Minimum

The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER pairing in Minimum produces a combination that ranks 2142nd out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. This 24-core, 32-thread processor with a 6.00 GHz boost clock and 36 MB of shared L3 cache is decisively overqualified for a 2014 third-person shooter, while the 8 GB GDDR6 GPU with 2560 shading units becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The data reveals a system that can deliver excellent frame rates at 1080p but struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K Ultra, a pattern consistent with GPU-bound workload scaling.

CPU Role

The Core i9-14900K is a desktop-class Raptor Lake-R part built on Intel's 10 nm process, featuring 24 cores and 32 threads. Its base clock of 3.20 GHz and boost clock of 6.00 GHz represent the extreme high end of consumer silicon, and the processor's 125 W TDP reflects the power envelope required to sustain those frequencies. With 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3, the cache hierarchy is designed for heavy multi-threaded workloads, though Minimum's age suggests single-thread performance matters more.

Benchmark results confirm the CPU's strength: it scores 39399.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2262.5 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 21697 and single-core score of 2655. Its PassMark single-thread score of 4697 and multithread score of 58674 place it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. Relative to its nearest rivals, the i9-14900K trails the Core i9-14900KF by only 0.3%, the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus by 0.6%, and the AMD EPYC 7413 by 1.2%, while beating the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 by 1.7%.

In the context of Minimum, these numbers indicate the CPU is far from a bottleneck at any tested setting. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 188 FPS average, and at 1080p Ultra it still manages 92 FPS. The processor's capability to feed the GPU is evident in the scaling pattern: from 1080p to 1440p, FPS drops by roughly 35% across settings, and from 1440p to 4K, another 40-45% drop occurs. This consistent degradation points to the GPU being the limiting factor, as the i9-14900K's single-thread performance of 2262.5 in Cinebench R23 is more than sufficient for a game from this era.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K bottlenecking the RTX 2070 SUPER in this game?

A: No. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4697 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5 are extremely high, and the FPS scaling across resolutions shows a steady decline that matches GPU-bound behavior, not CPU limitations.

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in Minimum?*

A: The maximum recorded average is 188 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the same resolution with High settings, the average drops to 121 FPS.

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

A: The combo ranks 2142nd out of 3712 total combinations, placing it in the 42nd percentile of all tested configs for this game.

Q: Does the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM cause issues at 4K?

A: The data shows 4K Ultra produces an average of 32 FPS, while 4K Medium yields 50 FPS average with a minimum of 42 FPS. These low numbers suggest VRAM capacity combined with memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s are limiting factors at that resolution.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average is 121 FPS. At 3840x2160 High, the average drops to 42 FPS, representing a 65% reduction in frame rate.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 20282 is 1% lower than the Quadro M4000M, 1.2% lower than the RTX 3070 Mobile, 1.3% lower than the Intel Arc B570, and 1.5% lower than the Intel Arc A750.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep resolution penalty that clearly identifies the GPU as the performance ceiling. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 188 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low reduces this to 121 FPS, a 36% drop. At 4K Low, the average falls to 65 FPS, another 46% reduction from 1440p. This pattern holds across all settings: High settings see 121 FPS at 1080p, 78 FPS at 1440p (36% drop), and 42 FPS at 4K (46% drop from 1440p).

Medium settings show the same trend with slightly different absolute values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 144 FPS with a minimum of 122 and maximum of 165. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 and maximum of 106. At 4K Medium, the average is 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 and maximum of 57. The consistency of these percentage drops — approximately 35% for each resolution step — indicates that neither the CPU's 6.00 GHz boost clock nor its 36 MB L3 cache is creating a bottleneck.

The limiting component is clearly the RTX 2070 SUPER. Its 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM, combined with a 256-bit bus, become increasingly stressed as pixel count rises. At 4K Ultra, the combo only manages 32 FPS average, which is unplayable for a third-person shooter requiring responsive controls. Even at 4K Low, 65 FPS average is borderline, suggesting that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this pairing in Minimum.

