Minimum

# Minimum — Intel Core Ultra 5 125H + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile

The benchmark data for this combination shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the RTX 5090 Mobile providing exceptional headroom at 1080p and 1440p, while the Core Ultra 5 125H's 14 cores and 18 threads prove sufficient to feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck at any tested setting. The measured FPS ranges from 50 at 4K Ultra to 293 at 1080p Low, indicating that the primary scaling factor is resolution, not CPU capability.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and consistent across all settings, revealing a classic GPU-limited scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 188 at 1920x1080 to 121 at 2560x1440, then further to 65 at 3840x2160. This represents a 35.6% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 65.4% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling pattern is nearly identical for Low settings: 293 at 1080p drops to 189 at 1440p (35.5% lower) and then to 102 at 4K (65.2% lower). This consistent proportional decline strongly indicates that the GPU's rendering throughput is the limiting factor at each resolution step.

The Medium settings data provides the only complete FPS range information, with minimum and maximum values recorded. At 1920x1080 Medium, the system delivers 224 average FPS with a minimum of 190 and maximum of 258. Moving to 2560x1440 Medium, the average drops to 144 with a minimum of 123 and maximum of 166. At 3840x2160 Medium, the average falls to 78 with a minimum of 66 and maximum of 89. The minimum-to-maximum spread remains relatively tight at each resolution, suggesting stable frame pacing rather than intermittent stuttering.

Ultra settings show the steepest resolution penalty, which is expected given the increased GPU workload. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 143, dropping to 92 at 1440p (35.7% lower) and 50 at 4K (65.0% lower). This near-identical percentage drop across all four settings presets confirms that resolution scaling is independent of the graphics quality level, a hallmark of a system where the GPU is the sole bottleneck. The CPU's role remains constant regardless of resolution, yet the FPS scales almost purely with pixel count, indicating that the Core Ultra 5 125H has ample headroom even at 1080p where the GPU is producing nearly 300 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H features 14 cores and 18 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz. This Meteor Lake architecture processor, built on Intel's 7 nm process, demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12804.5 and a single-core score of 1647.5. The processor's PassMark multi-thread score of 21100 and single-thread score of 3399 place it in the 79th percentile among all CPUs, indicating solid performance for a mobile part.

In the context of Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain consistent frame delivery rather than to push raw FPS. The game's age means it does not heavily utilize the 18 threads available, but the processor's high single-core performance ensures that game logic and draw call processing do not become a bottleneck. The PassMark physics score of 1439 suggests adequate computational throughput for the game's physics simulation, while the floating-point math score of 51670 and integer math score of 69986 provide ample general processing power.

The CPU's nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores include the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 (average score 27535, delta -0.1%) and the Intel Core i5-12600K (average score 27578, delta -0.3%). The Core Ultra 5 125H's average benchmark score of 27507 is essentially on par with these desktop-class processors, differing by less than 0.3%. This parity indicates that the mobile processor delivers computational performance comparable to established desktop CPUs, which is more than sufficient for Minimum's requirements. The data shows no evidence of CPU limitation at any resolution or setting, as the FPS scales predictably with GPU workload.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile is the dominant component in this configuration, featuring 24 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus with 896.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GPU's architecture is Blackwell 2.0 on TSMC's 5 nm process, with 10496 shading units, 328 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The base clock of 990 MHz and boost clock of 1515 MHz, combined with the memory clock of 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective), deliver a peak FP32 performance of 31.80 TFLOPS.

The GPU's benchmark results confirm its high-end positioning. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5871 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 198405 demonstrate strong modern API performance, while the PassMark G3D score of 30034 places it in the 84th percentile among all GPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT (average score 45384, delta -0.5%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (average score 44795, delta 0.8%). With an average benchmark score of 45152, the RTX 5090 Mobile sits slightly below the Radeon Pro 5500 XT but above the RTX 4070 Ti in aggregate benchmarks.

