Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a wide spread of performance in Minimum, a third-person shooter from mid-2014. Across the three tested resolutions and four quality presets, the measured frame rates range from 34 FPS at 4K Ultra to 202 FPS at 1080p Low. The data indicates that this pairing is more than capable of handling the game at standard monitor resolutions, with only the most demanding 4K settings falling below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results for this combo show a clear pattern: higher resolutions and higher settings reduce the average frame rate, but the game remains responsive in most configurations.

At 1920x1080, the performance is uniformly high. The Low preset produces an average of 202 FPS, which is the highest score recorded in the entire dataset. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 155 FPS, with a minimum of 131 FPS and a maximum of 178 FPS. The High preset averages 130 FPS, while the Ultra preset, the most demanding at this resolution, still delivers an average of 99 FPS. No minimum or maximum values are listed for the Low, High, or Ultra presets at 1080p, but the averages confirm that every setting stays well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show a more noticeable step down. The Low preset averages 130 FPS, matching the 1080p High result. Medium averages 100 FPS, with a minimum of 85 FPS and a maximum of 115 FPS. High averages 84 FPS, and Ultra averages 64 FPS. The Ultra number is the only one at 1440p that approaches the 60 FPS threshold, but it does not cross it. The minimum and maximum data for Low, High, and Ultra at this resolution are not provided, so the analysis relies on the averages.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly, and the 60 FPS threshold becomes a boundary. The Low preset averages 70 FPS, clearing the threshold with some headroom. Medium averages 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS, placing it below the playable mark. High averages 45 FPS, and Ultra averages 34 FPS. The minimum and maximum values for Low, High, and Ultra at 4K are not listed, but the averages clearly indicate that only the Low preset at this resolution is playable.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 4K is not linear. For example, the Medium preset goes from 155 FPS at 1080p to 100 FPS at 1440p, then to 54 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper than the drop from 1080p to 1440p, which points to the GPU becoming the limiting factor as pixel count rises. Similarly, the Ultra preset falls from 99 FPS at 1080p to 64 FPS at 1440p, then to 34 FPS at 4K, a reduction of more than half between the two lower resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235, based on average benchmark scores, are all extremely close in raw compute performance. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 has an average score of 46030, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel chip. The Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098, putting it 0.1% ahead of the Ultra 5 235. The AMD EPYC 4364P scores 45970, a 0.2% deficit, and the AMD EPYC 7303 scores 45960, also a 0.2% deficit. These deltas are negligible, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Minimum when paired with the same RTX 4060.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 sits at the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rivals are older or integrated parts. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, which is 0.2% higher, a difference too small to notice in gameplay. The AMD Radeon 780M, an integrated solution, scores 17588, 0.3% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551, 0.5% lower, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509, 0.7% lower. In practice, a system with any of these GPUs and a similarly matched CPU would produce frame rates within a few percent of this combo across the tested settings.

For this specific game, the CPU's nearest rivals would not change the outcome. Since the Ultra 5 235 and its rivals all fall within a 0.2% band of each other, the bottleneck in Minimum at lower resolutions is unlikely to be the processor. The GPU's nearest rivals, however, show that the RTX 4060 is positioned just above a collection of older discrete and modern integrated graphics. A system with a Radeon HD 7790 would be expected to deliver nearly the same FPS, while a Radeon 780M would be only marginally slower.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU at different settings and resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the GPU is likely the primary constraint, but the CPU must still feed the renderer efficiently. The jump from 202 FPS at Low to 130 FPS at High, then to 99 FPS at Ultra, shows that the GPU workload scales with settings. However, the CPU is not idle: the RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and the Ultra 5 235's 14 cores and 14 threads are both engaged.

At 1440p, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced. The average FPS drops by roughly a third from 1080p across most presets, which aligns with the increase in pixel count. For example, High goes from 130 to 84 FPS, and Medium goes from 155 to 100 FPS. This scaling suggests that the GPU's 272.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 128-bit bus are becoming limiting factors. The CPU, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085, has ample headroom to keep up with the GPU's output at this resolution.

At 4K, the GPU is unambiguously the bottleneck. The Ultra preset drops to 34 FPS, and even Medium only manages 54 FPS. The RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 159 mm² die size are not designed for 4K gaming at high settings. The CPU's contribution fades; the Ultra 5 235's passmark multi-thread score of 37816 and single-thread score of 4516 are more than sufficient to drive the GPU, but the GPU cannot produce enough frames to saturate the CPU's capabilities.

