Minimum

Minimum, the 2014 third-person shooter, presents a unique challenge for the Intel Core i7-14700K and Intel Arc B370 pairing. The benchmark data reveals a system heavily constrained by its graphics processor, where even a decade-old title becomes a test of graphical endurance rather than CPU muscle. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings paint a clear picture of a combination that struggles to maintain playable performance, with the Arc B370 acting as the definitive bottleneck in every scenario tested.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data for this combination suggests that the choice of graphical preset is the single most critical decision for achieving a functional experience. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 85 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire test matrix that approaches a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience. The Medium preset at 1080p drops to 65 FPS, which remains playable, but the High preset falls to 55 FPS, and the Ultra preset plummets to 42 FPS. The data indicates a clear hierarchy where each step up in quality costs a significant portion of performance.

For users prioritizing a responsive experience, the 1080p Low preset is the only sensible choice given the data. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p represents a 23.5% performance hit, while the jump from Medium to High costs another 15.4%. The Ultra preset at 1080p is 50.6% slower than Low, which is a substantial penalty for visual fidelity that may not even be perceptible given the age of the game. The measured minimum FPS values for the Medium preset at 1080p (56 FPS) suggest that even this setting can experience dips that might be noticeable during intense action sequences.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more dire. The Low preset averages 55 FPS, which is technically playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 42 FPS with a minimum of 36 FPS, indicating that frame pacing could become inconsistent. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p, averaging 35 FPS and 27 FPS respectively, are not recommended for any serious gameplay. Similarly, at 4K, all presets fail to reach 30 FPS on average, with the Low preset barely hitting 30 FPS and the Ultra preset collapsing to 15 FPS.

The data strongly suggests that the 1080p Low preset is the optimal configuration for this hardware combination. It is the only setting that provides both a high average frame rate and the potential for consistent performance. While the 1080p Medium preset might be tempting for better visuals, the 65 FPS average and the 56 FPS minimum indicate a less stable experience. The performance scaling across presets is steep, and the Arc B370 simply does not have the raw throughput to handle higher quality settings at acceptable frame rates.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the primary determinant of performance in Minimum for this combination. The GPU’s specifications reveal a part that is fundamentally limited for gaming purposes. The benchmark data places the Arc B370 in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in direct competition with legacy parts like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186, and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1190. The deltaPct values against these rivals are -0.2% and -0.5% respectively, indicating that the Arc B370 is virtually tied with these decade-old graphics solutions.

The GPU’s memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the host system’s RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which implies that performance can vary significantly based on the system’s memory configuration. This shared memory architecture is a severe handicap for a game like Minimum, which, despite its age, still requires consistent memory bandwidth for texture streaming and geometry processing. The GPU’s base clock of 300 MHz and boost clock of 2400 MHz are the only clock figures provided, and the data shows that the GPU’s compute capabilities, with 1280 shading units and a FP32 throughput of 6.144 TFLOPS, are insufficient to drive this game at higher settings.

The measured FPS data directly reflects these hardware limitations. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is 15 FPS, which is an indication that the GPU is completely overwhelmed. The texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s are theoretical maxima that are clearly not being achieved in practice. The GPU’s TDP of 25 W and its classification as an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) suggest that it is designed for low-power, portable devices, not for gaming. The performance in Minimum is consistent with a part that is at the bottom of the performance spectrum, as evidenced by its 5th percentile ranking and its proximity to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and AMD Radeon HD 7650M in benchmark scores.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a high-end desktop processor, and its role in Minimum is to provide more than enough computational headroom that the game never becomes CPU-bound. The CPU’s specifications are formidable: 20 cores, 28 threads, a base clock of 3.40 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, and its L3 cache is 33 MB (shared). These specifications are far beyond what a game from 2014 would require, and the benchmark data confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing.

The CPU’s benchmark scores further illustrate its capability. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 33440.5, and its Geekbench single-core score is 2569. The PassMark multi-thread score is 52392, and the CPU ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark data are the AMD EPYC 9115, which scores 69288 (deltaPct 0.1%), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, which scores 69515 (deltaPct -0.2%). These scores show that the i7-14700K is a top-tier processor that can handle any modern workload.

In the context of Minimum, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with data, and it does this without breaking a sweat. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (85 FPS) is likely close to the maximum that the GPU can produce, and the CPU is not the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see frame rates plateau across different resolutions, but the data shows a clear decrease in FPS as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads are completely underutilized by this game, and its high single-core performance ensures that even the game’s main thread is never starved for processing power.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2703 out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum. This rank places it in the bottom 8% of all system configurations, which is a poor result for a system featuring a top-tier CPU. The ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s weak performance, as the CPU is among the best available. The data suggests that pairing a high-end CPU with a low-end GPU creates a significant imbalance, and this combo’s rank reflects the GPU’s inability to keep up with the CPU’s potential.

