Minimum

# Minimum — Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. At 4K, the combination remains playable but requires careful settings selection. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly CPU-capable for this title, with the GPU becoming the primary constraint as resolution increases. The combo ranks 885th out of 3,712 tested combinations, placing it in the top quartile of all tested systems for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern, particularly at higher settings. At Low settings, the system delivers 278 FPS at 1920x1080, dropping to 179 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 97 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 65% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 46% further drop from 1440p to 4K. The steep decline at Low settings indicates that the RTX 4070's raw pixel throughput is the limiting factor, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

At High settings, the scaling is similar but with lower absolute values: 179 FPS at 1080p, 115 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 36% from 1080p to 1440p and 46% from 1440p to 4K. Interestingly, the 1440p-to-4K drop is nearly identical between Low and High settings, suggesting that the pixel-count increase dominates the performance cost at higher resolutions regardless of the settings preset.

Medium settings show the most balanced scaling: 213 FPS at 1080p, 137 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result includes a min FPS of 63 and a max of 85, indicating some frame-time variance but overall stability. Ultra settings, by contrast, exhibit the largest relative drops: 136 FPS at 1080p, 88 FPS at 1440p, and just 47 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only sub-60 FPS average in the dataset, confirming that this preset at 4K is not viable for smooth gameplay.

The scaling pattern indicates that Minimum is heavily GPU-bound at 4K, especially at Ultra settings where the 47 FPS average represents a 65% drop from the 1080p Ultra result. At 1080p and 1440p, the system has sufficient CPU and GPU headroom to maintain high frame rates, but the 4K resolution exposes the RTX 4070's limits. The 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth appear adequate for this title even at 4K, as the performance degradation is consistent with pixel-count scaling rather than memory capacity constraints.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 885th out of 3,712 tested combos for Minimum. This places the system in the top 24% of all tested configurations, a strong result for a mainstream GPU paired with a high-end CPU. The ranking reflects the system's ability to deliver high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, while the 4K Ultra result pulls the overall standing down slightly.

The CPU's benchmark percentile of 96 versus all CPUs indicates that the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is among the fastest processors available, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83,807, a delta of just 0.2% — effectively a tie. The AMD EPYC 4584PX and AMD EPYC 9135 trail by 1.1% and 1.2% respectively, while the AMD EPYC 7F72 leads by 1.3%. These margins are negligible in gaming workloads, meaning the CPU choice is unlikely to be the bottleneck in Minimum.

The GPU's percentile of 81 versus all GPUs places the RTX 4070 above the majority of graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 37,648. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (0.1% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.4% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (1.3% ahead), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 (1.3% behind). These small deltas suggest that the RTX 4070's performance tier is well-established, though the mobile RTX 4080's slight lead is notable given the desktop-class power envelope of the 4070.

The combo ranking of 885 out of 3,712 suggests that while the CPU is overkill for this game, the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. Systems with lower-end CPUs but faster GPUs could potentially rank higher, but the data shows that this pairing delivers a well-balanced experience for most gaming scenarios in Minimum.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the strongest resolution, with all settings presets exceeding 136 FPS on average. At 2560x1440, High and Medium settings remain above 115 FPS, while 4K requires dropping to Medium or Low to stay above 74 FPS.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Minimum?*

A: Yes, but only at reduced settings. The 4K Medium preset averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS, while 4K High drops to 62 FPS and 4K Ultra falls to 47 FPS. For consistent 60+ FPS gameplay, Medium is the highest viable preset at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores 84,003 on average, which is 0.2% ahead of the Core Ultra 9 285K (83,807), 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83,090), and 1.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9135 (82,980). The AMD EPYC 7F72 leads by 1.3% with a score of 85,072.

Q: What is the GPU's performance tier relative to other cards?

A: The RTX 4070 scores 37,648 on average, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. It trades blows with the Tesla P4 (37,628), RX Vega 56 (37,507), RTX 4080 Mobile (38,135), and Radeon PRO W6400 (37,157), with deltas ranging from -1.3% to +1.3%.

