Minimum

The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER combination delivers a fascinating performance profile in Minimum, a 2014 Third-Person Shooter. The data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly powerful for this title, yet the scaling patterns expose distinct bottlenecks that shift depending on resolution and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS to understand where the limits of this hardware lie and how users can best harness its capability.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling curve, but with an interesting twist at the top end. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 211 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 136 FPS, a 35.5% decrease. Stepping up to 4K further reduces performance to 73 FPS, another 46.3% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases, which is expected for a demanding 4K workload.

However, the Low settings preset tells a different story. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 329 FPS. At 1440p Low, it still manages 212 FPS, but the scaling is less severe than at High settings. The jump to 4K Low yields 114 FPS. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is 65.3%, which is less pronounced than the 65.4% drop seen at High settings, but the absolute numbers suggest that even at Low settings, the GPU is still doing significant work. The fact that 4K Low (114 FPS) is nearly as fast as 1440p High (136 FPS) suggests that the Ultra preset is where the GPU truly struggles, as the 4K Ultra figure of 56 FPS is the lowest recorded.

The data implies that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at any resolution. The i9-14900K, with its high single-core performance, appears to be feeding the GPU adequately even at 1080p where frame rates are extremely high. The consistent frame rate drops across resolutions indicate that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's rendering pipeline is the constraining factor, particularly when the pixel count increases. The scaling from Medium to High settings also shows a consistent pattern: 4K Medium (87 FPS) to 4K High (73 FPS) is a 16.1% drop, while 1440p Medium (162 FPS) to 1440p High (136 FPS) is a 16.0% drop. This linearity points to a GPU that is scaling predictably with workload, without unexpected CPU-related stutters or frame time spikes.

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 benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5. In Geekbench, it scores 21697 multi-core and 2655 single-core. These numbers place it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, indicating top-tier processing power. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which is 0.3% slower on average, and the AMD EPYC 7413, which is 1.2% faster.

In the context of Minimum, the CPU's role seems to be secondary. The game, being from 2014, is not likely to leverage all 24 cores effectively. The high single-core performance (6.00 GHz boost) is likely more relevant. However, the measured FPS at 1080p Low (329 FPS) suggests that even a less powerful CPU could hit high frame rates if paired with a capable GPU. The data shows that the i9-14900K is not the limiting factor here. For instance, at 1440p High, the system achieves 136 FPS, which is a demanding scenario. If the CPU were bottlenecking, we would expect inconsistent scaling or frame drops, but the data is smooth.

The L3 cache is 36 MB shared, which is substantial, but for a game of this era, the cache hierarchy is likely not a critical factor. The CPU's memory support includes DDR4 and DDR5, though the specific bandwidth is not listed. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is far ahead of what Minimum requires. The PassMark multi-thread score of 58674 and single-thread score of 4697 reinforce this. The data suggests that the CPU is essentially idle headroom in this title, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of performance. The 0.3% delta to the i9-14900KF shows that the non-K variant is virtually identical in performance, meaning users are not missing out on significant CPU capability for this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2610 MHz, with a base of 2340 MHz. The GPU has 8448 shading units, 264 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Its benchmark scores include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5569 and a PassMark G3D score of 31811. It ranks in the 76th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA TITAN RTX, which is 1.9% faster on average.

The GPU's role in Minimum is clearly the dominant factor. The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for this game, even at 4K Ultra. The memory bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s is also ample. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution and settings. At 4K Ultra, the 56 FPS average is likely due to the pixel fill rate and shader complexity. The GPU's pixel rate is 250.6 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 689.0 GTexel/s. These are high numbers, but the game's Ultra preset likely pushes the shading units to their limit.

