Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that, on paper, should not stress modern hardware. Yet, the measured frame rates for the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination reveal a nuanced performance profile that shifts dramatically depending on resolution and quality preset. The data suggests this pairing delivers a highly playable experience at 1080p, but the GPU begins to show its limits as pixel count rises, while the CPU's substantial headroom keeps minimum frame pacing stable. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, scaling behavior, and component roles using only the provided benchmark data.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K exposes a clear bottleneck shift. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 205 FPS average, but this drops to 131.3 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 68.6 FPS at 3840x2160. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is approximately 36%, while moving from 1440p to 4K incurs a nearly 48% reduction. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4060's rendering pipeline becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU has ample capacity to feed frames.

The scaling pattern holds across all settings. For High settings, the average FPS goes from 131 at 1080p to 82.5 at 1440p (a 37% drop) and then to 45.9 at 4K (a 44% drop from 1440p). Ultra settings show the most dramatic falloff: 96.3 FPS at 1080p, 67 at 1440p, and 36.6 at 4K. The consistent ~35-48% reduction per resolution step suggests a GPU-bound scenario where the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus struggle to sustain bandwidth demands as pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (205 FPS) and Ultra (96.3 FPS) is 108.7 FPS. At 4K, the gap narrows to 32 FPS (68.6 vs 36.6). This compression indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that even lowering settings cannot fully compensate for the resolution overhead, a classic sign of pixel-fill and memory-bandwidth limitations rather than shader complexity.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 958th out of 1733 tested combinations for Minimum, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. This ranking might seem surprising given the hardware's modern pedigree, but it reflects the game's age and optimization quirks. The i5-14600KF sits in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 4060 is in the 66th percentile for GPUs. The disparity between these percentiles suggests the CPU is overqualified for this title, and the overall combo rank is dragged down by the GPU's mid-pack standing.

The CPU's nearest rivals confirm its strong position: the i5-14600K scores 49166 (0.4% lower), the AMD EPYC 4345P scores 49595 (0.5% higher), and the Ryzen 9 5950X scores 49062 (0.6% lower). These minuscule deltas indicate that the 14600KF is essentially at parity with the best available desktop processors, yet the combo still lands at the 55th percentile of all tested pairs. This implies that for Minimum, the GPU choice matters far more than CPU selection, as even top-tier processors cannot boost the frame rates if the graphics card is the constraining element.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the ideal balance of visual fidelity and performance is found at Medium settings for 1080p and 1440p. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 157.3 FPS, which is 49.7 FPS higher than High (131) and only 47.7 FPS lower than Low (205). This provides a smooth experience well above 144 Hz refresh rates while retaining acceptable visual quality. For 2560x1440, Medium yields 102.8 FPS, which is still above 100 FPS and represents a 20.3 FPS improvement over High (82.5).

For 4K, the situation changes. High settings produce 45.9 FPS, which is borderline playable, while Medium drops to 55.6 FPS and Low reaches 68.6 FPS. Given that the game is a fast-paced third-person shooter, prioritizing frame rate over fidelity is advisable. Low settings at 4K provide the only consistently smooth experience, though the visual compromise is significant. The data suggests that 4K owners should either stick to Low settings or drop to 1440p with Medium for the best balance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset reveals a predictable ladder of performance. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 205 (Low) to 96.3 (Ultra), with Medium at 157.3 and High at 131. This gives a spread of 108.7 FPS between the lowest and highest quality presets. At 2560x1440, the range narrows to 64.3 FPS, from 131.3 (Low) down to 67 (Ultra), with Medium at 102.8 and High at 82.5. The 4K results show the tightest grouping: 68.6 (Low), 55.6 (Medium), 45.9 (High), and 36.6 (Ultra), a spread of just 32 FPS.

Notably, the min and max FPS fields are null across all measurements, meaning only average frame rates are available. This limitation prevents analysis of frame pacing or stuttering, but the average values suggest that the i5-14600KF's 14 cores and 20 threads provide sufficient processing power to avoid CPU-bound dips, as the scaling is consistently GPU-driven.

GPU Role

The RTX 4060's specifications directly explain its performance ceiling in Minimum. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivering 272.0 GB/s bandwidth, the card is well-suited for 1080p gaming but struggles with higher resolutions. The 4K results, where even Low settings only reach 68.6 FPS, point to memory bandwidth saturation. The 17 Gbps effective memory clock and 2460 MHz boost clock are respectable, but the narrow bus width limits the data throughput needed for 4K textures and geometry.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its standing. The Passmark G3D score of 19545 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302 place it in the 66th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, scores 23321 (0.6% higher), while the Intel Arc B580 scores 23021 (0.7% lower). These close margins indicate that the RTX 4060 is a mainstream part, not a high-end solution, and Minimum's 4K demands exceed its designed envelope. The 115 W TDP and dual-slot cooler suggest power efficiency, but that does not translate to raw pixel throughput.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?

A: The measured data shows 1920x1080 delivers the highest frame rates, with 205 FPS on Low and 157.3 FPS on Medium. At 2560x1440, Medium still achieves 102.8 FPS, making it viable for higher-refresh monitors.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 scores 23181 on average, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23321) and 0.7% higher than the Intel Arc B580 (23021). The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti is 0.7% higher at 23338.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile, while the GPU is in the 66th percentile. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows GPU-bound behavior, indicating the RTX 4060 is the primary constraint.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in the database?

A: This combination ranks 958th out of 1733 tested combos for Minimum, placing it in the lower-middle tier despite the CPU's strong benchmark scores.

Q: Can this setup handle 4K gaming?

A: At 4K, the best result is 68.6 FPS on Low settings. High settings drop to 45.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36.6 FPS, making 4K playable only with significant visual compromises.

Q: How much performance is lost between 1080p and 4K?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 131 at 1080p to 45.9 at 4K, a 65% reduction. On Low settings, the drop is from 205 to 68.6, a 66.5% reduction.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a formidable processor for Minimum, and its benchmark scores suggest it is not the bottleneck. With 14 cores, 20 threads, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32889 and a single-core score of 4643. Its Geekbench multicore score of 15636 and single-core of 2778 further demonstrate its capability. The Passmark multithread score of 38697 and single-thread of 4273 reinforce this picture.

The CPU's nearest rivals show it is at the top of its class. The i5-14600K is 0.4% slower, the Ryzen 9 5950X is 0.6% slower, and the EPYC 4345P is 0.5% faster. Given that Minimum is a 2014 title, the game's engine likely cannot utilize all 20 threads effectively, meaning the CPU's high single-core performance (boost clock 5.30 GHz) is what matters most. The 24 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample low-latency storage for game assets.

The data shows that even at 1080p with Low settings, where the CPU would be most stressed, the combo still achieves 205 FPS. This indicates the i5-14600KF has significant headroom, as it could likely push higher if the GPU allowed. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking versus the GPU's 66th percentile highlights the imbalance: for Minimum, the RTX 4060 is the clear limiting factor, and upgrading the GPU would yield far greater FPS gains than any CPU change. The CPU's 125 W TDP and LGA 1700 socket are standard, but its performance is anything but average in this context.