Minimum

The data for Minimum with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT presents a clear picture of a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-threaded performance keeps frame rates exceptionally high at 1080p. The measured results reveal a predictable scaling pattern across the four presets, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening as resolution decreases.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 252 FPS, but at 4K Low, that figure falls to 87 FPS—a 65% reduction. This steep decline indicates that the rendering workload at higher resolutions is overwhelming the GPU, while the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at lower pixel counts. The scaling pattern is consistent across all presets: going from 1440p to 4K at High settings drops performance from 104 FPS to 56 FPS, a 46% loss, while the jump from 1080p to 1440p at High only reduces FPS by 36% (162 to 104).

This behavior is classic for a GPU-limited scenario at 4K. The RX 7800 XT’s 16 GB of VRAM and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the data demands, but the raw compute throughput—37.32 TFLOPS FP32—is what gets taxed as pixel count rises. Interestingly, the scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper than from 1080p to 1440p, suggesting that the GPU’s memory subsystem or shading units hit a wall at the higher resolution. For instance, at Medium settings, 1440p yields 124 FPS, but 4K drops to 67 FPS—a 46% reduction. This is a larger relative drop than the 35% reduction seen when moving from 1080p Medium (193 FPS) to 1440p Medium (124 FPS).

The data implies that 4K is not the sweet spot for this configuration. The 56 FPS average at 4K High is playable but far from the high-refresh territory achieved at lower resolutions. The 43 FPS at 4K Ultra confirms that maxing out settings at this resolution will push the GPU to its limits, likely causing noticeable stutter in fast-paced third-person shooter action. Meanwhile, the 1080p results—ranging from 123 FPS at Ultra to 252 FPS at Low—suggest the CPU is never the limiting factor here, as the Core Ultra 5 225’s 4.90 GHz boost clock keeps up easily with the GPU’s output.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the observed performance curve. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1295 MHz and a boost clock of 2430 MHz, with a game clock of 2124 MHz. These clocks, combined with 3840 shading units and 96 ROPs, drive the pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than adequate for Minimum’s demands at any resolution tested.

The 4K Low result of 87 FPS is telling. Even at the lowest settings, the GPU is still processing 8.3 million pixels per frame, and the 87 FPS average indicates that the shading units are the primary constraint. Compare this to the 1440p Low result of 162 FPS—nearly double the frame rate with only 3.7 million pixels per frame. The GPU’s 51st percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 11627, places it in the mid-range tier, which aligns with these results. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660, scores 11680 (0.5% higher), yet the RX 7800 XT’s modern architecture with 60 RT cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support gives it a feature advantage that the older card lacks.

The VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in any of the measured rows. Even at 4K Ultra, the 16 GB pool is unlikely to be exhausted by a 2014 title, and the absence of min FPS data for Ultra settings suggests the GPU is consistently hitting its compute limits rather than stalling on memory paging. The GPU’s 263 W TDP and dual-slot design with 2x 8-pin connectors indicate it has the power headroom to sustain these clocks under load, though the data does not include power draw figures.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested combinations, this pairing ranks 930 out of 2939 combos for Minimum, placing it in the 68th percentile of all tested systems. This rank reflects a balanced but not top-tier setup. The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs (with an average benchmark score of 36938) is significantly higher than the GPU’s 51st percentile standing, which means the processor is outperforming the graphics card relative to their respective pools. This disparity explains why the system is GPU-bound at higher resolutions—the CPU has more headroom than the GPU can utilize.

The combo’s rank of 930 suggests that many other configurations achieve higher frame rates in this game, likely those with more powerful GPUs paired with similar or weaker CPUs. The data shows that the Core Ultra 5 225 is not the bottleneck, so upgrading the GPU would yield substantial gains. The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (-0.2% delta), indicating that this Intel chip is competitive with mid-range Ryzen options. However, the GPU’s nearest rivals are older or lower-tier cards like the GTX 1660 and RX 6500 XT, which suggests the RX 7800 XT is positioned at the edge of its performance class, barely outperforming some older models in synthetic benchmarks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full measured dataset provides a granular view of performance across all combinations of resolution and preset.

