Minimum

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured data for Minimum with the Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 570 shows a steep and consistent performance cliff as resolution increases, clearly identifying the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combination produces 82 FPS on average; stepping up to 1440p Low drops that to 53 FPS, a 35% reduction. Moving to 4K Low yields just 28 FPS, which is 66% below the 1080p result. This scaling pattern — where each resolution jump roughly halves the frame rate — is textbook behavior for a system constrained by pixel throughput rather than CPU capability.

The gap between settings presets widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the spread from Low (82 FPS) to Ultra (40 FPS) is 42 FPS. At 1440p, that spread narrows to 27 FPS (53 to 26), and at 4K it compresses to just 14 FPS (28 to 14). This compression indicates that at 4K, even the Low preset is saturating the GPU's capabilities; the renderer cannot push enough frames regardless of how much graphical workload is removed. The data shows a 4K Ultra result of 14 FPS, which is effectively unplayable, while 4K Low at 28 FPS remains below the threshold for smooth motion.

The RX 570's 4 GB GDDR5 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely contributing factors to this scaling behavior. At 4K, texture and buffer demands exceed what the memory subsystem can efficiently feed, and the benchmark results reflect that constraint. The 256-bit memory bus provides reasonable bandwidth for 1080p, but the 14 nm Polaris 20 chip, with its 5.095 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, simply lacks the raw shading power for 4K workloads. The percentile ranking of 74 among all GPUs places this card in the mid-range, and the measured FPS confirms that 4K is beyond its design envelope.

Interestingly, the CPU's role in this scaling is minimal. The i5-14600K, with a 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 48618, is nowhere near limiting at any resolution. The nearest CPU rival, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, scores 48698 (a 0.2% delta), and the AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470 (a 0.3% delta), all essentially identical. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are far too large to be explained by CPU-side physics or draw call processing; they are purely a function of GPU fill rate and memory bandwidth. The data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield immediate dividends at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU could remain in place for years without becoming a limiting factor.

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

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates at a 3.50 GHz base clock and boosts to 5.30 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This processor, released in October 2023 with a launch MSRP of $319, sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of processors on the market.

In the context of Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released in 2014, the CPU's capabilities are vastly over-provisioned. The game's engine was designed for the hardware of its era, and the i5-14600K's single-thread performance — evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2491 — ensures that no frame rate measured in this dataset is constrained by CPU processing. The multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core at 24491, Geekbench multi-core at 16673) further confirm that even heavily threaded workloads would not stress this processor in a 2014 title.

The benchmark results for the i5-14600K show a PassMark single-thread score of 4270 and a PassMark multi-thread score of 38682. These synthetic numbers correlate with real-world gaming performance, where high single-thread throughput is critical for game logic, physics, and draw call submission. At 1080p Low, where the GPU is least burdened, the combination reaches 82 FPS, and even at 1080p Ultra it manages 40 FPS. The fact that the frame rate drops from 82 to 40 as settings increase — while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant — indicates that the GPU is the active constraint, not the processor.

The nearest CPU rivals reinforce this positioning. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, with an average score of 48698, is 0.2% slower; the AMD EPYC 4345P at 48470 is 0.3% slower; the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX at 48287 is 0.7% slower; and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 at 48995 is 0.8% faster. These sub-1% deltas mean that swapping among these processors would produce no measurable difference in Minimum's frame rates. The data shows that the i5-14600K's 14 cores and 20 threads are far more than this game requires, and any performance ceiling in this benchmark is entirely attributable to the GPU.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the definitive limiting factor in this configuration. Based on the Polaris 20 chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, this GPU features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. It runs at a base clock of 1168 MHz with a boost clock of 1244 MHz, delivering 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The 4 GB of GDDR5 memory operates at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, yielding 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card was released in April 2017 with a launch MSRP of $169 and is now end-of-life.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 74th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28766. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28874, 0.4% faster), the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28580, 0.7% slower), the AMD Radeon RX 470 (28996, 0.8% slower), and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 (28421, 1.2% slower). These tight margins underscore that the RX 570 is a mid-range card from the Polaris generation, and its performance in Minimum reflects that standing.

At 1080p, the RX 570 delivers playable frame rates: 82 FPS on Low, 63 FPS on Medium, 53 FPS on High, and 40 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS, indicating some frame time variance but generally smooth gameplay. At 1440p, performance drops to 53 FPS on Low, 40 FPS on Medium, 34 FPS on High, and 26 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS, which straddles the playability threshold. At 4K, the card is overwhelmed: 28 FPS on Low, 22 FPS on Medium (minimum 19, maximum 25), 18 FPS on High, and 14 FPS on Ultra.

