Minimum

Settings Recommendations

For the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, the measured data indicates that the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers an average of 144 FPS with a minimum of 122 FPS and a maximum of 165 FPS, which represents a substantial improvement over the High preset's 121 FPS average while maintaining a smooth frame pacing window. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 188 FPS, but the jump from Low to Medium costs only 44 FPS while providing noticeably better visual fidelity — a trade-off that favors Medium for most users.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again proves to be the sweet spot. The 93 FPS average with a 79 FPS minimum and 106 FPS maximum keeps gameplay fluid, whereas High drops to 78 FPS and Ultra falls to 59 FPS. The 1440p Medium result sits comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold that many displays target, and the minimum frame time data suggests consistent delivery without severe dips.

The 4K resolution tells a different story. At 3840x2160, Medium produces a 50 FPS average with a 42 FPS minimum and 57 FPS maximum, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced third-person shooting. High at 4K manages only 42 FPS, and Ultra drops to 32 FPS — both below the responsiveness most players would accept. Low at 4K reaches 65 FPS, which is the only preset that clears 60 FPS at this resolution.

For users prioritizing a consistent 60+ FPS experience, Low at 4K is the only viable option. For 1080p and 1440p displays, Medium delivers the best combination of frame rate and visual quality. The Ultra preset, while available, incurs a steep performance penalty — at 1080p it drops to 92 FPS, at 1440p to 59 FPS, and at 4K to 32 FPS — making it a poor choice for this hardware combination unless visual fidelity trumps frame rate entirely.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a TSMC 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a thermal design power of 65 W. The processor includes 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core, alongside 192 KB of L1 cache per core. This CPU sits at the 85th percentile among all tested processors, indicating strong general-purpose performance.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ultra 5 225 achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25,891 and a single-core score of 3,655. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 30,459, with a single-thread score of 4,412. When compared to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, the Ultra 5 225 shows near-identical aggregate performance: it matches the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with a 0% delta, trails the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D by 0.2%, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 by 0.4%, and the Intel Core i9-12900T by 0.5%. These sub-1% differences indicate that CPU-bound workloads will behave nearly identically across this group.

For Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter from 2014, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain a consistent frame delivery pipeline. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings show that even at 1080p Low — where the GPU is least stressed — the 188 FPS average does not appear to be bottlenecked by the processor. The 10-core configuration with a 4.90 GHz boost clock provides ample headroom for the game's threading model, which was designed for far older hardware. The single-core performance, evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,655, is more than sufficient for the game's primary game-thread workload.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios. The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K follows a pattern consistent with GPU-bound rendering, where higher resolutions impose proportionally heavier loads on the graphics card. The Ultra 5 225's 85th percentile ranking, combined with its near-parity with several comparable processors, indicates that CPU performance is a non-issue for this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with the TU104 chip, fabricated on a TSMC 12 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The card includes 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, along with 40 ray tracing cores and 320 tensor cores. Its FP32 performance is rated at 9.062 TFLOPS.

The RTX 2070 SUPER ranks at the 65th percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20,282. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (1.2% higher), the Intel Arc B570 (1.3% higher), and the Intel Arc A750 (1.5% higher). These small deltas place the RTX 2070 SUPER in a competitive mid-range tier, though the card is now end-of-life with a successor in the GeForce 30 series.

In Minimum, the GPU's role is decisive. The measured frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings, revealing that the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM and memory bandwidth are adequate for this title at all tested configurations. At 1080p, the GPU delivers 188 FPS on Low, 144 FPS on Medium, 121 FPS on High, and 92 FPS on Ultra. These figures demonstrate that the card has substantial headroom at lower settings, with the Ultra preset imposing a 51% reduction from Low — a clear sign of the GPU's fill-rate and shading load increasing with quality.

At 1440p, the same pattern holds with reduced absolute numbers: 121 FPS on Low, 93 FPS on Medium, 78 FPS on High, and 59 FPS on Ultra. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 35% of the frame rate across settings, which aligns with the pixel count increase of approximately 78%. At 4K, the GPU is heavily taxed: Low produces 65 FPS, Medium 50 FPS, High 42 FPS, and Ultra 32 FPS. The 4K results indicate that the RTX 2070 SUPER is insufficient for high-refresh gaming at this resolution in Minimum, but remains viable for 1080p and 1440p gaming across most settings.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity does not appear to be a constraint in this title, as frame rates do not show anomalous drops that would indicate memory swapping or capacity-related stutters. The GPU's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth provides sufficient throughput for the game's texture and geometry loads, even at 4K Ultra where the 32 FPS average reflects raw compute limits rather than memory bottlenecks.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER achieves a rank of 1,659 out of 2,939 tested combinations in Minimum. This places the combo in the 56th percentile of all tested systems — slightly above the median but far from the top tier. The ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component dramatically limits the other, but the GPU's mid-range standing (65th percentile) and the CPU's above-average position (85th percentile) combine to produce a system that handles this 2014 title competently without excelling.

