Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, drawing a 125 W TDP. For a game like Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, this processor is far beyond the required compute headroom. The benchmark results for this title show that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 187 FPS, which indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest. The processor’s massive multi-threaded capability, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a Passmark multithread score of 60860, ensures that any game logic or physics calculations are handled with ease. However, the game’s age means it likely does not utilize all 24 threads efficiently, but the high single-core performance—a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303—is the more relevant metric for older titles that rely on fewer, faster cores.

The CPU sits in the 96th percentile compared to all CPUs, making it a top-tier part. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has an average benchmark score of 83807, which is just 0.2% lower than this chip’s 84003 average. The data suggests that the 290K Plus is essentially on par with its direct predecessor in synthetic workloads. For Minimum, the CPU’s role is to provide a stable foundation that allows the GPU to be the primary driver of frame rates, especially at higher settings. With a Passmark single-thread score of 4823, the processor ensures that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU load is highest relative to the GPU, the system delivers 187 FPS without any reported minimum frame rate drops in the measured data. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 115.2 GB/s of dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth further support quick data access, which is beneficial for maintaining consistent frame pacing in a fast-paced shooter.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is a mid-range graphics card from the Radeon RX 9000 series, featuring the Navi 44 chip on the RDNA 4.0 architecture. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 1700 MHz, with a boost clock of 2990 MHz and a game clock of 2400 MHz. With a TDP of 132 W, it is a power-efficient part that still delivers solid performance. In Minimum, the GPU is the clear limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 32 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra it achieves 92 FPS. This indicates that the RX 9060’s 8 GB VRAM and 1792 shading units are strained by the game’s highest quality presets at high pixel counts.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 59th percentile compared to all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16014. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, scores 16129, which is just 0.7% higher, showing that the RX 9060 is directly competitive with that card from the previous generation. The data for Minimum shows that the GPU’s performance scales predictably with resolution. At 1080p High, the combo produces 120 FPS, but this falls to 78 FPS at 1440p High and 42 FPS at 4K High. This steep drop-off illustrates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this configuration, as the CPU has ample headroom to push higher frame rates. The 28 RT cores and 21.43 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are adequate for older titles, but the memory bandwidth and VRAM capacity become constraints at 4K, particularly with Ultra settings where the frame rate halves compared to High settings at the same resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for Minimum provides clear guidance on the optimal settings for this hardware combination. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 187 FPS, Medium delivers 143 FPS, High delivers 120 FPS, and Ultra delivers 92 FPS. All of these are playable, but for a competitive third-person shooter, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, maintaining a 120 FPS average which is smooth on most high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset, with a minimum FPS of 122 and a maximum of 165, also provides a very consistent experience, but High gives a better visual experience for only a 23 FPS penalty over Medium.

Moving to 1440p, the High preset yields 78 FPS, which is still smooth, but the Ultra preset drops to 59 FPS, which may be too low for fast-paced gameplay. The Low preset at 1440p produces 121 FPS, making it a viable option for players who prioritize frame rate over visuals. At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The High preset produces 42 FPS, which is borderline playable, while Ultra drops to 32 FPS, which is not recommended for a shooter. The Low preset at 4K achieves 65 FPS, making it the only playable option at that resolution. The data suggests that for the best overall experience, 1080p High is the sweet spot, offering high frame rates with good visual fidelity. If a player insists on 1440p, High is the recommended preset, as it keeps the frame rate above 60 FPS. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only viable choice, as the GPU cannot maintain playable frame rates at higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Minimum, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1677 out of 2939 combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the rankings, which is surprising given the high-end CPU. The ranking indicates that while the CPU is top-tier, the GPU holds the combo back from achieving higher frame rates relative to other tested configurations. The CPU alone sits in the 96th percentile, but the GPU only reaches the 59th percentile, creating a significant imbalance. This is reflected in the benchmark results, where the combo’s performance is limited by the GPU at higher resolutions.

When compared to other combos, this pairing is likely outperformed by systems with a less powerful CPU but a more powerful GPU. The data shows that the GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which has a similar average benchmark score, indicating that the RX 9060 is not a high-end part. The combo’s rank of 1677 suggests that many other combinations of mid-range GPUs with mid-range CPUs can achieve better frame rates in Minimum, particularly at 1080p where the CPU matters less. The imbalance between the CPU and GPU is the key takeaway; the processor is overkill for this title, while the graphics card is the limiting factor. This is a typical scenario for games that are not heavily multi-threaded, where the GPU becomes the primary determinant of performance.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data for this combo reveals a clear pattern of GPU limitation. Starting at 1080p High, the combo achieves 120 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 78 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 4K High, the frame rate further drops to 42 FPS, a 65% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is struggling to fill the increasing number of pixels. In contrast, the CPU’s performance is not affected by resolution changes, as the same workload is sent to the GPU regardless of output size. The fact that the frame rate nearly halves when going from 1440p to 4K at High settings confirms that the RX 9060’s memory bandwidth and compute units are the limiting factor.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 187 FPS, which drops to 121 FPS at 1440p Low and 65 FPS at 4K Low. The percentage drops are similar, showing that the GPU is the bottleneck at all quality presets. This is expected for a game from 2014, which is not CPU-intensive. The data suggests that to achieve higher frame rates at 4K, a more powerful GPU would be required. The 8 GB VRAM may also be a factor, as Ultra settings at 4K might exceed the memory capacity, leading to the significant drop to 32 FPS. The resolution scaling analysis clearly shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, where the GPU can maintain respectable frame rates, rather than 4K, where performance falls below the playable threshold for most users.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Minimum with this CPU and GPU combo?*

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 1080p is the optimal resolution. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 120 FPS, which is smooth and playable. At 1440p High, it drops to 78 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls to 42 FPS, which is below the ideal for a fast-paced shooter.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The CPU has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K’s score of 83807. It is also 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX’s score of 83090, showing that it is a top performer among desktop processors.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Ultra and Low settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset delivers 121 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers 59 FPS. This is a 62 FPS difference, indicating that the Ultra settings impose a significant load on the GPU, reducing performance by more than half.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 9060 a high-end graphics card?

A: No, the GPU has an average benchmark score of 16014 and sits in the 59th percentile compared to all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, scores 16129, which is only 0.7% higher, indicating that the RX 9060 is a mid-range part.

*Q: Why does the combo rank 1677 out of 2939 for Minimum?*

A: The ranking is due to the significant imbalance between the CPU and GPU. The CPU is in the 96th percentile, but the GPU is in the 59th percentile. Since Minimum is not CPU-intensive, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and many combos with a more balanced CPU-GPU pairing achieve higher frame rates.

Q: What happens to the frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the combo achieves 120 FPS. At 4K High, it drops to 42 FPS, a 65% reduction. This steep drop-off indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU has ample headroom to handle the game’s logic at any resolution.