Minimum

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a dominant performance profile in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. The data shows this combination is capable of pushing well beyond standard refresh rate thresholds at 1080p and maintaining excellent playability at 4K, though the scaling patterns reveal distinct bottlenecks depending on resolution and settings.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combo in Minimum?*

A: The combination ranks 360th out of 1,733 tested combos, placing it in the top 21% of all pairings tested for this game.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600KF compare to its closest rival, the Core i5-14600K?

A: The 14600KF holds a 0.4% advantage in average benchmark score over the 14600K, with scores of 49,367 and 49,166, respectively.

Q: What is the best 4K performance recorded for this setup?

A: At 4K with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 105.1 FPS, which is the highest 4K result in the dataset, while 4K Ultra drops to 51.4 FPS.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The 1080p Low result of 303.1 FPS is approximately 5.9 times higher than the 4K Ultra result of 51.4 FPS, illustrating a massive performance cliff at higher resolutions and settings.

Q: Does the GPU outperform its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 41,687, which is 0.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090’s score of 41,441, while also edging out the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 by 0.2%.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance relative to its multi-threaded score?

A: The CPU achieves a Geekbench single-core score of 2,778 versus a multi-core score of 15,636, indicating strong single-thread capability that benefits older game engines like Minimum.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the primary driver of frame rates in this pairing, equipped with 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock of 2325 MHz and boost clock of 2512 MHz provide the raw throughput needed for high-resolution rendering. Its 6,144 shading units and 80 ROPs handle the pixel workload, and the 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 performance indicates substantial compute headroom.

The data suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 51.4, which is less than half of the 4K Low result of 105.1 FPS. This 53.7 FPS gap between presets at the same resolution points to the GPU struggling with the increased shading and texture work. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the 303.1 FPS result suggests the GPU is not fully taxed, and the CPU may be the constraint. The 83rd percentile ranking versus all GPUs indicates this is a high-tier part, but the 0.6% lead over the RTX 3090 in synthetic tests shows it is not an outlier in raw compute.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS reveals a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude varies by settings. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p to 4K is from 303.1 FPS to 105.1 FPS, a 65.3% reduction. For High settings, the same resolution change goes from 195.0 FPS to 67.5 FPS, a 65.4% reduction. This consistent scaling percentage suggests the GPU is the bottleneck in both cases, as the workload scales linearly with pixel count.

However, at Ultra settings, the drop is more severe: from 145.3 FPS at 1080p to 51.4 FPS at 4K, a 64.6% reduction. This slightly smaller relative drop hints that at 1080p Ultra, the CPU may be starting to limit performance, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. The 1440p results sit predictably in between, with 192.0 FPS at Low and 96.6 FPS at Ultra. The data indicates that for 60 FPS gameplay, 4K Ultra is borderline, while 1440p Ultra comfortably exceeds 90 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 360 out of 1,733 combos, this pairing sits in the 79th percentile of all tested configurations. This placement is notable because the GPU itself only ranks in the 83rd percentile, while the CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile. The combination performs slightly worse than the GPU's individual percentile would suggest, implying that the CPU’s high synthetic scores do not fully translate to an advantage in Minimum’s specific workload.

The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 with a 0.2% lower score, and the NVIDIA Tesla M40 with a 0.5% higher score. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, is 0.6% behind the 14600KF in average score. The fact that this combo ranks 360th suggests that many other pairings with similar or lower individual component scores achieve better in-game results, possibly due to engine-specific optimizations or memory configurations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF brings 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data locality for game logic. The CPU's Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process, delivers strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,643 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,778.

In Minimum, a game from 2014, single-thread performance is often more critical than multi-core scaling. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4,273 is its second-highest sub-test, and the data indicates that at 1080p Low, where the GPU is less stressed, the CPU’s 20 threads can keep up with the 303.1 FPS demand. However, the CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs suggests it is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. The 14600KF’s 0.4% lead over the 14600K and 1.4% lead over the Xeon Gold 5318H in synthetic benchmarks confirms it is a top-tier processor, but the in-game results show that the GPU handles the heavier lifting at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional results across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 303.1 FPS, Medium hits 228.6 FPS, High reaches 195.0 FPS, and Ultra still manages 145.3 FPS. These numbers indicate that the setup is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors, even at maximum settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear step down. Low averages 192.0 FPS, Medium drops to 146.8 FPS, High falls to 122.8 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 96.6 FPS. This resolution is the sweet spot for 144Hz displays, with all presets except Ultra clearing the 120 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limitations become apparent. Low averages 105.1 FPS, Medium drops to 78.2 FPS, High falls to 67.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 51.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 53.7 FPS, which is larger than the 26.1 FPS gap at 1440p and the 157.8 FPS gap at 1080p. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is consistently the bottleneck, and the CPU’s performance headroom is not fully utilized.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience at 1080p, the data strongly supports Ultra settings, as the 145.3 FPS average is well above the 144 Hz refresh threshold and still leaves headroom for frame drops. The 157.8 FPS difference between Ultra and Low at this resolution is not worth sacrificing visual quality, given that even Ultra delivers smooth gameplay.

At 1440p, the choice depends on the display’s refresh rate. For 144Hz monitors, High settings at 122.8 FPS are recommended, as this is the highest preset that stays above 120 FPS. For 60Hz displays, Ultra at 96.6 FPS provides the best visual fidelity without any risk of dropping below the refresh rate. Low settings at 192.0 FPS are only advisable for competitive play where maximum frame pacing is prioritized.

At 4K, the data suggests that High settings at 67.5 FPS are the best balance, as this stays comfortably above 60 FPS while Medium at 78.2 FPS offers a modest improvement for those with VRR displays. Ultra at 51.4 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K Low result of 105.1 FPS is viable for players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, but the 53.7 FPS penalty from Low to Ultra at this resolution is substantial, making High the pragmatic choice for most users.