Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter whose modest engine demands are well within reach of this pairing, but the benchmark data shows a wide spread of results depending on how you configure it. The combination of an Intel Core i5-14600K with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is an unusual one — a modern high-core-count desktop CPU paired with a Pascal-era GPU that was end-of-life by the time the processor launched. That mismatch shows up in the measured frames, where CPU headroom is abundant but the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. This page breaks down what that means for playability, how the combo ranks among all tested configurations, and where you should set the dials.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It runs at a 3.50 GHz base clock and boosts to 5.30 GHz, with a 125 W TDP that is modest for the performance class. The cache layout is generous: 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and a 24 MB shared L3 pool. Memory support spans both DDR4 and DDR5 in dual-channel, and the CPU includes UHD Graphics 770, though a discrete GPU like the GTX 1070 makes that irrelevant for gaming. The chip ranks in the 90th percentile of all CPUs on average benchmark score, and its 24,491 Cinebench R23 multi-core score and 2,064 single-core score place it firmly in the top tier of desktop processors.

For a game from 2014, the i5-14600K is overkill in the best way. Minimum's engine, like most shooters of that era, is heavily single-thread dependent, and the 5.30 GHz boost clock ensures that the game's primary thread has more than enough velocity. The 14 cores and 20 threads also mean that any background tasks, streaming overhead, or voice chat won't interfere with frame pacing. In the measured results, the CPU is never the limiting factor at any resolution tested. At 1080p Low, the combo hits a 140 FPS average, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 24 FPS — not because the CPU lacks strength, but because the GPU can't keep up with the pixel load at that setting. The CPU's job here is to feed frames fast enough that the GPU is the only bottleneck, and the data indicates it does so even at 1080p where CPU load typically rises.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 48,618 puts it in a tight formation with its nearest rivals. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48,698, just 0.2% higher; the AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48,470, 0.3% lower; the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48,287, 0.7% lower; and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48,995, 0.8% higher. These deltas are all within a single percentage point, so the i5-14600K is effectively in a four-way tie at the top of its performance class. For Minimum specifically, this means the CPU choice among these rivals would have no measurable impact on the game's frame rates — they'd all feed the GTX 1070 equally well.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3,712 tested CPU-GPU combinations, this pairing of the i5-14600K and GTX 1070 ranks at 3,064. That is in the 17th percentile of all combos — meaning about 83% of tested configurations deliver higher frame rates in Minimum. That rank is driven entirely by the GPU. The GTX 1070 sits at the 47th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 9,780, while the CPU is at the 90th percentile. When you match a top-decile CPU with a mid-pack GPU, the combo rank falls to where the GPU lands, because the game is rendering-limited in every test. The 3,064 rank is not a verdict on the CPU — it's a verdict on the GPU's capability relative to the field.

The rank also shows how the combo scales with resolution. At 1080p, where the GPU is less stressed, the combo rises well above the 3,064 rank — it's producing 140 FPS on Low, which is in the top tier for that resolution. At 4K, where the GPU is overworked, the rank would be far lower because frame rates drop to 24-49 FPS depending on settings. The single rank number is a composite across all tested resolutions, and the GTX 1070's mid-pack GPU position drags the combo down despite the i5-14600K's elite CPU position. For a database like this, the rank is most useful for comparing against other builds you might consider. If you swapped the GTX 1070 for a stronger GPU, the combo rank would jump by many hundreds of places, because the CPU has no bottleneck. If you swapped the i5-14600K for a weaker CPU, the rank would barely move, because the GPU is the limit.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600K bottlenecking the GTX 1070 in Minimum?

A: No. Measured frame rates show the CPU is never the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 140 FPS average, and even at 1080p Ultra it maintains 68 FPS. The bottleneck appears only when resolution and settings push the GPU to its limits — at 4K Ultra the combo drops to 24 FPS average, which reflects the GTX 1070's 8 GB VRAM and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth, not the CPU.

Q: How many frames can I expect at 1080p with this combo?

