Minimum

FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of the Intel Core i9-14900K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 in Minimum?

A: This specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 875th out of 1,733 tested combinations in the game, placing it in the middle of the database for this title.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its closest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score of 30,109 is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, which scores 30,097 — a delta of 0.0%. The NVIDIA Tesla M60 trails slightly at 29,969, putting the RTX 5060 0.5% ahead.

Q: What is the best 4K result achievable with this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 71.4, achieved with Low settings. High settings drop to 47.9 FPS, while Ultra falls to 33.7 FPS.

Q: How much faster is the i9-14900K than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i9-14900K averages a benchmark score of 79,824, which is 0.9% higher than the Core Ultra 7 265K's 79,102. The gap to the AMD EPYC 7413 is just 0.3%, with the EPYC scoring 80,041.

Q: What memory configuration does the i9-14900K support?

A: The processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with ECC memory support enabled.

Q: Does the RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM appear to bottleneck at any tested resolution?

A: The data shows a steep performance cliff at 4K Ultra (33.7 FPS) versus 4K High (47.9 FPS), which suggests the 8 GB frame buffer may be limiting at the highest settings, though the effect could also stem from raw compute limits.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process at TSMC, packing 21,900 million transistors into a 181 mm² die. Its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory runs across a 128-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth — a figure that becomes more relevant at higher resolutions. The card's base clock of 2280 MHz boosts to 2497 MHz, with memory rated at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective).

In Minimum, the GPU's role is clearly visible across the measured FPS rows. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 213 FPS, which indicates the CPU is feeding frames efficiently. However, the RTX 5060's 73rd percentile standing among all GPUs — with an average benchmark score of 30,109 — places it in a competitive but not top-tier position. Its nearest rivals include the RX 7700 XT (delta 0.0%) and the RTX 5070 Mobile (delta 0.6%), which frames the performance envelope.

The GPU's compute capabilities are modest for the 50-series: FP32 performance is 19.18 TFLOPS, with a texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s. These figures explain why the card scales well at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra. The 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores support modern rendering features, though the measured data does not isolate ray tracing effects.

Importantly, the RTX 5060's PCIe 5.0 x8 interface and 145 W TDP suggest it is designed for mainstream builds. The suggested PSU of 300 W indicates modest power delivery needs, but the performance data shows the card can still push 71.4 FPS at 4K Low — a playable result for Minimum's third-person action.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the RTX 5060 and i9-14900K combination scales across resolutions. Starting at 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers 134.5 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 High drops this to 91.1 FPS — a 32.3% reduction. At 3840x2160 High, the average falls to 47.9 FPS, which is another 47.4% drop from 1440p. This steep degradation curve indicates that 4K stresses the GPU heavily.

The Low settings row tells a similar story but with higher absolute numbers: 213 FPS at 1080p, 136.9 FPS at 1440p, and 71.4 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p Low is a 35.7% loss, while 1440p to 4K Low loses 47.8%. These consistent percentage drops across settings suggest the limiting component shifts from CPU-bound at low resolution to GPU-bound as pixel count rises.

The i9-14900K's capabilities — 24 cores, 32 threads, and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz — are more than sufficient to feed the RTX 5060 at 1080p. The CPU's 97th percentile ranking among all processors, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49,872 and single-core score of 7,040, means it is unlikely to bottleneck even at 213 FPS. However, at 4K Ultra (33.7 FPS), the GPU's 8 GB frame buffer and 19.18 TFLOPS compute become the clear constraint.

The scaling pattern shows diminishing returns from resolution reduction. Dropping from Ultra to Low at 4K improves FPS from 33.7 to 71.4 — a 111.9% gain. At 1080p, the same settings change yields 104.6 to 213 FPS, a 103.6% gain. This consistency implies the GPU is the dominant factor at all resolutions, with the CPU providing ample headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured averages span a wide range. Low settings produce 213 FPS, Medium drops to 167.2 FPS, High yields 134.5 FPS, and Ultra settles at 104.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 108.4 FPS, which represents a 51.0% performance penalty for maximum quality. This resolution is clearly CPU-friendly, as the i9-14900K's single-core strength (Geekbench single-core score of 3,064) keeps the pipeline full.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers compress. Low averages 136.9 FPS, Medium 105.2 FPS, High 91.1 FPS, and Ultra 67 FPS. The Ultra-to-Low delta here is 69.9 FPS, or 51.1% — nearly identical scaling to 1080p. This suggests the RTX 5060's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is being utilized efficiently at this resolution, with no sudden cliff.

At 3840x2160, the breakdown becomes more dramatic. Low averages 71.4 FPS, Medium 56.3 FPS, High 47.9 FPS, and Ultra 33.7 FPS. The Ultra result is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly desired for smooth gameplay, while Low remains playable. The jump from Medium to Low (56.3 to 71.4 FPS) is a 26.8% gain, while High to Medium (47.9 to 56.3 FPS) is a 17.5% gain.

The data shows no min or max FPS values recorded, so the analysis relies solely on averages. The RTX 5060's nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks, the RX 7700 XT, does not have measured FPS data in this pack, but the GPU's percentile of 73 suggests it performs above the median GPU in the database. The combo's rank of 875 out of 1,733 indicates a mid-field position, with the i9-14900K's 97th percentile CPU ranking partially compensating for the GPU's lower standing.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080 displays, the data supports Ultra settings as a viable option. The average of 104.6 FPS exceeds the 60 FPS threshold comfortably, and even High at 134.5 FPS offers a substantial margin. Since the i9-14900K's CPU headroom is ample at this resolution, players can prioritize visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The 213 FPS Low result is excessive for most displays, so the recommendation is to use High or Ultra for the best visual-to-performance balance.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts to High settings. The 91.1 FPS average is solid for competitive play, while Medium at 105.2 FPS and Low at 136.9 FPS offer higher frame rates for esports-minded users. Ultra at 67 FPS is borderline — playable but with less margin for demanding scenes. Given the 51.1% performance penalty from Low to Ultra, High provides the best compromise, delivering 91.1 FPS without the visual degradation of Medium.

For 3840x2160, the data strongly suggests Low or Medium settings. Low at 71.4 FPS is the only 4K preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium at 56.3 FPS is close but may dip below 60 in intense moments. High at 47.9 FPS and Ultra at 33.7 FPS are not recommended for smooth gameplay. The 8 GB VRAM likely contributes to the Ultra result, where texture demands exceed capacity.

The best overall experience per the measured rows depends on the target resolution. For 1080p, Ultra at 104.6 FPS is the optimal preset. For 1440p, High at 91.1 FPS offers the best balance of fidelity and speed. For 4K, Low at 71.4 FPS is the only preset that maintains playability. Players with high-refresh-rate 1080p displays could also use Medium at 167.2 FPS for a significant frame rate boost over Ultra, at a modest visual cost.