Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that scales heavily with both resolution and settings, and the pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti proves to be a high-refresh-rate powerhouse at 1080p and 1440p, while still delivering playable 4K performance. The benchmark data reveals a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, with the CPU's substantial headroom only becoming evident at lower graphical presets where frame rates soar past 300 FPS. This combination ranks in the top 12% of all tested configurations for this title, underscoring its capability, though the steep performance cost of Ultra settings at 4K requires careful consideration.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, clearly identifying the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on High settings, the average frame rate falls from 209.2 FPS to 137.9 FPS, a reduction of 34%. The subsequent jump to 3840x2160 on the same preset yields 72.9 FPS, which is a further 47% drop from the 1440p result. This pattern indicates that the rendering load is scaling directly with pixel count, a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario where the RTX 4070 Ti's compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors.

The scaling behavior is even more pronounced at the Low preset, where the CPU has more room to stretch its legs. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 326.8 FPS, but this plummets to 212.8 FPS at 1440p and then to 112 FPS at 4K. The fact that the 4K Low result (112 FPS) is lower than the 1080p High result (209.2 FPS) shows that resolution is a more dominant factor than graphical fidelity in this title. The data suggests that for competitive play at the highest refresh rates, 1080p is the sweet spot, while 1440p remains excellent for high-refresh monitors, and 4K is best suited for slower-paced, visually focused gameplay on a 60Hz display.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the workhorse of this configuration, and its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth is sufficient for the demands of Minimum at all tested settings. With a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, the card's Ada Lovelace architecture is able to push through the game's geometry and effects with ease at lower resolutions. The GPU's performance percentile of 85 against all other GPUs, alongside an average benchmark score of 44900, places it in the upper echelon of graphics cards, which aligns with the high frame rates observed.

The GPU's role becomes the defining factor at 4K, where its raw throughput determines playability. At 4K Ultra, the card produces an average of 58 FPS, which is a substantial drop from the 159.6 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra. This 63.7% performance loss highlights the immense pixel-pushing demands of 4K. The card's 35,800 million transistors and 7680 shading units are clearly working hard, but the data indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti is not strong enough to maintain high refresh rates at this resolution with maximum settings. The presence of 60 RT cores and 240 tensor cores suggests the card is future-proofed for more modern titles, but for Minimum, the standard rasterization performance is what matters most.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset is the clear recommendation at 1440p and 4K. At 2560x1440, High settings deliver 137.9 FPS, which is a 37% improvement over the Ultra preset's 100.6 FPS while likely offering a negligible visual difference in a fast-paced shooter. Similarly, at 3840x2160, High achieves 72.9 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold, whereas Ultra drops to 58 FPS, which may result in noticeable stutter on standard displays. The Medium preset also provides a viable alternative for 4K, with 87.3 FPS, but it offers no significant advantage over High for the visual trade-off.

At 1080p, the decision is more nuanced. For players with 144Hz or 240Hz monitors, the High preset at 209.2 FPS is the most sensible choice, as it provides a massive frame rate headroom. The Low preset at 326.8 FPS is only relevant for extreme competitive scenarios where every millisecond counts, but the visual degradation is likely too severe for most users. The Ultra preset at 159.6 FPS is still excellent, but the data shows that High settings offer a 31% performance boost, making it the superior choice for maintaining high frame rates without sacrificing the game's visual fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti achieves a combo rank of 203 out of 1733 tested configurations in Minimum. This places the system in the top 11.7% of all combos, which is an impressive feat and confirms that this hardware pairing is exceptionally well-suited for this title. The high ranking is a direct result of the GPU's strong 4K capability and the CPU's ability to feed it at lower resolutions without becoming a bottleneck.

The CPU's individual performance contributes significantly to this ranking. With an average benchmark score of 54097, the i7-14700F sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, scores 54450, a negligible 0.6% difference. This indicates that the processor is not holding back the graphics card in any meaningful way. The GPU, ranking in the 85th percentile, is also a strong performer, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, scores 45152, a mere 0.6% higher. The combination of two top-tier components results in a system that is greater than the sum of its parts for this specific game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F plays a supporting but critical role in this configuration, ensuring that the GPU is never starved of data. With 20 cores and 28 threads, running at a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, the processor provides immense headroom for the game's physics and AI calculations. The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in Minimum, particularly at 1080p where frame rates exceed 300 FPS on Low settings. A single-core Cinebench R23 score of 5003 and a multi-core score of 35443 indicate that both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads are handled with ease.

The CPU's influence is most apparent when comparing the performance scaling between resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 326.8 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 112 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect similar frame rates across resolutions at the same settings. The fact that the frame rate scales so heavily with resolution confirms that the CPU has significant performance in reserve. The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory further enhance its ability to keep the GPU fed, ensuring consistent frame pacing and minimal stutter even in chaotic firefights.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti achieves an average of 137.9 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming?

A: Yes, it is playable at 4K. The data shows an average of 72.9 FPS on High settings, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings drop to 58 FPS, which is borderline.

Q: How does this system rank against other tested combos?

A: This specific combo ranks 203rd out of 1733 tested configurations in Minimum, placing it in the top 12% of all systems.

Q: What is the best setting for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming?

A: The High preset at 1920x1080 yields 209.2 FPS, which is ideal for 144Hz or 240Hz monitors. Low settings can reach 326.8 FPS for extreme competitive play.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows frame rates scaling heavily with resolution, indicating the RTX 4070 Ti is the limiting component.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the processor?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F has a launch MSRP of $359.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The Low settings produce an average of 326.8 FPS, which is the highest score in the dataset. Medium settings follow at 252.6 FPS, High at 209.2 FPS, and Ultra at 159.6 FPS. The performance delta between Low and Ultra is 167.2 FPS, showing that the GPU has significant headroom even at the highest settings for this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to show the GPU's workload. The Low preset achieves 212.8 FPS, followed by Medium at 162.4 FPS, High at 137.9 FPS, and Ultra at 100.6 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a 35% reduction in frame rate on High settings, highlighting the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops become more pronounced. Low settings yield 112 FPS, Medium produces 87.3 FPS, High achieves 72.9 FPS, and Ultra dips to 58 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 54 FPS, which is a 46% performance loss, confirming that the Ultra preset is too demanding for this GPU at this resolution. The data clearly shows that High settings at 4K is the optimal balance for maintaining smooth gameplay.