Minimum

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

The Intel Core i5-14600K brings a hybrid architecture to "Minimum," pairing 14 cores and 20 threads with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This is a 2023-era Raptor Lake Refresh part built on Intel's 10 nm process, and its benchmark profile suggests it is far more computational headroom than a 2014 third-person shooter needs.

Looking at the synthetic data, this CPU is exceptionally strong. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,881 and single-core score of 4,642 place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 49,166 puts it essentially neck-and-neck with the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which scores 49,062 (a delta of 0.2% in favor of the Intel chip). The data suggests a slight edge over the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49,367, delta -0.4%) and a small deficit to the AMD EPYC 4345P (49,595, delta -0.9%).

For a game like "Minimum," the question is whether this CPU ever becomes a limiting factor. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo hits 171.7 FPS, and at 1440p Low it reaches 107.7 FPS. These are high framerates, but they are far from the CPU's theoretical ceiling. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,270 and Geekbench single-core score of 2,803 indicate the i5-14600K can push a single thread very hard, which is what older game engines often rely upon.

However, the data implies that the GPU becomes the bottleneck long before the CPU breaks a sweat. The scaling from Low to Ultra settings shows the framerate dropping by more than half at every resolution, which is classic GPU-limited behavior. The 14-core, 20-thread configuration is likely overkill for "Minimum," but it does ensure that even the most chaotic firefights with many NPCs on screen will not cause CPU-related stutters. The L3 cache of 24 MB shared also helps with keeping game data close to the cores, though the exact impact on this specific title is not directly measured.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600K compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49,166, which is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49,062) and 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49,367). It also trails the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.9%.

Q: What is the best framerate achieved by this CPU and GPU combo in "Minimum"?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 171.7, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is significantly higher than the 84 FPS seen at the same resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER bottleneck the i5-14600K in this game?

A: The data strongly suggests yes. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 27.1, while at 1080p Low it is 171.7. This massive performance swing based on settings and resolution indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU's performance is likely consistent across these scenarios.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER sits in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19,774. It is 0.5% ahead of the RTX 2070 (19,680) and 0.3% ahead of the GTX TITAN (19,706).

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 2060 SUPER have, and what type is it?

A: It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU?

A: The launch MSRP of the Intel Core i5-14600K is $319.

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

The measured FPS data from 1080p to 4K paints a clear picture of a system that is heavily GPU-bound. At Low settings, the average framerate drops from 171.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 107.7 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 57.3 FPS at 3840x2160. This is a drop of 64.4 FPS from 1080p to 1440p, and another 50.4 FPS from 1440p to 4K. The percentage decline from 1080p to 4K is roughly 66.6%, meaning the card loses two-thirds of its performance when pixel count quadruples.

This pattern is consistent across all settings. At High settings, the framerate goes from 107.6 FPS at 1080p to 70.4 FPS at 1440p and then to 36.8 FPS at 4K. At Ultra settings, the numbers are 84 FPS, 51.9 FPS, and 27.1 FPS respectively. The fact that the framerate scales nearly linearly with resolution, rather than maintaining a plateau, is the signature of a GPU that is working at its maximum capacity.

If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar framerates at 1080p and 1440p, with a drop only at 4K. That is not the case here. The data indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER's rendering pipeline is saturated at all resolutions, and the i5-14600K is effectively idle, waiting for the GPU to deliver frames. The 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth are being taxed, but the CPU's 24 MB of L3 cache and 5.30 GHz boost clock are not.

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

1920x1080: The full HD results show a wide spread across presets. Low settings deliver an average of 171.7 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium settings drop to 131.1 FPS, and High settings further reduce performance to 107.6 FPS. Ultra settings cap the list at 84 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 87.7 FPS, indicating that the visual fidelity settings have a massive impact on the GPU workload.

2560x1440: At 1440p, the framerates compress somewhat. Low settings still lead with 107.7 FPS, followed by Medium at 87.1 FPS and High at 70.4 FPS. Ultra settings bring up the rear with 51.9 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 55.8 FPS, a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p, but still a significant percentage drop. Notably, 1440p Ultra is the only sub-60 FPS result at this resolution, and it barely misses the mark.

