Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER pairing delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter from 2014. The measured data shows this combo ranks 211th out of 2939 tested combinations, placing it in the top 8% of all systems. With a 10-core, 10-thread processor boosting to 4.90 GHz and a GPU that sits at the 86th percentile of all graphics cards, this system is built for high-refresh-rate play. The benchmark results indicate that even at 4K Ultra, the game remains playable, while at 1080p Low the combo approaches the practical limits of display refresh rates.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.30 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, and it has a 65 W TDP. The chip features 20 MB of shared L3 cache, with 192 KB of L1 cache per core and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. This processor supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus, providing 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth, and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 CPU lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Core Ultra 5 225 scores 25,891 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 3,655 in single-core, and 6,317 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 30,459, with a single-thread score of 4,412. The processor’s average benchmark score is 36,938, which places it at the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (average score 36,945, delta 0%), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (average score 37,018, delta -0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (average score 37,093, delta -0.4%). The data shows the Core Ultra 5 225 is effectively on par with these competitors, with performance deltas under 0.5%.

For Minimum, a game released in 2014, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The game is not new, so it likely does not leverage the full multi-threading capabilities of modern processors. However, the Core Ultra 5 225’s strong single-core performance — evidenced by its 3,655 Cinebench R23 single-core score and 4,412 Passmark single-thread score — ensures that even lightly-threaded game workloads run smoothly. The 10 cores and 10 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and any game engine threads that do scale across cores.

At 1080p resolution, the CPU becomes more critical because the GPU is less burdened. The measured FPS at 1080p Low is 354 average, which is extremely high. This suggests the CPU is capable of pushing frame rates well beyond 300 FPS in this title, even with the RTX 4080 SUPER. The boost clock of 4.90 GHz helps maintain high single-thread performance, which is often the bottleneck in older games like Minimum. The processor’s 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is a strong performer overall, and its 10-core configuration provides a balance between high clock speeds and multi-thread capability.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best preset to use at 1440p for a balance of frame rate and visual quality?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 147 average FPS, while Medium delivers 175 average FPS. Ultra drops to 112 average FPS. The data shows Medium offers the highest frame rate among the three higher-quality presets, with Low at 228 FPS being the only faster option. For most players, Medium at 175 FPS provides a smooth experience with better visuals than Low.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its closest GPU rival in this system?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54,209, placing it at the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, scores 54,247, which is a delta of -0.1%. This means the SUPER variant is essentially identical in performance to the non-SUPER RTX 4080, with the data showing less than a 1% difference.

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 4K Ultra with playable frame rates?*

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 60. This meets the standard for playable frame rates, though it is not as high as the 79 FPS seen at High settings. The data indicates that 4K Ultra is playable, but for higher refresh rates, dropping to High settings is recommended.

Q: What is the CPU’s multi-core performance compared to its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36,938. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, scores 36,945, which is a delta of 0%. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37,018, a delta of -0.2%. This means the Core Ultra 5 225 is within 0.2% of its nearest rivals, showing nearly identical multi-core performance.

Q: How much FPS improvement is there from Low to Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces 354 average FPS, while Ultra produces 173 average FPS. The difference is 181 FPS, meaning Ultra is roughly 51% slower than Low. The data shows that the performance hit from Low to Ultra is substantial, but even Ultra at 173 FPS is well above the refresh rate of most monitors.

Q: Does the system show any signs of CPU bottlenecking at 1080p?

A: The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 354, and at 4K Low, it drops to 123. The drop of 231 FPS indicates the GPU is the limiting factor as resolution increases. The CPU’s strong single-thread score of 4,412 in Passmark supports its ability to handle high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data covers four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) across three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 354 average FPS, which is the highest of any measured configuration. Medium at 1080p delivers 271 average FPS, High delivers 228, and Ultra delivers 173. For players with a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor, even High at 228 FPS exceeds the display’s refresh rate, making it an excellent choice for competitive play. Medium at 271 FPS offers a significant boost over High, but the visual difference between Medium and High in a 2014 title may be minimal. The data suggests that at 1080p, High is the sweet spot: it provides 228 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh display, while maintaining better visual fidelity than Medium or Low.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low delivers 228 FPS, Medium delivers 175, High delivers 147, and Ultra delivers 112. For a 1440p monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate, High at 147 FPS is the best choice because it stays above the refresh threshold while offering better visuals than Medium. Medium at 175 FPS would also work, but High provides a more visually pleasing experience with only a 28 FPS loss. Ultra at 112 FPS is playable but may not be worth the visual gain over High, especially in a fast-paced shooter where higher frame rates matter.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. Low delivers 123 FPS, Medium delivers 94 FPS, High delivers 79 FPS, and Ultra delivers 60 FPS. For a 4K display, the 60 FPS Ultra setting is barely playable, making it a poor choice for a third-person shooter where responsiveness matters. High at 79 FPS is smoother, but Medium at 94 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and frame rate at 4K. Low at 123 FPS is the only preset that approaches high-refresh territory at 4K, but the visual downgrade may be too significant for many players. The data indicates that Medium is the recommended preset for 4K, as it provides 94 FPS with a reasonable visual quality compromise.

