Minimum

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER produces a distinctly GPU-bound experience in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter released on 2014-06-25. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings show that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary constraint, while the 14-core processor provides ample headroom. The data indicates this combo ranks 1540 out of 1733 tested combinations for this title, placing it in the lower percentile of system configurations, yet the absolute numbers reveal playable performance at several key settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep and consistent across all settings, confirming that pixel throughput is the limiting factor. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 134.2 FPS at 1080p to 44.8 FPS at 4K, a reduction of roughly 67%. This dramatic scaling is a classic signature of a GPU that is saturated by the increasing pixel count, especially given the GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus.

Moving to Medium settings, the 1080p average of 100.9 FPS drops to 63.6 FPS at 2560x1440 and then to 35.2 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K remains large, indicating that the graphics card’s shading units and memory bandwidth are being pushed to their limits. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s boost clock of 1785 MHz and its 1408 shading units are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K, regardless of the CPU’s capabilities.

At High settings, the pattern holds: 83.4 FPS at 1080p, 55.7 FPS at 1440p, and 29.2 FPS at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs about 33% of the frame rate, while the jump to 4K nearly halves it again. This non-linear scaling suggests that at 4K, the GPU is not just fill-rate limited but also constrained by its 336.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which becomes a bottleneck for texture and shader data. The Ultra preset amplifies this, with 62.5 FPS at 1080p falling to 40.7 FPS at 1440p and a marginal 21.3 FPS at 4K, making the highest resolution effectively unplayable with this hardware.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this CPU and GPU combination in Minimum?

A: The highest measured average is 134.2 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with the GTX 1660 SUPER in this title?

A: The data shows that 4K performance is limited. The best 4K result is 44.8 FPS at Low settings, while High and Ultra presets drop to 29.2 FPS and 21.3 FPS respectively, which fall below smooth playability thresholds.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmark scores?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 14286, placing it 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 and 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon Vega 11, while it trails the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT by 0.7%. The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics is 0.2% ahead.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Low and Ultra presets at 2560x1440?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset delivers 83.3 FPS, which drops to 63.6 FPS at Medium, 55.7 FPS at High, and 40.7 FPS at Ultra. This represents a 51% performance reduction from Low to Ultra.

Q: Does the i5-14600K show any signs of bottlenecking this GPU?

A: The CPU’s strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4642, suggests it is not the limiting factor. The consistent frame rate drops with increasing resolution point to the GPU as the primary constraint.

Q: Is the 6 GB VRAM of the GTX 1660 SUPER sufficient for Minimum?

A: Based on the measured results, the 6 GB GDDR6 memory appears adequate for the tested presets, as the performance scaling aligns more with raw compute and bandwidth limits rather than memory capacity issues.

GPU Role

The GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive component in this configuration. Its Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, contains 6,600 million transistors on a 284 mm² die. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1530 MHz and boosts to 1785 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz, effectively 14 Gbps. These clocks, combined with 1408 shading units and 88 texture mapping units, produce a texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s.

The measured frame rates in Minimum correlate strongly with these specifications. At 1080p, the GPU can maintain high frame rates because the 48 ROPs and 192-bit memory bus are not overwhelmed. However, as resolution increases, the demands on the 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and the 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 compute become evident. The 4K Ultra result of 21.3 FPS is nearly identical to the 4K High result of 29.2 FPS when scaled by the preset’s added load, indicating that the GPU is running out of execution resources.

The GPU’s percentile ranking of 55 versus all GPUs and its average benchmark score of 14286 place it in the mid-range of the hardware spectrum. The nearest rival data shows it is statistically tied with integrated graphics solutions like the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (deltaPct -0.5%) and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (deltaPct -0.2%), yet the discrete GTX 1660 SUPER still delivers 134.2 FPS at 1080p Low, which suggests that Minimum is not particularly demanding on modern hardware. The 6 GB VRAM is never saturated in the measured data, as the frame rate drops are more consistent with compute and bandwidth limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the GTX 1660 SUPER delivers its best results. The Low preset achieves 134.2 FPS, which is excellent for fast-paced gameplay. Medium settings reduce this to 100.9 FPS, still well above standard 60 Hz displays. High settings yield 83.4 FPS, maintaining smooth performance. The Ultra preset, however, drops to 62.5 FPS, which is borderline for high-refresh-rate monitors but acceptable for standard displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance penalty is clear. Low settings produce 83.3 FPS, which is a 38% reduction from 1080p. Medium settings drop to 63.6 FPS, and High settings to 55.7 FPS, which begins to approach the edge of smooth gameplay for some users. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields 40.7 FPS, a figure that is playable but not ideal for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overmatched. Low settings produce 44.8 FPS, which is acceptable for slower-paced titles but marginal for a Third-Person Shooter. Medium settings drop to 35.2 FPS, and High to 29.2 FPS, both of which are below smooth thresholds. The Ultra preset at 21.3 FPS is effectively unplayable, showing that this resolution is beyond the card’s capabilities for this game.

Across all resolutions, the step from Low to Medium costs roughly 25% of the frame rate, while the step from Medium to High costs another 20%. The step from High to Ultra is smaller in absolute terms but still significant, with the 1080p Ultra score of 62.5 FPS being the only Ultra preset that remains above 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience balances frame rate and visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering 83.4 FPS. This is sufficiently above 60 FPS for smooth gameplay while providing better visual quality than Medium (100.9 FPS) or Low (134.2 FPS). The Ultra preset at 62.5 FPS is viable for those who prioritize visuals, but the frame rate is close to the 60 FPS threshold and may dip in demanding scenes.

For users with 2560x1440 monitors, the Low preset at 83.3 FPS is the safest recommendation for maintaining high frame rates. The Medium preset at 63.6 FPS is also acceptable, offering a reasonable balance. The High preset at 55.7 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, and Ultra at 40.7 FPS is only recommended for single-player experiences where frame rate is less critical.

At 3840x2160, the data strongly suggests avoiding this resolution with this GPU. The Low preset at 44.8 FPS is the only playable option, and even that is below the 60 FPS standard. The Medium (35.2 FPS), High (29.2 FPS), and Ultra (21.3 FPS) presets all produce frame rates that will result in noticeable stutter and input lag. Users with 4K displays should either lower the resolution to 1440p or consider a more powerful GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Raptor Lake-R architecture, running at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data for game logic. The CPU’s benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a single-core score of 4642. Its percentile ranking of 93 versus all CPUs confirms its high-end positioning.

In Minimum, the CPU’s role is largely secondary to the GPU. The measured frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the CPU’s performance headroom is not exhausted. The single-thread score of 4642 in Cinebench R23 is particularly relevant for gaming, as most game logic is single-threaded. The 5.30 GHz boost clock ensures that the CPU can process game state updates and AI calculations far faster than the GPU can render frames.

The nearest rivals for the i5-14600K include the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which is 0.2% ahead in average score, and the Intel Core i5-14600KF, which is 0.4% behind. The AMD EPYC 4345P is 0.9% ahead, while the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H is 1% behind. These comparisons show that the i5-14600K is competitive with top-tier processors, meaning it is not a limiting factor in this game. The data indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield far greater frame rate improvements than upgrading the CPU, as the processor’s 14 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for a 2014 title.