In Minimum, the GPU's massive memory bandwidth and high shading unit count directly translate to the observed FPS figures. At 4K Ultra, the system averages 50 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. The GPU's 24 GB VRAM is far beyond what this 2014 title requires, but the rendering pipeline still becomes the limiting factor at 4K due to the sheer pixel count. The GPU's texture rate of 496.9 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 169.7 GPixel/s provide the raw throughput needed to maintain the high frame rates seen at 1080p and 1440p, where the system achieves 293 FPS at Low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 293 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 224 FPS with a minimum of 190 and maximum of 258, providing a smooth experience with significant headroom above 144 Hz displays. High settings average 188 FPS, while Ultra settings average 143 FPS. Even at the most demanding 1080p preset, the frame rate remains above 140 FPS, indicating that the GPU has substantial spare capacity at this resolution.

The 2560x1440 results show a proportional decrease while maintaining high playability. Low settings average 189 FPS, which is still well above typical high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings average 144 FPS with a minimum of 123 and maximum of 166, matching the performance of 1080p Ultra. High settings average 121 FPS, and Ultra settings average 92 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset delivers a minimum of 123 FPS, ensuring consistent frame delivery without drops below 120 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show the GPU's limits. Low settings average 102 FPS, which remains playable on 4K displays. Medium settings average 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 and maximum of 89, providing a stable experience for slower-paced gameplay. High settings average 65 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 50 FPS. The 4K Medium preset offers the best balance, with a minimum of 66 FPS that stays above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth motion. The 4K Ultra setting at 50 FPS may be acceptable for single-player experiences but is marginal for competitive play.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile ranks 814th out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum. This places it in the top 21.9% of all tested configurations, indicating strong overall performance relative to the database. The ranking reflects the system's ability to maintain high frame rates across most resolutions and settings, with only the most demanding 4K Ultra preset falling below 60 FPS.

The combo's ranking is likely influenced by the GPU's high percentile standing (84th among all GPUs) combined with the CPU's solid 79th percentile performance. The system's weakest measured performance is 50 FPS at 4K Ultra, which still exceeds the 30 FPS console-style target and remains playable. The strongest performance of 293 FPS at 1080p Low demonstrates that the system can far exceed the refresh rates of most monitors, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming at lower resolutions.

Compared to other combinations in the database, this pairing offers a balanced profile where the GPU is clearly the performance driver. The CPU's benchmark scores are within 0.3% of several desktop processors, yet the system's in-game performance is dictated almost entirely by the GPU's capabilities. This suggests that users with this combination will see consistent performance gains from GPU upgrades but diminishing returns from CPU upgrades, as the Core Ultra 5 125H already provides sufficient headroom.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data supports different optimal settings depending on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays with refresh rates up to 240 Hz, the High preset at 188 FPS provides an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, while the Ultra preset at 143 FPS still exceeds 144 Hz requirements. The Medium preset at 224 FPS offers the best experience for 240 Hz displays, though the visual quality reduction may not be justified given that High already delivers near-200 FPS.

For 1440p displays, the High preset at 121 FPS is the recommended choice for 120 Hz monitors, providing a smooth experience with strong visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 144 FPS offers additional headroom for 144 Hz displays, with a minimum of 123 FPS ensuring no drops below the refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 92 FPS remains playable but may not fully utilize high-refresh-rate panels, making it suitable only for visually demanding single-player scenarios.

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS is the clear recommendation, as it maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS while providing moderate visual quality. The High preset at 65 FPS is also viable for 60 Hz displays, though the lower minimum frame rates (not recorded but implied by the average) may cause occasional dips below 60. The Low preset at 102 FPS is unnecessary given the Medium preset's superior visuals at a still-playable frame rate. The Ultra preset at 50 FPS is not recommended for any display type, as the frame rate falls below the 60 FPS threshold that ensures smooth motion in fast-paced third-person shooter gameplay.

The data indicates that the system's optimal configuration is 1440p Medium or High, where the combination of the Core Ultra 5 125H's CPU performance and the RTX 5090 Mobile's GPU power delivers a minimum of 123 FPS and an average of 144 FPS, providing a consistently smooth experience with no frame rate drops below 120 FPS. This configuration maximizes the system's strengths while avoiding the GPU limitations evident at 4K Ultra settings.