Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that scales surprisingly well across modern hardware, but the data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 reveals a pairing where the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s single-thread strength keeps frame rates high at 1080p. This combination ranks 1210th out of 2939 tested combos in this game, placing it in the upper half of all systems but far from top-tier, which is expected given the RTX 3070’s age and the Core Ultra 5’s mid-range positioning. The following analysis breaks down how this specific combo behaves across resolutions and settings, using only the measured data.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the RTX 3070 is the limiting component as pixel count rises. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 229 at 1920x1080 to 148 at 2560x1440, a 35.4% reduction, and then to 79 at 3840x2160, a 65.5% drop from the 1080p baseline. This is a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern—the CPU has headroom, but the GPU’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth cannot keep pace with the 4K workload.

At High settings, the scaling is similar: 147 FPS at 1080p, 95 FPS at 1440p (a 35.4% drop), and 51 FPS at 4K (a 65.3% drop). The uniformity of these percentage drops across Low and High suggests that resolution, not settings complexity, is the dominant factor. The RTX 3070’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1440p, but at 4K the 256-bit bus width becomes a constraint, especially with Ultra settings pushing the GPU to its limits.

The most telling data point is the difference between 1440p and 4K at Medium settings: 113 FPS versus 61 FPS, a 46% reduction. This is a larger relative drop than the 1080p to 1440p transition (175 FPS to 113 FPS, a 35.4% drop), confirming that the GPU hits a wall between 1440p and 4K. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 39, which is barely playable for a shooter, while 4K Low at 79 FPS remains smooth. The implication is clear: for Minimum, this combo is a 1440p machine first and foremost, with 4K viable only at reduced settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4412, which places it in the 85th percentile among all CPUs. This matters for Minimum because older third-person shooters often rely heavily on single-thread performance for game logic and draw calls, and the data shows the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution.

The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities, while not directly tested in game benchmarks, are reflected in a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a Passmark multithread score of 30459. These are solid numbers for a 65 W TDP part, but they are irrelevant at 4K where the GPU is saturated. At 1080p Low, the CPU’s boost clock of 4.90 GHz allows it to feed the RTX 3070 enough frames to reach 229 FPS average, which is near the practical limit for many displays. The L3 cache of 20 MB shared is adequate for this game’s data sets, and the dual-channel DDR5 memory with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provides sufficient throughput to avoid stalling the GPU.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 5 225 is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (deltaPct 0%) and slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (deltaPct -0.2%) in average benchmark scores. This means the CPU is not a weak link; any frame rate differences in Minimum would come from the GPU or memory subsystem, not the processor. The data shows that at 1080p High, the combo achieves 147 FPS, which is limited by the GPU’s capability rather than the CPU’s ability to issue draw calls.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is an Ampere-generation GPU with 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, running at a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications are well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a limiting factor at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings where texture streaming can exceed the available memory.

The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 22214 places it in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 17208 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (deltaPct 0.7%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (deltaPct 1%). This means the RTX 3070 is a mid-range performer by modern standards, and its age (released in 2020) shows in 4K scenarios. The pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s are adequate for 1440p, but at 4K the GPU must process four times the pixels, and the data confirms the expected performance cliff.

At 1080p Medium, the RTX 3070 delivers 175 FPS average with a minimum of 149 FPS, indicating strong frame pacing. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS, still smooth for a shooter. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. The Ultra settings at 4K (39 FPS) are the only truly problematic scenario, and even at 1440p Ultra (72 FPS) the frame rate is below the 100+ FPS that many players prefer. The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for Medium settings at all resolutions, but Ultra settings likely exceed the memory allocation, causing the steep drop from High (51 FPS) to Ultra (39 FPS) at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable to excellent frame rates across all settings. Low settings yield 229 FPS average, Medium yields 175 FPS (min 149, max 201), High yields 147 FPS, and Ultra yields 112 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 117 FPS, indicating that the GPU has headroom at this resolution and the CPU is not limiting. The minimum FPS at Medium (149) is higher than the average FPS at Ultra (112), which suggests that even at Ultra settings, the frame time consistency is acceptable.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the GPU starting to strain. Low settings produce 148 FPS, Medium produces 113 FPS (min 96, max 130), High produces 95 FPS, and Ultra produces 72 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 76 FPS, and the minimum at Medium (96) is close to the average at High (95), indicating that frame pacing is still stable. This resolution is the sweet spot for this combo, as even Ultra settings remain above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings yield 79 FPS, Medium yields 61 FPS (min 52, max 70), High yields 51 FPS, and Ultra yields 39 FPS. The frame rate at 4K Ultra is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider minimum for a smooth experience, and even at Medium, the minimum of 52 FPS suggests occasional dips below playable levels. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is consistent across settings (approximately 46-48% reduction in FPS), confirming that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the limiting factor rather than any CPU or memory constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1210th out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the 58.8th percentile of all systems tested. This is a respectable position, given that the RTX 3070 is end-of-life and the CPU is a recent mid-range part. The rank reflects the GPU’s 61st percentile performance, which pulls the combo down from the CPU’s 85th percentile ranking. In practical terms, this combo outperforms roughly 59% of all tested systems, meaning it is better than the median but not competitive with high-end builds featuring modern GPUs.

The nearest rival combos are not directly listed, but the individual component rankings provide context. The CPU is within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D in average benchmark scores, while the GPU is within 1.5% of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690. This suggests that swapping the RTX 3070 for a slightly faster GPU would improve the combo’s rank, while upgrading the CPU would yield negligible gains in this game. The data indicates that for Minimum, the GPU is the primary determinant of the combo’s overall ranking.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo playable at 4K in Minimum?

A: Yes, but only at Low and Medium settings. The average FPS is 79 at 4K Low and 61 at 4K Medium, with a minimum of 52 FPS at Medium. At High and Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 51 and 39 respectively, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

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

A: 2560x1440 is the best balance of image quality and performance. At 1440p, the average FPS ranges from 148 at Low to 72 at Ultra, with all settings above 60 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium is 96, which is solid for a shooter.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is virtually identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, deltaPct 0%) and slightly higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, deltaPct -0.2%). This means the CPU is not a differentiator in Minimum.

Q: Is the RTX 3070 a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No, the data shows the GPU delivers 229 FPS at 1080p Low and 147 FPS at 1080p High. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.90 GHz is sufficient to feed the GPU, so the system is not CPU-limited at this resolution.

Q: What is the frame time consistency at 1440p Medium?

A: At 1440p Medium, the average FPS is 113 with a minimum of 96 and a maximum of 130. The difference between average and minimum is 17 FPS, indicating stable frame pacing with no major stutters.

Q: How does this combo’s rank compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 1210th out of 2939 combos, meaning it outperforms about 59% of all tested systems. The rank is primarily limited by the GPU’s 61st percentile performance, while the CPU ranks in the 85th percentile.