Minimum

The pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT delivers a highly playable experience in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter, with performance that scales predictably across resolutions and settings. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the modern 10-core processor ensures that even the lowest settings at 1080p do not introduce a CPU bottleneck. This analysis breaks down the benchmark data to understand where the limits of this combination lie and how it performs relative to other tested hardware pairings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate degradation from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the primary limiting component as pixel count increases. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 131 FPS at 1920x1080 to 85 FPS at 2560x1440, a 35% drop, and then further down to 46 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a 65% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases is typical for a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering workload grows exponentially with pixel count while the CPU's job of preparing frames remains relatively static.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly telling for the GPU's capabilities. At Medium settings, the transition from 2560x1440 (101 FPS) to 3840x2160 (54 FPS) results in a 47 FPS loss, while at Ultra settings, the drop from 64 FPS to 35 FPS is a 45% decline. This near-linear relationship between resolution and frame rate suggests that the RX 6700 XT's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus are being saturated at 4K, with the GPU's compute units struggling to maintain throughput. The fact that Low settings at 4K still achieve 71 FPS, compared to 132 FPS at 1440p, reinforces that the graphics card, not the processor, is the bottleneck in this configuration.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (204 FPS) and Ultra (100 FPS) is 104 FPS, but at 4K, the same comparison yields only a 36 FPS difference (71 FPS vs 35 FPS). This compression of frame rates at higher resolutions is a classic sign that the GPU is running out of raw processing power, and the additional work required by higher settings cannot be offset by the CPU's ability to feed it data. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, is clearly not the limiting factor here, as even the most demanding CPU scenarios at 1080p Low produce 204 FPS, far beyond the refresh rates of most displays.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, provides ample processing headroom for Minimum, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p where CPU load is typically highest. The processor's base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz allow it to handle the game's single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads efficiently, with the benchmark scores confirming its capability. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 25891 points in multi-core and 3655 points in single-core tests, placing it in the 85th percentile against all CPUs, which suggests it is well above average for gaming tasks.

The game's release in 2014 means it was designed for much older hardware, and the Core Ultra 5 225's modern Arrow Lake architecture is likely overkill for this title. The data supports this conclusion: at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 204 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine limits or the GPU's ability to render frames at this resolution. The PassMark single-thread score of 4412 and multi-thread score of 30459 demonstrate that the CPU can easily feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, even at high frame rates. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth ensure that data transfer between the CPU and system memory is not a bottleneck.

Interestingly, the CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals shows it is competitive but not exceptional. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F has an average benchmark score of 36945, which is essentially identical to the Core Ultra 5 225's 36938, representing a 0% delta. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is slightly faster at 37018, with a -0.2% delta, while the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 is 0.4% faster at 37093. This clustering of scores indicates that for a game like Minimum, which may not utilize many cores, the choice of CPU among these rivals would have minimal impact on frame rates, as the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured frame rates, the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium produces an average of 156 FPS with a minimum of 133 FPS and a maximum of 180 FPS, which is smooth and responsive for a third-person shooter. Moving to 2560x1440, Medium delivers 101 FPS on average with a minimum of 86 FPS, ensuring that even the most demanding scenes remain playable. At 4K, Medium drops to 54 FPS average with a 46 FPS minimum, which is borderline for smooth gameplay but still an improvement over the 35 FPS average at Ultra.

The High preset is also a viable option for users with 1080p or 1440p displays. At 1080p, High achieves 131 FPS, which is only 25 FPS lower than Medium but likely offers noticeably better visual fidelity. At 1440p, High delivers 85 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for most gamers. However, at 4K, High's 46 FPS average is not ideal, and users should consider dropping to Medium or Low for a better experience. Low settings provide the highest frame rates, with 204 FPS at 1080p and 132 FPS at 1440p, but the visual compromises may not be worth it for a game from 2014 that already has dated graphics.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this combination, as it produces the lowest frame rates across all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra averages 100 FPS, which is playable but not significantly better than High in terms of visual quality for most users. At 1440p, Ultra falls to 64 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to 35 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Given that the game is from 2014, the visual difference between High and Ultra may be minimal, making High the better choice for those seeking a balance of quality and performance. The data suggests that users should prioritize Medium or High settings, depending on their resolution, to get the most out of this hardware combination.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 1501 out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum, placing it in the 49th percentile of all configurations. This ranking indicates that while the system is capable of running the game well, there are many other combinations that deliver higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs or newer architectures. The rank of 1501 suggests that this combo is slightly below the median of tested systems, which is expected given that the RX 6700 XT is a mid-range GPU from 2021 and the Core Ultra 5 225 is a budget-oriented desktop processor from 2025.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals provides context for this ranking. The RX 6700 XT has an average benchmark score of 27425, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile at 27435 (0% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 at 27565 (-0.5% delta). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is slightly faster at 27839, representing a -1.5% delta. This clustering suggests that the RX 6700 XT is comparable to these high-end GPUs in synthetic benchmarks, but its actual gaming performance in Minimum may be limited by its 12 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus at higher resolutions.

