Minimum

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1,764th out of 2,939 tested combinations in Minimum. This placement places the combo in the lower half of the database, indicating that while the components are capable, the overall system performance is not exceptional for this specific third-person shooter. The rank reflects a balanced but mid-tier result, suggesting that neither component is a standout performer in this title. The combination sits below the median, meaning a significant portion of other tested configurations deliver higher average frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs or CPUs that better leverage the game's engine.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the primary driver for visual output in this configuration, featuring 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 2317 MHz with a boost clock of 2572 MHz, and it operates on a 5 nm process from TSMC. The memory runs at 2500 MHz with an effective speed of 20 Gbps, which is sufficient for the textures and effects in Minimum at most settings, though the 8 GB capacity can become a limiting factor at higher resolutions.

In benchmark results, the RTX 5050 achieves a Passmark G3D score of 17,326 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,502. These numbers place the GPU in the 66th percentile of all tested GPUs, indicating it performs better than a majority of its peers. However, its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL with an average score of 21,153 (0.6% higher) and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M at 21,237 (1% higher), showing that the RTX 5050 is closely matched with older or integrated solutions. The GPU's FP32 compute is 13.17 TFLOPS, and it has 2,560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, which directly influence how it handles the polygon and texture workloads in Minimum.

The measured frame rates reveal that the GPU is the bottleneck at higher settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 30, while at 1080p Low, it reaches 179 FPS. This scaling indicates that the RTX 5050's raw throughput is adequate for lower resolutions but struggles to maintain high frame rates when pixel count and graphical fidelity increase. The GPU's pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s are modest figures, explaining why the card cannot sustain playable performance at 4K with maximum settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and expected decline as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 115 FPS, which drops to 74 FPS at 1440p and further to 40 FPS at 4K. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the CPU's performance does not degrade with resolution in the same manner. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p represents a 35.7% reduction in frame rate, while moving from 1440p to 4K results in a 45.9% drop, showing that the workload becomes increasingly GPU-bound at higher pixel counts.

At Low settings, the frame rates are significantly higher across all resolutions. The 1080p Low result of 179 FPS drops to 116 FPS at 1440p and 62 FPS at 4K. This suggests that when the graphical load is reduced, the GPU can keep up more effectively, but the absolute frame rate still halves from 1080p to 4K, confirming that the RTX 5050's memory bandwidth and compute capacity are stretched thin at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution; at 1080p, the difference is 91 FPS (179 vs. 88), while at 4K, it narrows to 32 FPS (62 vs. 30), implying that at higher resolutions, the GPU's capabilities are saturated regardless of the preset.

The data also highlights that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this scaling. Since the frame rates drop consistently with resolution, it is evident that the Intel Core i5-14600K, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, can feed the GPU adequately at all tested settings. The 1080p Low result of 179 FPS suggests that the CPU is capable of delivering high frame rates, but the GPU's ceiling prevents further gains at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 88, with a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 102.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 1,764th out of 2,939 combos, placing it in the lower half of the database.

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

A: The RTX 5050 is in the 66th percentile, meaning it outperforms 66% of all GPUs in the benchmark database.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck, as the average FPS drops to 30 at 4K Ultra, while the CPU's performance is sufficient to drive higher frame rates at lower resolutions.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at 1080p Medium?

A: The minimum FPS is 117 and the maximum is 158, with an average of 137.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21,035, which is 1.6% lower than the RX 5600 XT's score of 20,713.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 179, providing a highly fluid experience. Medium settings yield an average of 137 FPS, with a minimum of 117 and a maximum of 158, ensuring smooth gameplay with moderate visual enhancements. High settings produce an average of 115 FPS, which remains well above the threshold for comfortable play. Ultra settings reduce the average to 88 FPS, which is still playable but shows a significant drop from the lower presets. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 50.8% decrease in performance, indicating that the GPU's resources are heavily taxed by the highest quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease notably. Low settings average 116 FPS, which is still high but 35.2% lower than the 1080p equivalent. Medium settings average 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 102, providing a stable experience for most users. High settings produce an average of 74 FPS, which is acceptable for a third-person shooter, though not as smooth as 1080p. Ultra settings drop to an average of 57 FPS, which may be borderline for some players, especially in fast-paced scenes. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 50.9%, mirroring the 1080p pattern and confirming the GPU's consistent behavior.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5050 struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 62 FPS, which is the only preset that remains above 60 FPS. Medium settings average 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 55, indicating occasional dips below acceptable thresholds. High settings average 40 FPS, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings average 30 FPS, making the game nearly unplayable at this resolution with maximum quality. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 51.6% reduction, consistent with lower resolutions, but the absolute values are too low for a satisfying experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core processor with 20 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, making it a strong performer for gaming workloads. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache, which helps reduce memory latency and improve data access speeds. In benchmark tests, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24,491 and a single-core score of 2,064, placing it in the 90th percentile of all tested CPUs.

The CPU's performance in this combo is more than sufficient for Minimum. The 1080p Low result of 179 FPS demonstrates that the i5-14600K can drive high frame rates without bottlenecking the GPU. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,270 and multi-thread score of 38,682 indicate strong per-core performance, which is critical for games that rely on a few threads. The CPU's boost clock of 5.30 GHz is particularly beneficial for maintaining high FPS in CPU-bound scenarios, though the data shows that at lower resolutions and settings, the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-14600K's average benchmark score of 48,618 is 0.2% lower than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48,698) and 0.3% higher than the AMD EPYC 4345P (48,470). This indicates that the CPU is on par with other high-end processors, and its performance in Minimum is not a constraining factor. The CPU's 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide flexibility, though the memory type is not specified in the measured results.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, with an average of 137 FPS and a minimum of 117. This ensures smooth gameplay without sacrificing too much detail. High settings also provide a good experience at 115 FPS, but the drop to 88 FPS on Ultra is noticeable, making Medium the recommended choice for a consistent frame rate.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is again the best option, with an average of 88 FPS and a minimum of 75. This provides a playable experience with good visual fidelity. The High preset at 74 FPS is acceptable, but the lower minimum frame rates may cause occasional stuttering. Low settings at 116 FPS are an option for competitive players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, but Medium offers a better balance for most users.

At 4K, the data suggests that only Low settings are viable, with an average of 62 FPS. The Medium preset at 48 FPS and High at 40 FPS are below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and Ultra at 30 FPS is not recommended. For the best experience at 4K, users should select Low settings to maintain a playable frame rate, though this sacrifices significant visual quality. Alternatively, reducing the resolution to 1440p with Medium settings provides a far superior experience, as the frame rate more than doubles from 40 FPS to 88 FPS.