Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers exceptional performance in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter that remains remarkably easy to drive at modern resolutions. The measured data shows this pairing clears the 60 FPS playable threshold at every preset tested across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, with the only sub-100 FPS result appearing at 4K Ultra. This is a system built for maximum fidelity, not compromise.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are extraordinarily high, indicating the game is far from a challenge for this hardware. Low settings produce an average of 356 FPS, while High settings still deliver 229 FPS. The Medium preset shows an average of 273 FPS with a minimum of 232 FPS and a maximum of 313 FPS, providing the only min/max data at this resolution. Ultra settings at 1080p yield an average of 174 FPS, which is still more than triple the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains overwhelmingly strong. Low settings average 230 FPS, and High settings drop to 148 FPS. The Medium preset shows an average of 176 FPS, with a minimum of 149 FPS and a maximum of 202 FPS. Ultra at 1440p produces 112 FPS on average, which is nearly double the playable threshold. The scaling between 1080p and 1440p is consistent, with the 1440p Ultra result being roughly 64% of the 1080p Ultra figure.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show its limits, though it still comfortably surpasses 60 FPS in every setting. Low settings average 124 FPS, while High settings drop to 79 FPS. The Medium preset shows an average of 95 FPS, with a minimum of 80 FPS and a maximum of 109 FPS. Ultra at 4K is the only configuration to dip toward the threshold, averaging 61 FPS. This is the single data point where the system’s headroom narrows to just 1 FPS above the playable mark.

The pattern across all resolutions is clear: the RTX 4080 scales predictably with settings, and the difference between Low and Ultra is substantial. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 182 FPS; at 1440p, it is 118 FPS; at 4K, it narrows to 63 FPS. The game’s age means even the most demanding preset at 4K remains playable, but the margin at 4K Ultra is thin.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 174 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available, and the system has massive headroom. There is no reason to lower settings at this resolution, as even the most demanding option delivers frame rates that far exceed the refresh rate of most monitors.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best setting, averaging 112 FPS. The 60 FPS threshold is cleared by a wide margin, leaving room for high-refresh-rate displays. The data indicates that 1440p Ultra is a sweet spot for this combination, offering high fidelity without any performance concerns.

At 3840x2160, Ultra remains the best playable setting, but the margin is slim, with an average of 61 FPS. This is the only resolution where the system approaches the playable threshold. High settings at 4K provide a more comfortable 79 FPS average, but the verdict data confirms Ultra is still technically playable. For players who prioritize smoothness over maximum fidelity, dropping to High would provide a significant safety margin.

The data shows that this system can run Minimum at its highest settings across all three resolutions. The only caveat is 4K Ultra, where the 61 FPS average leaves no room for frame-time spikes.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the dominant component at 4K, while the CPU has more influence at lower resolutions. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 35% drop in average FPS at Ultra settings (from 174 to 112 FPS), and from 1440p to 4K, there is a further 46% drop (from 112 to 61 FPS). This progressive decline with resolution is typical of GPU-bound scenarios.

At 1080p and 1440p, the extremely high frame rates (174 and 112 FPS at Ultra) suggest the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU efficiently. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, shows a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,924 and a single-core score of 4,648, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. This level of performance is more than sufficient for a 2014 title, even at high frame rates.

The 4K Ultra result, averaging 61 FPS, is where the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The RTX 4080, with an average benchmark score of 54,247 and an 86th percentile ranking, is being pushed to its limits. The gap between Low (124 FPS) and Ultra (61 FPS) at 4K is 63 FPS, which is larger than the corresponding gaps at 1440p (118 FPS) and 1080p (182 FPS) in absolute terms, but the relative impact is similar.

The medium preset at each resolution provides min/max data, revealing frame-time consistency. At 4K Medium, the range is 80 to 109 FPS, a 29 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 149 to 202 FPS, a 53 FPS spread. At 1080p Medium, the range is 232 to 313 FPS, an 81 FPS spread. The wider spread at lower resolutions suggests the CPU is introducing some variance, but the absolute frame rates are so high that this is imperceptible. The narrow spread at 4K further confirms the GPU is the limiting factor.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Minimum at 4K Ultra?*

A: Yes, but barely. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 61 FPS, which is just 1 FPS above the playable threshold of 60 FPS. It is technically playable, but there is no headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 1440p?

A: Ultra is the best setting at 2560x1440, delivering an average of 112 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a comfortable margin for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: How does the 1080p Medium preset compare to the 1440p Medium preset?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the average FPS is 273, with a minimum of 232 and a maximum of 313. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average drops to 176 FPS, with a minimum of 149 and a maximum of 202. The 1440p result is 64% of the 1080p performance.

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

A: At 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor, as shown by the narrow 61 FPS Ultra result. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU’s high single-thread performance (4,648 in Cinebench R23) ensures frame rates remain extremely high, but the GPU still dictates the overall scaling.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: Low settings average 124 FPS, while Ultra averages 61 FPS. This is a 63 FPS difference, representing a 103% increase in performance from Ultra to Low.

Q: Does this system ever drop below 60 FPS in the tested configurations?

A: No. The minimum FPS recorded across all tested settings is 80 FPS, which occurs at 4K Medium. Every preset at every resolution clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48,995, placing it in the 90th percentile. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, with an average score of 49,196, which is 0.4% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49,228, 0.5% higher. On the Intel side, the Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48,698, 0.6% lower, and the Core i5-14600K scores 48,618, 0.8% lower. In practice, all four CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Minimum, as the game is unlikely to stress any of them beyond their capabilities.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247, ranking in the 86th percentile. Its closest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54,209, a negligible 0.1% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828, 1.1% higher, while the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698, 2.6% higher, and the Radeon 8060S scores 55,757, 2.7% higher. These deltas are small enough that in-game performance would be virtually indistinguishable. A user with any of these GPUs would see similar frame rates at 4K Ultra, likely hovering around the 61 FPS mark.

The combination of a 90th-percentile CPU with an 86th-percentile GPU is well-balanced for this title. The CPU’s rivals would not bottleneck the GPU, and the GPU’s rivals would produce similar 4K results. The overall combo rank of 246 out of 3,712 tested combinations places this system in the top 7% of all tested hardware pairings.

The Verdict

This system can run Minimum at 60 FPS or higher at every resolution and setting tested. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings deliver 174 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 112 FPS, offering a perfect balance of fidelity and speed. At 3840x2160, Ultra is still playable at 61 FPS, but the margin is razor-thin.

The verdict data confirms all four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at all three resolutions. The best setting at 1080p is Ultra at 174 FPS, at 1440p it is Ultra at 112 FPS, and at 4K it is Ultra at 61 FPS. While 4K Ultra clears the threshold, the 61 FPS average leaves no headroom; players who want consistent performance should consider High settings at 4K, which average 79 FPS.

For a game released in 2014, this hardware is overkill in the best sense. The RTX 4080’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are never challenged, and the Core Ultra 5 245’s 14 cores remain mostly idle. The result is a system that can max out Minimum with ease, making it a superb choice for anyone who wants to experience the game at its absolute best. The only scenario that approaches the limit is 4K Ultra, where the system performs adequately but without any safety buffer.