At 1920x1080, the system excels. Low settings produce an average of 252 FPS, which is exceptionally high and suitable for competitive play. Medium settings yield 193 FPS with a min of 164 and max of 222, showing consistent frame pacing. High settings drop to 162 FPS, while Ultra delivers 123 FPS. All 1080p results exceed 120 FPS, meaning the system can drive a 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitor without issue, even at Ultra.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU’s limits. Low settings achieve 162 FPS, which is still excellent. Medium settings average 124 FPS with a range of 106 to 143 FPS, indicating some frame time variance but remaining smooth. High settings drop to 104 FPS, and Ultra falls to 79 FPS. The 1440p results suggest that High is the highest preset that maintains a 100+ FPS average, making it the practical ceiling for high-refresh 1440p gaming.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings produce 87 FPS, which is playable but not high-refresh. Medium settings average 67 FPS with a min of 57 and max of 77, showing noticeable dips that could affect gameplay smoothness. High settings drop to 56 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 43 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider the minimum for smooth action, and the 4K High result is only marginally above it. The data suggests that 4K gaming is only viable with Low settings, where the 87 FPS average provides a playable experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 plays a crucial, if secondary, role in this system. With 10 cores and 10 threads, it lacks Hyper-Threading, but its Arrow Lake architecture and 3 nm process node from TSMC deliver strong single-threaded performance. The base clock of 3.30 GHz boosts to 4.90 GHz, and the cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3. This configuration yields a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and a multi-core score of 25891, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs.

In Minimum, a third-person shooter, the CPU’s single-threaded performance is more critical than its multi-threaded capabilities. The 1080p Low result of 252 FPS demonstrates that the CPU can feed the GPU faster than the GPU can render at lower resolutions, confirming that the processor is not a bottleneck in this title. The PassMark single-thread score of 4412 and the Cinebench R15 single-core score of 368 both indicate strong per-core performance, which is essential for game logic and physics calculations.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (-0.2% delta), showing that the Core Ultra 5 225 is competitive with mid-range AMD options. However, the CPU’s 10 threads are fewer than some rivals, which could limit performance in heavily multi-threaded scenes, though the measured data for Minimum shows no evidence of this being an issue. The 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for gaming workloads, and the integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 16EU provides a fallback, though it is not used in these discrete GPU tests.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p, the High preset at 162 FPS offers an excellent balance between visual quality and performance, comfortably exceeding 144 Hz. Ultra at 123 FPS is also viable for 120 Hz displays, and the 39 FPS difference between High and Ultra (162 vs 123) may not justify the visual gains for competitive players. Medium at 193 FPS is ideal for esports-focused play, while Low at 252 FPS is only necessary for the most demanding competitive scenarios.

At 1440p, High settings at 104 FPS are the recommended choice, as they provide a smooth experience on 100 Hz or 120 Hz monitors. Ultra at 79 FPS is playable but falls below the 100 FPS threshold that many players prefer, and the 25 FPS drop from High to Ultra (104 to 79) is significant. Medium at 124 FPS is a strong alternative for players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, while Low at 162 FPS remains viable for high-refresh 1440p monitors.

For 4K, the data suggests that High settings at 56 FPS are borderline, and most players would find the 43 FPS at Ultra unacceptable for a shooter. Medium at 67 FPS provides a more stable experience, but Low at 87 FPS is the only preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The 31 FPS difference between Low and High at 4K (87 vs 56) indicates that the GPU is severely taxed, and players should prioritize frame rate over visuals at this resolution. The min FPS data at Medium (57 FPS) highlights the risk of dips below the 60 FPS threshold, so Low is the safest choice for 4K gaming.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1440p High (104 FPS) offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, while 1080p High (162 FPS) is better for high-refresh displays. 4K is only viable at Low settings (87 FPS) to maintain playable frame rates.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions above 1080p. The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking and high single-thread scores (3655 in Cinebench R23) allow it to reach 252 FPS at 1080p Low, while the GPU’s 51st percentile ranking causes the steep drops at 1440p and 4K.

Q: How does the RX 7800 XT compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 7800 XT scores 11627 on average, which is 0.5% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (11680). However, the RX 7800 XT has 16 GB of VRAM and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, while the GTX 1660 is an older architecture.

Q: What are the FPS differences between Ultra and Low at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low settings produce 252 FPS, while Ultra produces 123 FPS—a difference of 129 FPS. This represents a 51% reduction in frame rate when switching from Low to Ultra, showing the significant cost of maxing out visual quality.

*Q: Does the CPU’s lack of Hyper-Threading affect performance in Minimum?*

A: The measured data shows no adverse impact. The 10-core, 10-thread configuration achieves 252 FPS at 1080p Low, which is above the GPU’s rendering capacity. The game likely relies on fewer threads, so the absence of SMT is not a bottleneck.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the dataset?

A: The lowest min FPS recorded is 57 FPS at 4K Medium settings, with an average of 67 FPS. This indicates that even at 4K, the system can maintain a playable frame rate, though the 57 FPS dip may cause noticeable stutter in action sequences.