Minimum

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers measured frame rates in Minimum that range from 267.7 FPS at 1080p Low to 44.1 FPS at 4K Ultra. This combo ranks 550th out of 1733 tested combinations, placing it in the 68th percentile of all combos. The data indicates a system that is strongly CPU-capable but GPU-limited at higher resolutions, with the CPU’s 97th-percentile standing and the GPU’s 80th-percentile standing reflecting that split.

CPU Role

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 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 125 W TDP position it as a high-end desktop part. The CPU’s launch MSRP is $589. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 49872 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 7040 in single-core, 20370 in Geekbench multi-core, and 3064 in single-core. Its Passmark single-thread score is 4697, and its multithread score is 58674. These numbers place the CPU in the 97th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 79824 is within 0.9% of its nearest rivals: the AMD EPYC 7413 (delta -0.3%), Intel Core i9-14900KF (0.7%), Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF (0.7%), and Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (0.9%). This consistency suggests the i9-14900K delivers performance on par with its closest competitors.

For a 2014 third-person shooter like Minimum, single-thread performance is typically more relevant than raw core count. The 6.00 GHz boost clock and strong single-core scores (7040 in Cinebench R23, 3064 in Geekbench) indicate that the CPU can handle the game’s logic and draw calls without becoming a bottleneck. The measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 267.7, which is far above typical display refresh rates, confirming that the CPU is not limiting at lower resolutions. Even at 1080p Ultra, the system sustains 133.8 FPS, still well above 60. The CPU’s 24 cores and 32 threads are overkill for this title, but they do not hinder performance; the game simply does not utilize them fully. The data shows that the CPU’s role is to provide a high ceiling for frame generation, and it does so effectively across all settings and resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear picture of how each preset behaves at each resolution. At 4K, the highest preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS is Medium, which delivers 71.7 FPS. High drops to 57.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 44.1 FPS. Low at 4K yields 92.3 FPS, but Medium offers a better visual quality while still staying above the 60 FPS threshold. Therefore, for 4K, Medium is the recommended preset for a smooth experience. At 1440p, all presets exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra delivering 82.8 FPS, High at 108.6, Medium at 132.9, and Low at 172.3. Ultra is the best choice here, as it provides the highest visual fidelity without sacrificing frame rate. At 1080p, even Ultra reaches 133.8 FPS, so Ultra is recommended for maximum quality. Low at 1080p hits 267.7 FPS, which could benefit high-refresh displays, but the visual trade-off is substantial. The data suggests that the system is capable of running Minimum at maximum settings at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K requires a step down to Medium to maintain 60 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all presets, indicating a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 168.9 at 1080p to 108.6 at 1440p and then to 57.6 at 4K. This represents a reduction to 34.1% of the 1080p value at 4K. Similarly, at Low settings, 267.7 FPS at 1080p drops to 172.3 at 1440p and 92.3 at 4K, which is 34.5% of the original. Medium shows 201.8 to 132.9 to 71.7 (35.5%), and Ultra goes from 133.8 to 82.8 to 44.1 (33.0%). The near-identical scaling ratios across presets strongly suggest that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the limiting factor as resolution increases. The RTX 3080’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game, but the sheer number of pixels at 4K overwhelms the GPU’s shading and rasterization capabilities. The CPU’s performance remains constant, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p, so the bottleneck shifts entirely to the GPU at higher resolutions. This pattern is typical for a system where the CPU is far more powerful than the GPU relative to the game’s demands.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 550th out of 1733 tested combinations, which places it in the 68th percentile of all combos. This is a solid result, but it is lower than the CPU’s individual 97th percentile and the GPU’s 80th percentile. The discrepancy indicates that the GPU is the limiting component in this specific game. The CPU’s nearest rivals are all within 0.9% of its average benchmark score, and the GPU’s nearest rivals are within 1% of its average score (AMD Radeon Pro Duo at -0.2%, AMD Radeon 880M at 0.4%, AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE at -0.9%, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile at 1%). This means the combo’s performance is consistent with what would be expected from these components. The game’s age and relatively low graphical demands mean that even a mid-range GPU could achieve high frame rates, but the RTX 3080’s 80th-percentile standing still places it above the majority of GPUs. The combo’s rank reflects that the CPU is not a bottleneck, but the GPU’s performance at 4K Ultra (44.1 FPS) pulls the overall ranking down from what the CPU alone might suggest.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip, featuring 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. Its base clock is 1440 MHz, with a boost clock of 1710 MHz, and the memory runs at 19 Gbps effective across a 320-bit bus, yielding 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The 10 GB of GDDR6X VRAM is ample for Minimum, which is a 2014 title with modest texture requirements. The GPU’s launch MSRP is 699 USD. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 25086 in Passmark G3D, 4407 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, and 14397 in Passmark GPU compute. Its average benchmark score is 35787, placing it in the 80th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are all within 1% of this score, confirming that the RTX 3080 performs as expected for its class.

In Minimum, the GPU’s role is decisive at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the GPU delivers 267.7 FPS, showing that it can handle high frame rates when pixel load is low. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 44.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. This drop is directly attributable to the GPU’s rendering throughput, as the CPU is not a limiting factor. The boost clock of 1710 MHz and the 8704 shading units drive the frame rate, but the 4K pixel count exceeds the GPU’s capacity for this title. The memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s is sufficient, as evidenced by the consistent scaling across presets; if VRAM or bandwidth were insufficient, we would expect a more pronounced drop at higher settings. The data shows that the RTX 3080 is a capable GPU for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K, it requires a reduction to Medium settings to maintain 60 FPS. This behavior is consistent with its 80th-percentile standing and its position relative to its nearest rivals.