Minimum

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers a striking performance curve in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter from 2014. The measured data reveals a system that scales decisively with resolution, moving from a GPU-bound state at 4K to a scenario where the processor’s headroom becomes the defining factor at 1080p. The progression from the highest to lowest pixel count is not linear; it is a series of large, consistent jumps that point to a well-balanced combo that still has clear limits.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable yet steep drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a title released in 2014 running on modern hardware. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 162.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p, that figure falls to 100.6 FPS, a reduction of 62.2 FPS. The jump to 4K Ultra yields an average of 56.7 FPS, which is 43.9 FPS below the 1440p result. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary scaling factor at higher resolutions, as the rendering load increases substantially with pixel count.

The scaling behavior differs when examining lower settings. At Low settings, the 1080p average is 328.5 FPS, which drops to 208 FPS at 1440p and then to 114 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 37%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is about 45%. This suggests that even at Low settings, the RTX 4070 Ti is still the bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rate does not scale linearly with the reduction in detail. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are likely being saturated by the 3840x2160 resolution, regardless of the preset.

The most telling data point is the gap between High and Ultra settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference is 48.4 FPS (211.2 vs 162.8). At 1440p, the gap narrows to 36.8 FPS (137.4 vs 100.6). At 4K, the gap is 16.4 FPS (73.1 vs 56.7). This narrowing gap indicates that as resolution increases, the additional load from Ultra settings (likely higher draw distances and shadow quality) becomes less impactful on the GPU, because the pixel fill rate is already the dominant cost. The system is clearly GPU-limited at 4K, but at 1080p, the CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads are sufficient to keep the GPU fed, allowing the frame rate to climb well past 200 FPS on most presets.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific configuration holds a combo rank of 209 out of 1733 tested combinations. This places it in the top 12% of all combos tested for Minimum. The percentile data for the individual components supports this strong showing: the i7-14700KF sits at the 96th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 4070 Ti is at the 85th percentile among all GPUs. The combination of a top-tier processor and a high-end graphics card results in a system that outperforms the vast majority of tested setups, though it is not at the absolute top.

The CPU’s nearest rivals provide context for its synthetic benchmark standing. The Intel Core i7-14700K scores an average of 70074, a delta of 0% from the 14700KF’s 70104 average. This effectively puts the two Intel parts on par, with the KF variant’s lack of integrated graphics being the only practical difference. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70420, which is -0.4% relative to the 14700KF, meaning the 14700KF is slightly behind in raw average score. The most distant rival listed, the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270, scores 71056, a -1.3% delta, indicating the 14700KF trails that server chip in pure multi-threaded synthetic workloads by a small margin.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show a tighter cluster. The RTX 5090 Mobile scores 45152, a -0.6% delta, meaning the desktop 4070 Ti is slightly ahead. The Intel Arc A730M scores 45592, a -1.5% delta, placing it above the 4070 Ti in average score. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 44195, a 1.6% delta, meaning it trails the 4070 Ti. These comparisons are from synthetic benchmarks, and in-game results for Minimum may vary, but the data suggests the 4070 Ti performs within a narrow band of these competitors, with no single rival holding a commanding lead.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average at 1920x1080 is 328.5 FPS, achieved with Low settings. The Ultra preset still delivers 162.8 FPS at the same resolution.

Q: Does this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured average at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 56.7 FPS. To exceed 60 FPS at 4K, the settings must be lowered to High, which yields 73.1 FPS.

Q: How does the i7-14700KF compare to the i7-14700K in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The two processors are statistically identical. The i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 70074, while the i7-14700KF scores 70104, representing a 0% delta.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 Ti a bottleneck at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured average at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 162.3 FPS. This is well above typical display refresh rates, indicating the GPU is not a limiting factor for most users at this resolution and preset.

*Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combinations for Minimum?*

A: It ranks 209th out of 1733 combos, placing it in the top 12% of all tested systems.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: The Low preset averages 114 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 56.7 FPS. This is a difference of 57.3 FPS, or roughly a 50% reduction in frame rate when moving to maximum detail.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend entirely on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 4K displays, High settings are the clear recommendation, as they provide an average of 73.1 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings at this resolution drop to 56.7 FPS, which may introduce noticeable stutter on a 60 Hz panel. Medium settings at 4K offer 86.2 FPS but provide diminishing visual returns over High for a 13.1 FPS gain.

At 1440p, the data shows that High settings (137.4 FPS) are the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors. Ultra settings (100.6 FPS) still provide a playable experience and may be preferred for visual fidelity, but the 36.8 FPS drop from High is substantial. For competitive play, Low settings (208 FPS) maximize frame rate, but the visual compromise is severe. Medium settings (162.3 FPS) offer a balance that exceeds most 144 Hz displays.

For 1080p, the recommendation is to use Ultra settings without hesitation. The measured 162.8 FPS average is well above the refresh rate of most gaming monitors, and the visual quality is uncompromised. Lowering to High (211.2 FPS) or Medium (247.4 FPS) only makes sense for esports players with 240 Hz or higher panels, where the extra frames could reduce input latency. Low settings at 328.5 FPS are unnecessary for all but the most extreme competitive scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset for this combo is as follows, organized by resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080, the averages are:

• Low: 328.5 FPS
• Medium: 247.4 FPS
• High: 211.2 FPS
• Ultra: 162.8 FPS

At 2560x1440, the averages are:

• Low: 208 FPS
• Medium: 162.3 FPS
• High: 137.4 FPS
• Ultra: 100.6 FPS

At 3840x2160, the averages are:

• Low: 114 FPS
• Medium: 86.2 FPS
• High: 73.1 FPS
• Ultra: 56.7 FPS

The data reveals a consistent hierarchy: Low is always the fastest, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the slowest. The gap between Low and Ultra grows narrower as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 165.7 FPS. At 1440p, it narrows to 107.4 FPS. At 4K, it shrinks to 57.3 FPS. This trend confirms that the GPU’s raw throughput is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while at 1080p the CPU’s ability to feed the GPU becomes more relevant, allowing the frame rate to scale more aggressively with lower settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It carries a 33 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In the context of Minimum, a game released in 2014, this processor provides far more compute headroom than the title requires. The synthetic benchmarks support this: the Cinebench R23 multicore score is 44557, and the single-core score is 6290, placing it at the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

In this game, the CPU’s role becomes apparent when analyzing the 1080p Low setting result of 328.5 FPS. This frame rate is only achievable if the processor can issue draw calls and update game logic fast enough to keep the RTX 4070 Ti saturated. The 20 cores and 28 threads, combined with the 5.60 GHz boost clock, allow for this high throughput. The PassMark multithread score of 52425 and single-thread score of 4480 further indicate that both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads are handled effectively.

However, the data also shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings, and the frame rate drops proportionally with pixel count. This indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti’s 40.09 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 7680 shading units are the limiting factor at 4K. The CPU’s nearest rival, the i7-14700K, has an identical average benchmark score (70074 vs 70104), meaning there is no practical performance difference between the two for this game. The data suggests that this CPU is more than sufficient for Minimum, and the GPU is the component that determines the final frame rate at resolutions above 1080p.