Minimum

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER produces a fascinating dataset in Minimum, a 2014 Third-Person Shooter. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a system that is heavily skewed by resolution, with the CPU’s dominance becoming increasingly apparent as the workload shifts. This analysis breaks down the measured rows to interpret what the numbers imply about the hardware’s role in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about the limiting component. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 90 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same preset, the average falls to 58.9 FPS, a drop of about 34%. The scaling continues aggressively to 3840x2160, where the average plummets to 34.9 FPS, a further 41% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steep decline indicates that at higher resolutions, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary bottleneck, struggling to fill the increasing pixel count.

The data’s shape changes when looking at lower settings. At Low settings, the 1080p average is 189.2 FPS. At 1440p, that figure is 121.5 FPS, and at 4K, it is 67.2 FPS. While the FPS still drops, the relative percentage decrease is more moderate between 1080p and 1440p. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 32.3 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 33.2 FPS gap seen at 1440p. This consistency suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute capacity are being saturated in a similar fashion regardless of the quality preset at these high resolutions. The data strongly suggests that for 4K gaming, the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting factor, while the processor has ample headroom.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores are exceptional, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44534 and a single-core score of 6287. In Minimum, the CPU’s strength is evidenced by the high FPS ceilings at 1080p. At Low settings, the system achieves 189.2 FPS, and at High settings, it still manages 121.1 FPS. These high frame rates, even at lower resolutions where CPU overhead is more significant, indicate that the processor is not the bottleneck in this scenario.

The CPU’s performance relative to its rivals reinforces its strength. The data shows the i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 70074, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700KF, has a deltaPct of 0, meaning they perform identically in aggregate benchmarks. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is only 0.5% faster, and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 is 1.4% faster. This suggests that the i7-14700K’s core and clock configuration is more than sufficient to feed the GPU in Minimum, and the frame rates are not being artificially capped by processor limitations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance on the best experience. For 1080p users, the Ultra preset yields 90 FPS, which is a playable and smooth experience for a shooter. However, the High preset at 121.1 FPS offers a significant increase in fluidity for a marginal visual difference, making it the superior choice for competitive play. The Low preset’s 189.2 FPS is exceptionally high but comes with a substantial visual quality trade-off that is likely unnecessary.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts. The High preset produces 75.7 FPS, which is a good balance. The Medium preset at 94.4 FPS is arguably the sweet spot, providing a 24.7% FPS increase over High while maintaining decent visual fidelity. The Ultra preset falls to 58.9 FPS, which is on the edge of smooth gameplay for a fast-paced title. For 4K, the data suggests that only the Low preset, at 67.2 FPS, provides a consistently playable frame rate. The Medium preset at 50.4 FPS and High at 44.9 FPS are below the threshold for a responsive shooter, and Ultra at 34.9 FPS is a slideshow. The data implies that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant settings compromises.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1047 out of 1733 combos in Minimum. This placement, roughly in the 60th percentile, is lower than what the CPU’s individual 96th percentile ranking might suggest. The performance is clearly constrained by the GPU, which only ranks in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. This rank indicates that while the CPU is top-tier, the GPU holds the combo back from achieving a higher overall position in the game’s benchmark database.

The combination’s ranking implies that many other tested systems, likely featuring more modern or higher-tier GPUs, achieve better average frame rates in this title. The high rank of the CPU alone does not translate to a high combo rank because the game’s performance is heavily dependent on the graphics card at the resolutions and settings measured. The data suggests that to improve this combo’s rank, the GPU would need to be upgraded to a more powerful model, as the CPU has significant performance headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. It has a boost clock of 1770 MHz. Its benchmark results show a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651 and a Passmark G3D score of 18169. The GPU’s role as the performance limiter is clear from the resolution scaling data. The steep FPS drops at higher resolutions are characteristic of a GPU hitting its fillrate and memory bandwidth limits.

The GPU’s specifications support this analysis. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is likely a key constraint at 4K, where the large texture and buffer sizes demand more memory throughput. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this title, but the raw compute power of the TU104 chip is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 2070 SUPER is closely matched. The NVIDIA RTX A400 is 0.5% faster, and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 is 2.5% slower. This shows that the GPU is a mid-pack performer, and its limitations are directly observable in the 4K FPS numbers.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 90 at 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 70074, while the Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70104, resulting in a deltaPct of 0, meaning they are statistically identical in performance.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The average FPS drops from 121.1 at 1080p High to 44.9 at 4K High, a 63% reduction, which points to the graphics card struggling with the increased pixel workload.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a smooth 1440p experience?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 produces an average of 94.4 FPS, which provides a significantly smoother experience than the High preset's 75.7 FPS while maintaining better visuals than Low.

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

A: The combo ranks 1047 out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of the tested systems.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER has a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is a critical specification for understanding its performance at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :------ |

| 3840x2160 | High | 44.9 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 67.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 50.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 34.9 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 75.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 121.5 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 94.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 58.9 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 121.1 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 189.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 145.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 90 |