Minimum

Minimum, the 2014 third-person shooter, is far more demanding on the GPU than the CPU when paired with the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060. The benchmark data shows a clear pattern: frame rates scale dramatically with resolution, indicating that the RTX 4060 is the primary bottleneck at higher settings, while the i7-14700K provides ample headroom. This combo ranks in the 981st position out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database, with the GPU's 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs being the limiting factor compared to the CPU's 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, confirming that pixel throughput is the dominant constraint. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 132.4 at 1920x1080 to 86.8 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 45.6 FPS, and then to 46.6 at 3840x2160, a further drop of 40.2 FPS. This represents a 65% decrease in performance from 1080p to 4K, highlighting the RTX 4060's struggle to maintain playable frame rates at the highest resolution with this preset. The pattern is similar at Medium settings, where the average FPS goes from 154.1 at 1080p down to 102.3 at 1440p and then to 53.3 at 4K.

The scaling at Low settings is the most revealing. The jump from 204.5 FPS at 1080p to 128.6 FPS at 1440p and 71.0 FPS at 4K shows a less severe relative drop percentage-wise, but the absolute numbers still demonstrate a hard ceiling imposed by the GPU. The fact that 1080p Low produces over 200 FPS while 4K Ultra produces just 31.9 FPS indicates that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this game; the RTX 4060's compute and memory bandwidth are what determine the final output.

GPU Role

The RTX 4060's specifications directly explain its performance profile in Minimum. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, the GPU delivers a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s, which is a moderate figure that becomes a bottleneck at 4K. The boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz drive the 3072 shading units, but the 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply insufficient for 4K Ultra in this title, resulting in the 31.9 FPS average. The GPU's transistor count of 18,900 million on a 5 nm process from TSMC gives it efficiency, but not enough raw power for the highest resolution workloads.

The benchmark results show that the GPU's 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs is the key differentiator. The nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6600M with a deltaPct of -0.6 and the Intel Arc B580 with a deltaPct of 0.7, all have similar average benchmark scores, confirming that the RTX 4060 is a mid-range performer. The 272.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM are adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K, the GPU is clearly overextended, as evidenced by the 46.6 FPS at High and 31.9 FPS at Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 981 out of 1733 places it in the 57th percentile of all tested combinations, which is lower than the CPU's individual percentile of 96. This discrepancy underscores that the GPU is the performance limiter. The i7-14700K, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is a top-tier processor that scores 70,074 on average, putting it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. However, when paired with the RTX 4060, the combined system cannot leverage the CPU's full potential in Minimum, as the game's frame rates are capped by the GPU's rendering capabilities.

Comparatively, the CPU's nearest rivals, like the Intel Core i7-14700KF with a deltaPct of 0 and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X with a deltaPct of -0.5, show that the i7-14700K is at parity with the best available processors. The GPU's rivals, including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti with a deltaPct of -0.7, illustrate that the RTX 4060 is a solid but not exceptional performer. The data suggests that this combo is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where it achieves 86.8 FPS at High, but it is not optimized for 4K Ultra, where the rank would likely be much lower if measured against higher-end GPU pairings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4060 delivers excellent performance across all settings. The Low preset produces an average of 204.5 FPS, Medium yields 154.1 FPS, High achieves 132.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 99.1 FPS. These numbers indicate that the system is fully playable at 1080p even on the most demanding Ultra preset, with the CPU's 5.60 GHz boost clock ensuring no frame drops due to processor limitations.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's strain. Low settings average 128.6 FPS, Medium hits 102.3 FPS, High reaches 86.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 61.9 FPS. The transition from High to Ultra at this resolution results in a 24.9 FPS drop, which is a significant penalty for the marginal visual gains that Ultra typically provides. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, High settings are the maximum viable option at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060 is clearly out of its depth. Low settings average 71.0 FPS, which is barely playable, but Medium drops to 53.3 FPS, High falls to 46.6 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 31.9 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming with this GPU requires the Low preset to maintain a playable frame rate, and even then, the 71.0 FPS average is below what most players would consider ideal for a fast-paced shooter.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a bottleneck for the RTX 4060 in Minimum?

A: No. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking and its average benchmark score of 70,074, which is within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, indicate that it is far more powerful than necessary. The frame rates are consistently GPU-limited across all resolutions and settings.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60 FPS or higher?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo averages 86.8 FPS, and at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, it averages 99.1 FPS. Both are well above 60 FPS, making 1440p High or 1080p Ultra the optimal choices for smooth gameplay.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 71.0 FPS. At Medium and High, the frame rates drop to 53.3 and 46.6 FPS respectively, and at Ultra, it falls to 31.9 FPS, which is not playable for a third-person shooter.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 4060's average benchmark score is 23,181, which is within 0.8% of the AMD Radeon 760M and 0.7% of the Intel Arc B580. This indicates that performance in Minimum will be very similar to these GPUs, with no significant advantage for the RTX 4060.

Q: Does the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads provide any benefit in Minimum?

A: Not directly. The game is GPU-bound, as shown by the frame rate scaling with resolution. The CPU's high single-core performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6,287, ensures there is no stuttering or frame pacing issues, but the raw core count is irrelevant to this workload.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RTX 4060?

A: The launch MSRP is 299 USD, which is a factual specification but does not reflect current market pricing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is an exceptionally powerful processor that is wasted in this pairing for Minimum. With 20 cores and 28 threads, a base clock of 3.40 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, the CPU's raw compute capability is far beyond what this 2014 title requires. The benchmark data shows that the CPU scores 44,534 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6,287 in single-core, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i7-14700KF with a deltaPct of 0 and the AMD EPYC 9115 with a deltaPct of 0.3, confirm that this is a top-tier processor.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations, but the data shows that it is never the bottleneck. The frame rates at 1080p Low (204.5 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (99.1 FPS) are both limited by the GPU's pixel throughput, not the CPU's instruction throughput. The CPU's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample bandwidth for the game's data, ensuring that there are no hitches or stutters. The 125 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support are more than sufficient for this workload.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience with this combo. For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the 1080p Low preset delivers 204.5 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play on high-refresh-rate monitors. However, for a balance of visual quality and performance, the 1440p High preset is the sweet spot, offering 86.8 FPS while maintaining better image clarity than 1080p.

The 4K resolution is only viable at Low settings, where the 71.0 FPS average is playable but not ideal. At 1440p, the Ultra preset's 61.9 FPS is technically playable, but the 24.9 FPS drop from High to Ultra makes High the better choice. At 1080p, the Ultra preset's 99.1 FPS is the best choice for visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. The data suggests avoiding 4K Medium and above, as the 53.3 FPS and lower averages will result in a subpar experience. The RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors, and the settings recommendations reflect the need to stay within the GPU's comfortable operating range.