Minimum

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rate data for Minimum with the Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 7600 reveals a clear hierarchy across the four available presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 170.7 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this combination. The Medium preset follows at 132.3 FPS, and High drops to 109.5 FPS. Ultra is the most demanding at this resolution, producing 85.5 FPS.

For users prioritizing the highest possible frame rates, particularly on high-refresh-rate displays at 1080p, the Low preset is the optimal choice. The data shows a substantial performance headroom: the jump from Low to Medium costs 38.4 FPS, while the step from Medium to High costs another 22.8 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is 24.0 FPS. At 2560x1440, the pattern holds. Low achieves 111.8 FPS, Medium 87.6 FPS, High 70.7 FPS, and Ultra 51.5 FPS. The relative cost of each preset tier is similar to 1080p, though the absolute numbers are lower.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. Low is the only preset that remains above 60 FPS, averaging 60.2 FPS. Medium falls to 45.2 FPS, High to 36.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 27.3 FPS. Given that 4K Ultra produces less than half the frame rate of 4K Low, the data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant graphical compromises. For a balanced experience across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers the best trade-off between visual fidelity and performance, as it maintains playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p while remaining the second-fastest option in every resolution. However, for competitive play or maximum smoothness, Low is the recommended preset.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is the primary performance driver in this pairing for Minimum. Its memory configuration consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1720 MHz, a game clock of 2250 MHz, and a boost clock of 2655 MHz. These specifications directly correlate with the measured frame rates, which scale predictably with resolution and settings.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the GPU delivers 170.7 FPS. This high figure indicates that the RX 7600 is not heavily constrained at this setting, and the frame rate is likely limited by other factors such as CPU draw-call overhead. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows. At 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 111.8 FPS, a reduction of 58.9 FPS from 1080p. At 4K Low, the frame rate is 60.2 FPS, showing that the GPU's rendering capacity is being stretched.

The GPU's VRAM capacity of 8 GB becomes relevant when examining the Ultra preset results. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is 27.3 FPS, which is substantially lower than the 60.2 FPS at 4K Low. While the increase in shading complexity from the Ultra preset contributes to this drop, the 8 GB frame buffer is a likely bottleneck at this resolution and settings combination. The texture and geometry demands of 4K Ultra can exceed the available VRAM, leading to performance degradation. In contrast, at 1080p Ultra, the frame rate is 85.5 FPS, which is still playable, suggesting that VRAM pressure is less severe at lower resolutions. The GPU's 64 ROPs and 128 TMUs provide the fill rate necessary for these results, but the memory subsystem appears to be the limiting factor at the highest settings.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Minimum?*

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 170.7 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this combination maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only with the Low preset, which averages 60.2 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 45.2 FPS, and High and Ultra fall to 36.7 and 27.3 FPS respectively.

Q: How much performance is gained by switching from Ultra to Low at 1440p?

A: The frame rate increases from 51.5 FPS at Ultra to 111.8 FPS at Low, representing a gain of 60.3 FPS, or more than double the frame rate.

Q: Is the RX 7600's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K Ultra settings in this game?

A: The data indicates a significant performance drop at 4K Ultra (27.3 FPS) compared to 4K Low (60.2 FPS). While this is partly due to increased rendering load, the 8 GB VRAM capacity is likely a contributing factor to the poor performance at this specific configuration.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p Medium and 1440p Medium?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average is 132.3 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it drops to 87.6 FPS, a difference of 44.7 FPS.

Q: How does the combo's overall ranking compare to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1194th out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the lower third of all tested systems for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo shows strong performance. The Low preset yields 170.7 FPS, which is the peak for this configuration. Medium produces 132.3 FPS, High 109.5 FPS, and Ultra 85.5 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a total reduction of 85.2 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset costs roughly half the frame rate of Low.

At 2560x1440, the performance decreases proportionally with the increased pixel count. Low delivers 111.8 FPS, which remains highly playable. Medium drops to 87.6 FPS, High to 70.7 FPS, and Ultra to 51.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 60.3 FPS. Notably, 1440p Medium (87.6 FPS) performs slightly worse than 1080p High (109.5 FPS), demonstrating the resolution's impact on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution, the data shows the combo's limits. Low is the only preset above 60 FPS, averaging 60.2 FPS. Medium falls to 45.2 FPS, which is below the typical 60 FPS target. High produces 36.7 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 27.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 32.9 FPS. Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently provides the highest frame rates, while Ultra provides the lowest. The data shows a clear pattern: each step up in either resolution or settings results in a measurable and predictable frame rate penalty.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database for Minimum, the combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 7600 is ranked 1194th out of 1733 tested combinations. This places the combo in the 31st percentile of all tested systems, meaning that roughly 69% of tested configurations deliver higher frame rates in this game. The ranking reflects the overall performance across all measured scenarios, weighted by the FPS results.

The CPU's general benchmark percentile is high, with the i5-14600K sitting in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested. Its average benchmark score is 49166, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X scores 49062, a 0.2% difference, while the Intel Core i5-14600KF scores 49367, a -0.4% difference. The AMD EPYC 4345P and Intel Xeon Gold 5318H are also within a 1% margin. This indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this pairing.

The GPU, however, is less competitive. The RX 7600 ranks in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20258. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (score 20146, 0.6% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (score 20534, -1.3% difference). The GPU's mid-range status is reflected in the game's ranking. The 1194th position out of 1733 combos suggests that while the CPU is high-end, the GPU's performance in Minimum is the limiting factor, dragging the overall combo down in the rankings. The data indicates that this is a balanced pairing for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but not for high-refresh 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K features 14 cores and 20 threads, running at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This processor has a 24 MB shared L3 cache and is built on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its benchmark scores are substantial: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a single-core score of 4642. PassMark results show a multi-thread score of 38682 and a single-thread score of 4270.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 170.7 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is capable of handling the game's single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads without becoming a bottleneck at this resolution. The CPU's high single-core performance, evidenced by its 2803 Geekbench single-core score, is particularly relevant for a third-person shooter, which often has a primary game thread.

However, the CPU's influence diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K Low, the frame rate drops to 60.2 FPS, which is a much larger decrease than would be expected if the CPU were the limiting factor. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads provide ample parallel processing capability for the game's background systems. The CPU's TDP of 125 W and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory are relevant for system integration, but the performance data shows that the CPU's capabilities are not fully utilized at higher resolutions. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking and its proximity to the Ryzen 9 5950X in benchmarks confirm that it is a high-performance part that will not hold back the RX 7600 in most scenarios, but the GPU's limits become apparent at 4K and at higher settings presets.