The VRAM capacity of 4 GB is a notable concern at higher resolutions. While Minimum is a 2014 title and may not require massive texture budgets, the 4K results suggest that memory bandwidth and capacity are both strained. The 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, while respectable for 1080p, is insufficient for the pixel throughput demanded at 3840x2160. The pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s and texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits that the measured FPS data approaches at 4K, confirming that the GPU's fill rate is the binding constraint.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this configuration depend entirely on the target resolution and the user's tolerance for frame rate variance. At 1080p, the Medium preset (63 FPS average, 53 FPS minimum) offers the best balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. The jump from Medium to High costs 10 FPS (63 to 53), while the jump from Low to Medium gains 19 FPS over the Low preset's 82 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 53 FPS ensures that the experience remains fluid even during demanding scenes, whereas the High preset's average of 53 FPS with no reported minimum suggests potential dips below that level.

At 1440p, the Low preset (53 FPS) is the only option that maintains a consistent 50+ FPS experience. The Medium preset at 40 FPS (with a 34 FPS minimum) is borderline; it will be playable for users who can tolerate occasional frame drops, but the 34 FPS minimum risks noticeable stutter. The High preset at 34 FPS and Ultra at 26 FPS are both below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. For 1440p, users should prioritize the Low preset unless they are willing to accept the frame rate instability of Medium.

At 4K, no preset delivers a playable experience. The best result is Low at 28 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS baseline for cinematic frame pacing and far below the 60 FPS ideal. The Medium preset at 22 FPS (minimum 19, maximum 25) shows that even with reduced settings, the GPU cannot maintain a consistent frame rate. The data indicates that 4K gaming is simply not viable with this GPU, and users should either drop to 1440p or consider a hardware upgrade.

The overall recommendation is to target 1080p Medium for the best experience. This preset provides a 63 FPS average with a 53 FPS minimum, which is above the 60 FPS target for most of the run and never dips below 50 FPS. For users with 1440p monitors, the Low preset at 53 FPS is the only viable option. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions, as it yields 40 FPS at 1080p and 14 FPS at 4K, representing a significant performance cost for marginal visual gains.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combination in Minimum?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the only resolution where all presets achieve at least 40 FPS. The Low preset reaches 82 FPS, Medium 63 FPS, High 53 FPS, and Ultra 40 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (53 FPS) exceeds 50 FPS, and at 4K, the best result is Low at 28 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 570 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28766, placing it in the 74th percentile. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M is 0.4% faster at 28874, the AMD Radeon R9 M295X is 0.7% slower at 28580, the AMD Radeon RX 470 is 0.8% slower at 28996, and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 is 1.2% slower at 28421.

Q: Is the i5-14600K a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 48618. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, scores 48698 (0.2% delta). The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is entirely attributable to GPU limitations, not CPU processing.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows a 1440p Medium average of 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS. This is a borderline playable experience, with the minimum dipping below the 40 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: The data indicates no. At 4K, the highest average FPS is 28 (Low preset), with Medium at 22 FPS, High at 18 FPS, and Ultra at 14 FPS. All results are below the 30 FPS minimum for acceptable gameplay.

Q: How does the combo rank in Minimum?

A: This combination of Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 3542 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the bottom 5% of configurations for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080:

• Low: 82 FPS average
• Medium: 63 FPS average (minimum 53, maximum 72)
• High: 53 FPS average
• Ultra: 40 FPS average

At 1080p, the scaling from Low to Ultra shows a consistent 10-20 FPS drop per settings tier. The Medium preset's minimum of 53 FPS and maximum of 72 FPS indicate a frame time variance of 19 FPS, which is manageable for most players. The Low preset at 82 FPS is well above the 60 FPS target, and even Ultra at 40 FPS is playable for users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate.

2560x1440:

• Low: 53 FPS average
• Medium: 40 FPS average (minimum 34, maximum 46)
• High: 34 FPS average
• Ultra: 26 FPS average

At 1440p, the Low preset maintains a 53 FPS average, which is acceptable for most gameplay. The Medium preset's 40 FPS average with a 34 FPS minimum creates a risky experience, as the minimum dips below the 35 FPS threshold that many players find uncomfortable. The High preset at 34 FPS and Ultra at 26 FPS are both below playable thresholds. The gap between Low and Medium (13 FPS) is the largest single settings jump at this resolution, indicating that the Medium preset's additional graphical features carry a significant performance cost.

3840x2160:

• Low: 28 FPS average
• Medium: 22 FPS average (minimum 19, maximum 25)
• High: 18 FPS average
• Ultra: 14 FPS average

At 4K, every preset falls below 30 FPS. The Low preset at 28 FPS is the closest to playability, but the Medium preset's minimum of 19 FPS and maximum of 25 FPS shows a 6 FPS variance that would be noticeable as stuttering. The High preset at 18 FPS and Ultra at 14 FPS are effectively slideshows. The scaling from Low to Medium (6 FPS drop) is proportionally smaller than at other resolutions, suggesting that the GPU is already near its absolute limit at 4K Low and additional settings reductions yield diminishing returns.

The data across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern: the RX 570 is a 1080p-class card that can manage 1440p only at the lowest settings. The 4K results are uniformly unplayable, and the 14 FPS Ultra result at 4K represents the worst-case scenario for this configuration. Users seeking higher frame rates at higher resolutions would need to upgrade the GPU, as the CPU's 90th percentile ranking ensures it will not be the limiting factor in any scenario.