Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers a distinctly GPU-limited experience in Minimum at higher resolutions, while the processor's substantial core count ensures headroom at 1080p. This combination ranks in the 44th percentile of tested configurations, indicating a balanced pairing that favors visual fidelity over extreme refresh rates at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a pronounced scaling curve as resolution increases, with the GPU becoming the primary constraint. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 214 FPS, but this drops to 138 FPS at 1440p and further to 74 FPS at 4K. This represents a 65% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a steep decline that clearly indicates the rendering pipeline is saturated by pixel throughput rather than geometry or draw calls.

The pattern holds across other settings presets. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 137 FPS at 1080p to 89 FPS at 1440p, then to 48 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is less than half of the 1080p figure, demonstrating that the RX 7700's 256-bit memory bus and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily by the 3840x2160 framebuffer. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly aggressive: High settings lose 46% of their performance, while Low settings lose 46% as well, suggesting a consistent fill-rate limitation rather than a bandwidth cliff.

Medium settings show the same trajectory, with 164 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result includes a minimum of 48 FPS and maximum of 65 FPS, indicating some frame-time variance at this resolution. Ultra settings at 4K drop to 36 FPS, which is below the 48 FPS minimum recorded for Medium at the same resolution, confirming that the Ultra preset pushes the GPU past its comfortable operating range.

The data suggests that 1440p is the optimal resolution for this pairing. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is substantial (roughly 35-37% fewer frames depending on preset), but 1440p still maintains playable rates across all settings. The jump to 4K costs another 45-48% of performance, making it unsuitable for high-refresh displays. The limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU, as the CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads provide ample processing power at lower resolutions where the frame rates are highest.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus brings 24 cores and 24 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. This Arrow Lake Refresh processor, built on TSMC's 3 nm process, demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability in synthetic benchmarks, scoring 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 21,727 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Single-thread performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is largely to feed the GPU sufficient data to avoid bottlenecking at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low result of 214 FPS indicates the CPU can sustain very high frame rates when the GPU is not overloaded. The processor's 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache help maintain consistent frame delivery, particularly in scenes with many enemies or complex physics interactions typical of a third-person shooter.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 96th among all tested processors places it in the top tier of desktop hardware. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (0.2% higher average score) and AMD EPYC 4584PX (1.1% higher), illustrating that this chip sits at the apex of consumer performance. However, in this game, the CPU's influence diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K, the frame rates are dictated by the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth, not the CPU's computational throughput.

The 24-thread configuration does not appear to provide a distinct advantage in Minimum, as the game's engine likely scales well beyond 8-16 threads based on the consistent frame rates observed. The boost clock of 5.80 GHz is more relevant for the game's primary thread, ensuring that single-core performance keeps up with the GPU at 1080p. The processor's 125 W TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (115.2 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for this workload, though the memory bandwidth becomes less relevant at higher resolutions where the GPU's 624.1 GB/s dominates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1,298th out of 2,939 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the 44th percentile, meaning roughly 56% of tested pairings deliver higher average frame rates. The ranking reflects a mid-pack position for a configuration that pairs a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU.

The CPU's individual performance is exceptional, ranking in the 96th percentile against all processors. However, the GPU's percentile ranking of 58th against all graphics cards drags the combined result down. The RX 7700's average benchmark score of 15,852 is closely matched by its nearest rivals: the AMD Radeon R9 370X (0.1% lower), AMD Radeon RX 9060 (1% lower), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (1.7% lower). This indicates the GPU is a solid mid-range performer, but not a high-end part.

The combo's rank suggests that users seeking higher frame rates in Minimum would benefit more from a faster GPU than a faster CPU. The CPU is already near the top of its class, leaving little headroom for improvement. Conversely, the GPU sits in the middle of the pack, and upgrading to a higher-tier Radeon or GeForce part would likely move this combo significantly up the rankings.

The 1,298th position out of 2,939 combos also reflects the game's age. Released in 2014, Minimum is not particularly demanding by modern standards, so even mid-range GPUs can produce high frame rates at 1080p. The Ultra 9 290K Plus is overkill for this title, but it ensures that the GPU is always the bottleneck, which is the desired configuration for consistent performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 214 FPS, while Medium averages 164 FPS with a minimum of 139 and maximum of 188. High settings average 137 FPS, and Ultra averages 105 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 109 FPS, showing that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decline across the board. Low settings average 138 FPS, Medium averages 106 FPS (minimum 90, maximum 121), High averages 89 FPS, and Ultra averages 68 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 70 FPS, indicating the GPU is becoming more constrained.

