Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 produces a combination that sits near the lower-middle of the tested field for Minimum, with a combo rank of 2267 out of 2939 tested combinations. The data reveals a system whose high-end CPU is consistently held back by a mid-range GPU, with performance scaling that shifts dramatically depending on resolution and settings.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.80 GHz provide substantial single-thread headroom, which is reflected in its synthetic benchmark scores: a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303 and a multi-core score of 51731. The processor also posts strong results in PassMark's single-thread test at 4823, and its multithread score of 60860 places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs tested.

In the context of Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, the CPU's raw compute power is more than adequate. The game's engine does not appear to be thread-hungry, so the 24-core configuration is largely underutilized. The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 115.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth are excellent for general system responsiveness, but the measured frame rates show that the processor is rarely the limiting factor. At 1080p Low settings, the combo hits 156 FPS, a figure that suggests the CPU can push well beyond what this GPU can deliver. The data indicates that the CPU's role here is to ensure that frame pacing remains stable and that the GPU is never starved for data, but the 290K Plus's capabilities are far beyond what Minimum demands. Even compared to its nearest rivals, the CPU's average benchmark score of 84003 is only 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K's 83807, and it trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3% (85072), showing that its compute lead over other high-end parts is marginal.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is an RDNA 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 7 nm process, featuring 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs. Its base clock is 1626 MHz, with a boost clock of 2491 MHz and a game clock of 2044 MHz. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a modest figure for modern standards but sufficient for this older title. The GPU's synthetic scores—PassMark G3D at 15096 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 1492—place it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, indicating a mid-range part that sits just below more powerful options.

The GPU's performance in Minimum is the primary constraint on the combo's results. At 1080p Low, the RX 6600 manages 156 FPS, but this drops to 76 FPS at Ultra settings, a 51% reduction. The pattern continues at 1440p, where Low yields 100 FPS and Ultra falls to 49 FPS. At 4K, the GPU struggles to maintain playable rates, with Low producing 54 FPS and Ultra dropping to just 26 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is not a bottleneck in this game, as even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate is limited by compute throughput rather than memory allocation. The GPU's 14 Gbps effective memory speed and 159.4 GPixel/s pixel rate are enough to handle the game's visuals, but the sheer number of pixels at higher resolutions overwhelms the RX 6600's compute units. Notably, the RX 6600's average benchmark score of 19036 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with a 0% delta versus the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 and a 0.4% delta versus the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation, confirming its mid-pack positioning.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 2267 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the lower 23% of all configurations. This ranking is surprising given the CPU's high-end pedigree, but it underscores the GPU's role as the bottleneck. The data shows that the combo's performance is largely dictated by the RX 6600's mid-range capabilities, and the 290K Plus's computational strength does not translate into higher frame rates once the GPU is saturated.

Relative to other combos, this pairing sits near the bottom of the performance distribution, which is consistent with the GPU's 63rd percentile standing among all GPUs. The CPU's 96th percentile rank is effectively irrelevant in this game, as the measured FPS values are closer to what a much weaker processor might produce when paired with the same GPU. The combo's rank suggests that users seeking higher frame rates would benefit more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU change. The data also indicates that the combo is not optimized for this title; the CPU's potential is left untapped, and the GPU's limitations are exposed at every resolution above 1080p Low.

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

The measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of how this combo behaves across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the results are as follows: Low settings yield an average of 156 FPS, Medium produces 119 FPS (with a min of 101 and max of 137), High reaches 100 FPS, and Ultra drops to 76 FPS. These numbers show a clear scaling pattern, with each step up in settings costing roughly 20-25 FPS. The 1080p Medium result is the only one with recorded min/max values, indicating a stable frame range of 101-137 FPS.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates drop significantly. Low settings average 100 FPS, Medium averages 77 FPS (min 65, max 88), High averages 65 FPS, and Ultra averages 49 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is substantial, with the Low setting losing 56 FPS (from 156 to 100), a 36% reduction. At 4K (3840x2160), the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 54 FPS, Medium averages 41 FPS (min 35, max 48), High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. The 4K results are all below 60 FPS, making the game only marginally playable at Low settings and unplayable at Ultra.