3840x2160: The 4K results are where the RTX 2060 SUPER begins to struggle. Low settings produce a playable 57.3 FPS average, but Medium drops to 46.3 FPS, and High falls to 36.8 FPS. Ultra settings yield only 27.1 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a third-person shooter. The data shows a clear cliff: Low settings at 4K are just over 60 FPS, but every other preset at this resolution is sub-60, and the higher presets are firmly in the 20s and 30s.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is identical: Low is the fastest, then Medium, then High, with Ultra being the slowest. The relative ordering never changes, but the absolute numbers scale down as resolution increases. This consistency suggests that the game's settings scale uniformly in terms of GPU load.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the grand scheme of all tested combinations for "Minimum," this pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1,263rd out of 1,733 total combos. This places it in the lower 27.1% of all systems tested, meaning that roughly 73% of the other CPU/GPU pairings deliver higher average framerates in this game.

This ranking is noteworthy because the CPU itself is in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is only in the 63rd percentile. The discrepancy between the two components' individual standings and the combo's overall rank highlights how much the GPU drags down the system's performance in "Minimum." The data implies that the i5-14600K is not the constraining factor; if a more powerful GPU were paired with it, the combo rank would likely be much higher.

The rank of 1,263 out of 1,733 also suggests that this is a mid-to-lower tier setup for this specific game, despite the modern CPU. It is important to note that this rank is specific to "Minimum" and may not reflect performance in other titles, especially those that are more CPU-intensive. The data shows that for this game, the GPU is the primary determinant of the combo's standing.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and the user's preference for visual quality versus smoothness.

At 1920x1080, the High preset is the clear sweet spot. The average FPS of 107.6 is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and it offers significantly better visual fidelity than Medium (131.1 FPS) or Low (171.7 FPS). While Ultra at 84 FPS is also playable, the jump from High to Ultra costs 23.6 FPS for what is likely a marginal visual improvement in a 2014 title. The data suggests High provides the best balance of smoothness and quality.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts to Medium. The Medium preset delivers 87.1 FPS, which is comfortable for a third-person shooter. High at 70.4 FPS is also acceptable, but Medium offers a 16.7 FPS advantage and is likely to maintain a more consistent framerate in busy scenes. Ultra at 51.9 FPS is borderline, and Low at 107.7 FPS is fast but sacrifices too much visual detail for the resolution.

At 3840x2160, the choice is stark. Low settings produce an average of 57.3 FPS, which is just under the 60 FPS ideal but still playable. Medium drops to 46.3 FPS, and High falls to 36.8 FPS, which is likely to feel sluggish. Ultra at 27.1 FPS is not recommended for action gameplay. The data shows that 4K is only viable with Low settings on this GPU; any other preset will result in a sub-optimal experience.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU built on TSMC's 12 nm process, featuring 10,800 million transistors on a die size of 445 mm². Its core clocks run at a base of 1470 MHz and a boost of 1650 MHz. The memory is configured as 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. These specs are the foundation of the GPU's performance, and the measured FPS data shows how they hold up in "Minimum."

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial for its era. It has 2,176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, along with 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores. Its FP32 performance is rated at 7.181 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 105.6 GPixel/s. These numbers explain why the card can handle 1080p High at over 100 FPS, but they also predict its struggles at 4K Ultra, where the fill rate and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors.

The 8 GB VRAM is a crucial detail. In a 2014 game, 8 GB is more than sufficient for textures and geometry, so it is unlikely to be a bottleneck. However, the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is what determines how quickly the GPU can access texture data. At 4K, the higher resolution demands more memory throughput, and the data shows the card's performance dropping by over 50% from 1080p to 4K at every settings level. This indicates that the GPU's rendering pipeline, not the VRAM capacity, is the primary constraint.

The RTX 2060 SUPER's benchmark scores reinforce this. Its PassMark G3D score is 16,462, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2,011. These place it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 19,774. Its nearest rival, the RTX 2070, scores 19,680 (delta 0.5%), showing how close these cards are in raw compute. In "Minimum," the GPU's role is clear: it is the gatekeeper of framerate, and its limits are exposed at higher resolutions and settings.