Minimum

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 paired with the AMD Radeon 890M delivers a playable but decidedly entry-level experience in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. The combination ranks near the bottom of the database, at 2767 out of 2939 tested combos, and the measured frame rates show a system that is consistently GPU-limited across all tested resolutions and settings. The data indicates that this is not a high-refresh-rate setup for modern competitive play, but rather one that can manage smooth 60 FPS only at 1080p with the lowest settings, and which struggles significantly at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the GPU as the primary performance bottleneck in this configuration. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 84 FPS at 1920x1080 to 54 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 30 FPS, and then further down to 29 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 65% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is a steep decline that points directly at the integrated graphics unit struggling with the increased pixel count. The Radeon 890M, with its 1024 shading units and 32 ROPs, is simply not equipped to handle the rendering demands of a 4K resolution in this title, even with the least demanding graphics preset.

Looking at the High settings tier, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute values. The average frame rate goes from 54 FPS at 1080p to 35 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 19 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is approximately 65%, which is consistent with the Low settings scaling. This consistency across settings suggests that the resolution scaling is a pure function of pixel throughput, with the GPU's fill rate being the limiting factor. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, is not being stressed by this workload, as evidenced by the fact that frame rates fall in near-linear proportion to the number of pixels being rendered.

The Medium settings data provides min and max frame rate figures that further illustrate the GPU constraint. At 4K Medium, the average is 22 FPS with a minimum of 19 and a maximum of 26. The narrow range of 7 FPS between minimum and maximum indicates that the frame times are relatively stable, which is typical of a system that is consistently bound by the same resource—in this case, the GPU's rendering throughput. At 1080p Medium, the average is 64 FPS with a range from 55 to 74 FPS, a 19 FPS spread that shows more variance, but still within a band that suggests no sudden CPU-related stutters or hitches.

The overall scaling pattern shows that the 890M's performance is heavily dependent on resolution. The jump from 1080p Low at 84 FPS to 1440p Low at 54 FPS is a 36% reduction, and the jump from 1440p Low to 4K Low is another 46% reduction. These are not gentle curves; they are steep drops that indicate the GPU is nearing its limits even at 1440p. For a 2014 title like Minimum, which is not known for advanced graphics requirements, this level of scaling is a clear sign that the integrated GPU is the weak link in this pairing. The CPU's capabilities, including its 3.00 GHz base clock and 5.10 GHz boost clock, are more than sufficient for this game, but they cannot compensate for the GPU's inability to push pixels at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a high-end mobile processor that brings substantial compute power to this pairing, but in Minimum, its role is largely to feed the GPU and ensure that frame rates are not CPU-limited. With 16 cores and 32 threads, this processor has far more parallelism than a 2014 shooter would ever need. The Zen 5 architecture, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC, provides a strong foundation for single-threaded performance, which is often more important for older games that may not be optimized for many cores. The CPU's benchmark scores reflect its strength: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35314 and a single-core score of 2044, along with a Geekbench multicore score of 20992 and single-core score of 2464. These numbers place the CPU in the 95th percentile versus all CPUs, indicating it is among the top 5% of processors in the database.

However, the measured frame rates in Minimum do not show any signs of CPU limitation. The fact that frame rates drop so dramatically with resolution increases, while settings changes at a fixed resolution also cause significant FPS shifts, suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions at the same settings, since the CPU's workload would be roughly constant regardless of pixel count. Instead, we see that at 1080p High, the average is 54 FPS, while at 1440p High, it drops to 35 FPS, a clear indication that the GPU is the one doing the heavy lifting and failing to keep up.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s, delivered via a quad-channel LPDDR5X interface, is another factor that helps prevent CPU bottlenecks. The shared memory architecture used by the Radeon 890M means that the GPU accesses system memory for its frame buffer, and the high bandwidth available on this platform helps mitigate some of the performance penalties typically associated with integrated graphics. In contrast, the GPU's memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which means it relies entirely on the CPU's memory subsystem. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 provides a robust 256.0 GB/s, which is likely why the 890M can achieve the frame rates it does, even if those rates are modest.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database, such as the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX with an average benchmark score of 76513 and the Intel Core i9-14900K with a score of 79097, have similar overall performance levels, with delta percentages of 1.6% and -1.7% respectively. This means that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is in a performance class that includes some of the most powerful desktop and workstation processors. Yet, in Minimum, this CPU's power is largely untapped, as the game's demands are far below what this processor can deliver. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting component in any of the tested configurations, and its role is to provide a stable platform with enough headroom to avoid any frame drops caused by processor stalls.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 890M is the decisive component in this configuration, and the benchmark results in Minimum paint a clear picture of its capabilities. This integrated GPU, based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture and manufactured on a 4 nm process, has a boost clock of 2900 MHz and a base clock of 400 MHz. It features 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units, along with 16 ray tracing cores. Its theoretical performance is rated at 5.939 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. These specifications are modest for a modern GPU, and the benchmark scores reflect that: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 590, and a Passmark G3D score of 8076, placing it in the 45th percentile versus all GPUs.

