513, 0% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 7 250 (32584, 0.2% behind). It is slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32446, 0.2% ahead).

Q: Is the GPU VRAM sufficient for 4K gaming in this title?

A: The 6 GB VRAM is adequate for Minimum at 4K, as the game's assets are not particularly demanding. The data shows playable frame rates at 4K Low (56 FPS) and Medium (42 FPS), indicating VRAM capacity is not the primary constraint; rather, the GPU's compute throughput is limiting.

Q: What settings should be used for the smoothest 4K experience?

A: The measured data indicates that 4K Low settings provide an average of 56 FPS, which is the highest 4K result. Moving to Medium drops performance to 42 FPS, while High and Ultra yield 34.9 and 28.7 FPS respectively, making Low the recommended setting for 4K.

Q: How does the GPU's DirectX 12 performance compare to its DirectX 11 performance?

A: The Passmark scores show the GPU achieves 53 in DirectX 12, 110 in DirectX 11, and 190 in DirectX 9. This indicates the card performs better under older APIs, which is relevant for a game released in 2014 that may not fully utilize DirectX 12 features.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance relative to its multi-threaded performance?

A: The CPU scores 3093 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 21914 in multi-core, showing strong single-thread performance. In Passmark, it scores 3723 for single-thread and 25783 for multi-thread, indicating balanced capabilities that are not a bottleneck in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce 155.7 FPS average, while Medium achieves 118.9 FPS. High settings yield 99 FPS, and Ultra drops to 78.5 FPS. All 1080p results are above 60 FPS, indicating smooth gameplay across all presets. The transition from Low to Ultra represents a 49.6% performance reduction, showing the impact of graphical fidelity on frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down noticeably. Low settings achieve 99 FPS, which is identical to the 1080p High result, demonstrating the resolution's impact. Medium settings produce 76.5 FPS, while High drops to 66 FPS. Ultra at 1440p yields 47.1 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 36.4%, showing the resolution's significant effect on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Low settings achieve 56 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that maintains playable frame rates. Medium drops to 42 FPS, High to 34.9 FPS, and Ultra to 28.7 FPS. The 4K Low result is 44% lower than the 1440p Low result, and the Ultra preset at 4K is 63.4% slower than Ultra at 1440p. This data shows that the RTX 2060 can handle Minimum at 4K only with significant compromises in visual quality.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this combo. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a 36.4% drop in FPS (from 155.7 to 99), and from 1440p to 4K, another 43.4% drop (from 99 to 56). Overall, the 4K Low result is 64% lower than the 1080p Low result. This substantial scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as pixel count increases demand proportionally more GPU throughput.

At Ultra settings, the scaling pattern is even more aggressive. The 1080p Ultra score of 78.5 FPS drops to 47.1 FPS at 1440p (40% reduction) and then to 28.7 FPS at 4K (39% further reduction). The total reduction from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is 63.4%. This consistent scaling across resolutions points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck, as the CPU has ample headroom given its 88th percentile ranking. The data suggests that the i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for this title, as even at 1080p Low with 155.7 FPS, the GPU is still the limiting factor. The scaling behavior confirms that users seeking higher resolutions should prioritize GPU upgrades over CPU upgrades for this game, as the processor's performance ceiling is far above what the RTX 2060 can utilize in Minimum.