At 3840x2160, the results are substantially lower. Low settings average 74 FPS, Medium averages 57 FPS (minimum 48, maximum 65), High averages 48 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is now just 38 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU is nearing its limits at this resolution.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values across all three resolutions. This data shows consistent frame delivery: at 1080p, the minimum of 139 FPS is 85% of the average; at 1440p, the minimum of 90 FPS is 85% of the average; at 4K, the minimum of 48 FPS is 84% of the average. This consistency suggests the combo maintains stable frame pacing regardless of resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is a RDNA 3.0 architecture GPU built on TSMC's 5 nm process, with 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units. It operates at a base clock of 1900 MHz and a boost clock of 2459 MHz, with a game clock of 2041 MHz. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for 4K rendering.

In Minimum, the GPU's role is dominant at all resolutions above 1080p. The 4K results, particularly the 36 FPS at Ultra, indicate that the GPU's pixel fill rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s are insufficient for maximum settings at this resolution. The GPU's 25.18 TFLOPS FP32 performance is moderate by modern standards, and the 40 ray tracing cores are irrelevant for this title, which likely does not use RT effects given its 2014 release date.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a mixed picture. It achieves 20,974 in Passmark G3D, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. DirectX 12 performance is weak at 96 in Passmark, while DirectX 11 scores 186 and DirectX 10 scores 92. These low DirectX scores suggest driver overhead or architectural inefficiencies in legacy APIs, which could affect a 2014 game like Minimum that was designed for DirectX 11 or earlier.

The GPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the AMD Radeon R9 370X (-0.1% delta), AMD Radeon RX 9060 (-1% delta), and AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (+1.1% delta). The RTX 3060 Ti is 1.7% faster on average. This places the RX 7700 in a competitive mid-range segment, but its 16 GB VRAM capacity is unusual for this performance class, suggesting AMD targeted future-proofing over raw speed.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?*

A: The data shows 1440p is the sweet spot. At 2560x1440, High settings average 89 FPS, while Low settings reach 138 FPS. This resolution balances visual quality with playable frame rates, unlike 4K where even Low settings only achieve 74 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores 84,003 on average, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83,807) and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83,090). The AMD EPYC 7F72 is 1.3% faster at 85,072.

Q: Does the game perform better at Low or Ultra settings at 4K?

A: Low settings average 74 FPS at 4K, while Ultra averages 36 FPS. The difference is 38 FPS, indicating that dropping to Low settings more than doubles the frame rate at this resolution, making Low the only viable preset for smooth 4K gameplay.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck even at 1080p. The CPU's 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock can sustain 214 FPS at Low settings, but the GPU's performance ceiling is reached at 105 FPS on Ultra. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 58th percentile confirms this.

Q: What is the frame time consistency at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the minimum FPS is consistently 85% of the average across all resolutions: 139 of 164 at 1080p, 90 of 106 at 1440p, and 48 of 57 at 4K. This indicates stable frame pacing with no significant stuttering.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1,298th out of 2,939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the 44th percentile. This reflects a mid-pack position, with the CPU's high performance offset by the GPU's mid-range capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is the best choice. The measured 105 FPS average exceeds the 60 Hz refresh rate of most monitors, and the visual fidelity improvements from Ultra settings are worthwhile. If a 144 Hz or higher refresh display is used, High settings at 137 FPS provide a smoother experience while maintaining good image quality.

For 1440p displays, High settings are recommended. The 89 FPS average is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the difference between High and Medium (89 vs 106 FPS) is less noticeable than the visual quality drop. Low settings at 138 FPS are only advisable for competitive play where frame rate is paramount over visuals.

For 4K displays, Low settings are the only practical option. The 74 FPS average is playable, but Medium drops to 57 FPS and High falls to 48 FPS, both of which are below the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings at 36 FPS are not recommended for this title on this hardware. The 4K Medium preset does have a minimum of 48 FPS, which may cause noticeable dips during intense combat sequences.

The Medium preset offers the best balance of frame rate and visual quality for users who prioritize consistency. Its minimum FPS values (139 at 1080p, 90 at 1440p, 48 at 4K) are all within 16% of their respective averages, ensuring no severe frame drops. For most users, selecting Medium at 1440p provides a solid 106 FPS average with reliable frame pacing, making it the default recommendation for this hardware combination.