Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the AMD Radeon 880M delivers a playable experience in Minimum only at 1080p with lower settings, as the integrated GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows a clear performance ceiling: while the 16-core Zen 4 processor is exceptionally capable, the Radeon 880M’s limited fill rate and shader output constrain frame rates, making this combo rank in the bottom 3% of all tested configurations. Benchmark results indicate that users should target 1080p for any semblance of smooth gameplay, with 1440p and 4K reserved for static scenes or screenshot purposes.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent performance drop as resolution increases, confirming that the AMD Radeon 880M is the limiting component in this pairing. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings reduces the average frame rate from 51 FPS to 33 FPS, a 35% decrease. The subsequent jump to 3840x2160 at High settings further cuts performance to 18 FPS, representing a 45% drop from the 1440p figure and a 65% decline from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where the number of pixels rendered directly dictates throughput.

At Low settings, the resolution scaling is even more pronounced in absolute terms. The average FPS drops from 79 at 1080p to 51 at 1440p (a 35% reduction) and then to 28 at 4K (a 45% reduction from 1440p and a 65% reduction from 1080p). This proportional consistency across settings indicates that the Radeon 880M’s raw pixel throughput is the bottleneck, not the CPU or memory bandwidth. The Ryzen 9 8945HX, with its 64 MB L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions, as evidenced by the fact that frame rates scale almost linearly with pixel count.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (79 FPS) and Ultra (39 FPS) is 40 FPS. At 1440p, that gap shrinks to 26 FPS (51 vs 25). At 4K, the gap narrows further to just 14 FPS (28 vs 14). This diminishing gap at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is so saturated with pixel work that additional graphical features have less relative impact on total frame time. The data indicates that at 4K Ultra, the combo achieves an average of 14 FPS, which is effectively unplayable, while 4K Low at 28 FPS remains below the threshold for smooth interaction.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured rows, the 1920x1080 Low preset offers the highest average frame rate at 79 FPS, with no minimum FPS recorded, suggesting consistent performance. This is the only configuration in the dataset that approaches the standard 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The 1080p Medium preset provides a solid compromise, achieving 61 FPS average with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS, ensuring that frame pacing remains acceptable even during intense scenes. Given the game’s 2014 release, Medium settings at 1080p likely still deliver a visually acceptable experience while maintaining playability.

The 1080p High preset drops to 51 FPS average, which is borderline but playable for slower-paced third-person shooter moments. However, the 1080p Ultra preset at 39 FPS average is not recommended for active gameplay, as the frame rate falls below the 40 FPS threshold where responsiveness degrades noticeably. Moving to 2560x1440, only the Low preset (51 FPS) reaches playable territory, but the minimum FPS is not recorded, and the average suggests occasional dips below 45 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset (39 FPS) and High preset (33 FPS) are marginal, while Ultra (25 FPS) is too slow for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, all presets yield average FPS below 30, with Low at 28 FPS, Medium at 21 FPS, High at 18 FPS, and Ultra at 14 FPS. None of these are suitable for real-time gameplay. The recommendation from the data is clear: use 1080p Low for maximum fluidity, or 1080p Medium for a balanced experience if visual fidelity is prioritized over raw frame rate. The 1440p Low preset is a viable alternative for users with higher-resolution displays who can tolerate occasional frame drops, but the measured minimum FPS for that preset is not provided, making it a riskier choice.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 880M is a 4 nm integrated GPU based on RDNA 3.5 architecture, featuring 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Its boost clock reaches 2900 MHz, providing a theoretical FP32 throughput of 4.454 TFLOPS. These specifications explain the observed performance ceiling: the 16 ROPs are responsible for pixel output, and at 4K resolution, they must fill over 8 million pixels per frame, which results in the low 18-28 FPS averages seen in the data. The GPU’s memory is "System Shared" with "System Dependent" bandwidth, meaning performance is tied to the Ryzen 9 8945HX’s dual-channel DDR5 memory, which provides 83.2 GB/s. This shared memory architecture limits the GPU’s effective bandwidth compared to dedicated VRAM, further constraining high-resolution performance.

The GPU’s benchmark scores corroborate its mid-range integrated status. It scores 7,615 on PassMark G3D, placing it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (avg score 8,427, delta 0.1%) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (avg score 8,458, delta -0.3%), both of which are older discrete mobile GPUs. This indicates that the 880M performs roughly on par with a low-end discrete GPU from a decade ago, which aligns with the measured FPS in Minimum. The GPU’s 12 ray tracing cores are irrelevant for this game, as Minimum is a 2014 title that predates ray tracing, and the DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) does not provide any measurable benefit here.

