Minimum

# Minimum — Intel Core i7-14700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

The data for Minimum with the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 reveals a combination that scales predictably across resolutions, yet the margins between settings tell a nuanced story about where the bottleneck shifts. This third-person shooter, released in 2014, is hardly a modern stress test, but the measured FPS rows show that the RTX 4070 is far from idle at higher presets. The combo ranks 490th out of 1733 tested configurations, placing it in the upper third of all pairings — a solid, if not spectacular, position. The core question is whether the CPU or GPU governs performance at each resolution, and the data suggests a clear handoff from one to the other as pixel count climbs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K shows how dramatically the workload shifts from the CPU to the GPU as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 277 FPS — a figure that indicates the RTX 4070 is nowhere near saturated, and the i7-14700K's 20 cores and 28 threads are feeding frames with ease. Moving to 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 176.7 FPS, a 36% reduction, which is steep but still far above any refresh-rate concern. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 93.9 FPS, another 47% drop from 1440p. This pattern — large percentage declines at lower settings — points to the GPU becoming the limiting factor, as the CPU has ample headroom.

The scaling story changes at higher settings. At Ultra, 1080p yields 135.7 FPS, 1440p drops to 88.4 FPS (a 35% decrease), and 4K falls to 45.4 FPS (a 49% decrease from 1440p). The consistent ~35-50% reductions across all presets suggest that the RTX 4070's rendering pipeline, with its 5888 shading units and 64 ROPs, is the primary constraint once resolution climbs. The 4K Ultra result of 45.4 FPS is notably below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this preset is only viable for users who prioritize visual fidelity over smoothness. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 48.5 FPS, whereas at 1080p it is 141.3 FPS — a sign that the GPU's fill rate becomes the dominant factor at higher pixel counts, compressing the performance delta between settings.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 490 out of 1733 tested combinations, this pairing sits in the 72nd percentile of all configurations. The ranking is likely buoyed by the CPU's exceptional multi-threaded performance — the i7-14700K scores 44,534 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 18,896 in Geekbench multi-core, placing it in the 96th percentile among all CPUs. The RTX 4070, meanwhile, holds an 81st percentile GPU rank with an average benchmark score of 37,283. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a mid-to-high-tier GPU produces a balanced system, though the 4K results suggest the GPU is the weaker link for this title.

The nearest rivals for the CPU include the Intel Core i7-14700KF with a nearly identical average score (70,104 vs. 70,074, a 0% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, which scores slightly higher at 70,420 (a -0.5% delta, meaning the i7-14700K trails by half a percent). This indicates that CPU choice among these top chips has minimal impact on raw compute. For the GPU, the nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which scores 37,507 (a -0.6% delta, meaning the RTX 4070 is 0.6% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38,135 (a -2.2% delta). The tight margins between these GPUs suggest that the RTX 4070's performance in Minimum is not exceptional among its peers, but the measured FPS shows it is sufficient for high-refresh 1080p and solid 1440p gameplay.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average is 277 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This indicates the CPU and GPU are both capable of extreme frame rates when visual effects are minimized.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Minimum?*

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K High, the average is 60.1 FPS, which is playable. However, 4K Ultra drops to 45.4 FPS, which may feel less smooth for fast-paced third-person shooter gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance at 1080p?

A: The i7-14700K has a boost clock of 5.60 GHz and scores 6,287 in Cinebench R23 single-core, making it highly capable. At 1080p Low, the 277 FPS result shows the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the GPU is likely idling at lower utilization.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low delivers 176.7 FPS, while Ultra delivers 88.4 FPS — a difference of 88.3 FPS. This shows that Ultra settings nearly halve performance, making Medium (139.4 FPS) a more balanced choice.

Q: Is the RTX 4070's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes, the 12 GB GDDR6X memory is more than enough for Minimum, which was released in 2014 and does not have demanding texture requirements. The memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s ensures no VRAM-related stutters at any measured setting.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested systems?

