Minecraft

Minecraft, a sandbox title from 2011, is often thought of as a lightweight game, but the benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT tells a more nuanced story. The results show a system that is remarkably capable at lower resolutions but begins to show its limits as 4K and the most demanding presets come into play.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of scaling as the resolution increases. At the "High" settings preset, the system delivers an average of 244 FPS at 1920x1080. Moving to 2560x1440, that average drops to 154 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it falls further to 81 FPS. This is a clear and consistent decline, with the frame rate at 1440p being roughly 63% of what it is at 1080p, and the 4K result being roughly one-third of the 1080p figure.

This steep drop-off indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU, which can generate the frames needed for high refresh-rate 1080p gaming, is not the bottleneck. Instead, the Radeon RX 6600 XT, with its 8 GB of VRAM and 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, is being pushed to its limits as the pixel count increases. The 4K Ultra result, which averages only 50 FPS, underscores this point; it is a substantial decrease from the 4K Low average of 128 FPS, showing that the combination of high resolution and high settings is too demanding for this card.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The data shows an average of 153 FPS at 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset, demonstrating that the CPU is very capable in this scenario.

Q: How does the 1440p Medium performance compare to 4K Medium?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 194 FPS with a minimum of 165 and a maximum of 224. At 3840x2160, the Medium preset averages 102 FPS with a minimum of 86 and a maximum of 117. This represents a significant performance hit, highlighting the load a 4K resolution places on the GPU.

Q: Is the Radeon RX 6600 XT a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: Not at Low settings, where the system averages 389 FPS. However, at 1080p Ultra, the average is 153 FPS, which indicates the GPU is becoming more of a factor, but the CPU is still providing high frame rates. The data suggests the RX 6600 XT is not the primary bottleneck at 1080p for this game.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming?

A: based on the data, the Low preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 128 FPS, while the Medium and High presets yield 102 and 81 FPS, respectively. The Ultra preset drops to 50 FPS. Low is the only preset that is clearly above 60 FPS for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the CPU single-core performance relate to Minecraft?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has a single-core benchmark score of in Cinebench R23 and a boost clock of 4. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 389 FPS, which indicates that the CPU's powerful single-core performance is not a significant bottleneck for this game.

Q: What is the rank of this CPU and GPU combination?

A: The combo has a rank of 2619 out of 3710 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle range of all tested combos.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. Its specifications are crucial to understanding the benchmark results. The CPU has a base clock of 3.3 GHz and a boost clock of 4.9 GHz. In the Cinebench R23 test, it scores 3655 in single-core, a strong result, and 25891 in multi-core. This single-core performance is critical for Minecraft, a game known for being heavily dependent on single-threaded CPU performance.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are extremely high across all settings, with the Low preset hitting an average of 389 FPS and the High preset hitting 244 FPS. These numbers are far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors, indicating that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data at this resolution. However, as the resolution increases, the CPU's role diminishes, and the GPU becomes the more critical component. The core's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory also help in maintaining high performance in a game that can be CPU-heavy when many entities are present.

The Core Ultra 5 225's position in the broader CPU market is also relevant. It sits in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, which have comparable average scores. In the context of this particular game, the CPU's single-core performance is more than sufficient to drive high frame rates, but its multi-core performance is also respectable and helps when the game is loading chunks or generating the world.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is divided into three resolutions and four settings each.

1920x1080:

• Low: 389 FPS average
• Medium: 308 FPS average (min: 262, max: 354)
• High: 244 FPS average
• Ultra: 153 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 245 FPS average
• Medium: 194 FPS average (min: 165, max: 224)
• High: 154 FPS average
• Ultra: 96 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 128 FPS average
• Medium: 102 FPS average (min: 86, max: 117)
• High: 81 FPS average
• Ultra: 50 FPS average

These numbers show a clear trend. Moving from 1080p to 1440p results in an average FPS drop of roughly 50% for the Low, Medium, and High presets. The Ultra preset drops by about 40%, but the frame rate is still high at 96 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K brings another significant drop. The Low preset drops from 245 to 128 FPS, the Medium from 194 to 102 FPS, and the High from 154 to 81 FPS. The Ultra preset drops from 96 to 50 FPS. This demonstrates that the Radeon RX 6600 XT is the bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the GPU's workload in terms of pixels is increasing rapidly.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT holds a rank of 2619 out of 3710 combinations. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all configurations tested for Minecraft. This rank is likely influenced by the GPU's 70th percentile standing among all GPUs, which is good but not high-end. The CPU's 85th percentile is strong, so the lower overall rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance in this specific game. The RX 6600 XT's nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630, the Intel Arc A350M, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, which are all within a 1.1% delta of its average score, indicating that the 6600 XT performs in a competitive, but not outstanding, manner. For a game like Minecraft, which can be CPU-bound, the CPU is likely a bigger contributor to the rank than the GPU, but the GPU's limitations at 4K are still a factor.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured results, the best experience depends on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 1920x1080, the system is highly capable. The High preset delivers 244 FPS, which is enough for a high-refresh rate monitor. The Ultra preset at 153 FPS is also playable and will provide a more visually rich experience. For maximum performance, the Low preset at 389 FPS is overkill, but it shows the CPU is not a bottleneck.

For 2560x1440, the High preset averages 154 FPS, which is still very smooth. The Medium preset at 194 FPS is also a good choice if you prefer a mix of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 96 FPS is still above 60 FPS and could be used for a more demanding visual experience.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only clear choice for smooth gameplay, with an average of 128 FPS. The Medium preset at 102 FPS is also playable, but the High preset drops to 81 FPS. The Ultra preset at 50 FPS is not recommended for a consistent 60 FPS experience. Therefore, for 4K, the Low or Medium presets are the best choices, depending on whether one prioritizes frame rate or visual quality.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is a mid-range graphics card based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The card's base clock is 1968 MHz, with a game clock of 2359 MHz and a boost of 2589 MHz. In the PassMark G3D benchmark, it scores 16461, and in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 1804. It is the 70th percentile among all GPUs.

The GPU's role in this game is primarily in handling the visual effects and draw distance. At 1080p, the card is not a bottleneck, as the frame rates are exceptionally high. However, the high pixel count at 1440p and 4K, combined with the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM potentially being a limiting factor, causes the performance to drop. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales well with settings, but the card is not designed for high-end 4K gaming. The RX 6600 XT's performance in this game is a good match for the CPU, allowing for high frame rate at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K experience is more modest. The GPU's performance is comparable to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 and Intel Arc A350M, according to the benchmark data, but its average score is slightly higher than those of its rivals, making it a reasonable choice for a mid-range system. The GPU's specifications, including its 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, are sufficient for this game at lower resolutions, but 4K Ultra is out of its comfort zone.