In Minimum, the GPU's limitations are exposed at every resolution above 1080p. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is just 14 FPS, which is unplayable. At 4K High, it improves to 19 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it reaches 22 FPS. Even at 4K Low, the average is only 29 FPS. These numbers are all well below the 30 FPS threshold that is generally considered the minimum for playable frame rates, and they indicate that the 890M is overwhelmed by the 3840x2160 resolution. The GPU's 32 ROPs are likely the primary constraint, as the pixel fill rate of 92.80 GPixel/s is insufficient for 4K rendering in this title.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database show that it is in the same performance tier as much older discrete graphics cards. The AMD Radeon Vega 8 has an average benchmark score of 9221, which is 0.1% higher than the 890M's 9210. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 has a score of 9273, 0.7% higher, and the GTX 465 has a score of 9294, 0.9% higher. This means that the 890M is essentially performing at the level of a mid-range discrete GPU from a decade ago, which is consistent with its integrated nature. In Minimum, a game from 2014, this level of performance is enough for 1080p gaming at lower settings, but it falls short at higher resolutions.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," which means it has no dedicated VRAM and relies on the system's LPDDR5X memory. This shared memory architecture can introduce latency and bandwidth limitations, but the 256.0 GB/s available on the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 platform helps mitigate some of these issues. The fact that the 890M can achieve 84 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the memory bandwidth is sufficient for lower resolutions, but the steep drop-off at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's compute and fill rate capabilities are the limiting factors, not memory bandwidth. The GPU's Passmark DirectX 11 score of 73 and DirectX 12 score of 37 further illustrate its modest capabilities, and these scores correlate with the measured performance in Minimum, which is a DX11-era title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and the AMD Radeon 890M ranks 2767 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the bottom 6% of all configurations in the database. This is a low ranking that reflects the GPU's limitations rather than the CPU's strengths. The CPU, as noted, is in the 95th percentile, while the GPU is only in the 45th percentile. The combo's rank is dragged down by the GPU, which is the bottleneck in this pairing. The data shows that this configuration is not well-suited for Minimum at high resolutions or high settings, and it is only marginally playable at 1080p with the lowest settings.

The rank of 2767 out of 2939 means that the vast majority of other tested combinations deliver better performance in this game. This is expected, as most systems that would be paired with a CPU of this caliber would also include a more powerful discrete GPU. The 890M is an integrated solution that is designed for basic computing and light gaming, and it is not intended to drive a modern game at high frame rates. The fact that this combo ranks so low is a clear indication that the system is unbalanced for gaming purposes, with a high-end CPU paired with a low-end GPU.

In terms of percentile, this combo sits at approximately the 94th percentile from the bottom, meaning it outperforms only about 6% of tested systems. This is a stark contrast to the CPU's individual percentile of 95, which shows that the CPU is a top-tier component, but the GPU is not. The combo's ranking in Minimum is a direct result of the GPU's performance, and any improvement to the GPU would likely result in a significantly higher rank. However, as tested, this is a low-performing combination for this game, and the measured FPS data supports this conclusion.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combo in Minimum are as follows, broken down by resolution and settings:

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 14 FPS on Ultra, 19 FPS on High, 22 FPS on Medium, and 29 FPS on Low. The Medium setting shows a minimum of 19 FPS and a maximum of 26 FPS, providing a range of 7 FPS. None of these settings achieve a playable 30 FPS average, and the Ultra setting is particularly poor at 14 FPS. This resolution is not viable for any settings preset.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates improve but remain modest. Ultra averages 27 FPS, High averages 35 FPS, Medium averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 48, and Low averages 54 FPS. Only the Low setting achieves an average above 30 FPS, and it is still below the 60 FPS target that many gamers prefer. The Medium setting's range of 13 FPS suggests some variance, but it is still below playable thresholds for many users.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are more reasonable. Low averages 84 FPS, which is the only setting that achieves a smooth 60+ FPS experience. Medium averages 64 FPS with a minimum of 55 and a maximum of 74, which is playable and close to the 60 FPS target. High averages 54 FPS, which is borderline playable, and Ultra averages 41 FPS, which is acceptable but not smooth. The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can deliver a satisfactory experience, and only at Low or Medium settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo in Minimum are at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which yields an average of 84 FPS. This is the only configuration that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without significant frame drops. The Low preset is the recommended choice for players who prioritize frame rate and responsiveness over visual fidelity.

For players who prefer better visual quality, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is a viable alternative, with an average of 64 FPS and a minimum of 55 FPS. This setting offers a balance between image quality and performance, and the minimum FPS is still above the 30 FPS playability threshold, though it may dip below 60 FPS during intense scenes. The High preset at 1080p averages 54 FPS, which is playable but may feel less smooth, and the Ultra preset at 1080p averages 41 FPS, which is best avoided if a consistent frame rate is desired.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 54 FPS, which is playable but not ideal, while the Medium preset averages 41 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p, with averages of 35 FPS and 27 FPS respectively, are not recommended due to the risk of noticeable stuttering. At 3840x2160, none of the settings are recommended, as even the Low preset averages only 29 FPS, which is below the playability threshold. The data indicates that this combo is best used at 1080p, and players should choose Low or Medium settings to ensure a playable experience.