Minimum

The data for Minimum with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti reveals a title that is far more demanding on the graphics card than on the processor. The measured frame rates show a clear pattern where the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions and settings. This analysis will break down the performance scaling, component roles, and optimal configurations based solely on the provided metrics.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a dramatic and consistent drop in average frame rates across all settings, indicating that rendering resolution is the dominant factor in performance. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 326 at 1920x1080 to 113 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 213 frames, or roughly 65%. This steep decline at the lowest graphical preset strongly suggests that the workload is scaling directly with pixel count, a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario where the CPU has ample headroom to feed the graphics card.

Moving to Medium settings, the average FPS decreases from 250 at 1080p to 161 at 1440p, and then to 87 at 4K. The relative drop from 1440p to 4K is approximately 46%, while the drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 36%. This non-linear scaling is typical of a graphics card that is being pushed harder as the resolution increases, with the extra pixel fill rate demand outpacing the linear increase in resolution. The game is not simply multiplying the workload; it is also likely increasing the complexity of pixel shading, which taxes the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth more heavily.

The High and Ultra presets show the same downward trend but with a more pronounced impact at the top end. Under High settings, the average FPS drops from 210 at 1080p to 135 at 1440p and finally to 73 at 4K. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with the average FPS plummeting from 160 at 1080p to 103 at 1440p and then to 56 at 4K. The fact that even at 1080p Ultra, the game cannot reach the frame rates of 1080p Low (160 vs. 326 FPS) shows that the graphics settings have a substantial effect on the pixel shading workload, independent of resolution.

The data implies that the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rates to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, because the CPU would be doing the same amount of work regardless of how many pixels are drawn. The fact that the FPS drops so sharply with each resolution increase is the definitive indicator that the RTX 4070 Ti is being fully utilized and is the constraint on performance. The CPU is not the limiting factor here; it is waiting on the GPU to finish rendering each frame.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivers a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This bandwidth is sufficient to feed the card's 7680 shading units at the measured frame rates, even at 4K Ultra. The benchmark results show that the card's performance scales predictably with the workload, from a passmark G3D score of 31624 to a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5024, indicating a strong overall capability that aligns with the high FPS numbers seen in Minimum.

The card's boost clock of 2610 MHz is a key factor in its ability to maintain high frame rates. The high clock speed helps to ensure that the 7680 shading units are kept busy, which is critical for a game like Minimum that appears to be heavily reliant on pixel throughput. The card's performance at 1080p Low, reaching 326 FPS, suggests that the GPU's raw compute power combined with its clock speed is more than enough to handle the game at lower resolutions, further confirming that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this configuration.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is not tested to its limit in this data, as the game does not show signs of texture thrashing or a sudden performance cliff at higher settings. If VRAM were insufficient, we would expect a significant and disproportionate drop in performance when moving to Ultra settings at 4K. Instead, the drop from 73 FPS at High to 56 FPS at Ultra is a steady progression, indicating that the 12 GB frame buffer is sufficient for the game's demands at these settings. The card's 80 ROPs and 240 TMUs are also well-utilized, as the game's performance scales smoothly with the resolution and settings changes.

The RTX 4070 Ti's percentile rank of 84th among all GPUs is reflected in its performance here. It is a high-end card that is clearly the driving force behind the frame rates in this test. The data shows no evidence of a CPU limitation, as the frame rates are entirely dependent on the GPU's workload. The card's performance in Minimum is consistent with its overall benchmark scores, positioning it as a very capable GPU for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and RTX 4070 Ti combination at 2560x1440 with High settings is 135 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: No, the data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 326, and at 1080p Ultra it drops to 160. If the CPU were the limit, the frame rate would not drop so significantly with increased graphical settings, as the CPU's workload would be similar.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The average FPS at 1080p Low is 326, while at 4K Ultra it is 56. This represents a performance difference of 270 FPS, meaning the 1080p Low setting is roughly 5.8 times faster in this test.

*Q: Is the 12 GB VRAM on the RTX 4070 Ti sufficient for Minimum at 4K?*

A: The data suggests yes. The frame rate scales steadily from 113 FPS at Low to 56 FPS at Ultra at 4K, without a sudden, disproportionate drop that would indicate a VRAM capacity issue.

