Minimum

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate behavior across resolutions reveals a system that transitions from CPU-bound at 1080p to firmly GPU-bound at 4K, with the scaling curve showing classic diminishing returns as pixel count increases.

At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers 356 FPS average. This is an enormous figure that suggests the CPU is doing heavy lifting, as the GPU is nowhere near its utilization ceiling at these settings. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p drops the average to 174 FPS, a reduction of roughly 51%, which indicates that even at Ultra settings the GPU still has substantial headroom before becoming the primary bottleneck.

Moving to 2560x1440 tells a similar story but with tighter margins. Low settings yield 230 FPS, while Ultra drops to 112 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Low to 1440p Low shows a 35% reduction in frame rate, from 356 to 230 FPS. At Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is less severe proportionally, going from 174 to 112 FPS, a 36% decrease. This consistent scaling pattern suggests the GPU is beginning to assert itself more at 1440p, though the CPU still provides ample headroom.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low settings produce 124 FPS, Medium 95 FPS, High 79 FPS, and Ultra 61 FPS. The scaling from 1440p Low to 4K Low shows a 46% reduction (230 to 124 FPS), while the Ultra settings drop from 112 to 61 FPS, a 46% reduction as well. This near-linear scaling with resolution indicates that at 4K, the RTX 4080 is the dominant limiting factor. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient, but the pixel throughput demands of 4K are what constrain performance.

The most telling metric is the Low-to-Ultra spread at each resolution. At 1080p, that spread is 182 FPS (356 to 174). At 1440p, it narrows to 118 FPS (230 to 112). At 4K, it compresses further to 63 FPS (124 to 61). This progressive tightening of the settings-based frame rate gap is the signature of a system where the GPU becomes increasingly saturated as resolution climbs. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, remains capable of feeding the GPU even at 4K, but the RTX 4080 simply cannot maintain the same frame rates when pixel count quadruples.

FAQ

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so much from 1080p Low to 4K Low?

A: The average FPS falls from 356 at 1080p Low to 124 at 4K Low, a 65% reduction. This large drop indicates the RTX 4080 becomes the limiting component as resolution increases, since the GPU must process four times the pixels at 4K compared to 1080p, and the CPU still has plenty of headroom.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F holding back the RTX 4080 in this game?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is likely the primary limiter, as evidenced by the massive 356 FPS average at Low settings. However, at 1440p and especially 4K, the GPU takes over as the bottleneck. The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, prove sufficient to keep the GPU fed at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the best settings-to-resolution balance for smooth gameplay?

A: At 4K, High settings deliver 79 FPS average, which is playable for a third-person shooter. Medium settings at 4K provide 95 FPS with a minimum of 80 FPS, offering a good balance. At 1440p, Ultra settings hit 112 FPS, while High reaches 148 FPS. For the highest frame rates, 1080p Ultra at 174 FPS is the most visually demanding option that still exceeds 144 Hz.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's performance in this game compare to its overall benchmark standing?

A: The GPU holds the 86th percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 54,247. This places it slightly above the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54,209, a 0.1% delta. The 4K Ultra result of 61 FPS aligns with its high-end positioning.

Q: Does the CPU's memory support affect performance in this game?

A: The i5-14400F supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration. While the data does not specify which memory type was used for these measurements, the CPU's architecture and memory controller are clearly not limiting factors given the high frame rates observed across all resolutions and settings.

Q: What does the combo ranking of 246 out of 3,712 indicate?

A: This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks in the top 7% of all tested combos in the database for this game. This high ranking reflects the strong synergy between the 10-core CPU and the RTX 4080, which together deliver playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the frame rate patterns observed across resolutions and settings. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, the GPU packs 45,900 million transistors into a 379 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 121.1 million per square millimeter.

The memory subsystem is a critical factor for Minimum's performance. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. This generous allocation ensures that even at 4K with Ultra settings, memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor. The frame rate data supports this, as the 4K Ultra result of 61 FPS shows no signs of memory-related stutter or bandwidth starvation.

Clock speeds play a significant role in the scaling behavior. The GPU runs at a base clock of 2205 MHz and boosts to 2505 MHz. These high clocks, combined with the 9,728 shading units and 304 texture mapping units, allow the card to maintain substantial frame rates even when pixel counts increase. The 112 ROPs handle rasterization efficiently, and the 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate explains why the card can still produce 124 FPS at 4K Low.

