Minimum

FAQ

Q: What is the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and what are its core specifications?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on the Arrow Lake architecture. It features 14 cores and 14 threads, a base clock of 3.40 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It has a 24 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s.

Q: What GPU is paired with this processor and what is its architecture?

A: The system uses the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, a Turing architecture GPU with 2560 shading units, 40 RT cores, and 320 tensor cores. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz.

Q: How does the CPU perform in synthetic benchmarks relative to its closest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235 sits at the 89th percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 46062. The closest rival is the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 with an average score of 46030, a difference of just 0.1%. The Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098, which is 0.1% higher. Two AMD EPYC server chips, the 4364P and 7303, are also within 0.2%.

Q: What is the GPU's standing compared to its nearest competitors?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER ranks at the 65th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 20282. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, scores 20480, which is 1% higher. The RTX 3070 Mobile is 1.2% ahead, while the Intel Arc B570 and Arc A750 are 1.3% and 1.5% ahead respectively.

Q: Can this system run the game at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the system achieves 65 FPS on Low settings, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings drop to 50 FPS, and High settings fall to 42 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding at 32 FPS. According to the verdict data, Low is the only playable setting at 4K.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p and 1080p?

A: At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is High with 78 FPS, though Medium (93 FPS) and Low (121 FPS) also clear 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are playable at 92 FPS, which is the highest quality preset available in the measurements.

Best Settings per Resolution

3840x2160 (4K): The most demanding preset that holds at or above 60 FPS is Low, delivering an average of 65 FPS. Medium falls to 50 FPS, High to 42 FPS, and Ultra to 32 FPS, all below the 60 FPS playability threshold.

2560x1440 (1440p): The most demanding playable preset is High, averaging 78 FPS. Medium runs at 93 FPS and Low at 121 FPS, both well above 60 FPS. Ultra just misses the threshold at 59 FPS.

1920x1080 (1080p): The system can handle Ultra settings at an average of 92 FPS, making it the best playable option. High runs at 121 FPS, Medium at 144 FPS, and Low at 188 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2142nd out of 3712 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This ranking reflects the GPU's age: the RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is much stronger at the 89th percentile. The pairing creates a system where the graphics card is the limiting factor in most scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions where the gap between playable and unplayable presets becomes pronounced.

The rank also indicates that while the system is fully capable at 1080p and 1440p, it is not positioned among the top performers in the database. Many combinations with newer GPUs will outperform it, especially at 4K where only the Low preset clears 60 FPS. For a game from 2014, this is a respectable showing, but the data makes clear that the GPU holds the combo back from higher tiers.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals, several alternatives would produce nearly identical frame rates. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 1% higher in average benchmarks, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is 1.2% ahead, the Intel Arc B570 is 1.3% ahead, and the Intel Arc A750 is 1.5% ahead. All of these sit within a narrow performance band, so swapping the RTX 2070 SUPER for any of them would yield very similar gameplay experiences in Minimum.

On the CPU side, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 matches the Core Ultra 5 235 within 0.1%, making it a direct equivalent. The Intel Core i9-13900HX is 0.1% faster, while the AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303 are both 0.2% faster. None of these differences would be perceptible in gaming workloads, so any of these processors paired with the RTX 2070 SUPER would behave essentially the same.

Because the GPU is the bottleneck in this system, the CPU alternatives matter less than the GPU alternatives. A system with a slightly weaker CPU but a GPU in the same performance class as the RTX 2070 SUPER would produce nearly identical results.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU in this game. At 1080p, the system is heavily GPU-bound at higher presets: Ultra runs at 92 FPS, High at 121 FPS, Medium at 144 FPS, and Low at 188 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 96 FPS drop, which is a direct consequence of the GPU's workload increasing with each preset tier.

At 1440p, the same pattern continues. Low settings produce 121 FPS, Medium drops to 93 FPS, High to 78 FPS, and Ultra to 59 FPS. The step from High to Ultra is particularly telling: a 19 FPS drop that pushes the system below the 60 FPS threshold. This indicates that the GPU's 8 GB memory buffer and Turing architecture are being stretched by the higher preset.

At 4K, the GPU's limitations become severe. Low settings yield 65 FPS, but Medium drops to 50 FPS, High to 42 FPS, and Ultra to 32 FPS. The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K at the same preset shows the GPU's performance collapsing: High settings fall from 121 FPS at 1080p to 42 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 79 FPS. Low settings fall from 188 FPS to 65 FPS, a reduction of 123 FPS.

The CPU's role is less visible in these measurements because even the most demanding GPU scenario at 4K Ultra with 32 FPS does not appear to be CPU-limited. The Core Ultra 5 235's strong single-thread score of 2085 in Cinebench R23 and its 89th percentile ranking suggest it has ample headroom. The game, released in 2014, is unlikely to stress a modern 14-core processor, so the CPU is never the limiting factor across any resolution or preset combination.

The practical takeaway: at 1080p and 1440p, the GPU dictates performance and the CPU is largely idle. At 4K, the GPU is overwhelmed by the resolution and preset load, and the CPU still has reserves. Upgrading the GPU would yield significant gains at every resolution, while upgrading the CPU would produce no measurable improvement in this game.

The Verdict

This system can run Minimum, but the experience depends heavily on resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable. Ultra settings run at 92 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. High runs at 121 FPS, Medium at 144 FPS, and Low at 188 FPS. Every preset is playable, and the highest quality option is recommended.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable on three of four presets. High settings deliver 78 FPS, Medium delivers 93 FPS, and Low delivers 121 FPS. Ultra just misses the threshold at 59 FPS, so players should stick to High for the best balance of quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings clear 60 FPS, averaging 65 FPS. Medium drops to 50 FPS, High to 42 FPS, and Ultra to 32 FPS. The verdict data confirms that Low is the only playable setting at 4K.

The final assessment: this PC runs the game well at 1080p and 1440p, with 1080p Ultra being the standout configuration. At 4K, the RTX 2070 SUPER's age shows, and players will need to accept Low settings for a smooth experience. The Core Ultra 5 235 provides more than enough processing power for this game; the GPU is the deciding factor.