Minimum

The data for Minimum with the Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT shows a configuration that is heavily balanced toward CPU performance at lower resolutions, but the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor as resolution increases. This analysis walks through the measured frame rates, the roles of each component, and the optimal settings for this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic scaling pattern where the performance cost of higher resolutions is steep and consistent. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 173 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 109.3 FPS, a reduction of roughly 37%. The jump to 4K further reduces the average to 58.7 FPS, which is a 66% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck once the resolution increases.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. With High settings, the averages are 111.5 FPS at 1080p, 70.6 FPS at 1440p, and 35.8 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings represents a 68% loss in frame rate. For Ultra settings, the numbers are 81.2, 54.3, and 30.9 FPS respectively, showing a 62% drop from 1080p to 4K. The consistency of this reduction across all presets suggests that the resolution scaling is driven by the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth limits rather than by CPU-side effects.

The data also indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p. The fact that Low settings at 1080p yields 173 FPS while the same resolution at Ultra yields 81.2 FPS shows that the GPU is still the main constraint even at the lowest resolution. However, the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p (173 vs 81.2) is much wider than the gap at 4K (58.7 vs 30.9). This suggests that at 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to be influenced by settings changes, but at 4K, the GPU is saturated and settings tweaks yield diminishing returns.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Its boost clock is listed at 2589 MHz, with a game clock of 2359 MHz. The memory runs at 2000 MHz, which translates to 16 Gbps effective. These specifications place the GPU at the 71st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27985. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (with a deltaPct of 0.1) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (with a deltaPct of -0.9), meaning it performs nearly identically to the former and is about 1% behind the latter.

In Minimum, the GPU's role is most evident in the 4K results. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 30.9, which is below the standard 60 FPS target. Even at 4K Low, the average is 58.7, just shy of that target. This indicates that the 8 GB VRAM and the 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's demands at 1440p but become stressed at 4K. The texture and shading workload at 4K pushes the GPU to its limits, as evidenced by the steep drop from the 1440p results. The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 10.60 TFLOPS FP32, are clearly the limiting resource at higher resolutions.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals further contextualizes these results. Being within 1% of the RTX 3070 in synthetic benchmarks, the RX 6600 XT is a capable mid-range card. However, the measured FPS in Minimum at 4K suggests that the game is demanding enough to expose the GPU's 8 GB memory limit and its 128-bit bus width. The fact that the 4K High preset (35.8 FPS) is not far from the 4K Medium preset (44.2 FPS) suggests that the GPU is memory-bound rather than compute-bound at that resolution, as the settings change does not yield a proportional performance gain.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and a single-core score of 4643. The Geekbench multi-core score is 15636, and the single-core score is 2778. The CPU sits at the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49367.

In the context of Minimum, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with enough data to avoid frame drops. The nearest rivals to the i5-14600KF include the Intel Core i5-14600K (deltaPct of 0.4) and the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (deltaPct of 0.6), meaning the i5-14600KF is effectively tied with those parts in synthetic workloads. The high single-thread performance, as evidenced by the Passmark single-thread score of 4273, is crucial for a third-person shooter that likely relies on a single main game thread.

The measured FPS at 1080p supports the idea that the CPU is not a bottleneck. The 173 FPS average at 1080p Low is well above what most displays can handle, and the fact that the frame rate scales down as the GPU load increases (via settings or resolution) confirms that the CPU has headroom. Even at 1080p Ultra, the CPU manages to drive the GPU to 81.2 FPS without appearing to limit the frame rate. The 14 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for the game's multi-threaded tasks, and the 5.30 GHz boost clock ensures that single-threaded performance is not a constraint.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 111.5 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT compare to the RTX 3070 in this database?

A: The RX 6600 XT has an average benchmark score of 27985, which is 0.9% lower than the RTX 3070's score of 28238.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The average FPS ranges from 30.9 (Ultra) to 58.7 (Low), indicating the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at this resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve over 100 FPS?

A: At 1920x1080, all settings presets except Ultra achieve over 100 FPS on average. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (109.3 FPS) exceeds 100 FPS.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all CPUs?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF is at the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49367.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does the GPU have?

A: The GPU has 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is derived from its 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate. At 1080p, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 111.5 FPS. The Medium preset (132.9 FPS) provides a higher frame rate but with lower visual fidelity. The Ultra preset (81.2 FPS) is still playable but may be unnecessary given the diminishing returns in visual quality.

At 1440p, the High preset (70.6 FPS) is the recommended choice for a smooth experience, as it stays above 60 FPS. The Medium preset (84.8 FPS) offers better performance but with reduced visual effects. The Low preset (109.3 FPS) is viable for competitive play, but the visual quality is noticeably reduced. The Ultra preset (54.3 FPS) is not recommended for a 60 FPS target, as it falls below that threshold.

At 4K, the data suggests that the GPU is stretched too thin to maintain a consistent 60 FPS on any preset. The Low preset (58.7 FPS) is the only option that comes close, but it still averages below 60 FPS. The Medium preset (44.2 FPS) is playable but not ideal, while the High (35.8 FPS) and Ultra (30.9 FPS) presets are better suited for screenshot purposes than for actual gameplay. For a playable 4K experience, the Low preset is the only reasonable choice, and even then, frame rate dips below 60 FPS are expected.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete matrix of resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the averages are 173 FPS for Low, 132.9 FPS for Medium, 111.5 FPS for High, and 81.2 FPS for Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra is 91.8 FPS, indicating significant GPU headroom at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 109.3 FPS for Low, 84.8 FPS for Medium, 70.6 FPS for High, and 54.3 FPS for Ultra. The spread narrows to 55 FPS, showing the GPU is becoming more constrained. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at each preset results in a frame rate drop of approximately 36-38%, which is consistent with the increase in pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 58.7 FPS for Low, 44.2 FPS for Medium, 35.8 FPS for High, and 30.9 FPS for Ultra. The spread is only 27.8 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU is heavily saturated. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steep: for instance, the High preset goes from 70.6 FPS to 35.8 FPS, a 49% reduction. This is a larger percentage drop than the 1080p to 1440p transition, further confirming that the GPU is the binding constraint at 4K.

The data shows no min or max FPS values, so only average frame rates are available for analysis. The combination ranks 1207 out of 1733 in the game's database, placing it in the lower-middle tier of tested configurations. This ranking is consistent with the GPU's 71st percentile and the CPU's 93rd percentile, indicating that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing. The measured FPS at 1080p High (111.5) and 1440p High (70.6) suggest that this combo is well-suited for 1080p gaming at high settings, with 1440p being viable at medium-to-high settings depending on the user's frame rate preferences.