Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 combination delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014. Benchmark data shows a clear pattern: the pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it produces high frame rates across all settings, while 4K performance drops below the 60 FPS threshold even at Low settings. The measured results indicate a system where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s 10 cores and 10 threads provide ample headroom for this title’s demands.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 156 FPS at 1080p to 100 FPS at 1440p, then further to 54 FPS at 4K. This represents a 65% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the AMD Radeon RX 6600’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are heavily taxed at higher pixel counts. The pattern is consistent across all settings: High settings yield 100 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K, while Ultra settings produce 76 FPS, 49 FPS, and 26 FPS respectively.

The scaling factor between 1080p and 1440p is relatively moderate, with average FPS dropping by roughly 35-36% across Low, Medium, and High settings. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K is more severe, with average FPS falling by 46-47% across the same settings. This nonlinear scaling suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute resources (1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, 64 ROPs) become saturated when rendering four times the pixels of 1080p. The RX 6600’s 128-bit memory bus, while efficient for its class, cannot sustain the data throughput required for 4K rendering in this game.

At 1080p, the frame rate differences between settings are relatively small compared to the resolution scaling. Low settings produce 156 FPS, Medium 119 FPS, High 100 FPS, and Ultra 76 FPS. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU (Intel Core Ultra 5 225 with a 4.90 GHz boost clock) is not the limiting factor; instead, the GPU’s pixel and texture fill rates (159.4 GPixel/s and 279.0 GTexel/s) dictate performance. The 3 nm Arrow Lake processor’s single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655, is more than sufficient for this 2014 title’s CPU demands.

The 4K results tell a different story. Even at Low settings, the average FPS of 54 indicates the GPU is the bottleneck, as reducing graphical complexity from Ultra (26 FPS) to Low (54 FPS) only recovers 28 FPS. The RX 6600’s FP32 throughput of 8.928 TFLOPS is inadequate for 4K rendering at high quality settings in this game. The data also shows that Medium settings at 4K (41 FPS average) with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 48 FPS creates noticeable frame pacing issues, whereas 1080p Medium produces a much tighter range of 101-137 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience for this combination depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, Medium settings deliver 119 FPS average with a minimum of 101 FPS and maximum of 137 FPS, which provides smooth gameplay with a comfortable safety margin above 100 FPS. High settings at 1080p yield 100 FPS average, still playable but with less headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra at 1080p produces 76 FPS average, which is acceptable but sacrifices the fluidity that lower settings provide. For 1080p, Medium is the sweet spot: it offers 56% higher average FPS than Ultra while maintaining consistent frame delivery.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts. Medium settings produce 77 FPS average with a minimum of 65 FPS, which is the only preset at this resolution that maintains a minimum above 60 FPS. High settings average 65 FPS but lack recorded minimum/maximum values, suggesting potential dips below the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings at 1440p reach 100 FPS average, but this comes at the cost of visual quality. For 1440p users, Medium is the recommended preset: it balances the 77 FPS average with the 65 FPS minimum, ensuring no significant stutter during intense combat sequences. Ultra at 1440p drops to 49 FPS average, which is below the smoothness standard for a third-person shooter.

At 3840x2160, no setting achieves playable performance by modern standards. Low settings average 54 FPS, which is borderline but likely to dip below 50 FPS in action-heavy moments. Medium averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS, while High averages 35 FPS and Ultra only 26 FPS. The data suggests that 4K is not viable for this combination, regardless of settings. If a user must play at 4K, Low settings is the only option that approaches 60 FPS, but the 54 FPS average indicates frequent frame drops. The measured data shows that even the most aggressive quality reduction cannot overcome the GPU’s hardware limitations at 4K.

Comparing presets, the performance gap between Low and Ultra widens with resolution: at 1080p, Ultra is 51% slower than Low (76 vs 156 FPS), while at 4K, Ultra is 52% slower (26 vs 54 FPS). This consistency suggests that the game’s settings scale predictably across resolutions, but the absolute performance levels make higher presets impractical except at 1080p.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combination in Minimum?*

A: The measured data shows 1920x1080 as the optimal resolution. At 1080p, all settings produce average FPS above 76, with Low reaching 156 FPS and Medium 119 FPS. At 1440p, only Medium maintains a minimum above 60 FPS, while 4K fails to reach 60 FPS even at Low settings.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 affect performance in this game?

A: The CPU’s 10 cores and 10 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz, are sufficient for this title. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 indicate strong processing power. The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution, as frame rates scale consistently with GPU load.

*Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 6600’s 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Minimum?*

A: The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth handles the game’s demands at 1080p and 1440p without issue. However, at 4K, the average FPS drops to 54 at Low settings, indicating that memory bandwidth and GPU compute (8.928 TFLOPS FP32) are limiting factors rather than capacity alone.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 65 at 2560x1440 with High settings. No minimum or maximum values were recorded for this configuration, but the average suggests occasional dips below 60 FPS during demanding scenes. Medium settings provide a safer 77 FPS average with a 65 FPS minimum.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combination ranks 2267 out of 2939 tested combos, placing it in the lower-mid range. This ranking reflects the RX 6600’s position in the GPU hierarchy, where its average benchmark score of 19036 places it at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Does the game benefit from the CPU’s integrated graphics?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 includes Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 16EU, but the discrete Radeon RX 6600 provides all rendering. The integrated graphics are not utilized in this configuration, as the measured FPS data comes from the discrete GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of settings was tested. Low settings produced the highest average FPS at 156, with no minimum or maximum recorded. Medium settings averaged 119 FPS, with a minimum of 101 FPS and maximum of 137 FPS, showing a tight frame delivery range. High settings averaged 100 FPS, and Ultra settings averaged 76 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a linear decline: each step up in quality reduces average FPS by roughly 19-24 FPS, except for the High-to-Ultra drop which is 24 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance hierarchy remains consistent but compressed. Low settings averaged 100 FPS, Medium 77 FPS (minimum 65, maximum 88), High 65 FPS, and Ultra 49 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium (65) is notable because it stays above the 60 FPS threshold, making this the only 1440p setting with a guaranteed smooth experience. The gap between Low and Ultra is 51 FPS at 1440p, slightly smaller than the 80 FPS gap at 1080p, indicating that the GPU’s pixel throughput limits the benefits of lower settings at higher resolutions.