The GPU’s base clock of 400 MHz and boost of 2900 MHz show a wide dynamic range, but the measured FPS data suggests that the boost clock is rarely sustained under heavy load, as the 4K results would require nearly perfect scaling to achieve higher frame rates. The 15 W TDP for the GPU, combined with the CPU’s 55 W TDP, means the total package is power-limited in a mobile chassis, which can lead to thermal throttling that further explains the sub-30 FPS at 4K. The pixel rate of 46.40 GPixel/s and texture rate of 139.2 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums that the shared memory system cannot sustain in practice, as evidenced by the 65% frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX with the Radeon 880M produces an average of 18 FPS on High settings, with no minimum or maximum recorded. Low settings improve this to 28 FPS average. Medium settings yield 21 FPS average, with a minimum of 18 FPS and maximum of 24 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 14 FPS average. These figures are all below 30 FPS, making 4K effectively unplayable for any interactive purpose. The spread between Low and Ultra is only 14 FPS, confirming that the GPU is the sole limiting factor at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the combo achieves 51 FPS average on Low settings, which is the only playable option. High settings produce 33 FPS average, Medium produces 39 FPS average with a minimum of 33 FPS and maximum of 45 FPS, and Ultra produces 25 FPS average. The Medium preset’s minimum of 33 FPS indicates that even at 1440p, there are significant frame dips during demanding scenes. The 18 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution shows that settings have a moderate impact, but the overall performance is still GPU-limited.

At 1920x1080, the full range of playable options emerges. Low settings hit 79 FPS average, which is smooth. Medium settings achieve 61 FPS average with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 70 FPS, providing a consistent experience. High settings reduce this to 51 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 39 FPS average. The 40 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is the largest across all resolutions, indicating that at this resolution, the GPU has enough headroom for settings to significantly influence performance. The Medium preset’s minimum of 52 FPS is the most reliable metric for ensuring no noticeable stutter.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and AMD Radeon 880M ranks 2,866 out of 2,939 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the bottom 2.5% of all configurations, reflecting the severe GPU bottleneck. The CPU itself is not the issue; the Ryzen 9 8945HX scores 42,713 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and ranks in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (delta 0.1%) and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (delta 0.6%). The GPU, however, ranks in the 43rd percentile, with nearest rivals like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (delta 0.1%) and AMD Radeon HD 8870M (delta -0.3%). This mismatch is the defining characteristic of the combo.

The rank of 2,866 suggests that most other tested configurations, even those with older or weaker CPUs, achieve higher frame rates because they pair them with more capable GPUs. The data indicates that the Radeon 880M’s PassMark G3D score of 7,615 is insufficient for a 2014 third-person shooter at higher resolutions, as even the integrated GPU’s nearest discrete rivals from 2012-2013 only score marginally better. The combo’s low rank is a direct consequence of the GPU’s inability to maintain playable frame rates at 1440p and 4K, despite the CPU’s top-tier performance. In practical terms, this combo is suitable only for 1080p gaming with reduced settings, which is reflected in its near-bottom ranking.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for playing Minimum with this combo?*

A: Benchmark results indicate that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where playable frame rates are consistently achieved. At 1080p Low, the average is 79 FPS, and at Medium it is 61 FPS. Both 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 produce averages below 60 FPS on all presets.

Q: How does the Radeon 880M compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Radeon 880M scores 7,615 on PassMark G3D, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8,427) and 0.3% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8,458). It is also 1.3% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M375X (8,325), placing it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 8945HX the bottleneck in this setup?

A: No. The CPU scores 42,713 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and ranks in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with a GPU bottleneck, and the CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, has a delta of only 0.1%, indicating the processor is not limiting performance.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K with Low settings?

A: The measured average is 28 FPS at 3840x2160 with Low settings. This is below the 30 FPS threshold for playability, and the minimum FPS is not recorded, suggesting possible dips below this average.

Q: Which preset offers the most stable experience at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p provides an average of 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 70 FPS. This is the only measured configuration with a recorded minimum above 50 FPS, indicating stable frame pacing.

Q: How does the combo’s overall ranking compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2,866 out of 2,939 tested configurations in Minimum, placing it in the bottom 2.5%. This low ranking is due to the integrated GPU’s limited performance, as the CPU’s own rank is in the 95th percentile.