Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and AMD Radeon 8050S combination delivers a split verdict in Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014. Benchmark results show the system is fully capable at 1080p and 1440p, but it falls short of the 60 FPS threshold at 4K. The data indicates a clear performance ceiling at higher resolutions, where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its strongest results. The Low preset averages 167 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 128 FPS, with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS. The High preset still maintains a robust 107 FPS average. Even the most demanding Ultra preset clears the threshold comfortably, averaging 82 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance scales downward but remains playable for most settings. The Low preset averages 108 FPS. Medium delivers an average of 82 FPS, with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS. High follows at 69 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, falls to an average of 53 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. The Low preset averages 58 FPS, just under the playable threshold. Medium drops to 44 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 51 FPS. High falls further to 37 FPS. The Ultra preset averages only 28 FPS. None of the 4K settings reach 60 FPS, making this resolution unplayable under the benchmark's criteria.

The pattern across resolutions shows a steep decline in performance as pixel count increases. Between 1080p Low and 1440p Low, the average drops from 167 FPS to 108 FPS, a reduction of 59 FPS. Between 1440p Low and 4K Low, the average drops from 108 FPS to 58 FPS, another 50 FPS reduction. This scaling suggests the GPU is heavily taxed by higher resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, which scores 0.1% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, which scores 0.6% higher. On the lower side, the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P trails by 0.4%, and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX also trails by 0.4%. These differences are minimal, meaning any of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Minimum.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is the closest match, scoring 0.3% higher than the Radeon 8050S. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 scores 2.5% higher, the AMD Radeon RX 7600M scores 2.6% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT LP scores 2.7% higher. These deltas are small enough that gameplay differences would be imperceptible in most scenarios, though the slightly faster rivals might edge out a few extra frames at 4K.

In practical terms, a system with the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX and an AMD Radeon Pro W6600M would behave almost identically to the tested combination. The 0.1% CPU delta and 0.3% GPU delta are within measurement noise. A system with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and RX 7600M would offer a modest but consistent advantage, potentially pushing the 4K Low preset from 58 FPS to just over 60 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the GPU dominates performance in Minimum, particularly at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the 167 FPS average at Low settings. The drop to 82 FPS at Ultra represents a 51% reduction, which is primarily a GPU workload increase.

At 1440p, the GPU becomes more stressed. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows in relative terms: Low averages 108 FPS, while Ultra averages 53 FPS. This is a 51% reduction from Low to Ultra, similar to the 1080p scaling. However, the absolute numbers are lower, indicating the GPU is approaching its limits.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. Even the Low preset cannot maintain 60 FPS, averaging 58 FPS. The difference between 1440p Low (108 FPS) and 4K Low (58 FPS) is a 46% reduction, a steep penalty for the resolution increase. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 32 threads based on Zen 4 architecture, is unlikely to be the constraint here, as the game is from 2014 and would not utilize all cores effectively.

The scaling between presets at each resolution is consistent. At 1080p, Medium is 23% slower than Low, High is 16% slower than Medium, and Ultra is 23% slower than High. At 1440p, the pattern is similar: Medium is 24% slower than Low, High is 16% slower than Medium, and Ultra is 23% slower than High. This uniformity suggests the GPU's shading units, 2048 in total, are the determining factor.

The Verdict

The system can run Minimum at 1080p with all presets above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 82 FPS, providing a comfortable margin. At 1440p, three presets are playable: Low at 108 FPS, Medium at 82 FPS, and High at 69 FPS. The Ultra preset falls short at 53 FPS.

At 4K, no settings are playable. The closest is Low at 58 FPS, which misses the 60 FPS threshold by 2 FPS. The verdict data confirms this: the 4K category lists no playable settings, while 1440p lists High, Low, and Medium as playable, and 1080p lists all four presets as playable.

For the best experience at 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice, averaging 69 FPS. At 1080p, the Ultra preset is the best option, averaging 82 FPS. The 4K resolution should be avoided unless the user accepts sub-60 FPS performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 4K?

A: No. Benchmark results show that the Low preset averages 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra average 44, 37, and 28 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the best playable preset at 1440p?

A: The High preset is the most demanding setting that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 69 FPS. Low and Medium also qualify, averaging 108 and 82 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset averages 82 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. It is the most demanding preset that remains playable at this resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is the primary factor. The Radeon 8050S has 2048 shading units and a 55 W TDP, and the frame rate scaling between resolutions indicates GPU-bound performance. The Ryzen 9 8945HX, with 16 cores and 32 threads, provides ample processing power.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1080p Medium?

A: The minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 109, with a maximum of 147 and an average of 128. This indicates consistent frame times without major dips.

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

A: The combo ranks 2745 out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the lower-mid range of the database.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and AMD Radeon 8050S ranks 2745 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the 26th percentile of all combinations, meaning roughly 74% of tested systems perform better. The rank reflects the GPU's modest capabilities relative to the CPU's strength.

The CPU alone sits in the 95th percentile against all CPUs, but the GPU is in the 89th percentile against all GPUs. The combo rank is dragged down by the GPU's performance at 4K, where the system fails to reach playable frame rates. At 1080p, the system would rank higher relative to combos that also struggle at higher resolutions.

The delta between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's lower percentile indicates an imbalance. The Ryzen 9 8945HX is a high-end mobile processor, but the Radeon 8050S is an integrated-class GPU with system-shared memory. This pairing is better suited for 1080p gaming than for high-resolution workloads.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 82 FPS. This provides the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the best choice, averaging 69 FPS. While Ultra is visually superior, its 53 FPS average falls below the playable threshold, making High the optimal balance.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The Low preset comes closest at 58 FPS, but it still misses the mark. Users at this resolution would need to reduce the resolution or accept lower frame rates.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p Ultra is the strongest showing, 1440p High is the recommended middle ground, and 4K is not viable. The system's performance is consistent with a mid-range mobile GPU paired with a high-end CPU, delivering smooth gameplay at mainstream resolutions but lacking the power for 4K.