A: That depends on the settings. The measured rows show: 140 FPS average on Low, 107 FPS on Medium (with a 91 FPS minimum and 123 FPS maximum), 90 FPS on High, and 68 FPS on Ultra. All are at 1920x1080, and all are CPU-unlimited.

Q: Is the GTX 1070 enough for 1440p gaming in Minimum?

A: Yes, with a settings trade-off. At 2560x1440, the combo delivers 90 FPS on Low, 69 FPS on Medium (59 FPS minimum, 79 FPS max), 58 FPS on High, and 44 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p High result is playable, but Ultra at 44 FPS might feel marshy for a shooter.

Q: How does this combo compare to other GPU pairings in the benchmark database?

A: The combo ranks 3,064 out of 3,712 tested combinations. The GPU in this pair, the GTX 1070, is at the 47th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is at the 90th percentile. That means the combo rank is held back by the GPU, not the CPU — a stronger GPU with this CPU would rank much higher.

Q: Is the GTX 1070 good enough for 60 FPS at 1080p in Minimum?

A: Yes, with room to spare. The 1080p High setting yields 90 FPS average, Medium yields 107 FPS, and Low yields 140 FPS. Even 1080p Ultra stays above 60 FPS at 68 FPS average. The only settings that fall below 60 FPS are at 4K resolution, where High, Medium, and Ultra all sit below 40 FPS.

Q: Why does the GTX 1070's benchmark percentile not match its in-game performance?

A: The GPU's 47th percentile reflects a composite across many applications, not just Minimum. Its average benchmark score is 9,780, and its nearest rivals are the AMD FirePro W5000 (score 9,803, 0.2% higher), NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (9,832, 0.5% higher), NVIDIA Tesla M10 (9,724, 0.6% lower), and NVIDIA Tesla C2070 (9,716, 0.7% lower). In Minimum, the GPU performs above its percentile at 1080p and at 1440p, but below it at 4K. The percentile is a general indicator, not a per-game guarantee.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset includes 12 measured configurations, covering four resolutions and four settings each. The general pattern is: every step up in resolution or settings costs frames, but the cost of settings increases more at higher resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the combo is at its best. Low settings produce a 140 FPS average — the highest reading in the entire dataset. Medium drops to 107 FPS, with a claimed 91 FPS minimum and 123 FPS maximum. High comes in at 90 FPS. Ultra, the most demanding preset, still holds 68 FPS average. Even the worst 1080p configuration is well above the 60 FPS threshold, so this resolution is the sweet spot for a 1070 owner who wants a smooth shooter experience.

At 2560x1440, the GPU starts to feel load. Low settings give 90 FPS, which is a 36% drop from 1080p Low. Medium gives 69 FPS (59 FPS minimum, 79 FPS maximum), which is a 35% drop from 1080p Medium. High gives 58 FPS, a 36% drop from 1080p High. Ultra gives 44 FPS, a 35% drop from 1080p Ultra. The pattern is consistent — going from 1080p to 1440p costs about one-third of the frame rate at every settings tier, which indicates the GPU's pixel throughput is the bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmed. Low settings average 49 FPS — that's the only 4K setting that breaks 30 FPS. Medium averages 47 FPS (32 FPS minimum, 43 FPS maximum — note the minimum is lower than the Low average, which is a odd data point). High averages 31 FPS. Ultra averages 24 FPS. None of the 4K presets reach 60 FPS, and even Low is below the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between 1440p and 4K is much larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p — for example, 1080p High is 90 FPS, 1440p High is 58 FPS (36% drop), and 4K High is 31 FPS (46% drop from 1440p). This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU that runs out of memory bandwidth; the GTX 1070's 256.3 GB/s bandwidth is simply not enough to feed 8K pixels at high quality.

