Minimum

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT delivers a performance profile in Minimum that is heavily skewed by resolution and settings, with the CPU providing massive headroom at lower resolutions and the GPU becoming the definitive constraint at 4K. The measured data indicates this combo is most effective at 1440p, where it balances high frame rates with visual fidelity, while 1080p performance is so high that it exceeds the practical needs of most displays.

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

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. Its benchmark results place it in the 97th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79,824. This places it in a tight competitive cluster: it sits 0.3% behind the AMD EPYC 7413, and 0.7% ahead of both the Intel Core i9-14900KF and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF.

For Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, this CPU is heavily overqualified. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combination achieves 256.8 FPS, which is a clear indicator that the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution. The processor's single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,040 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3,064, ensures that even the most demanding game logic threads are handled without bottlenecking the GPU.

The CPU’s multi-core capabilities are also substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49,872 and a Passmark multithread score of 58,674. However, in a game like Minimum, these resources are largely underutilized. The data suggests that the i9-14900K provides a performance ceiling that is never reached by the game's engine, especially when compared to the GPU’s workload scaling. The processor’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 80 KB of L1 cache per core contribute to its responsiveness, but the benchmark results make it clear that the CPU’s role is to ensure the GPU is never starved of data, rather than to directly dictate frame rates.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture and Navi 21 chip, is the primary driver of performance differences in this configuration. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2250 MHz, with a game clock of 2015 MHz. The GPU’s benchmark percentile is 87, with an average score of 49,982.

In the nearest rival comparison, the RX 6800 XT sits 0.5% ahead of the Intel Arc A550M, 1.7% behind the NVIDIA RTX A1000, and 2.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER. This indicates that while it is not a top-tier performer relative to the absolute best, it is a solid mid-to-high-range card. For Minimum, the GPU’s 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient, even at 4K Ultra settings, which is a factor in maintaining playable frame rates.

The GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the frame rate is 256.8 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops dramatically to 46.3 FPS. This 4K Ultra result is the only sub-60 FPS measurement in the entire dataset, highlighting that the GPU’s compute throughput is the limiting factor at the highest settings. The card’s FP32 performance of 20.74 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 288.0 GPixel/s are adequate for the game’s older engine, but the scaling of performance across settings shows a clear GPU-bound scenario at 4K.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average FPS drops from 163.8 to 105.7, a 35.5% reduction. From 1440p to 4K at High settings, the frame rate falls further to 59.8, another 43.4% reduction. This consistent, significant drop with each resolution increase is the classic signature of a GPU-limited system.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The 1080p result is 256.8 FPS, dropping to 164.4 at 1440p (a 36% decrease) and then to 91 at 4K (a 44.7% decrease). The fact that the frame rate at 4K Low (91 FPS) is still higher than the 4K Ultra result (46.3 FPS) demonstrates that the GPU’s rendering workload, not the CPU, is the primary variable.

The data indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau at higher resolutions, but they continue to fall steeply. For instance, the jump from 1440p High (105.7 FPS) to 4K High (59.8 FPS) is substantial, confirming that the RX 6800 XT’s fill rate and shader throughput are what determine the final output. This configuration is, therefore, GPU-limited across the board, with the CPU providing enough headroom to never interfere with GPU performance.

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

The data suggests that the High preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, delivering 105.7 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and is a significant improvement over the 4K High result of 59.8 FPS. While the Ultra preset at 1440p still achieves a respectable 82.2 FPS, the visual gains over High are likely marginal for the 22.2% performance cost.

At 4K, the High preset is the only playable option, with 59.8 FPS just barely hitting the standard for smooth play. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 46.3 FPS, is not recommended for competitive or fast-paced play. For players with high refresh rate monitors, the 1080p Medium preset, at 196.7 FPS, or the 1440p Low preset, at 164.4 FPS, are excellent choices for maximizing responsiveness.

The Low preset at 1080p, hitting 256.8 FPS, is the peak performance option, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p, at 196.7 FPS, offers a more balanced experience. For most users, the 1440p High setting appears to be the sweet spot, providing a high frame rate while still using the GPU’s capabilities effectively.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ranks 625th out of 1,733 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the top 36% of all tested configurations. The rank is determined by the measured FPS across all settings and resolutions, and the data shows that while this combo is not a top-tier performer, it is above the median.

The rank of 625 indicates that while the CPU is exceptionally powerful, the GPU is the limiting factor. There are likely many combos with higher-end GPUs that outperform this configuration, despite having weaker CPUs. The percentile data for the CPU (97th) and GPU (87th) supports this, showing that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing. The combo’s performance is still strong, but it is not in the top 100, suggesting that for Minimum, the GPU has a more significant impact on the final ranking than the CPU.

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

The following table presents the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | ------: |

| 3840x2160 | High | 59.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 91 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 66.9 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 46.3 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 105.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 164.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 125.2 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 82.2 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 163.8 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 256.8 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 196.7 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 128.2 |

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p performance is always highest, followed by 1440p, then 4K. Within each resolution, the settings scale as expected, with Low being the fastest and Ultra being the slowest. The only anomaly is the 4K Ultra result, which is the only measurement below 60 FPS.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo to maintain a 60+ FPS experience?

A: The data shows that 1440p and 1080p achieve 60+ FPS at all settings. At 4K, only the High (59.8 FPS), Medium (66.9 FPS), and Low (91 FPS) presets are above 60 FPS, while Ultra (46.3 FPS) is not.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 625th out of 1,733 total tested combos, placing it in the top 36% of all configurations.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. As resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, frame rates drop significantly (e.g., 163.8 to 59.8 at High settings), which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck, not a CPU one.

Q: What is the performance difference between the 1080p Low and 4K Ultra settings?

A: The 1080p Low preset achieves 256.8 FPS, while the 4K Ultra preset achieves only 46.3 FPS. This is a 210.5 FPS difference, showing a massive performance drop due to the increased GPU workload.

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K significantly better than its closest rival?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79,824. Its closest rival, the AMD EPYC 7413, has a score of 80,041, making the i9-14900K 0.3% slower in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM of the RX 6800 XT cause any issues at 4K Ultra?

A: The data does not show any VRAM-related stuttering or failure. The 4K Ultra preset runs at 46.3 FPS, which is a performance issue due to compute limits, not a memory capacity problem.