*Q: Is the 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Minimum at 4K?*

A: The measured data shows no VRAM-related issues at 4K, with the 4K Medium preset maintaining a min FPS of 63. The 12 GB GDDR6X memory with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth appears adequate for this title's demands at all tested settings.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 278 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates. The 24-core, 24-thread configuration with a 5.80 GHz boost clock provides substantial headroom for this 2014 title.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the standout choice. It delivers 137 FPS on average with a minimum of 117 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors. The 1440p Medium result also maintains a 21 FPS buffer over the High preset's 115 FPS average, making it the more consistent option for competitive play.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 136 FPS is the recommended choice for maximum visual fidelity, as it still clears the 60 FPS threshold with substantial margin. The 1080p High preset offers 179 FPS for gamers prioritizing frame rate over graphics, though the visual difference between High and Ultra at this resolution may be minimal given the game's age.

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 74 FPS is the only recommended option, as it maintains a minimum of 63 FPS. The 4K High preset at 62 FPS is borderline, while 4K Ultra at 47 FPS should be avoided for consistent gameplay. The 4K Low preset at 97 FPS is an option for players who prioritize frame rate over all visual considerations, but the Medium preset provides a better balance.

The data suggests that the system's sweet spot is 1440p Medium, where the combination of resolution and settings maximizes both visual clarity and frame rate stability. At 1080p, the system has enough headroom to run Ultra, while at 4K, Medium is the ceiling for playable performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset averages 278 FPS, followed by Medium at 213 FPS (with a minimum of 181 and a maximum of 245), High at 179 FPS, and Ultra at 136 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 142 FPS, indicating that settings have a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a tighter spread. Low averages 179 FPS, Medium averages 137 FPS (minimum 117, maximum 158), High averages 115 FPS, and Ultra averages 88 FPS. The 91 FPS spread from Low to Ultra is smaller than at 1080p, reflecting the increased pixel load on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, performance drops significantly. Low averages 97 FPS, Medium averages 74 FPS (minimum 63, maximum 85), High averages 62 FPS, and Ultra averages 47 FPS. The 50 FPS spread from Low to Ultra is the smallest of all resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the dominant constraint at 4K.

The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data across all resolutions, showing consistent frame delivery: 181-245 FPS at 1080p, 117-158 FPS at 1440p, and 63-85 FPS at 4K. This consistency suggests that Medium is the most stable preset for this combination, with predictable frame times across all tested resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured 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, with a TDP of 125 W. The CPU features a 36 MB shared L3 cache, 3 MB L2 per core, and 192 KB L1 per core, along with dual-channel DDR5 memory support with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s.

In Minimum, the CPU's single-threaded performance is the key asset. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303 and R20 single-core score of 3,067 demonstrate strong per-core performance, which is critical for a 2014 game that likely relies on a few primary threads. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,823 reinforces this conclusion. With a percentile of 96 versus all CPUs, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has more than enough processing power for this title.

The multi-threaded capabilities are equally impressive, with Cinebench R23 multi-core scoring 51,731 and Passmark multithread scoring 60,860. However, these scores are unlikely to be fully utilized in Minimum, as the game's age and genre typically favor single-thread performance. The CPU's 24 threads may provide some benefit for background tasks and system overhead, but the measured FPS data suggests that the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Core Ultra 9 285K with a 0.2% delta, the EPYC 4584PX and EPYC 9135 with 1.1% and 1.2% deltas respectively, and the EPYC 7F72 with a -1.3% delta. These differences are negligible for gaming, meaning the CPU choice has minimal impact on Minimum performance relative to other high-end processors.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, 64 raster output units, 46 ray tracing cores, and 184 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

The RTX 4070's 81st percentile ranking versus all GPUs places it in the upper tier of graphics cards, though its average benchmark score of 37,648 is closely matched by several competitors. The GPU's FP32 performance of 29.15 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s provide substantial raw compute for Minimum, but the game's demands are modest by modern standards.

The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 4070 is the primary bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the 47 FPS average falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The GPU's texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s and 12 GB VRAM are sufficient for this title, as evidenced by the consistent performance at 4K Medium. The GPU's TDP of 200 W and dual-slot design are typical for this performance class, with a suggested PSU of 550 W.

The RTX 4070's nearest rivals include the Tesla P4 (0.1% ahead), RX Vega 56 (0.4% ahead), RTX 4080 Mobile (1.3% ahead), and Radeon PRO W6400 (1.3% behind). These small deltas indicate that the RTX 4070's performance tier is well-established, though the mobile RTX 4080's slight lead is notable given the desktop-class power envelope of the 4070.