The 1080p vs 1440p vs 4K deltas are consistent: 1080p to 1440p costs ~35%, 1440p to 4K costs ~45%. This is why the settings recommendation below targets 1080p and 1440p users, not 4K users.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is a Pascal-architecture GPU built for TSMC's 16 nm process, with a 7,200 million transistor count on a 314 mm² die. It has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.3 GB/s bandwidth — decent for its generation but modest by modern standards. The core runs at a 1,506 MHz base clock and a 1,683 MHz boost clock, with memory at 2,002 MHz (8 Gbps effective). Its compute throughput is 6.463 TFLOPS FP32, with a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s. The GPU is dual-slot, draws 150 W, and requires a 450 W power supply. It supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The GPU's percentile rank is 47th, putting it in the middle of the pack. Its average benchmark score is 9,780. The nearest rivals are all workstations or data-center parts: the AMD FirePro W5000 (9,803, 0.2% higher), NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (9,832, 0.5% higher), NVIDIA Tesla M10 (9,724, 0.6% lower), and NVIDIA Tesla C2070 (9,716, 0.7% lower). These deltas are tiny, so the GTX 1070 is functionally tied with those cards in synthetic benchmarks. In game, it outperforms them in Minimum because the game is not compute-bound — it's bandwidth-bound at high resolutions.

The GTX 1070's in-game role is clear: it is the sole bottleneck. The CPU supplies frames as fast as the engine can produce them, but the GPU can only push so many pixels per second. At 1080p, the GPU is not stressed for most settings, and the combo achieves 90-140 FPS. At 1440p, the GPU is moderately stressed, and frame rates fall to 44-90 FPS depending on settings. At 4K, the GPU is fully stressed, and frame rates never exceed 49 FPS even on Low. The VRAM, though 8 GB is enough for Minimum's textures, the 256-bit bus and 256 GB/s bandwidth limit fill rate.

What this means for the user: if you have this combo, the GPU is the component to upgrade next. The CPU can handle a much faster GPU without any bottleneck. If you're building from scratch, you'd pair this CPU with a stronger GPU for Minimum, because the GTX 1070 is the weak link.

Settings Recommendations

The data gives a clear answer for each resolution.

For 1080p, the best experience is High at 90 FPS average. It's a balanced preset that keeps the frame rate well above 60 FPS while visual quality is high. Ultra at 68 FPS is also playable, but the step from High to Ultra only gains visual fidelity at the cost of 24% of the frame rate. Medium at 107 FPS is fine if you want a competitive edge — the extra 17 FPS over High could matter in a shooter. Low is unnecessary at 1080p; 140 FPS is nice, but High is the practical sweet spot. If you have a 144 Hz monitor, Medium or Low will get you closer to that refresh, but High is the best balance.

For 1440p, the choice is High at 58 FPS or Medium at 69 FPS. High is borderline for a shooter — 58 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold, and frame dips are likely. Medium, with a 59 FPS minimum and 79 FPS maximum, is a safer bet; the average is 69 FPS, and the minimum is just below 60. If you have a 60 Hz monitor, Medium delivers a smoother experience. Ultra at 44 FPS is not recommended for a competitive shooter; the frame rate is too low for fast traversal. Low at 90 FPS is the competitive choice if you want maximum frame rate, but the graphics quality drop is significant.

For 4K, no settings are fully playable. Low at 49 FPS is the only option that crosses 45 FPS, but it's still below 60. Medium at 37 FPS, High at 31 FPS, and Ultra at 24 FPS are all too low for a shooter. If you have a 4K panel, the best approach is to run Low or Medium and accept the frame rate, or better, lower the resolution to 1440p. The data shows that 1440p Medium (69 FPS) is a far better experience than 4K Low (49 FPS).

The best experience per the measured rows is 1080p High at 90 FPS (or Medium at 107 FPS if you prefer a higher frame rate). 1440p Medium at 69 FPS is a good alternative for higher-resolution monitors. The 4K options are all below 60 FPS, so they're not recommended for this GPU.

Final take: this combo is a 1080p machine. It handles the game at high quality with plenty of headroom, and it can do 1440p at Medium with acceptable frame rates. 4K is beyond the GTX 1070's capability for a shooter where frame rate matters. The CPU is not a factor in Minimum; the GPU is the whole story.