The combo’s rank is particularly telling when considering the individual components. The CPU’s percentile rank is 94, meaning it is faster than 94% of all CPUs. The GPU’s percentile rank is 5, meaning it is slower than 95% of all GPUs. This extreme disparity in component capability is mirrored in the combo’s overall rank. The data indicates that this is a profoundly unbalanced pairing, and the game’s performance is heavily weighted toward the weakest link, which is the GPU. The 2703rd rank out of 2939 combos suggests that most other system configurations, even those with much older CPUs and mid-range GPUs, would likely outperform this combination in Minimum.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across resolutions reveals a consistent and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 85. At 1440p Low, it drops to 55 FPS, which is a 35.3% decrease. At 4K Low, it falls to 30 FPS, which is a 64.7% decrease from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is a clear indicator that the GPU is the limiting component, as the workload on the CPU remains relatively constant across resolutions, while the GPU’s rendering load increases dramatically.

The same pattern holds for other settings. At High settings, the FPS goes from 55 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p (a 36.4% drop) and then to 19 at 4K (a 65.5% drop from 1080p). The Medium preset shows a similar trend, with 65 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p (35.4% drop), and 23 FPS at 4K (64.6% drop). The Ultra preset drops from 42 FPS at 1080p to 27 FPS at 1440p (35.7% drop) and then to 15 FPS at 4K (64.3% drop). The consistency of these percentage drops across all presets is a definitive sign that the GPU’s fill rate and shading capacity are being saturated at higher resolutions.

This scaling behavior indicates that the system is purely GPU-bound. A CPU-bound scenario would show little to no FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p, as the CPU would still be the limiting factor. However, the data shows a steep decline in performance at each higher resolution, which confirms that the Arc B370’s rendering capabilities are the primary constraint. The fact that the FPS nearly halves when going from 1080p to 4K, regardless of the preset, suggests that the GPU is working at its absolute limit even at 1080p, and any additional pixel load causes a proportional drop in performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combination is as follows, presented by resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 85 FPS. The Medium preset achieves an average of 65 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS. The High preset achieves an average of 55 FPS. The Ultra preset achieves an average of 42 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 55 FPS. The Medium preset achieves an average of 42 FPS, with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. The High preset achieves an average of 35 FPS. The Ultra preset achieves an average of 27 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves an average of 30 FPS. The Medium preset achieves an average of 23 FPS, with a minimum of 19 FPS and a maximum of 26 FPS. The High preset achieves an average of 19 FPS. The Ultra preset achieves an average of 15 FPS.

The data shows that the only configuration that maintains an average FPS above 60 is 1080p Low. The 1080p Medium preset is the only other setting that comes close, with an average of 65 FPS. All other settings at 1080p and all settings at higher resolutions fall below 60 FPS. The minimum FPS values, where available, indicate potential for frame drops. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 56 FPS, and at 1440p Medium, the minimum is 36 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 19 FPS, which is effectively unplayable. The lack of minimum FPS data for other presets prevents a full analysis of frame pacing, but the available data suggests that the Medium presets exhibit the most variance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for this CPU and GPU combo in Minimum?

A: The 1080p Low preset is the best option, delivering an average of 85 FPS. This is the only setting that provides a high and stable frame rate. The 1080p Medium preset is the next best, with an average of 65 FPS, but it has a minimum of 56 FPS.

Q: Why is performance so poor for a game from 2014?

A: The bottleneck is the Intel Arc B370 GPU, which ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 is comparable to legacy GPUs like the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1190. The GPU’s system-shared memory and low compute throughput severely limit its ability to render the game at playable speeds.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a limiting factor in this game?

A: No, the CPU is not a limiting factor. The i7-14700K ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs and has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5. The FPS drops as resolution increases, which indicates a GPU bottleneck, not a CPU one.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 2703 out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems, which is a direct result of the GPU’s weak performance relative to the CPU.

Q: Can this system play Minimum at 4K?

A: Technically, it can run at 4K, but performance is not playable. The best 4K result is 30 FPS on the Low preset. The High and Ultra presets at 4K average 19 FPS and 15 FPS, respectively, which are too low for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Arc B370’s benchmark score of 1184 is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, deltaPct -0.2%) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, deltaPct -0.5%). It is slightly faster than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, deltaPct 1.4%), but this group represents very low-end, older hardware.