A: It ranks 490th out of 1733 combos, placing it in the top 28% of all configurations. This is a strong result, likely driven by the CPU's high single-thread performance and the GPU's solid rasterization capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its fastest results. Low settings produce 277 FPS, Medium drops to 212.9 FPS, High is 178 FPS, and Ultra is 135.7 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is 64.1 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra is 42.3 FPS — showing diminishing returns as settings increase. The 1080p Ultra result of 135.7 FPS is still high enough for most 144Hz monitors, making this resolution ideal for competitive play.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. Low yields 176.7 FPS, Medium 139.4 FPS, High 115.6 FPS, and Ultra 88.4 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra is 27.2 FPS, which is notable but not prohibitive. The 1440p Medium result of 139.4 FPS suggests that users can enjoy high refresh rates with moderate settings, while Ultra still clears 85 FPS for a smooth experience on most displays.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle. Low produces 93.9 FPS, Medium 75.7 FPS, High 60.1 FPS, and Ultra 45.4 FPS. The 60.1 FPS at High is exactly at the threshold for standard 60Hz displays, making it a viable choice, but Ultra falls below the 60 FPS mark. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is 48.5 FPS, which is the smallest absolute range across all resolutions, confirming that the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070's specifications directly explain its behavior in Minimum. With a boost clock of 2475 MHz and 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, the GPU is well-equipped for this older title. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for 2014-era textures. The 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores are underutilized in this game, as it does not support ray tracing or DLSS, but they contribute to the GPU's overall benchmark score of 26,927 in Passmark G3D.

The GPU's percentile rank of 81 and its average benchmark score of 37,283 place it slightly below the RX Vega 56 (37,507) and RTX 4080 Mobile (38,135). In practical terms, the 4K results show the GPU is the primary bottleneck at high resolutions. The 45.4 FPS at 4K Ultra is a direct consequence of the 64 ROPs and the 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate, which limits fill-rate-heavy scenes. At 1080p, the GPU's 455.4 GTexel/s texture rate ensures that texture-heavy environments do not cause dips, as evidenced by the 277 FPS Low result.

Settings Recommendations

For users targeting 1080p, the data strongly favors High or Ultra settings. High delivers 178 FPS, which is indistinguishable from Low for most players, while Ultra at 135.7 FPS still provides a high-refresh experience. The jump from Medium to High is 34.9 FPS, which is worth the visual upgrade. For 1440p, Medium at 139.4 FPS is the sweet spot, offering a balance between smoothness and fidelity. High at 115.6 FPS is also excellent, but Ultra at 88.4 FPS is only recommended for those with G-Sync or FreeSync displays.

At 4K, the choice is more constrained. High at 60.1 FPS is the only preset that hits the 60 FPS target, making it the recommended setting for a consistent experience. Medium at 75.7 FPS is also viable, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often worth the 15.6 FPS trade-off. Ultra at 45.4 FPS should be avoided unless the user prioritizes image quality over frame rate. Overall, the best experience per the measured rows is 1440p High, which delivers 115.6 FPS with excellent visual quality — a combination that leverages the CPU's headroom without overburdening the GPU.

CPU Role

The i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its single-thread performance is exceptional, scoring 6,287 in Cinebench R23 single-core, which is critical for Minimum's game logic and physics. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide low-latency access to frequently used data, reducing potential stutter. The CPU's 125 W TDP and ECC memory support indicate a workstation-class design, but its gaming performance is equally strong.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low, where 277 FPS is achieved. This result suggests that the CPU can feed frames far faster than the GPU can render them at lower resolutions. The 96th percentile CPU rank, with an average benchmark score of 70,074, places it just behind the i7-14700KF (70,104) and Ryzen 9 9950X (70,420). The negligible deltas (0% and -0.5%, respectively) mean that swapping to a rival CPU would not noticeably change FPS in this game. The 4K results, where FPS drops significantly, confirm that the CPU becomes irrelevant at higher resolutions — the GPU's rendering speed is the sole limiter, so the i7-14700K's power is only fully utilized in CPU-bound scenarios like 1080p Low.