Settings Recommendations

For a smooth experience, the data supports prioritizing Medium settings over High or Ultra. At 1920x1080 Medium, the combo achieves 144 FPS average with a minimum of 122 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable gameplay. High settings at the same resolution still deliver 121 FPS average, but the 16% reduction from Medium to High may not justify the visual improvement in a game from 2014.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce 93 FPS average with a minimum of 79 FPS, which remains playable on high-refresh monitors. High settings at 1440p drop to 78 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 59 FPS. For 4K, the data shows that even Low settings only reach 65 FPS average, while Medium drops to 50 FPS and Ultra to 32 FPS. Given that 4K Medium has a minimum of 42 FPS, this resolution is only viable with Low settings for acceptable frame pacing.

The measured rows indicate that Medium settings at 1440p offer the best balance of image quality and performance, as the 93 FPS average with a 79 FPS minimum avoids the sub-60 FPS dips seen at High and Ultra. At 1080p, Medium's 144 FPS average with a 122 FPS minimum provides ample headroom for competitive play. The 42 FPS minimum at 4K Medium and 32 FPS average at 4K Ultra make those configurations unsuitable for sustained gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2142 out of 3712 combinations places it in the lower 42% of all tested systems for Minimum. This positioning is notable because the individual components rank much higher in their respective categories: the i9-14900K sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, while the RTX 2070 SUPER ranks in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The gap between component percentiles and the combo's overall rank illustrates how the GPU drags down the system's performance in this specific title.

The CPU's synthetic benchmarks show it outperforming its nearest rival, the Core i9-14900KF, by a negligible 0.3% margin, while the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 18169 places it just below the Quadro M4000M, RTX 3070 Mobile, Arc B570, and Arc A750. This mismatch — a top-tier CPU paired with a mid-range GPU — explains why the combo rank is substantially worse than the CPU percentile would suggest. In Minimum, which relies heavily on GPU fill rate and memory bandwidth, the RTX 2070 SUPER's 113.3 GPixel/s pixel rate and 283.2 GTexel/s texture rate become the decisive factors.

The 3712 total combinations include many pairs where both components are more balanced, which pushes this configuration down the rankings. The data shows that the i9-14900K's 39399.5 Cinebench R23 multi-core score is wasted in this pairing, as the game's frame rates at 4K are limited by the GPU's 9.062 TFLOPS FP32 performance rather than any CPU constraint.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 188 FPS, Medium an average of 144 FPS with a minimum of 122 and maximum of 165, High an average of 121 FPS, and Ultra an average of 92 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 96 FPS, indicating that the GPU has substantial headroom at this resolution even with the most demanding settings.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 121 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 and maximum of 106, High averages 78 FPS, and Ultra averages 59 FPS. The 62 FPS spread between Low and Ultra is narrower than at 1080p, showing the GPU beginning to saturate. The minimum of 79 FPS at Medium suggests that even during intense scenes, the frame rate stays within a playable range.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Low settings average 65 FPS, Medium averages 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 and maximum of 57, High averages 42 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. The 33 FPS spread between Low and Ultra is the smallest of any resolution, confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint. The 42 FPS minimum at 4K Medium indicates that the 8 GB VRAM buffer and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for consistent frame delivery at this resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU built on TSMC's 12 nm process with 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die. Its base clock of 1605 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz drive 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, delivering a pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is the key specification for understanding performance in Minimum.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651 and PassMark G3D score of 18169 place it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 20282 is within 1.5% of its nearest rivals, with the Quadro M4000M 1% higher, the RTX 3070 Mobile 1.2% higher, the Arc B570 1.3% higher, and the Arc A750 1.5% higher. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and 12_2 feature level are irrelevant for a 2014 game, but its raw fill rate and memory bandwidth determine the measured FPS.

The RTX 2070 SUPER's 215 W TDP and dual-slot design with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors indicate a power-hungry card, but the performance data shows it cannot keep pace with the i9-14900K's capabilities. At 1080p Low, the GPU manages 188 FPS, but this drops by 65% to 65 FPS at 4K Low. The 42 FPS average at 4K High and 32 FPS at 4K Ultra demonstrate that the GPU's 9.062 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the definitive bottlenecks in this configuration. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU would yield significantly higher frame rates at 1440p and 4K, as the processor's 95th percentile ranking is clearly not being utilized to its full potential.