Minimum

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread desktop processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface, and pairs with the Intel Socket 1700 platform. In synthetic workloads, the chip posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,914 and a single-core score of 3,093, while Geekbench results show 11,209 multi-core and 2,333 single-core. The PassMark multithread score of 25,783 and single-thread score of 3,723 further quantify its capability. Relative to all CPUs, the i5-14400F ranks at the 88th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 32,508.

The CPU's performance envelope is relevant to Minimum's measured frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where the processor has more influence on the overall throughput. The data shows a clear scaling pattern: at 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 399 FPS, but dropping to Ultra yields 200.1 FPS. This gap of nearly 200 FPS suggests that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at high rates, the game's settings impose a heavier load on the graphics pipeline as quality increases. The i5-14400F sits in a tight competitive band: its average score is within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-12800H (32,513) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32,446), and it trails the AMD Ryzen 7 250 (32,584) by only 0.2%. That proximity means the CPU is unlikely to be the bottleneck in Minimum—the measured frame rates are more strongly tied to the GPU and settings.

At 1440p, the CPU still matters. The jump from Low (263.7 FPS) to High (171.8 FPS) demonstrates that the processor can sustain high refresh rates without imposing a hard ceiling. However, the 4K results tell a different story: even at Low settings, the frame rate drops to 139.5 FPS, which indicates that the GPU becomes the primary constraint at this resolution. The i5-14400F's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core are adequate for the game's threading demands, but the data does not show any resolution where the CPU alone limits performance—the trend is consistent with GPU-bound scaling.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2407 MHz, with a base clock of 2017 MHz, and memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The GPU packs 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, with 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. Compute throughput is rated at 104.8 TFLOPS for FP32, and the card's 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs underscores its position. Its average benchmark score is 84,306, with the nearest rival—the RTX 5090 D—scoring 84,241 (0.1% delta), and the RTX 5050 Mobile at 84,171 (0.2% delta). The AMD Radeon PRO W6600 trails by 1.3% with 83,209, while the NVIDIA CMP 40HX leads by 1.6% at 85,637.

The RTX 5090's memory capacity and bandwidth are critical in Minimum, particularly at 4K where the game's asset streaming can benefit from the 32 GB VRAM. The measured data shows a consistent drop in frame rates as settings increase at every resolution. At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 139.5 (Low) down to 68.6 (Ultra), representing a 50.8% reduction from the lowest to highest quality preset. The GPU's raw compute power allows for high frame rates at 1080p—hitting 399 FPS on Low—but the settings scaling reveals that even this flagship card cannot fully offset the rendering demands of Ultra at higher resolutions. The 1440p results mirror this: 263.7 FPS on Low versus 131.1 FPS on Ultra.

That the RTX 5090 sits at the 94th percentile among all GPUs aligns with its measured behavior: it provides playable frame rates across all tested settings, but the data indicates that Ultra presets at 4K (68.6 FPS) push the hardware to its limit for a smooth experience. The GPU's 1.79 TB/s bandwidth and 32 GB VRAM are likely contributors to the relatively modest performance drop from Medium (110.1 FPS) to High (91.7 FPS) at 4K, as the memory subsystem does not become a bottleneck in these rows.

FAQ

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-14400F bottleneck the RTX 5090 in Minimum?

A: No, the data shows no evidence of a CPU bottleneck. The i5-14400F's average benchmark score (32,508) is within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-12800H, and the measured frame rates scale consistently with GPU load. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 399 FPS, which is well above what the CPU would need to limit.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for maximum frame rate?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 399 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is 87 FPS higher than the next best result (311.9 FPS at 1080p Medium), indicating that Low settings at 1080p are optimal for raw performance.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 scores 84,306 on average, which is 0.1% ahead of the RTX 5090 D (84,241) and 0.2% ahead of the RTX 5050 Mobile (84,171). It trails the NVIDIA CMP 40HX (85,637) by 1.6% and leads the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (83,209) by 1.3%.

Q: Is 4K Ultra playable with this combo?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 68.6, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but not by a wide margin. The 4K High preset delivers 91.7 FPS, making it a more comfortable choice for sustained high-refresh-rate play.

Q: Does the CPU's clock speed matter more at lower resolutions?

A: The i5-14400F's boost clock of 4.70 GHz appears sufficient. The frame rate difference between 1080p Low (399 FPS) and 1440p Low (263.7 FPS) is 135.3 FPS, which is a GPU-driven change, not a CPU limitation, as the CPU's single-thread score of 3,093 (Cinebench R23) is robust.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 16th out of 1,733 tested combinations, placing it in the top 1% of all pairings evaluated in Minimum.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across the four presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 399 FPS, which is the highest recorded value in the entire dataset. The Medium preset drops to 311.9 FPS, High to 264.5 FPS, and Ultra to 200.1 FPS. For competitive play or maximum refresh rate, Low at 1080p is the standout choice—it offers a 31% improvement over Medium and nearly double the frame rate of Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. Low achieves 263.7 FPS, still well above the 144 Hz threshold for high-refresh monitors. Medium provides 199.9 FPS, High 171.8 FPS, and Ultra 131.1 FPS. For a balance between visual fidelity and smoothness, Medium at 1440p is the sweet spot: it is 64 FPS faster than High while retaining most of the quality uplift over Low.

At 3840x2160, the settings choice becomes more consequential. Low yields 139.5 FPS, which is excellent for 4K. Medium drops to 110.1 FPS, High to 91.7 FPS, and Ultra to 68.6 FPS. The leap from Ultra to High is 23.1 FPS, making High the recommended preset for 4K play if visual quality matters—it stays above 90 FPS. Ultra is only viable for players who prioritize image quality over frame rate and can tolerate sub-70 FPS averages.

The overall recommendation is to choose Low at 1080p (399 FPS) for the highest possible refresh rate, Medium at 1440p (199.9 FPS) for a balanced experience, and High at 4K (91.7 FPS) for a visually rich but still smooth session. The data does not support Ultra at any resolution as the best experience—the frame rate penalties (e.g., 199.8 FPS loss at 1080p versus Low) outweigh the graphical gains.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 16th out of 1,733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the top 0.9% of all pairings. This ranking reflects the raw performance of the RTX 5090, which is the dominant component in this pairing. The CPU's 88th percentile ranking among all processors is solid, but the GPU's 94th percentile status is what drives the combo's position high in the list.

Many of the 15 combos ranked above this one likely feature even higher-end CPUs, but the measured frame rates in Minimum show that the i5-14400F does not leave meaningful performance on the table. The 1080p Low result of 399 FPS is near the upper bound of what any display can show, and the 4K Ultra result of 68.6 FPS is competitive with any hardware configuration.

The combo's rank is consistent with the synthetic benchmarks: the CPU's average score (32,508) is statistically tied with its nearest rivals, all within a 0.2% delta, meaning the processor is not a differentiator. Instead, the RTX 5090's dominance is the deciding factor. The GPU's 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are unique assets in the tested pool, and the data indicates that this combo is among the most capable for Minimum at any resolution or preset.