The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is stark: 114 FPS vs 56 FPS. This 58 FPS gap indicates that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU, such as advanced lighting or post-processing. The GPU's FP32 performance of 44.10 TFLOPS is significant, but the game's engine may not be optimized for such modern hardware, leading to inefficiencies. The fact that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is now end-of-life, with its successor being the GeForce 50 series, suggests that this is a mature product. The data confirms that for Minimum, the GPU is the component to watch, as it dictates the playable experience at higher resolutions and settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system performs exceptionally well. Low settings yield 329 FPS, Medium 252 FPS (with a min of 214 and max of 290), High 211 FPS, and Ultra 161 FPS. The frame rates are all well above 144 Hz, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The drop from Low to Ultra is 51.1%, indicating that the GPU is still doing heavy lifting even at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong. Low settings produce 212 FPS, Medium 162 FPS (min 138, max 187), High 136 FPS, and Ultra 104 FPS. The 1440p figures are still excellent, with even Ultra settings staying above 100 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at High settings is a 35.5% reduction, which is significant but expected.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. Low settings drop to 114 FPS, Medium to 87 FPS (min 74, max 101), High to 73 FPS, and Ultra to 56 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure is the only one below 60 FPS, making it borderline for smooth gameplay. The gap between 4K Low and 4K Ultra is 50.9%, which is similar to the 1080p drop, but the absolute numbers are much lower.

The Medium settings rows include min and max FPS data, which is useful for understanding frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the min FPS is 74 and the max is 101, showing a 27 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the variance is 49 FPS (138 to 187), and at 1080p Medium, it is 76 FPS (214 to 290). This suggests that at higher resolutions, the frame times are more consistent, likely due to the GPU being the bottleneck. At lower resolutions, the CPU and GPU interplay can cause more variance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 449th out of 3712 combinations. This places it in the top 12.1% of all tested systems. The rank is a composite score based on the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings.

Given the GPU's 76th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU's 95th percentile, one might expect a higher combo rank. The discrepancy suggests that the game's performance is heavily influenced by the GPU, and while the CPU is powerful, it does not boost the combo beyond what the GPU can deliver. The rank of 449 indicates that there are 448 other combos that perform better in Minimum, likely featuring more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090 or AMD equivalents.

The data implies that the i9-14900K is not a hindrance, but it is also not a differentiator in this title. The combo's rank reflects the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's capability, but it also shows that for a game from 2014, even a high-end GPU is the limiting factor. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the Core i9-14900KF (0.3% slower) or the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (1.7% faster), would likely produce similar combo ranks if paired with the same GPU. The GPU's nearest rivals, like the NVIDIA TITAN RTX (1.9% faster), would likely push the combo slightly higher in the rankings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 1080p displays, the High preset at 211 FPS is an excellent choice. It provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium (252 FPS) while still maintaining frame rates far above 144 Hz. The Ultra preset at 161 FPS is also viable, but the 19.2% performance hit from High may not justify the visual gains for competitive play. For maximum smoothness, Low at 329 FPS is available, but the visual quality is likely too compromised.

For 1440p displays, the High preset at 136 FPS is the sweet spot. It offers a great balance of visual fidelity and performance, easily driving high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 104 FPS is also playable, but the drop below 144 FPS may be noticeable. The Medium preset at 162 FPS is a good option for those who prioritize frame rate over visuals, but High is recommended for the best experience.

For 4K displays, the situation is more nuanced. The High preset at 73 FPS is playable, but the Medium preset at 87 FPS provides a better margin above 60 FPS. The measured min FPS for Medium is 74, ensuring that the frame rate rarely dips below 60. For a smooth 4K experience, Medium is the recommended preset. The Low preset at 114 FPS is also viable, but the visual downgrade is significant. The Ultra preset at 56 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided for a consistent experience.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 329, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: At 4K resolution, which settings preset maintains an average FPS above 60?

A: The Medium preset at 4K yields an average of 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS, making it the highest settings preset that reliably stays above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's single-core performance compare to its multi-core performance?

A: The i9-14900K scores 2262.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 39399.5 in multi-core, showing a 17.4x difference in favor of multi-core.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth, and is it sufficient for this game?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has a memory bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s, which is more than adequate for a 2014 title like Minimum.

Q: How does the combo rank overall in the database?

A: This combo ranks 449th out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the top 12.1% of all systems.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between 1080p High and 4K High?

A: The average FPS drops from 211 at 1080p High to 73 at 4K High, a 65.4% reduction.