Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a compelling mid-range combination for Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014. The measured data reveals a system that is highly capable at standard resolutions but begins to show its limits when pushed to 4K with maximum settings. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics, scaling behavior, and optimal configurations based solely on the provided benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The performance trajectory from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates where the bottleneck lies within this combo. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 165 FPS, which drops to 106 FPS at High settings. Moving up to 2560x1440, the average at High settings falls to 68 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it further declines to 37 FPS. This represents a dramatic 77.6% reduction in frame rate from 1080p High to 4K High, indicating that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count.

The scaling pattern suggests that the Intel Arc B580 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 13.67 TFLOPS FP32, are being saturated as the resolution increases. The transition from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a 45.6% performance drop, which is steeper than the 35.8% drop observed when moving from 1080p to 1440p. This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU that is reaching its fillrate and memory bandwidth limits.

The memory subsystem provides context for this behavior. The Arc B580 features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K, the demand for texture data and framebuffer operations increases substantially, and this bandwidth appears insufficient to maintain higher frame rates. Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens significantly at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (165 FPS) and Ultra (81 FPS) is 84 FPS, while at 4K, the difference narrows to 29 FPS (57 FPS vs 28 FPS). This compression of the settings gap at 4K indicates that the GPU is so constrained by resolution that the additional work from higher settings has a relatively smaller impact.

The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal. The Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads running at a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, provides ample headroom at all tested resolutions. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would typically be most stressed, the system achieves 165 FPS without any apparent CPU limitation. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and the 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth of the CPU platform are more than sufficient for a game from this era.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a smooth experience?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with Medium settings provides a solid average of 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS. This delivers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance. At 1920x1080, all settings are playable, with even the demanding Ultra preset achieving 81 FPS average.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 compare to its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 36,938, which places it within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36,945) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37,018). It also leads the Intel Core i9-12900T (37,112) by 0.5%. This indicates performance parity with these competing processors.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B580 a strong performer relative to other GPUs?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 23,021, which is 0.6% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22,895) and 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23,172). It also trails the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23,061) by 0.2%, showing it sits in a competitive mid-range segment.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 165 FPS on Low to 81 FPS on Ultra, a reduction of 84 FPS or roughly 50.9%. This indicates that the Ultra preset imposes a substantial additional load on the GPU.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in this title?

A: At 3840x2160, the system achieves 37 FPS on High and 28 FPS on Ultra settings. While these are playable, they fall below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth. The Low preset at 4K reaches 57 FPS, which is close to playable but still not ideal.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2,185 out of 2,939 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, indicating that while it is functional, many other configurations deliver higher performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is built on the Arrow Lake architecture using a 3 nm process node from TSMC. Its 10 cores and 10 threads represent a design without hyper-threading, which is a notable characteristic for gaming workloads. The base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz provide substantial single-thread performance, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,655. This strong single-core capability is crucial for games like Minimum, which often rely heavily on a primary thread for game logic.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25,891. This suggests that the processor can handle background tasks and any multi-threaded game processes without becoming a bottleneck. The PassMark multi-thread score of 30,459 further confirms this capability. The CPU sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, placing it in the upper tier of processors available.

In the context of this game, the CPU appears to be more than adequate. The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU limitation, even at 1080p Low where the frame rate is highest at 165 FPS. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache helps to reduce memory latency, and the dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provides sufficient data throughput. The CPU's performance is closely matched to its rivals, with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F showing a 0% deltaPct, indicating they are functionally equivalent in average benchmark scores.

This suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4,412 and its 85th percentile ranking indicate it has headroom to push even higher frame rates if the GPU were more powerful. For a game released in 2014, the computational demands are well within the capabilities of this modern processor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and Intel Arc B580 achieves a rank of 2,185 out of 2,939 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the 74th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly 74% of the combos in the database. While this is not a top-tier ranking, it is a respectable position for a mid-range setup.

The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs is significantly higher than the GPU's 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs. This disparity suggests that the GPU is the weaker component in this pairing, dragging the overall combo ranking down from what the CPU alone might achieve.

In practice, this means the system will deliver smooth performance at 1080p and 1440p with appropriate settings, but it will struggle to maintain high frame rates at 4K, particularly with higher quality presets. The combo's rank of 2,185 indicates there are 754 combos that perform better, which likely include configurations with more powerful GPUs or more balanced pairings. However, for a 1080p or 1440p gaming setup, this combination offers a viable path to playable frame rates in this title.

The data also shows that the GPU's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 3080, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, differing by less than 1%. This suggests that swapping the Arc B580 for one of these GPUs would result in similar performance in Minimum, all other factors being equal.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60+ FPS experience, the 1080p resolution is the safest choice. At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves 106 FPS average, while Medium reaches 126 FPS and Low hits 165 FPS. Even the Ultra preset delivers 81 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. For the best balance of visual quality and performance at 1080p, the High preset is recommended, as it provides a substantial improvement over Medium without the significant performance cost of Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, delivering an 81 FPS average with a minimum of 69 FPS. The High preset at 68 FPS is also acceptable, but it dips closer to the edge of the 60 FPS threshold. The Low preset at 106 FPS offers the smoothest experience but sacrifices visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience.

For 4K gaming, the data indicates that this combo is not well-suited for high-quality settings. The Low preset achieves 57 FPS, which is close to playable but may experience noticeable drops. The Medium preset at 44 FPS and High at 37 FPS are below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra at 28 FPS is not recommended. For 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option for a relatively smooth experience, but users should expect some compromise.

The Medium preset at 1080p offers the best overall experience, with a 126 FPS average and a minimum of 107 FPS, ensuring no significant frame drops. This provides a good margin above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining reasonable visual quality. For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, the Low preset at 165 FPS is the best option to fully utilize the display's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table summarizes the average FPS measurements across all tested resolutions and settings:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 37 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 57 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 44 | 37 | 50 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 28 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 68 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 106 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 81 | 69 | 93 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 52 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 106 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 165 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 126 | 107 | 145 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 81 | - | - |

At 1080p, the system demonstrates strong performance across all settings. The Low preset at 165 FPS represents the peak performance of this combo, while the Ultra preset at 81 FPS shows the impact of maximum settings. The Medium preset provides a balanced 126 FPS average with a minimum of 107 FPS and a maximum of 145 FPS, indicating consistent frame delivery.

Moving to 1440p, the performance scales down proportionally. The Low preset at 106 FPS remains highly playable, while the Medium preset at 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS offers a stable experience. The High preset at 68 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 52 FPS begins to show noticeable slowdowns.

At 4K, the system's limitations become apparent. The Low preset at 57 FPS is the only setting that approaches smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 44 FPS, with a range of 37 to 50 FPS, shows significant variability. The High preset at 37 FPS and Ultra at 28 FPS are below the playable threshold for most users. The data clearly indicates that 4K gaming is only feasible with the lowest settings on this combo, and even then, the experience is marginal.