Minimum

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is an extreme bottleneck scenario in Minimum. This combination ranks 1730th out of 1733 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 0.2% of all configurations. The benchmark data shows a system where the CPU's substantial processing power is almost entirely wasted by a GPU that cannot keep pace, resulting in playable frame rates only at the lowest settings and 1080p resolution.

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

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The processor includes 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core, alongside 80 KB of L1 cache per core. This CPU holds the 93rd percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 49,367.

In synthetic workloads, the i5-14600KF demonstrates its strength. It scores 32,889 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,643 in single-core. Its PassMark multi-thread score is 38,697, with a single-thread score of 4,273. The processor also shows strong data handling with a PassMark data compression score of 485,140 and integer math score of 125,982. These results place it just 0.4% above the Intel Core i5-14600K in average score, and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, while being 0.5% behind the AMD EPYC 4345P.

However, in Minimum, this CPU power is largely irrelevant. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 63.3 FPS, which is the highest result across all configurations. The fact that dropping resolution from 1440p to 1080p at Low settings only improves frame rate from 42.9 FPS to 63.3 FPS — a gain of 20.4 FPS — while the CPU has ample headroom shows that the GPU is the limiting factor. The processor's high single-thread performance (4,643 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is not being taxed by this 2014 title. The data indicates that the i5-14600KF is never the bottleneck; it sits idle waiting for the GPU to render frames.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a Pascal-architecture GPU built on Samsung's 14 nm process, featuring 3,300 million transistors on a 132 mm² die. It operates with a base clock of 1291 MHz and a boost clock of 1392 MHz, with memory running at 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The card has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth. It contains 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation units.

This GPU sits at the 30th percentile among all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 5,316. Its PassMark G3D score is 6,340, while its DirectX 12 score is only 26 and DirectX 11 score is 45. In Vulkan, it scores 19,851 via Geekbench. The GPU's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce 930A with a delta of 0%, while it sits 0.4% above the GeForce 940M and 0.7% above the AMD Radeon R7 240.

The GPU's limitations are starkly evident in the measured FPS. At 4K Ultra settings, the system only manages 10.7 FPS, which is unplayable. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is just 31. The 4 GB VRAM capacity appears insufficient for higher settings at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops dramatically when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings. At High settings, the FPS falls from 39.9 at 1080p to 29.7 at 1440p, a 25.6% reduction. This GPU, released in 2016, is simply outmatched by the demands of Minimum at anything beyond the lowest settings.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a clear GPU bottleneck. At Low settings, the system produces 63.3 FPS at 1080p, 42.9 FPS at 1440p, and 20.3 FPS at 4K. This represents a 32.2% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 52.7% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is roughly consistent with the increase in pixel count, confirming that the GTX 1050 Ti's rendering throughput is the constraint.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar: 47.6 FPS at 1080p, 31.4 FPS at 1440p, and 19.9 FPS at 4K. The 4K result being nearly identical to the Low setting (20.3 vs 19.9 FPS) indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that settings changes have minimal impact. High settings show 39.9 FPS at 1080p dropping to 29.7 FPS at 1440p and 13.8 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings are the most punishing, with 31 FPS at 1080p, 20.6 FPS at 1440p, and 10.7 FPS at 4K.

The data shows that the i5-14600KF's performance is consistent regardless of resolution, meaning the CPU is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect similar FPS across resolutions. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with resolution, which is the hallmark of a GPU-limited system. The GTX 1050 Ti's 112.1 GB/s memory bandwidth and 2.138 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are insufficient to feed the 14-core processor at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This combination ranks 1730th out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the bottom 0.2% of all configurations. This rank is a direct consequence of the massive mismatch between the CPU and GPU. The i5-14600KF is in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, while the GTX 1050 Ti is in the 30th percentile of all GPUs. The 63-percentile gap between the two components creates a scenario where the system's overall performance is dictated almost entirely by the GPU.

The data suggests that this combo performs nearly as poorly as the worst possible configuration, with only 3 combos ranking below it. The i5-14600KF's nearest rivals — the i5-14600K, EPYC 4345P, and Ryzen 9 5950X — would all face the same GPU limitation. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the GeForce 930A and 940M, are similarly weak, so no pairing with this GPU would yield substantially better results. The benchmark demonstrates that for this game, the GPU choice is the sole determinant of performance, and the GTX 1050 Ti is among the weakest possible options.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600KF the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No. The CPU is in the 93rd percentile of all processors with an average benchmark score of 49,367, and the FPS scales directly with resolution changes, indicating the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU's performance is never taxed by this game.

Q: What is the best frame rate this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 63.3 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, while all other 1080p settings produce between 31 and 47.6 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1050 Ti compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has an average benchmark score of 5,316, which is 0% different from the NVIDIA GeForce 930A, 0.4% above the GeForce 940M, and 0.7% above the AMD Radeon R7 240. It sits at the 30th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Why does the FPS drop so significantly from 1440p to 4K?

A: At Low settings, FPS drops from 42.9 at 1440p to 20.3 at 4K, a 52.7% reduction. This is because the 4 GB GDDR5 memory and 112.1 GB/s bandwidth of the GTX 1050 Ti cannot handle the pixel throughput required at 3840x2160.

*Q: Is this combo suitable for playing Minimum at 4K?*

A: No. The highest 4K result is 20.3 FPS at Low settings, and Ultra settings produce only 10.7 FPS. These frame rates are far below playable thresholds for a third-person shooter.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-core performance relate to this game?

A: The i5-14600KF scores 32,889 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 38,697 in PassMark multi-thread, but these capabilities are unused. The game is GPU-bound, so the CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads provide no benefit to frame rates.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of this combo's performance. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 63.3 FPS on Low settings, 47.6 FPS on Medium, 39.9 FPS on High, and 31 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low setting crosses the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra remains above 30 FPS but below ideal smoothness.

At 2560x1440, performance drops significantly across all settings. Low settings produce 42.9 FPS, Medium produces 31.4 FPS, High produces 29.7 FPS, and Ultra produces 20.6 FPS. None of these results reach 60 FPS, and only Low settings maintain playable frame rates above 40 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to remain playable. Low settings yield 20.3 FPS, Medium yields 19.9 FPS, High yields 13.8 FPS, and Ultra yields 10.7 FPS. These results are all below 25 FPS, making the game essentially unplayable at 4K regardless of settings. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is only 0.4 FPS, indicating that the GPU is completely saturated at this resolution.

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

The data clearly indicates that Low settings at 1920x1080 is the only viable configuration for a smooth experience, delivering 63.3 FPS. This is the only measured result that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold typically desired for a third-person shooter. Medium settings at 1080p produce 47.6 FPS, which is acceptable but noticeably less smooth, while High and Ultra at 1080p produce 39.9 and 31 FPS respectively.

For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, Medium settings at 1080p offers the best compromise, as it provides a 25.6% improvement over High settings in FPS while still rendering at a reasonable quality level. However, the benchmark data shows that the GTX 1050 Ti's 4 GB VRAM is insufficient for Ultra settings even at 1080p, where the FPS drops to 31.

At 1440p, Low settings at 42.9 FPS is the only playable option, but it still falls short of the smoothness achieved at 1080p. No 4K setting is recommended, as even the best 4K result (20.3 FPS at Low) is far below playable thresholds. The recommendation is unambiguous: use Low settings at 1920x1080 for the best experience, or accept Medium at 1080p if visual fidelity is paramount. The 63.3 FPS result at 1080p Low is the only configuration that approaches the performance expected from a modern gaming system.