The rank of 1,659 out of 2,939 indicates that roughly 1,280 tested combinations outperform this pairing in Minimum. The GPU's percentile ranking of 65 suggests that many higher-end graphics cards will push frame rates substantially higher, particularly at 4K where the RTX 2070 SUPER struggles to maintain 60 FPS. Conversely, the CPU's 85th percentile ranking means that very few processors would bottleneck this GPU in this title, making the GPU the primary differentiator in overall performance.

Relative to its nearest GPU rivals, the RTX 2070 SUPER's performance in Minimum is consistent with its aggregate benchmark scores. The 1-1.5% deltas to the Quadro M4000M, RTX 3070 Mobile, Arc B570, and Arc A750 suggest that these cards would produce nearly identical frame rates in this game at equivalent settings. The combo's mid-pack ranking is therefore more a function of the GPU tier than any specific optimization or deficiency in this pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 delivers a 144 FPS average with a 122 FPS minimum and 165 FPS maximum. This provides a substantial improvement over High's 121 FPS while maintaining a high frame rate. Low reaches 188 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is significant for only 44 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Minimum?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset exceeds 60 FPS with a 65 FPS average. Medium produces 50 FPS, High drops to 42 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32 FPS. 4K gaming is possible but requires Low settings for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER's average benchmark score of 20,282 is within 1.5% of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, Intel Arc B570, and Intel Arc A750. In Minimum, these cards would produce nearly identical frame rates.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 ranks at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25,891. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a GPU-bound pattern, indicating the CPU is not the limiting factor at any tested setting.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low averages 121 FPS while Ultra averages 59 FPS — a 62 FPS difference. Medium sits between at 93 FPS, making it the best compromise for visual quality and frame rate.

Q: How many total CPU-GPU combinations have been tested in this game?

A: This combo ranks 1,659 out of 2,939 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle portion of all tested systems.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates are as follows: Low averages 188 FPS, Medium averages 144 FPS with a 122 FPS minimum and 165 FPS maximum, High averages 121 FPS, and Ultra averages 92 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 96 FPS, representing a 51% reduction in average frame rate when maxing out settings.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 121 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS with a 79 FPS minimum and 106 FPS maximum, High averages 78 FPS, and Ultra averages 59 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 62 FPS, or a 51% reduction — the same proportional penalty as at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 65 FPS, Medium averages 50 FPS with a 42 FPS minimum and 57 FPS maximum, High averages 42 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread here is 33 FPS, again a 51% reduction, confirming that the settings scaling is consistent regardless of resolution.

The Medium preset's minimum frame data is available for all three resolutions: 122 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K. These minimums are notably close to the averages, indicating stable frame pacing without severe hitches. The maximum frame data follows a similar pattern, with 165 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial across all settings. At Low, the transition from 1920x1080 (188 FPS) to 3840x2160 (65 FPS) represents a 65% reduction. At Medium, the drop is from 144 FPS to 50 FPS, a 65% reduction. High falls from 121 FPS to 42 FPS, also a 65% reduction. Ultra drops from 92 FPS to 32 FPS, a 65% reduction. This consistent 65% penalty across all settings indicates that the scaling is purely resolution-driven rather than setting-dependent.

The 1440p results sit almost exactly midway between the 1080p and 4K figures. For example, at Medium, 1440p produces 93 FPS, which is 65% of the 1080p value and 186% of the 4K value. This linear scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering load increases proportionally with pixel count.

The consistent 65% reduction from 1080p to 4K strongly suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would plateau at higher resolutions rather than continuing to drop. Instead, the steady decline across the 4.5x pixel count increase (from approximately 2.1 million pixels at 1080p to 8.3 million at 4K) indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER's compute and memory bandwidth are being fully utilized.

At 1080p, the high frame rates (121-188 FPS depending on settings) suggest that neither component is maximally strained, but the GPU still governs the upper bound. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, with even Low settings unable to exceed 65 FPS. The CPU's role remains secondary throughout, as evidenced by the fact that frame rate scaling follows pixel count rather than any CPU-related metric.