The CPU's ranking also influences the overall combo rank. The Core Ultra 5 225's 85th percentile among all CPUs means it is in the top 15% of processors, but its performance is similar to several rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D. Given that Minimum is likely not CPU-intensive, the combo rank is probably more heavily influenced by the GPU's performance. The fact that this combo sits at 1501 out of 2939 suggests that there are many systems with more powerful GPUs that achieve higher frame rates, but this combination still provides a solid experience for most users, especially at 1080p and 1440p.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 384.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient for Minimum at all tested settings, but the GPU's compute capabilities become the limiting factor at 4K. The GPU has a base clock of 2321 MHz and a boost clock of 2581 MHz, with a game clock of 2424 MHz, which provides solid performance for a mid-range card. The 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are responsible for rendering the game's visuals, and the data shows that the GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates at 3840x2160, particularly at Ultra settings where the average FPS drops to 35.

The GPU's memory configuration is notable for a 2014 game, as Minimum likely does not require more than 12 GB of VRAM at 4K. The 192-bit bus width and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth are more than adequate for the game's textures and geometry, so the frame rate drops at 4K are more likely due to the GPU's compute units being overwhelmed by the pixel count. The GPU's FP32 performance of 13.21 TFLOPS is modest by modern standards, and this is reflected in the 4K results where even Low settings only achieve 71 FPS.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 72nd percentile against all GPUs, with a PassMark G3D score of 19786. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile and RTX 3090, which have similar average scores, but the RX 6700 XT's actual gaming performance in Minimum is competitive. The GPU's 40 RT cores are irrelevant for this game, as Minimum was released before ray tracing became a standard feature, so the GPU's rasterization performance is what matters. The data shows that the GPU is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but users with 4K displays will need to lower settings to achieve playable frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 204 FPS, which is the highest measured, followed by Medium at 156 FPS with a minimum of 133 FPS and a maximum of 180 FPS. High settings achieve 131 FPS, and Ultra drops to 100 FPS. These numbers indicate that the CPU and GPU combination is well-balanced for 1080p gaming, with even the most demanding preset providing a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease but remain playable. Low settings average 132 FPS, Medium averages 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS, High averages 85 FPS, and Ultra drops to 64 FPS. The 1440p results show that the GPU is still able to maintain high frame rates, but the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 68 FPS, compared to 104 FPS at 1080p. This suggests that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly. Low settings average 71 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium averages 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS, High averages 46 FPS, and Ultra drops to 35 FPS. The 4K results clearly show that the RX 6700 XT is not powerful enough to handle the game at higher settings, and users should stick to Low or Medium for a playable experience. The data shows that the system can handle 4K at Low settings, but the visual quality may be compromised.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The average frame rate at 2560x1440 with High settings is 85 FPS, which is playable but lower than the 131 FPS achieved at 1080p with the same settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is essentially identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36945, representing a 0% delta. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is slightly faster at 37018, with a -0.2% delta.

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

A: Based on measured data, Low settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 71 FPS, which is the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS at this resolution. Medium averages 54 FPS, High averages 46 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT has a percentile ranking of 72 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27425. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile, has a score of 27435, a 0% delta.

Q: How many cores and threads does the CPU have, and what is its boost clock?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has 10 cores and 10 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its TDP is 65 W, and it uses the Intel Socket 1851.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings achieve an average of 204 FPS, while Ultra settings achieve 100 FPS, resulting in a 104 FPS difference. This shows that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution.