Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination delivers a clear picture of what this hardware can do in Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014. The measured data shows a system that handles 1080p and 1440p confidently, but the 4K experience is limited. Below is the full breakdown of average, minimum, and maximum frame rates across every resolution and setting preset tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data includes twelve distinct configurations, spanning three resolutions and four quality presets. The most complete frame time data—including minimum and maximum values—was captured at Medium settings, where the game records full ranges. At High, Low, and Ultra presets, only average frame rates are provided.

Starting at the top, 3840x2160 (4K) shows the RTX 5050 under significant load. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 30 FPS, which is exactly half of the 60 FPS playability threshold. High settings at 4K improve the average to 40 FPS, still below the target. Medium settings at 4K produce an average of 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS. The only 4K preset that crosses the 60 FPS line is Low, which averages 62 FPS. No minimum or maximum values were recorded for Low or High at this resolution, but the Medium data indicates a narrow band—the gap between the minimum and maximum is just 14 FPS, suggesting consistent frame pacing.

Moving down to 2560x1440, the performance picture improves considerably. Low settings at 1440p deliver an average of 116 FPS, which is nearly double the playable threshold. Medium settings average 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 102 FPS—the spread here is 27 FPS, wider than at 4K. High settings at 1440p average 74 FPS, comfortably above 60. Ultra settings at 1440p are the only preset that misses the threshold, averaging 57 FPS, which is 3 FPS short of playable. The data shows a steady progression: Low at 116 FPS, Medium at 88 FPS, High at 74 FPS, and Ultra at 57 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the system shows its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 179 FPS, making this the fastest configuration measured. Medium settings average 137 FPS, with a minimum of 117 FPS and a maximum of 158 FPS—a 41 FPS range that shows more variance than at higher resolutions. High settings average 115 FPS, and Ultra settings average 88 FPS. Every preset at 1080p stays well above the 60 FPS threshold, with the lowest average (Ultra at 88 FPS) still 28 FPS ahead of the playability line.

Comparing the presets across resolutions, the scaling is consistent. At each resolution, the difference between Low and Ultra is roughly half the Low value: at 4K, Low averages 62 FPS and Ultra averages 30 FPS (a 32 FPS drop); at 1440p, Low averages 116 FPS and Ultra averages 57 FPS (a 59 FPS drop); at 1080p, Low averages 179 FPS and Ultra averages 88 FPS (a 91 FPS drop). The relative penalty for Ultra settings grows with resolution, which points to the GPU being the primary limiter at higher pixel counts.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 divide responsibilities across resolutions. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a single-core score of 3655. The GPU, featuring 2560 shading units and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, posts a Passmark G3D score of 17326. These raw numbers matter less than the observed frame rate scaling.

At 1080p, the GPU is not the bottleneck. The average frame rate at Low settings is 179 FPS, which is more than double the 4K Low result of 62 FPS. This 117 FPS jump indicates that the CPU has headroom to push frames when the GPU is lightly loaded. The fact that Ultra at 1080p still averages 88 FPS—higher than 1440p High at 74 FPS—suggests the CPU can maintain a high floor across settings.

At 1440p, the balance shifts. The difference between Low (116 FPS) and Ultra (57 FPS) is 59 FPS, which is a larger absolute gap than at 1080p (91 FPS difference between Low and Ultra). This widening gap indicates the GPU begins to matter more as pixel count rises. However, the CPU still holds its own: even at Ultra, the average of 57 FPS is only 3 FPS below the threshold, so the processor is not dragging performance down.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The frame rates cluster in a narrow band—30 FPS at Ultra, 40 FPS at High, 48 FPS at Medium, and 62 FPS at Low. The difference between the fastest and slowest 4K preset is just 32 FPS, compared to a 59 FPS spread at 1440p and a 91 FPS spread at 1080p. This compression shows that the RTX 5050 is running near its limits at 4K, regardless of how light the settings are. The CPU’s contribution becomes secondary because the GPU cannot feed frames fast enough.

The resolution scaling also confirms this. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the average drops from 179 FPS to 116 FPS—a 35% reduction. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, it drops from 116 FPS to 62 FPS—a 47% reduction. The larger percentage drop at higher resolutions is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. For a game like Minimum, which is a third-person shooter, this means players with a 1080p or 1440p monitor will get smooth performance, but 4K users need to stick to Low settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 are four AMD and Intel processors with nearly identical average benchmark scores. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F has an average score of 36945, which is a 0% delta from the Ultra 5 225’s 36938. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018, 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093, 0.4% higher. The Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112, 0.5% higher. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would produce frame rates within 1% of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 in Minimum. The Ryzen 5 5600F is the closest match, essentially identical in performance. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D and Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 are marginally faster, while the Core i9-12900T is the strongest of the group but still within half a percent.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, the nearest rivals show more variance. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153, which is 0.6% lower than the RTX 5050’s average of 21035. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237, 1% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713, which is 1.6% lower. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, 1.6% higher. These deltas are small enough that all four GPUs would deliver similar frame rates in Minimum. The RX 5600 XT is the weakest of the group, likely producing 1-2 FPS fewer at each preset. The RTX A4000 Mobile is the strongest, potentially adding 1-2 FPS. None of these differences would change the playability verdict at any resolution.

