Minimum

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B580 produces a mid-pack result in the game Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter. Benchmark data places this combo at rank 2790 out of 3712 tested combinations, which means it sits in the lower-middle portion of the database. That ranking is below the 90th percentile of all CPUs and the 68th percentile of all GPUs, so while the components are individually respectable, their combined performance in this title falls behind the majority of tested systems. The measured frames per second data, when read across resolutions and settings, reveals a pattern where the GPU becomes the primary limiter at higher resolutions, while the CPU has ample headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2790 out of 3712 entries places it in the bottom quarter of tested hardware pairings for "Minimum". This is not a flattering position, but the context matters. The CPU, the Intel Core i5-14600KF, is a strong processor with 14 cores and 20 threads, boosting to 5.30 GHz, and it sits at the 90th percentile compared to all CPUs. The GPU, the Intel Arc B580, is above average at the 68th percentile among all GPUs. Yet the pairing resolves to a rank that is lower than either component's individual percentile suggests. The data indicates that the game's engine or the specific workload does not scale well with the strengths of this combination, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU's performance caps out.

The nearest CPU rivals in the database all have similar average scores. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 is 0.3% ahead, and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G is 0.4% ahead. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% ahead, while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 is 0.8% behind. These tiny deltas show that the CPU is not a differentiator in this game. The GPU's nearest rivals show a similarly tight clustering: the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP is 0.2% ahead, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 is 0.6% ahead, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is 0.7% ahead. The NVIDIA P106-100 is 1% ahead. This clustering means that the measured results for this combo are not an outlier due to a defective part; the hardware is performing as expected. The low rank in this game is a function of the game's demands and the combination's scaling, not a hardware defect.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture using a 5 nm process from TSMC. It has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base and boost clock are both set to 2670 MHz, and the memory runs at 2375 MHz or 19 Gbps effective. These specifications place the GPU at the 68th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021. Its nearest rivals, the RTX 2080 and the RX 580 2048SP, are within a percentage point of its average score. In this game, the GPU's workload scales noticeably with settings and resolution.

The data shows that the GPU is the primary limiter at high resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 28, and at 4K High it is 37. Even at 4K Medium, the average is only 44, with a minimum of 37 and a maximum of 50. The GPU's 12 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient, but the raw compute throughput is what caps the frame rate. The Arc B580's FP32 performance is 13.67 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s; these numbers are not exceptional for 4K gaming. The GPU also has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, but the framerate results confirm that the bottleneck in "Minimum" at 4K is the GPU's ability to fill pixels and process shaders.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and indicates a clear GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves an average of 165 FPS, but at 4K Low it falls to 57 FPS. That is a 65% reduction in average frame rate. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is even more revealing. At 1440p Low, the average is 106 FPS, while at 4K Low it is 57 FPS. This 46% drop is larger than the pixel count increase (from 3.7 million pixels to 8.3 million), suggesting that the GPU is not scaling efficiently past 1440p. The 4K High setting shows 37 FPS, which is about 46% of the 1440p High average of 68 FPS. This is a severe drop.

The CPU is not the limiting factor at these resolutions. The i5-14600KF has 14 cores and 20 threads, and it can boost up to 5.30 GHz. Its single-core performance is strong, as evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2445 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594. The fact that the FPS drops so sharply from 1440p to 4K, while the CPU is likely underutilized at 4K, confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU's multi-core strength is not being exercised in a game like "Minimum", which likely uses few threads. The data shows the CPU has headroom, but the GPU does not.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1080p, the results are the highest. The Low preset averages 165 FPS, the Medium preset averages 126 FPS (with a minimum of 107 and a maximum of 145), the High preset averages 106 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 81 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 84 FPS, which is a 51% drop. This is a large drop, typical of a game where the Ultra preset imposes a heavy GPU load.

