Minimum

The benchmark data for Minimum with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti combination reveals a system that is almost entirely GPU-bound, with playable performance only achievable at the lowest settings and resolution. The measured frames per second (FPS) across all settings indicate that this pairing is only suitable for 1080p gaming with significant graphical compromises, as the GTX 1050 Ti's 4 GB VRAM and relatively low compute throughput become the primary bottlenecks in this third-person shooter.

Settings Recommendations

The data strongly suggests that the Low preset is the only viable option for a consistently playable experience. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 66 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire measured set that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold considered smooth for most players. This represents a 32% improvement over the next best option at the same resolution, which is the Medium preset at 50 FPS. While the Medium preset at 1080p shows a minimum FPS of 43 and a maximum of 58, the average of 50 FPS is still below the ideal smoothness target, and the difference in visual fidelity between Low and Medium is unlikely to justify the 16 FPS average drop.

At higher resolutions, the situation becomes more challenging. The High preset at 1920x1080 averages 42 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced third-person shooter action, where frame drops can be disorienting. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to an average of 32 FPS, which is noticeably choppy. The data indicates that the Low preset at 1080p is the sweet spot for this combination, as it provides the best balance of playability and visual clarity without pushing the hardware beyond its limits. Attempting to use Medium or High settings at 1080p results in average FPS figures that fall below the 60 FPS mark, making the gameplay feel less responsive.

For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, the Medium preset at 1080p is a compromise, but the measured minimum of 43 FPS suggests there will be noticeable stutters during intense scenes. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as even at 1080p it only achieves 32 FPS, and at 1440p it drops to 21 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 11 FPS, which is effectively unplayable.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti ranks at 2895 out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the bottom 2% of all tested systems, indicating that it is one of the least capable configurations for this game in the database. The ranking reflects the severe performance limitations imposed by the GPU, which is a legacy part with a percentile ranking of only 25 against all other GPUs.

The CPU, in contrast, is a modern part with an 85th percentile ranking against all other CPUs, showing that the processor is not the limiting factor. The data shows a massive disparity between the CPU's capability and the GPU's output. The combo rank reflects how a very capable CPU can be completely held back by an outdated GPU in a GPU-intensive scenario like Minimum. The benchmark results indicate that the system's overall performance is dictated by the graphics card, and the CPU's potential is largely untapped in this particular game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the decisive component in this system's performance. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 112.1 GB/s, which is a significant constraint for modern game assets. The GPU has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units, with a base clock of 1291 MHz and a boost clock of 1392 MHz. Its theoretical peak performance is 2.138 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, which is a modest figure by today's standards.

The GPU's 25th percentile ranking against all other GPUs places it well below the median, and its average benchmark score of 4193 is only 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon R5 M330, which is a mobile-class part. This indicates that the GTX 1050 Ti is performing at a level comparable to entry-level integrated graphics solutions. In the context of Minimum, the GPU's limitations are clear. The measured FPS figures show that the frame rate scales almost linearly with resolution and settings, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The GPU is simply unable to process the scene data fast enough to maintain high frame rates, especially at higher resolutions where the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth become even more critical.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's performance across different settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 66 FPS average, which is the only playable configuration.
• Medium: 50 FPS average, with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 58 FPS.
• High: 42 FPS average.
• Ultra: 32 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly:

• Low: 42 FPS average.
• Medium: 32 FPS average, with a minimum of 28 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS.
• High: 27 FPS average.
• Ultra: 21 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the system is unable to maintain playable frame rates:

• Low: 23 FPS average.
• Medium: 17 FPS average, with a minimum of 15 FPS and a maximum of 20 FPS.
• High: 15 FPS average.
• Ultra: 11 FPS average.

The data shows a consistent pattern where each step up in settings reduces the average FPS by roughly 10-15% at 1080p, and this percentage impact becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. For example, moving from Low to Medium at 1080p results in a 24% drop (66 to 50 FPS), while at 4K, the same settings change results in a 26% drop (23 to 17 FPS). This indicates that the GPU is struggling to keep up with the increased workload, and the frame rate drops are not linear but rather exponential as the resolution increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system?

A: The data shows that the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only configuration that achieves a 60+ FPS average, with 66 FPS. All other settings and resolutions result in average FPS below 60, with the next best being Medium at 1080p with 50 FPS.

Q: Can this system run the game at 1440p?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which achieves an average of 42 FPS. Medium settings at 1440p drop to 32 FPS, and High and Ultra settings are below 30 FPS, making them not recommended for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 yields an average of 32 FPS. This is a significant drop from the Low preset's 66 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset is not a viable option for this GPU in this game.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for this game?

A: No. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has a high benchmark score and an 85th percentile ranking against all CPUs, while the GPU has a 25th percentile ranking. The measured FPS scales with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck, not a CPU one.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS for the Medium preset?

A: At 1920x1080, the Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 43 and a maximum of 58. At 2560x1440, it has a minimum of 28 and a maximum of 37. At 3840x2160, it has a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 20.

Q: How does this system compare to other tested combos?

A: This combo ranks 2895th out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum, placing it in the bottom 2% of all systems tested. This is a very low ranking that reflects the GPU's limitations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a modern 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 65W TDP. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a single-core score of 3655. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 30459, and its average benchmark score is 36938, which places it in the 85th percentile against all CPUs.

The nearest rival to this CPU is the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which has an average score of 36945, showing a 0% delta. This indicates that the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is on par with a mid-range AMD offering. However, in the context of Minimum, the CPU's performance is largely irrelevant because the GPU is the limiting factor. The measured FPS figures are consistently low across all settings, and the frame rates do not improve in CPU-bound scenarios. The CPU has ample headroom to handle the game's logic and physics, but the GTX 1050 Ti cannot render frames fast enough to utilize this headroom. The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as upgrading the processor would not yield any meaningful FPS improvements without also upgrading the GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are severe and clearly indicate a GPU-limited scenario. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 66 at 1080p to 42 at 1440p, a 36% reduction, and then to 23 at 4K, a further 45% reduction. This scaling is consistent with a GPU that is struggling to fill pixels. The number of pixels at 1440p is 1.78 times that of 1080p, and the FPS drop from 66 to 42 is a 1.57x reduction, which is close to the pixel count increase, suggesting that the GPU is nearly fully saturated.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is even more pronounced. The pixel count increases by 2.25 times, but the FPS drops from 42 to 23, a 1.83x reduction. This non-linear drop indicates that the GPU is hitting a hard limit, likely related to memory bandwidth or fill rate. At the High preset, the FPS drops from 42 at 1080p to 27 at 1440p (a 36% drop) and then to 15 at 4K (a 44% drop from 1440p). This pattern is repeated across all settings, showing that the GPU's performance is highly sensitive to resolution.

The data indicates that the limiting component is the GPU, as the FPS scales inversely with the rendering resolution. The CPU's performance is static across these resolutions, and the frame rate drops are solely attributable to the GPU's inability to handle the increased workload. This analysis is critical for users who may consider upgrading their monitor, as the GTX 1050 Ti will not be able to handle resolutions above 1080p in Minimum without significant compromises in settings and playability.