The preset scaling reinforces this. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces the average FPS by 103 points (from 202 to 99), a 51% drop. At 1440p, the same move reduces the average by 66 points (from 130 to 64), a 51% drop as well. At 4K, the drop is 36 points (from 70 to 34), again a 49% reduction. This consistent percentage decline across resolutions indicates that the settings' effects on the GPU are independent of resolution, but the absolute headroom at 4K is simply too small to accommodate higher presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this pairing in Minimum is 2000 out of 3712 tested combinations. This places it in the 54th percentile of all combos, meaning slightly more than half of the tested systems perform better. The rank is based on the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, not just the best case.

Given that the RTX 4060 sits at the 61st percentile of all GPUs and the Ultra 5 235 at the 89th percentile of all CPUs, the combo rank of 2000 is lower than either component's individual percentile. This discrepancy is explained by the game's age and the GPU's limitations at 4K. Many of the 3712 combos likely include faster GPUs that handle 4K better, pushing this combo down the list. The CPU's high percentile does not rescue the overall rank because Minimum is not a CPU-heavy title; the 4K results with 34 to 70 FPS drag the average down.

The data shows that this combo is a mid-pack performer overall, but the distribution is uneven. At 1080p, it would rank much higher, given the 99 FPS minimum average at Ultra. At 4K, it would rank much lower, as the 34 FPS at Ultra is near the bottom of playable performance. The rank of 2000 reflects a balanced average across these extremes.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Minimum at 1080p with all settings maxed out?*

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset, the measured average FPS is 99, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict data confirms that all four presets at 1080p are playable.

Q: What is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 64 FPS, so it clears the threshold, but just barely. The High preset averages 84 FPS, providing more headroom. All four presets at 1440p are listed as playable in the verdict.

Q: Is 4K playable with this combination?

A: Only at the Low preset. The 3840x2160 Low setting averages 70 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 54 FPS, High averages 45 FPS, and Ultra averages 34 FPS, all below the playable mark. The verdict lists only Low as playable at 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rival, the Radeon HD 7790?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, while the Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, a delta of -0.2%. This means the HD 7790 is theoretically 0.2% faster in synthetic tests, but in real gameplay the difference is negligible. The RTX 4060 is 0.3% faster than the Radeon 780M.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The GPU. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 34 at Ultra and 54 at Medium, while the CPU's nearest rivals differ by only 0.2% in benchmark scores. The GPU's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus are the limiting factors, as evidenced by the steep FPS decline from 1440p to 4K.

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p if the goal is maximum visual quality?

A: The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 delivers an average of 99 FPS, which is the highest visual quality setting and still well above the 60 FPS threshold. The verdict lists Ultra as the best settings at this resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

The data provides a clear recommendation for each resolution, based on the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the only preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold is Low, with an average of 70 FPS. Medium falls short at 54 FPS, and High and Ultra are far below at 45 and 34 FPS. Therefore, the best settings for 4K are Low, which yields 70 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable. The Ultra preset averages 64 FPS, which is above the threshold, so it is the best choice for visual fidelity. The High preset averages 84 FPS, but the Ultra setting's 64 FPS still provides smooth gameplay with better graphics. The best settings at 1440p are Ultra, with 64 FPS average.

At 1920x1080, the situation is similar. The Ultra preset averages 99 FPS, which is the highest quality setting and comfortably above 60 FPS. All presets at this resolution are playable, but Ultra is the best option. The best settings at 1080p are Ultra, with 99 FPS average.

The pattern is that the game's performance scales well with the GPU's capability at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K resolution demands a significant compromise. At 1440p, the 64 FPS average at Ultra is only 4 FPS above the threshold, so users with variable refresh rate monitors might prefer High at 84 FPS for more consistent framerates.

The Verdict

This Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 system can run Minimum successfully at all three tested resolutions, but with important caveats.

At 1920x1080, the verdict is unambiguous: all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable. The Ultra preset averages 99 FPS, and the Low preset reaches 202 FPS. This is the resolution where the combo performs best, and the 60 FPS threshold is cleared by a wide margin at every setting.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is equally positive. All four presets are listed as playable, with the Ultra preset averaging 64 FPS. The margin above the threshold is slim, but it is present. Users who prioritize frame rate stability could drop to High at 84 FPS, but the Ultra setting meets the requirement.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is mixed. Only the Low preset is playable, with an average of 70 FPS. The Medium preset at 54 FPS, High at 45 FPS, and Ultra at 34 FPS all fall below the 60 FPS mark. The system can handle 4K, but only with the lowest quality settings. For higher visual fidelity at 4K, a more powerful GPU would be required.

In summary, the combo is a solid performer for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Minimum, capable of running the game at maximum settings with acceptable framerates. At 4K, it is limited to the Low preset, which still provides a playable experience. The data shows that the RTX 4060 is the limiting factor at high resolutions, while the CPU provides ample headroom across all tested scenarios.