Minimum

Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter, presents an interesting case study when paired with a high-end Intel Core i7-14700K processor and a decidedly entry-level NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card. The benchmark data reveals a profound imbalance in this configuration, where the GPU becomes the overwhelming bottleneck at every resolution and settings level. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, focusing on how the system scales under load and what users can expect from this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling, with performance dropping sharply as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 80.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low preset drops the average to 49.7 FPS, a reduction of roughly 38%. At 4K, the same settings yield only 29.1 FPS, which is a 64% decrease from the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the rendering load is scaling directly with pixel count, a hallmark of a system limited by the graphics processor rather than the CPU.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced at higher settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 42.4, which drops to 25.1 at 1440p and plummets to 13.4 at 4K. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 38.4 FPS, but at 4K, that difference narrows to 15.7 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that even dropping to Low settings cannot provide a playable frame rate, as the absolute pixel workload dominates performance. The data clearly shows that the limiting component in this combo is the GTX 1650, as the i7-14700K’s processing power is never the constraining factor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a 4 GB GDDR5 card with a 128-bit memory bus and a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s. Its base clock is 1485 MHz, with a boost clock of 1665 MHz. These specifications place it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, indicating its entry-level positioning. The card’s benchmark scores reinforce this, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 305 and a Passmark G3D score of 7880. The nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile and AMD Radeon 550X, show near-identical average scores, with delta percentages of -0.4% and -0.4%, respectively, confirming the GTX 1650’s standing in the lower tier of graphics hardware.

In the context of Minimum, the GPU’s 4 GB VRAM and modest compute capabilities are the primary barriers to higher frame rates. The data shows that at 1080p Medium, the system produces 64.4 FPS, but at 4K Medium, it falls to 23 FPS. This 64% performance drop across a 4x increase in pixel count highlights the GPU’s inability to sustain high throughput at elevated resolutions. The card’s 2.984 TFLOPS FP32 performance is simply insufficient for 4K rendering in this title, regardless of the CPU’s capabilities. The i7-14700K, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, remains largely idle in this scenario, as the GPU is the definitive performance ceiling.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 1663 out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the bottom 4% of all configurations. This poor ranking is directly attributable to the GPU, as the CPU is in the 96th percentile of all processors. The data indicates a severe mismatch: a top-tier processor paired with a bottom-tier graphics card yields a system that performs far worse than the sum of its parts.

The combo’s position is particularly telling when considering the CPU’s rivals. The i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 70074, nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-14700KF at 70104, and slightly ahead of the AMD EPYC 9115 at 69887. However, this processing headroom does nothing to boost the combo’s ranking, as the GPU’s percentile of 43 drags the overall performance down. This pairing demonstrates that in GPU-bound scenarios, the CPU’s strength is irrelevant to the final frame rate. The measured FPS across all resolutions and settings is consistently low, reinforcing that the combo’s rank is dictated almost entirely by the GTX 1650’s limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 80.8 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded for this combo. Medium settings yield 64.4 FPS, while High settings drop to 55 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, producing 42.4 FPS. These numbers show that 1080p is the only resolution where the combo can approach smooth gameplay, and only at Low or Medium settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance declines significantly. Low settings average 49.7 FPS, which is a 31.1 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 41 FPS, and High settings fall to 32.7 FPS. Ultra settings at 1440p produce only 25.1 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. The data shows that 1440p is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is marginal.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 29.1 FPS, Medium drops to 23 FPS, and High falls to 17.1 FPS. Ultra settings are the worst, with an average of 13.4 FPS. These results are uniformly poor, indicating that 4K is not a feasible resolution for this GPU, even with the most powerful CPU available. The measured data shows a clear ceiling: the GTX 1650 cannot handle the pixel workload at 4K, and no amount of CPU headroom can compensate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which yields an average of 80.8 FPS. This is the only configuration that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, providing smooth gameplay. At Medium settings, the 64.4 FPS average is also acceptable, though it may dip in demanding scenes. High settings at 1080p produce 55 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.

For users willing to accept lower frame rates, 1440p Low is an option, averaging 49.7 FPS. However, the data suggests that 1080p provides a better balance of visual quality and performance. At 4K, no settings preset is recommended, as even Low settings fail to reach 30 FPS. The benchmark results indicate that sticking to 1080p is the only way to get a satisfying experience with this hardware combination. Ultra settings are not viable at any resolution, with the highest result being 42.4 FPS at 1080p, which is too inconsistent for a third-person shooter.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves playable frame rates. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 80.8, while at 1440p Low it drops to 49.7, and at 4K Low it falls to 29.1.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Minimum?

A: No. All 4K settings presets produce average FPS below 30, with Ultra at 13.4 FPS and Low at 29.1 FPS. The GPU is the limiting factor, as it cannot process the pixel workload at this resolution.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 8713. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile, scores 8746, which is a -0.4% delta. The AMD Radeon 550X scores 8749, also a -0.4% delta, indicating very similar performance levels.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No. The i7-14700K is in the 96th percentile of CPUs, while the GTX 1650 is in the 43rd percentile of GPUs. The measured FPS data shows that performance scales with resolution, indicating the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 80.8, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. All other settings and resolutions produce lower averages, with the lowest being 13.4 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Minimum?

A: This combo ranks 1663 out of 1733 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 4%. This low rank is due to the GPU’s performance ceiling, despite the CPU’s high percentile ranking.