When pairing a rival CPU with the RTX 5050, the combined performance would be nearly identical. A Ryzen 5 5600F with an RTX 5050 would match the measured results within a rounding error. Swapping the GPU to an RX 5600 XT would likely drop the 4K Low average from 62 FPS to around 61 FPS, still playable. The closest rival combo—Core i9-12900T with RTX A4000 Mobile—would push 4K Low slightly higher, but the 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS would remain unchanged.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K with playable frame rates?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings. The measured data shows a 4K Low average of 62 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium at 4K averages 48 FPS, High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS, all below the playable line.

Q: What is the best 1440p preset for this hardware?

A: High settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 74 FPS, which is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. Ultra at 1440p averages 57 FPS, missing the threshold by 3 FPS.

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

A: The GPU becomes the primary factor at 4K, where frame rates compress to a 30-62 FPS range across presets. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU has enough headroom to keep frame rates high, with 1080p Low reaching 179 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to the RX 5600 XT in this game?

A: The RX 5600 XT has an average benchmark score of 20713, which is 1.6% lower than the RTX 5050’s 21035. Based on this delta, the RX 5600 XT would produce roughly 1-2 fewer FPS at each preset, meaning 4K Low would dip to approximately 61 FPS and 1440p High would stay near 73 FPS.

Q: What is the highest playable settings at 1080p?

A: Ultra settings at 1920x1080 average 88 FPS, which is the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS. This is the best visual quality available while maintaining smooth gameplay.

Q: Does this combo have any settings that fall below 60 FPS at any resolution?

A: Yes. At 4K, Medium (48 FPS), High (40 FPS), and Ultra (30 FPS) all miss the threshold. At 1440p, Ultra averages 57 FPS, which is also below 60 FPS. All 1080p presets stay above 60 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average frame rate at or above 60 FPS is as follows.

At 3840x2160, the only playable setting is Low. The average frame rate at Low is 62 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by just 2 FPS. Medium drops to 48 FPS, so there is no room for higher quality. Players at 4K must accept the lowest preset to get smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, High settings are the best playable option. The average frame rate at High is 74 FPS, which is 14 FPS above the threshold. Medium averages 88 FPS and Low averages 116 FPS, but High provides the best visual quality while staying above 60. Ultra at 1440p averages 57 FPS, so it is not recommended.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings deliver an average of 88 FPS. This is the highest preset available and remains 28 FPS above the playability line. High averages 115 FPS, Medium averages 137 FPS, and Low averages 179 FPS, but Ultra is the most demanding option that still maintains smooth performance.

The data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 5050 can handle Minimum at 1080p with every setting maxed out, at 1440p with High settings, and at 4K with Low settings only. The CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance—evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891—ensures that processor-bound situations do not arise at any resolution tested.

How This Combo Ranks

In the full database of tested hardware combinations, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2274 out of 3712 combos for Minimum. This places the combo in the 61st percentile, meaning roughly 61% of all tested systems perform better, while 39% perform worse. The rank reflects the overall capability of the hardware across all resolutions and settings.

The CPU alone sits in the 85th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 36938. This is a strong result for a desktop chip with a 65 W TDP. The GPU, however, sits in the 66th percentile of all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 21035. The combination of a high-percentile CPU with a mid-range GPU explains the overall ranking: the processor is capable, but the graphics card limits the system’s peak performance.

The rank of 2274 also contextualizes the measured frame rates. For a game released in 2014, this combo is neither top-tier nor bottom-tier. The 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS is below the playable threshold, which drags the ranking down. However, the 1080p Ultra result of 88 FPS and the 1440p High result of 74 FPS show that the system handles mainstream resolutions well. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with maximum settings or 1440p gaming with high settings, and the overall rank reflects that versatility.

The gap between the CPU’s 85th percentile and the GPU’s 66th percentile is notable. In Minimum, the measured FPS scaling shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, where even Low settings only reach 62 FPS. If the goal is to improve the combo’s rank, upgrading the GPU would have a larger impact than upgrading the CPU. The current rank of 2274 out of 3712 means there are many faster combos, but this pair remains viable for 1080p and 1440p play, which is the practical takeaway for most users.