For the best overall experience, considering all resolutions, Medium settings offer the most consistent performance. At 1080p, Medium provides 271 FPS, at 1440p it provides 175 FPS, and at 4K it provides 94 FPS. This preset maintains playable frame rates at every resolution and is the only preset that stays above 90 FPS at 4K. The measured min FPS for Medium at 1080p is 230, at 1440p is 149, and at 4K is 80, showing that even the lowest recorded frames are smooth in most scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 211th out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum. This places the system in the top 8% of all configurations tested, which is an exceptionally strong result. The combo ranks ahead of 2,728 other combinations, meaning it outperforms roughly 92% of the systems in the database for this specific game.

The high ranking is driven by both the CPU and GPU. The RTX 4080 SUPER sits at the 86th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 54,209 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 (54,247, delta -0.1%). The Core Ultra 5 225, at the 85th percentile of CPUs, is also a top-tier performer. The combination of a top-15% CPU and a top-14% GPU results in a system that excels in Minimum, which is not a particularly demanding title by modern standards.

The rank of 211 out of 2939 implies that there are 210 combos that perform better, likely featuring higher-end CPUs like the Core Ultra 9 series or flagship GPUs such as the RTX 4090. However, for a 10-core processor and a 16 GB GPU, the performance is outstanding. The data shows that this combo is more than adequate for Minimum, delivering frame rates that are well above what most displays can show at 1080p and 1440p. Even at 4K, the system achieves playable frame rates on all presets, which reflects the balance between the two components.

In comparison to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 5 225 performs within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, Ryzen 5 5500X3D, and Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450. This means that swapping the CPU for any of these would result in nearly identical performance in Minimum. The GPU, similarly, is within 2.8% of its nearest rivals, including the RTX 4080 and AMD Radeon Pro W5700X. The combo’s rank is therefore not sensitive to small component variations, but the overall high placement reflects the strength of both parts.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Examining the FPS scaling across resolutions reveals how the system behaves under different loads. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 354 at 1080p to 228 at 1440p (a 35.6% decrease), and then to 123 at 4K (a 46.1% decrease from 1440p). At Medium settings, the drop is from 271 at 1080p to 175 at 1440p (35.4% decrease), and then to 94 at 4K (46.3% decrease). At High settings, the drop is from 228 at 1080p to 147 at 1440p (35.5% decrease), and then to 79 at 4K (46.3% decrease). At Ultra settings, the drop is from 173 at 1080p to 112 at 1440p (35.3% decrease), and then to 60 at 4K (46.4% decrease).

The consistency of these percentage drops across all presets is striking. The FPS decreases by roughly 35% from 1080p to 1440p, and by roughly 46% from 1440p to 4K, regardless of the quality preset. This pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound system. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively flat as resolution increases, because the CPU workload does not change much with resolution. Instead, the steady decline in FPS with increasing pixel count indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

The data supports this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the system produces 354 FPS, which is an extremely high number that likely approaches the CPU’s limit for this game. As the resolution increases to 4K, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the constraints, causing the FPS to drop to 123. The RTX 4080 SUPER has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for 4K gaming, but the sheer number of pixels at 3840x2160 still demands more from the GPU than the CPU.

The fact that the FPS drop is nearly identical across all presets suggests that the GPU is scaling predictably with resolution. The RTX 4080 SUPER’s 10,240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs are all utilized more heavily as resolution increases. The measured data shows no signs of CPU bottlenecking, as the FPS at 1080p Low (354) is not limited by the processor. The Core Ultra 5 225’s single-core performance is strong enough to feed the GPU at these frame rates, but the GPU’s workload is what ultimately determines the FPS at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 354, which is the fastest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 271 average FPS, with a minimum of 230 and a maximum of 312. High settings yield 228 average FPS, and Ultra settings produce 173 average FPS. The data shows that at 1080p, even the most demanding preset (Ultra) easily exceeds the refresh rate of most gaming monitors. The 181 FPS difference between Low and Ultra highlights the significant performance impact of quality settings, but all presets are playable.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but start to show the GPU’s workload. Low settings deliver 228 average FPS, which is identical to the 1080p High result. Medium settings produce 175 average FPS, with a minimum of 149 and a maximum of 201. High settings yield 147 average FPS, and Ultra settings produce 112 average FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across all presets, with approximately a 35% reduction in FPS. At 1440p, Medium and High settings are both excellent choices, providing frame rates well above 144 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers playable frame rates, but the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings produce 123 average FPS, which is smooth for 4K gaming. Medium settings yield 94 average FPS, with a minimum of 80 and a maximum of 108. High settings deliver 79 average FPS, and Ultra settings produce 60 average FPS. The 4K data shows a clear progression: Low at 123 FPS is the only preset that approaches high-refresh territory, while Ultra at 60 FPS is barely playable. The 63 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is less than the 181 FPS difference at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

The medium settings provide the most complete data, with min and max FPS recorded at all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium ranges from 230 to 312 FPS, with an average of 271. At 1440p, Medium ranges from 149 to 201 FPS, with an average of 175. At 4K, Medium ranges from 80 to 108 FPS, with an average of 94. These ranges show that the system maintains consistent frame times, with the minimum FPS staying within 30% of the average in most cases. The data confirms that Medium is a reliable preset for this combo across all resolutions.