At 3840x2160, all settings struggle. Low averaged 54 FPS, Medium 41 FPS (minimum 35, maximum 48), High 35 FPS, and Ultra 26 FPS. The Medium settings at 4K show a wide range of 35-48 FPS, indicating significant frame time variance that would be noticeable during gameplay. The 4K results show that even the most optimized settings cannot deliver consistent 60 FPS, as the gap between Low and Medium is only 13 FPS, demonstrating diminishing returns from quality reduction at this resolution.

Comparing across resolutions at the same setting, Low shows the largest absolute drop from 1080p to 4K (156 to 54 FPS, a 102 FPS reduction). Ultra shows a smaller absolute drop (76 to 26 FPS, a 50 FPS reduction) but the percentage drop is similar (around 65-66%). The data indicates that resolution has a more significant impact on performance than settings, as the difference between 1080p Low and 4K Low (102 FPS) is larger than the difference between 1080p Low and 1080p Ultra (80 FPS).

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 2267 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the bottom 23% of all configurations, reflecting the GPU’s mid-range positioning. The RX 6600’s average benchmark score of 19036 puts it at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, but its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030, 0% delta), GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049, -0.1%), and Tesla K20m (19089, -0.3%). These scores indicate the RX 6600 sits in a cluster of comparable performance, with no significant advantage over its nearest competitors.

The CPU side provides more headroom. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, placing it at the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0% delta), Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2%), and Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4%). The CPU’s 10 cores and 10 threads are substantially ahead of the game’s requirements, but the combo’s overall rank is dragged down by the GPU’s limitations.

The rank of 2267 out of 2939 suggests that most tested combinations deliver better performance in this game. This is primarily due to the RX 6600’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus, which are below the standards of higher-ranked combos. However, the data shows that the combo still achieves playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, making it viable for 1080p gaming despite the low overall rank. The percentile positions (85th for CPU, 63rd for GPU) indicate a mismatch: the CPU is far more capable than the GPU, meaning the RX 6600 is the limiting factor in this pairing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 provides 10 cores and 10 threads, a configuration that is more than adequate for Minimum. The CPU’s base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz deliver strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4412. This game, released in 2014, does not require high core counts, so the 10-core architecture is overkill but ensures no CPU bottleneck.

The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 20 MB shared L3. This provides ample data locality for game logic and physics calculations. The Passmark physics score of 2342 and integer math score of 65345 indicate solid computational throughput, though these are general benchmarks rather than game-specific tests. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 shows that the CPU can handle multi-threaded workloads, but in Minimum, the frame rates are primarily determined by GPU load.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 156 FPS average, which is likely near the CPU’s frame rate ceiling for this game. However, at 1080p Ultra, the FPS drops to 76, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor rather than the CPU. The CPU’s 10 threads are sufficient to feed the RX 6600’s 1792 shading units at 1080p, but as resolution increases, the GPU’s workload grows while CPU demand remains constant. The 3 nm process node and 17,800 million transistors suggest high efficiency, but this does not translate to higher game FPS when the GPU is saturated.

The CPU’s memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures fast data transfer to the GPU. This is relevant because the RX 6600’s PCIe 4.0 x8 interface (20 lanes from the CPU) provides sufficient bandwidth for the 8 GB frame buffer. The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU-induced stuttering or frame drops, even at 4K where GPU load is highest.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the limiting component in this combination. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but insufficient for 4K. The GPU’s boost clock of 2491 MHz and game clock of 2044 MHz (base 1626 MHz) provide a reasonable frequency range, but the compute resources—1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs—are modest by current standards. The FP32 performance of 8.928 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s determine the frame rates observed in the measured data.

At 1080p, the GPU delivers 156 FPS on Low settings, indicating that the 64 ROPs can handle pixel fill rates efficiently at this resolution. The texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s supports 112 TMUs, ensuring texture-heavy scenes do not bottleneck performance. The 28 ray accelerators (RT cores) are not utilized in this game, as Minimum does not feature ray tracing. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility ensure modern driver paths, but the 2014 game likely uses older APIs.

The 4K results highlight the GPU’s weaknesses. At 4K Low, the average FPS of 54 indicates that the 8 GB VRAM is not the primary constraint—rather, the compute and memory bandwidth are insufficient. The 128-bit memory bus, while offering 224.0 GB/s, cannot sustain the bandwidth required for 4K textures and shader operations. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 15096 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1492 place it below the performance threshold needed for 4K gaming in this title.

The GPU’s position relative to rivals confirms its mid-range status. Its average benchmark score of 19036 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030) and GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049), with deltas of 0% and -0.1% respectively. This suggests that in Minimum, the RX 6600 performs similarly to these competitors, all of which would likely struggle at 4K. The GPU’s 63rd percentile ranking means it outperforms 63% of all GPUs, but the measured FPS data shows that this is not enough for high-resolution gaming. The 132 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate efficient power delivery, but this does not compensate for the hardware limits exposed by 4K benchmarks.