At 1440p, the averages are lower. Low averages 106 FPS, Medium averages 81 FPS (with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93), High averages 68 FPS, and Ultra averages 52 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 54 FPS, a 51% reduction. Compared to 1080p, the 1440p results are about 35-40% lower across all settings. For example, 1080p High is 106 FPS, and 1440p High is 68 FPS, a 36% drop.

At 4K, the results are significantly lower. Low averages 57 FPS, Medium averages 44 FPS (with a minimum of 37 and a maximum of 50), High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages 28 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 29 FPS, a 51% reduction, consistent with the other resolutions. The minimum at 4K Medium (37 FPS) is equal to the average at 4K High, showing the variance in performance. The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution shift reduces the average FPS by roughly 35-40%, regardless of the settings preset.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in "Minimum"?

A: The highest average is 165 FPS, achieved at 1080p with the Low settings preset. This is the only measured row above 160 FPS.

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

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the average is 28 FPS, while the CPU has a high single-core score of 4594 in Cinebench R23. The frame rate drops are too steep at 4K to be explained by the CPU's limits; the GPU's compute capabilities are the limiting factor.

Q: How does the 1440p Ultra compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: 1440p Ultra averages 52 FPS, while 1080p Ultra averages 81 FPS. That is a 36% reduction in average FPS when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the Ultra preset.

Q: What is the best FPS at 1440p Medium?

A: The 1440p Medium preset averages 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93. This is the highest average at 1440p, aside from the Low preset which reaches 106 FPS.

Q: Does this combo achieve a playable frame rate at 4K?

A: The 4K Low preset averages 57 FPS, which is above common playability thresholds. However, the 4K Medium preset averages 44 FPS, and the 4K Ultra preset drops to 28 FPS, which are lower. The 4K Low preset is the only 4K setting that is consistently above 60 FPS, though it does not reach 60 FPS on average.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 23021, with the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP being 0.2% higher and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 being 0.6% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is 0.7% higher, and the NVIDIA P106-100 is 1% higher. In "Minimum", the GPU's measured results are in line with these rivals, but the game's optimization may favor one architecture over another.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured data, the 1440p Medium preset offers a strong balance. It averages 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93, which is smooth enough for most players. The 1080p High preset also performs well, averaging 106 FPS, but the 1440p Medium provides a higher resolution and acceptable frame rate. The 4K Low preset is the only 4K setting that maintains an average above 55 FPS, but the visual quality at Low is significantly worse than Medium. The 4K Medium preset averages 44 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. The 1080p Ultra preset averages 81 FPS, which is a good option for those who prioritize visuals over resolution, but the 1440p Medium gives a better resolution.

The data shows a clear trade-off. At 1080p, all settings are above the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra at 81 FPS. At 1440p, the Medium and High presets are above 60 FPS, at 81 and 68 FPS respectively, while Ultra drops to 53 FPS. At 4K, only Low comes close to 60 FPS, at 57 FPS. For a competitive player, the 1440p Medium preset is the best choice, offering a high enough frame rate and resolution for the game's Third-Person Shooter genre. The 1080p High preset is also a good fallback, with an average of 106 FPS, but the 1440p Medium provides a higher resolution and the same frame rate class.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. It has 24 MB of shared L3 cache, and its memory support includes both DDR4 and DDR5. Its single-thread performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2445. Its multi-core performance is also high, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 17085. The CPU's average benchmark score is 49394, placing it at the 90th percentile.

In "Minimum", the CPU is not the limiting factor. The game is a Third-Person Shooter, and the data shows the GPU is the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K. The CPU's high single-core performance should be sufficient for the game's logic and physics. The 1080p Low preset averages 165 FPS, which is a high frame rate, but the GPU is still delivering that result because the game is not heavily CPU-bound. The CPU's multi-core performance is not fully utilized; the game likely uses a limited number of threads. The 14 cores and 20 threads are not a liability, but they do not provide a special advantage in this title. The CPU's near-rival comparisons show that the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 is 0.3% higher, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% higher, but these differences are negligible in real-world gameplay. The CPU is a capable performer, but the GPU's limitations define this combo's results.