Minimum

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER lands at rank 1535 out of 1733 tested combos in Minimum. That places this configuration in the bottom 12th percentile of all combinations, a positioning driven almost entirely by the GPU's age rather than the CPU's capability. The i7-14700KF is a top-tier processor—sitting in the 96th percentile of all CPUs—while the GTX 1660 SUPER rests in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. This is a classic bottleneck scenario where the graphics card limits frame rates, and the benchmark data confirms it: the CPU has far more headroom than this GPU can ever exploit in a 2014 third-person shooter.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Core i7-14700KF brings 20 cores and 28 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. That is a massive amount of parallel processing power for a game released in 2014, where typical titles of that era were optimized for four to eight threads. In synthetic workloads, this CPU scores 44557 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6290 in single-core, with a Passmark multithread score of 52425 and single-thread score of 4480. The data shows this processor is not the constraint in Minimum: even at 1080p Low, where the CPU load is highest relative to GPU work, the combo still manages 132.8 FPS average, which suggests the i7-14700KF is barely breaking a sweat.

The gap between the CPU's theoretical capacity and the measured results becomes obvious when looking at the frame rates. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 61.8 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 23.7 FPS. These numbers scale almost perfectly with GPU load, not CPU throughput. The i7-14700KF's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache are more than sufficient for Minimum's data demands, and the 10 nm Raptor Lake architecture with its 125 W TDP runs well within its thermal envelope here. The processor's memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 further confirms its modern pedigree, but none of that matters when the GPU is the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

At rank 1535 of 1733 combos, this pairing sits in the lower 12% of all tested configurations. That ranking reflects the GPU's modest standing: the GTX 1660 SUPER's average benchmark score of 14286 puts it nearly tied with the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (deltaPct -0.2) and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (deltaPct -0.2), while the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT is only 0.7% faster on average. In contrast, the i7-14700KF's average score of 70104 puts it essentially neck-and-neck with the Intel Core i7-14700K (0% delta) and within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X. The CPU is punching far above the GPU's weight class.

What this means in practice is that the combo's rank is almost entirely a GPU story. If you were to pair this same CPU with a stronger GPU, the rank would rise dramatically because the processor has demonstrated it can handle far more demanding workloads. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 132.8 FPS, which is respectable, but the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 12699 and DirectX 12 score of 50 indicate it's not built for modern high-fidelity rendering. In Minimum, which is a 2014 title, the GTX 1660 SUPER still manages playable frame rates at lower settings, but the combo rank shows there are hundreds of better-balanced configurations in the database.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF overkill for this GPU?

A: Yes, the data strongly suggests so. The CPU sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 55th percentile. The i7-14700KF's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 is far beyond what Minimum can utilize, especially with a GTX 1660 SUPER limiting output.

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?*

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings presets stay above 60 FPS average. At 2560x1440, only Low (86.7 FPS) and Medium (67.7 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, while High drops to 56.7 FPS. At 3840x2160, even Low only manages 43.1 FPS.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER's average benchmark score of 14286 is within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389) and within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14352). The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics scores 14315, just 0.2% higher. These are effectively tied performers.

*Q: Does the CPU's 20-core configuration help in Minimum?*

A: Not measurably. The game released in 2014, and the measured FPS scales with GPU load across resolutions, not CPU thread usage. The i7-14700KF's single-core score of 6290 in Cinebench R23 is more relevant, but even that exceeds what this GPU can feed.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and how does it affect results?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 23.7 FPS, likely due to both memory capacity and bandwidth limits, though the data does not isolate VRAM usage.

Q: Should I use Low or Medium settings at 1080p for the best experience?

A: The measured rows show Low at 132.8 FPS and Medium at 97.4 FPS average. Both are smooth, but Medium provides a better visual experience while still maintaining nearly 100 FPS, making it the sweet spot for this combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 132.8 FPS, Medium hits 97.4 FPS, High reaches 82.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 61.8 FPS. Every preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, making 1080p the only resolution where all options are viable for smooth gameplay. The spread from Low to Ultra is 71 FPS, indicating the GPU is the dominant factor in scaling—the CPU is not introducing any measurable bottleneck at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers drop significantly. Low averages 86.7 FPS, Medium 67.7 FPS, High 56.7 FPS, and Ultra 41.2 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 19 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 15.5 FPS. At this resolution, only Low and Medium maintain 60+ FPS averages, and Ultra falls below 45 FPS, which would feel stuttery in a third-person shooter. The GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed harder here, as evidenced by the sharper FPS decline compared to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal. Low averages 43.1 FPS, Medium 33.5 FPS, High 29.6 FPS, and Ultra 23.7 FPS. None of these are playable for a competitive shooter, and even Low fails to reach 45 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 19.4 FPS, showing that the GPU is completely saturated. The 4K data confirms that this combo is not suited for high-resolution gaming in Minimum, despite the CPU's capability—the i7-14700KF would need a far stronger GPU to make 4K viable.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The GTX 1660 SUPER operates with a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, using 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus for 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. Its Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process, delivers 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 85.68 GPixel/s pixel rate. These specifications place it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14286. The data shows this GPU is the limiting factor in this combo: its Passmark G3D score of 12699 and DirectX 11 score of 104 are modest, and its DirectX 12 score of 50 is particularly low, which matters less for a 2014 title but indicates overall capability.

The measured FPS pattern across resolutions and settings aligns with the GPU's memory bandwidth. At 1080p, the GTX 1660 SUPER has enough bandwidth to feed most settings, but at 1440p and 4K, the 192-bit bus becomes a constraint. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed and 6 GB capacity are sufficient for Minimum's 2014-era textures, but the GPU's 1408 shading units and 48 ROPs limit fill rate at higher resolutions. The GPU's 125 W TDP and PCIe 3.0 x16 interface are adequate, but the end-of-life production status and its position near the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (0.7% faster) confirm it is a mid-range part from a previous generation.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For 1920x1080, the data supports Medium as the best overall choice. At 97.4 FPS average, it offers a 35.4 FPS improvement over Ultra (61.8 FPS) while only sacrificing 35.4 FPS compared to Low (132.8 FPS). Medium provides a substantial visual upgrade over Low with a minor performance penalty, and the 97 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. High at 82.8 FPS is also acceptable, but the jump from Medium to High only yields 14.6 FPS loss for what is typically a marginal visual gain in a 2014 title.

At 2560x1440, the choice narrows to Low or Medium. Low averages 86.7 FPS and Medium 67.7 FPS, both above 60 FPS. Medium is the recommended preset here because it maintains playable frame rates while offering better visual fidelity. High drops to 56.7 FPS, which is borderline, and Ultra at 41.2 FPS is not recommended for a third-person shooter where responsiveness matters. At 3840x2160, no preset is truly playable—Low at 43.1 FPS is the least bad option, but users should avoid 4K with this combo entirely. The data clearly indicates that 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium are the sweet spots, balancing visual quality against the GTX 1660 SUPER's measured performance ceiling.