Minimum

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600KF with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 presents a stark contrast in generational capability, a dynamic clearly visible in the measured frame rates for Minimum. The CPU is a modern 14-core, 20-thread Raptor Lake part with a 3.50 GHz base clock and a 5.30 GHz boost clock, while the GPU is a 2016-era Pascal architecture card with a 1506 MHz base and 1683 MHz boost. This analysis breaks down how each component shapes the game's performance across resolutions.

CPU Role

The Core i5-14600KF is an exceptionally strong processor, sitting in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested. Its benchmark results, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and a single-core score of 4643, indicate massive headroom for gaming workloads. In Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, the CPU’s role is largely to feed frames as fast as possible without becoming a bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 138.9 FPS average, a figure that suggests the GTX 1070 is the primary limiter; the 14 cores and 20 threads are unlikely to be taxed by a title of this era. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, scores only 0.4% higher on average, confirming that the unlocked KF variant is essentially performance-equivalent in synthetic tests.

The data shows that the CPU’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2778, is more than sufficient for the game's logic. The L3 cache of 24 MB shared also helps maintain smooth frame pacing. However, the processor’s capability is not fully utilized in this configuration. The bottleneck shifts to the GPU very early, as seen in the scaling from 1080p to 1440p. The CPU’s PassMark single-thread score of 4273 reinforces that it is not the limiting factor; rather, the GPU's age and memory bandwidth dictate the upper bounds of performance.

FAQ

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49367, which is 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K (49166) and 0.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062). This places it in a tight performance cluster where the differences are negligible.

Q: What is the GPU’s standing relative to other graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 sits in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12331. It is 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (12241) and 1.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER (12504), indicating it remains a mid-pack performer.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 91.9 FPS. This is a playable level for a third-person shooter, though it is significantly lower than the 138.9 FPS achieved at Low settings, showing the impact of graphical load.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 1454 out of 1733 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the lower half of configurations, largely due to the older GPU holding back the modern CPU.

Q: Is the GPU’s memory capacity a concern for this game?

A: The GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. For Minimum, a title from 2014, this capacity is not a limiting factor, as even at 4K Ultra the frame rate is 23.4 FPS, which is more likely a compute or fill-rate limitation than a memory one.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops from 89.4 FPS at Low settings to 44.7 FPS at Ultra settings. This represents a 50% reduction in performance, highlighting the significant cost of enabling higher visual fidelity on this GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. At 1080p, the combo is capable of high frame rates, with Low settings hitting 138.9 FPS and High settings at 91.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the average FPS for High settings drops to 57.2, a reduction of 37.8% from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the GTX 1070 is struggling to maintain fill rates as pixel count increases. At 4K (3840x2160), the performance collapses further; High settings yield only 30.9 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 23.4 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

The scaling from High to Ultra at each resolution also shows significant cost. At 1080p, the drop from High (91.9 FPS) to Ultra (68.3 FPS) is a 25.7% loss. At 4K, the same settings transition results in a 24.3% loss (from 30.9 to 23.4 FPS). This consistency suggests that the GPU’s shading units and ROPs are the limiting factor, not the CPU. The data strongly indicates that the Intel Core i5-14600KF has ample headroom; the FPS differences across resolutions are almost entirely attributable to the GTX 1070’s rendering capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested hardware combinations for Minimum, this pairing of the Core i5-14600KF and GTX 1070 ranks 1454 out of 1733, placing it in the bottom 16% of configurations. This low ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU’s age and performance class. The CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile of all processors, but the GPU only ranks in the 51st percentile. The disparity is stark: the processor is a top-tier performer, while the graphics card is a middle-of-the-road part from a previous generation.

This rank indicates that while the CPU is overqualified for the task, the GPU is underqualified for modern standards, even for a 2014 title. The combo’s average FPS at 1080p High (91.9 FPS) is respectable, but the rank against other combos suggests that many other pairings with more balanced components achieve higher frame rates. The data implies that a user with this CPU could expect significant gains by upgrading the GPU, as the processor is unlikely to be the bottleneck in any scenario tested.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the definitive performance limiter in this configuration. With 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, it offers a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 6.463 TFLOPS. These specifications, while capable for 2016, are insufficient for high-refresh-rate gaming at high resolutions in Minimum. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 12331 places it just 0.7% above the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 and 1.3% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M, showing it is tightly clustered with other mid-range parts.

The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is not a problem, as memory bandwidth is 256.3 GB/s, but the core clock speeds of 1506 MHz base and 1683 MHz boost are the key factors. The benchmark results show a clear ceiling: at 4K Ultra, the combo can only manage 23.4 FPS. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 68.3, which is playable but not exceptional. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 13498 confirms its mid-tier status. In Minimum, the GPU is responsible for the frame rate drops seen when moving from Low to Ultra settings, and the data shows it is the component that must be upgraded to improve performance in this title.