Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter, and the database contains measured frame rates for this specific combination: an Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus processor paired with an Intel Arc B390 integrated GPU. The data covers four quality presets across three resolutions, with the playable threshold set at 60 FPS. The recorded results reveal a system that is highly sensitive to both resolution and graphics settings, with a clear ceiling for playable performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, the Intel Arc B390 struggles to maintain a playable frame rate at any preset. The Low preset delivers an average of 33 FPS, which is the best result at this resolution. Medium drops to an average of 25 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS. High falls further to 21 FPS average, and Ultra bottoms out at 16 FPS. None of these settings approach the 60 FPS playable threshold, and even the Low preset average is barely half of what would be needed for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture improves, but only modestly. The Low preset achieves an average of 61 FPS, which exactly meets the 60 FPS threshold, making it the only playable option at this resolution. Medium averages 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS, so it remains below the threshold. High averages 39 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 14 FPS, which is a significant jump for a single step up in visual quality.

At 1920x1080, the system finally shows what it can do. The Low preset averages 95 FPS, which is the highest score recorded for this combo across all tests. Medium averages 72 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS, so it stays above the threshold even in its worst moments. High averages 61 FPS, which matches the 60 FPS playable line, though the lack of recorded minimum and maximum values for High means the frame time consistency is unknown. Ultra averages 46 FPS, which is below the threshold despite being the most demanding preset.

The scaling pattern is consistent. Dropping from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Low settings reduces the average from 95 FPS to 61 FPS, a decline of 34 FPS. From 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at Low, the average falls from 61 FPS to 33 FPS, another 28 FPS loss. At Medium settings, the progression from 72 FPS at 1080p to 47 FPS at 1440p to 25 FPS at 4K shows a similar steep decline. The data indicates that each resolution step roughly halves the frame rate, which points to a GPU that is quickly overwhelmed by pixel count.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a desktop processor with 24 cores, 24 threads, and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It scores in the 96th percentile against all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 93785. The Intel Arc B390, by contrast, sits in the 9th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. This is an enormous mismatch, and the measured frame rates reflect it.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the limiting factor in every scenario. The Ultra preset averages 16 FPS, and even the Low preset only reaches 33 FPS. A processor of this caliber has more than enough compute headroom to feed the integrated GPU, but the Arc B390 cannot render frames fast enough at this resolution. The 21 FPS average at High and 25 FPS at Medium confirm that the bottleneck is entirely on the graphics side.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly. The Low preset hits 61 FPS, which suggests the GPU can keep up when the visual load is light. Medium drops to 47 FPS, and High to 39 FPS, so the gap between presets is large. If the CPU were the constraint, the frame rates would cluster closer together. Instead, the wide spread between Low and Ultra at the same resolution is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload.

At 1920x1080, the GPU still dominates, but the margins tighten. Low averages 95 FPS, Medium 72 FPS, and High 61 FPS. The CPU is capable of far more, as shown by its multicore performance scores, but the Arc B390 caps the output. The fact that Ultra only manages 46 FPS at 1080p while Low reaches 95 FPS shows that the GPU is responsible for nearly all the performance variation, not the processor.

The scaling between resolutions reinforces this. Going from 1080p Low to 1440p Low cuts performance by roughly a third, and going from 1440p Low to 4K Low cuts it by nearly half again. A CPU-bound system would show much smaller drops when resolution increases, because the CPU work stays roughly constant. The recorded data shows the opposite, which makes the GPU the clear limiting component at every resolution tested.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rival to the Intel Arc B390 in the database is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1463 on the same benchmark, a difference of 1.3 percent. The GeForce 800M scores 1460, just 1.5 percent behind. The GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5 percent behind, and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7 percent behind. These are all older, low-end graphics solutions, and the recorded data suggests they would produce similar frame rates in Minimum at the same settings and resolutions. None of them would be expected to exceed the Arc B390 by any meaningful margin, and several are slightly slower.

On the CPU side, the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has an average score of 93785, nearly identical to the Intel Xeon 6520P at 93786, a delta of 0 percent. The AMD EPYC 4564P scores 95183, which is 1.5 percent higher. The AMD EPYC 9175F scores 95615, 1.9 percent higher, and the AMD EPYC 4565P scores 95764, 2.1 percent higher. These differences are small enough that, in a GPU-bound game like Minimum, swapping the processor for any of these alternatives would not change the frame rates measurably. The bottleneck is the graphics hardware, not the CPU.