Across all resolutions, the scaling from Low to Ultra is consistent: 1080p sees a 51% reduction (156 to 76), 1440p sees a 51% reduction (100 to 49), and 4K sees a 52% reduction (54 to 26). This uniformity suggests that the GPU's performance is directly tied to the graphics workload, with no single setting causing a disproportionate impact.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60 FPS or higher?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where all settings except Ultra exceed 60 FPS. At 1080p, Low (156 FPS), Medium (119 FPS), and High (100 FPS) all average above 60, while Ultra (76 FPS) also stays above the threshold. At 1440p, only Low (100 FPS) and Medium (77 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, while High (65 FPS) is barely above and Ultra (49 FPS) falls below.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83807) and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090). However, it is 1.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 7F72 (85072). These deltas are minimal, indicating that the CPU's compute performance is on par with its closest competitors.

*Q: Does the GPU's VRAM capacity limit performance in Minimum?*

A: The RX 6600 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, and the measured FPS patterns do not indicate a VRAM bottleneck. The frame rate drops at higher resolutions are consistent with compute limitations rather than memory capacity issues, as the game is from 2014 and does not require large texture pools. The 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for the game's data demands.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2267 out of 2939 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 23% of all setups. This low ranking is primarily due to the GPU's mid-range performance, as the CPU is in the 96th percentile of all processors. The data suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 19036, which is identical (0% delta) to the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049). It is 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla K20m (19089) and 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation (18954). These narrow deltas show the GPU is closely matched with its direct competitors.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target frame rate and resolution. At 1080p, the High setting (100 FPS) provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it stays well above 60 FPS while offering improved graphics over Medium. The Ultra setting (76 FPS) is also viable for users who prioritize visuals, as it remains above 60 FPS, but the 24 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not justify the marginal visual gains. For competitive play, Low (156 FPS) is the clear choice, offering the highest frame rates with minimal graphical fidelity.

At 1440p, the Medium setting (77 FPS) is the recommended choice, as it is the highest setting that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The High setting (65 FPS) is playable but leaves little headroom for frame drops, while Low (100 FPS) is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. The Ultra setting (49 FPS) should be avoided, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stuttering.

At 4K, the combo is not well-suited for high settings. The Low setting (54 FPS) is the only option that approaches playability, but it still falls below 60 FPS. Users who insist on 4K should accept that Medium (41 FPS) and High (35 FPS) produce sub-optimal experiences, and Ultra (26 FPS) is effectively unplayable. For the best overall experience, the data strongly favors 1080p High or 1440p Medium, depending on the user's preference for resolution versus visual detail.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by approximately 36% across all settings (e.g., Low from 156 to 100, a 36% reduction; High from 100 to 65, a 35% reduction). From 1440p to 4K, the drop is more severe: Low falls from 100 to 54 (a 46% reduction), and High falls from 65 to 35 (a 46% reduction). The cumulative drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, with Low losing 102 FPS (156 to 54, a 65% reduction) and High losing 65 FPS (100 to 35, a 65% reduction).

This scaling behavior is characteristic of a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck. If the CPU were limiting, the frame rate would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the processor would max out at a certain FPS regardless of pixel count. Instead, the FPS drops proportionally with the increase in pixel workload, which points directly to the RX 6600's compute and memory bandwidth constraints. The CPU's 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock are more than capable of feeding the GPU at all resolutions, but the GPU's 8.928 TFLOPS FP32 performance simply cannot keep up with the demands of 4K rendering in this title.

The data also shows that the game's settings have a consistent impact regardless of resolution, with Ultra costing roughly half the FPS of Low at every resolution. This uniformity suggests that the GPU's shading units and ROPs are the limiting factors, as the workload scales linearly with both pixel count and graphical complexity. For users of this combo, the practical takeaway is that the system is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates at most settings, and that 4K gaming is only viable at the lowest settings with a significant FPS penalty.