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

A: The only minimum FPS values recorded are for Medium settings. At 3840x2160 the minimum is 74 FPS, at 2560x1440 it is 137 FPS, and at 1920x1080 it is 212 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti's performance here compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 5090 Mobile?

A: In general benchmarks, the RTX 4070 Ti has an average score of 44795, which is 0.8% lower than the RTX 5090 Mobile's score of 45152. This shows they are closely matched in overall performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and frame rate for this hardware combination is the High preset. At 1080p, High delivers an average of 210 FPS, which is excellent for a smooth experience. Moving to 1440p, High still provides a very high average of 135 FPS, making it the best choice for high-refresh-rate monitors at this resolution. Even at 4K, High maintains a playable average of 73 FPS.

The Medium preset offers a significant performance boost over High, with the average FPS jumping to 250 at 1080p and 161 at 1440p. This setting is ideal for players who prioritize frame rate above all else, especially on monitors with refresh rates of 240Hz or higher. At 4K, Medium yields an average of 87 FPS, which is a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS than the High preset.

The Low preset provides the highest frame rates, hitting 326 FPS at 1080p and 211 FPS at 1440p. However, it sacrifices visual quality for performance. The Ultra preset, while offering the best visuals, drops the average FPS to 160 at 1080p and 56 at 4K, which may be too low for some users at the highest resolution. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot, as it provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium with a relatively small performance cost, and it remains playable at all three tested resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is ranked 343rd out of 2939 tested combinations in Minimum. This places it in the top 12% of all tested systems, a strong showing that reflects the high level of performance seen in the measured frame rates. The rank is a holistic measure, not just of the GPU, but of how well the entire platform performs in this specific game.

This ranking is consistent with the individual component benchmarks. The CPU's percentile rank of 85th among all CPUs and the GPU's percentile rank of 84th among all GPUs both indicate high-end parts. The combination of two high-performing components results in a system that is well above average for this game, even if it is not in the top 1%. The rank of 343 suggests that there are many systems with even more powerful components, likely including top-tier GPUs like the RTX 5090 Mobile, which is a close rival in benchmark scores, but the 4070 Ti combo is still a very capable performer.

The data implies that this combo is not a bottleneck-limited pairing. The CPU is powerful enough to keep up with the GPU, and the GPU is powerful enough to deliver high frame rates. The 343rd rank out of 2939 combos confirms the balanced nature of this pairing. It is a high-performing system that will handle Minimum with ease at most settings and resolutions, with the only challenge being maintaining the highest frame rates at 4K Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete breakdown of measured average frame rates for this combination.

1920x1080:

• Low: 326 FPS
• Medium: 250 FPS (min 212, max 287)
• High: 210 FPS
• Ultra: 160 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 211 FPS
• Medium: 161 FPS (min 137, max 185)
• High: 135 FPS
• Ultra: 103 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 113 FPS
• Medium: 87 FPS (min 74, max 100)
• High: 73 FPS
• Ultra: 56 FPS

The data clearly shows a monotonic decrease in performance as both resolution and graphical settings increase. The Medium preset is the only one with reported minimum and maximum FPS values, providing a frame time variance of 26 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. The performance deltas between settings are consistent across resolutions, with the jump from Low to Medium costing around 76 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. The difference between High and Ultra is also significant, costing 50 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, provides the processing power for this system. Its boost clock of 4.90 GHz is a key factor in its performance, especially in single-threaded tasks. The benchmark results show a strong single-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4412. This strong single-core performance is crucial for gaming, as most game engines rely heavily on a few primary threads for game logic and physics.

In Minimum, the data suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck. The frame rates scale inversely with resolution and graphical settings, which is the opposite of what would be expected if the CPU were the limiting factor. If the CPU were the constraint, the FPS would remain relatively constant regardless of resolution, as the CPU's workload would be similar. The fact that the FPS drops so significantly at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting and the CPU has sufficient headroom.

The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth are sufficient to feed the GPU with data. The 10-core, 10-thread configuration is modern and capable, and its performance is comparable to rivals like the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which has an average score of 36945, a 0% delta from the Ultra 5 225's score of 36938. This indicates that the CPU is on par with other mid-range to high-end desktop processors, ensuring that it does not hold back the RTX 4070 Ti in this game.