Minimum

The pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 presents a stark contrast in generational capability, and the benchmark data for Minimum reflects this tension. The CPU is a modern 20-core powerhouse, while the GPU is an end-of-life Pascal architecture card from 2016. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is almost entirely constrained by the graphics card, yet the CPU’s headroom ensures that the performance ceiling is never artificially lowered by processor limitations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data for Minimum shows a clear hierarchy of performance across the four available settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 139.4 FPS, which is the highest measured result for this combination. This is the only preset at any resolution that breaks the 120 FPS threshold, making it the definitive choice for players prioritizing maximum refresh rates or competitive play. The Medium preset at 1080p follows with 105.8 FPS, which is still a very playable figure but represents a 24% reduction in average FPS compared to Low.

For a balanced experience that maintains high visual fidelity without sacrificing fluidity, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the recommended choice. The data shows an average of 67.1 FPS at this setting, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 1440p drops to 55.7 FPS, which is playable but begins to show the GPU's limits. The Ultra preset is largely impractical for this hardware combination. At 1080p, Ultra yields 69.2 FPS, but at 1440p it falls to 42.3 FPS, and at 4K it plummets to 26.5 FPS, which is below the threshold for a consistent experience. The data suggests that the best experience per the measured rows is either Low at 1080p for maximum performance or Medium at 1440p for a balanced 60 FPS experience with higher visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global ranking of tested hardware combinations for Minimum, this specific pairing of the i7-14700KF and GTX 1070 achieves a rank of 1464 out of 1733 tested combos. This places it in the lower percentile of all systems, indicating that while it is functional, it is far from the top tier of performance. The combo rank of 1464 out of 1733 suggests that the GTX 1070 is a significant bottleneck, holding back the potential of the i7-14700KF.

This ranking is not surprising given the GPU's standing in the broader benchmark database. The GTX 1070 sits in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, while the i7-14700KF is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. The massive disparity in their relative performance tiers explains why this combo ranks so low in a game-specific context. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, have average benchmark scores that are within 0.4% of the 14700KF, showing that the processor is at the top of its class. However, the GPU's nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 and GTX 880M, have scores that are within 1.7% of the GTX 1070, placing it in a much lower performance bracket. The result is a system that is dramatically unbalanced, and the game's performance metrics reflect this.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the primary determinant of performance in Minimum for this configuration. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. Its base clock is 1506 MHz with a boost clock of 1683 MHz. These specifications are from the Pascal architecture, which supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. While the 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for many titles, the 4K results suggest that the card's compute capabilities, with a FP32 performance of 6.463 TFLOPS, are the limiting factor.

The benchmark data shows a clear pattern where increases in resolution and settings lead to disproportionate FPS drops, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The GPU's average benchmark score of 12331 places it in the 51st percentile, with its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K4200, scoring 0.7% higher. This indicates that the GTX 1070 is a mid-range performer by modern standards, and it is simply outclassed by the demands of Minimum at higher settings. The data implies that the GPU's texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K, where the card averages only 32.1 FPS on High settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination provides a detailed look at its performance envelope. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 139.4 FPS, which is the highest score recorded. Moving to Medium drops the average to 105.8 FPS, and High further reduces it to 87.6 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 69.2 FPS, showing a steady decline as graphical load increases.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces an average of 89.9 FPS, which is a significant 35.5% decrease from the 1080p Low result. Medium at 1440p delivers 67.1 FPS, while High drops to 55.7 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution yields 42.3 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for smooth gameplay. At 3840x2160, the performance becomes marginal. Low averages 50.3 FPS, Medium averages 37.5 FPS, High averages 32.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 26.5 FPS. These figures demonstrate that 4K is only viable on the lowest settings, and even then, it is not a high-refresh-rate experience.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases. From 1080p Low (139.4 FPS) to 1440p Low (89.9 FPS), there is a 35.5% drop in average FPS. From 1440p Low to 4K Low (50.3 FPS), there is a further 44% drop. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is heavily strained by the increasing pixel count.

This behavior points directly to the GPU as the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the processor's workload does not scale with pixel density. Instead, the near-linear relationship between resolution and FPS loss is a classic signature of a GPU-bound system. The i7-14700KF, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, has ample processing power to handle the game's logic at any resolution, but the GTX 1070 cannot render the frames fast enough at higher pixel counts. The data strongly suggests that lowering the resolution is the most effective way to improve performance, as it directly alleviates the pressure on the GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 33 MB shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are exceptional, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a single-core score of 6290. The CPU is in the 96th percentile of all processors, and its average benchmark score of 70104 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, which has a delta of 0%.

In the context of Minimum, the CPU's role is to provide a stable foundation for the GPU. The data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this configuration. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 139.4 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that a weaker CPU might struggle to keep up. However, the i7-14700KF's superior single-thread performance (Passmark single-thread score of 4480) ensures that there is no CPU-induced frame pacing issues. The processor's high multi-threaded capability (Passmark multithread score of 52425) is largely unnecessary for this game, but it guarantees that background tasks will not interfere with gameplay. The data implies that the CPU is effectively "waiting" for the GPU to deliver frames, and its only contribution is ensuring that the GPU is never starved of data.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for the highest average FPS?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 139.4, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

*Q: Is this combination capable of 4K gaming in Minimum?*

A: The data shows that at 4K, the average FPS ranges from 50.3 on Low to 26.5 on Ultra. These results indicate that 4K is not a viable option for a smooth experience, even at the lowest settings.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, has a score of 70074, a delta of 0%. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70420, which is -0.4% relative to the 14700KF.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12331.

Q: How does the FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p on High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 87.6. At 1440p High, the average FPS drops to 55.7, representing a 36.4% decrease.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this system?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The steep FPS drops with increasing resolution, such as from 139.4 FPS at 1080p Low to 50.3 FPS at 4K Low, are characteristic of a GPU bottleneck, while the high-performing CPU has no such scaling issues.