The RTX 4080's compute capabilities are substantial, with 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores are present, though Minimum's rendering demands appear to lean more heavily on traditional rasterization than ray tracing. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567 and the Passmark G3D score of 34,457 both indicate strong raw performance that translates directly to the measured frame rates.

The GPU's end-of-life production status and 320 W TDP are worth noting in context. The 700 W suggested PSU and triple-slot cooler design indicate this is a power-hungry component, but the performance data justifies the power envelope. The 1x 16-pin power connector and 310 mm length are physical considerations, but they do not affect the measured performance in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the i5-14400F and RTX 4080 produce exceptional frame rates across all settings. Low settings average 356 FPS, Medium averages 273 FPS with a minimum of 232 and maximum of 313, High averages 229 FPS, and Ultra averages 174 FPS. These figures are consistently above 144 Hz, making the combo suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p even with maximum visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected resolution penalty. Low settings average 230 FPS, Medium averages 176 FPS with a minimum of 149 and maximum of 202, High averages 148 FPS, and Ultra averages 112 FPS. The Medium setting's minimum of 149 FPS is notable, as it indicates the system rarely dips below this threshold even during demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop to levels that are more typical of a demanding 4K title. Low settings average 124 FPS, Medium averages 95 FPS with a minimum of 80 and maximum of 109, High averages 79 FPS, and Ultra averages 61 FPS. The Medium setting's 80 FPS minimum is particularly relevant for gameplay smoothness, as it ensures the frame rate stays above typical vsync thresholds.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each settings tier at 4K delivers roughly 30-40% lower performance than the same tier at 1440p. For example, High settings go from 148 FPS at 1440p to 79 FPS at 4K, a 47% reduction. This consistent scaling indicates the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K, with the CPU maintaining its role as a capable feeder.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and RTX 4080 combination ranks 246th out of 3,712 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the top 6.6% of all configurations. This high ranking is consistent with the strong raw performance of both components and their effective pairing.

The CPU itself ranks in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32,279. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U at 32,233 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i9-11900 at 32,226 (0.2% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS at 32,354 (0.2% lower). These small deltas indicate the i5-14400F performs near the top of its class, which contributes to the strong combo ranking.

The GPU ranks in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,247. Its nearest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER at 54,209 (0.1% lower), indicating the two cards are virtually identical in overall performance. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828 (1.1% higher), while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698 (2.6% higher). These close margins suggest the RTX 4080 is well-positioned among high-end GPUs.

The combination's rank of 246 out of 3,712 is particularly impressive given that many higher-ranked combos likely use more expensive CPUs. The i5-14400F's strong multi-threaded performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,645 and Passmark multi-thread score of 25,470, ensures it does not bottleneck the RTX 4080 in this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F proves to be a capable partner for the RTX 4080 in Minimum, with its processing power sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck at any resolution tested. The CPU features 10 cores and 16 threads, a configuration that balances multi-threaded capacity with strong single-thread performance. The base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz provide the raw speed needed for game logic and physics calculations.

The Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process with a 215 mm² die size, delivers strong performance across synthetic benchmarks. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,645 and single-core score of 3,055 indicate the CPU can handle both heavily threaded workloads and latency-sensitive single-threaded tasks. The Geekbench multi-core score of 11,268 and single-core score of 2,058 reinforce this assessment.

Cache configuration plays a role in gaming performance. The CPU has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. This substantial cache hierarchy helps reduce memory latency and keeps frequently accessed data close to the cores, which is beneficial for the frame pacing observed in the measured results.

The CPU's memory support includes both DDR4 and DDR5 in dual-channel configuration, with ECC support available. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 16 lanes provides ample bandwidth for the RTX 4080's PCIe 4.0 x16 connection, ensuring no interface bottleneck.

The Passmark results show particular strength in integer and floating-point math, with scores of 81,524 and 61,319 respectively. The data compression score of 315,521 and encryption score of 16,949 indicate strong general-purpose performance. These capabilities translate to the game's frame rate consistency, as the CPU can maintain high minimum frame rates even when the GPU is heavily loaded.

The 65 W TDP is modest for a 10-core processor, and the CPU's active production status with a launch MSRP of $196 positions it as a mainstream part. However, the benchmark data shows it performs well above its price class, with the 83rd percentile ranking confirming its strong showing against all CPUs in the database.