The practical implication is that a user looking for similar performance should focus on the GPU side. Any system with a GPU in the same performance class as the GT 520MX or GT 710 would land in the same territory: playable at 1080p on Low or Medium, marginal at 1440p on Low, and not viable at 4K. The CPU choice matters little for this game, since even a much weaker processor than the 270K Plus would still be held back by the Arc B390.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Minimum at 1920x1080 on Ultra settings?

A: No. The recorded average frame rate at 1080p Ultra is 46 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The playable settings at 1080p are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best at 61 FPS average.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 2560x1440?

A: Low is the only playable setting at 1440p, with an average of 61 FPS. Medium averages 47 FPS, High averages 39 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS, none of which reach 60 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 a strong GPU for this game?

A: The data indicates it is not. The GPU sits in the 9th percentile against all GPUs in the database, and its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce 800M, both of which are low-end parts. In Minimum, it can only manage playable frame rates at 1080p on up to High, or 1440p on Low.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus compare to other CPUs in the database?

A: It ranks in the 96th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 93785. Its closest rival is the Intel Xeon 6520P at 93786, which is a 0 percent difference. The AMD EPYC 4564P is 1.5 percent higher, the EPYC 9175F is 1.9 percent higher, and the EPYC 4565P is 2.1 percent higher.

Q: Does the processor bottleneck the integrated GPU in Minimum?

A: No. The CPU is far more powerful than the GPU, scoring in the 96th percentile while the GPU is in the 9th percentile. The frame rates are consistently limited by the Arc B390, and the large performance drops between presets and resolutions confirm a GPU-bound workload.

Q: What are the exact frame rates at Medium settings across all resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average is 72 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this combination at 3299 out of 3712 tested combos. That places it in the bottom tier of all tested systems, which is expected given the GPU's low benchmark standing. The Arc B390 is ranked in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all older entry-level NVIDIA parts. The CPU does not rescue the overall ranking, because Minimum is a GPU-bound game and the processor has little influence on the measured frame rates.

The 3299 rank means there are only 413 tested combos that perform worse, out of 3712 total. That is roughly the bottom 11 percent of the database. For a game released in 2014, this is a weak result. The combination is capable of running the game at 1080p on Medium or High, but it cannot handle 4K at any setting, and 1440p is limited to the Low preset. The ranking reflects that narrow playable window.

By contrast, the CPU alone would rank much higher if it were evaluated without the GPU constraint. The 96th percentile CPU score shows that the processor is not the issue. The combination rank is dragged down entirely by the Arc B390, which is the weakest link in the system. Any improvement in playable settings would require a stronger GPU, not a stronger CPU.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, there is no playable preset. The Low setting comes closest with an average of 33 FPS, but that is still 27 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 25 FPS, High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. The database lists no best setting for 4K because none reach the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only option that clears 60 FPS, averaging exactly 61 FPS. This is the best playable setting at this resolution. Medium falls short at 47 FPS, High at 39 FPS, and Ultra at 30 FPS. The 61 FPS average is barely above the threshold, so frame rate dips could push it below 60 in demanding scenes, but the recorded average is playable.

At 1920x1080, the High preset is the best playable option, averaging 61 FPS. Medium also clears the threshold at 72 FPS, and Low averages 95 FPS. Ultra averages 46 FPS, which is not playable. High is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, and it does so with a 61 FPS average. The absence of recorded minimum and maximum values for High means there is no data on frame time consistency, but the average meets the threshold.

The Verdict

The database verdict for this combination is clear. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings. The best average is 33 FPS on Low, which is far below the 60 FPS threshold, so this system cannot run Minimum at 4K. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset is playable, with an average of 61 FPS. That means a user can run the game at 1440p, but only with the lowest visual quality settings. At 1920x1080, the system can run the game on High, Low, or Medium, with High being the best preset at 61 FPS average. Ultra is not playable at any resolution.

In practical terms, this PC can run Minimum, but the experience depends heavily on resolution and settings. At 1080p, the game is comfortably playable on Medium, which averages 72 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS, meaning it stays above the threshold even in its worst recorded moments. High is also playable at 61 FPS average, though with less headroom. At 1440p, the Low preset just barely reaches 60 FPS, so it is technically playable but with no margin for error. At 4K, the game is not playable at all.

The combination of a high-end 24-core processor and a low-end integrated GPU creates a lopsided system. The CPU is among the strongest in the database, ranking in the 96th percentile, while the GPU sits in the 9th percentile. For Minimum, a game with modest requirements by 2014 standards, the GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution. The recorded data shows a system that can handle the game at 1080p with decent settings, struggles at 1440p with low settings, and fails entirely at 4K. Anyone considering this combo for Minimum should expect a 1080p experience, with 1440p possible only on the lowest settings and 4K off the table.