Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that, despite its age, still responds dramatically to modern hardware. The benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination shows a system with immense headroom, capable of pushing very high frame rates at 1440p and 1080p, while 4K Ultra remains a demanding target. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, settings impact, and the specific roles the CPU and GPU play in achieving these results.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Minimum with this hardware for a competitive edge?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 403 FPS. Even at 2560x1440 with Low settings, it maintains a 260 FPS average. These are the only settings where the frame rates exceed 240 FPS, making them the prime candidates for high-refresh-rate competitive play.

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

A: Yes, it can handle 4K, but the settings need to be managed. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 69 FPS on Ultra to 140 FPS on Low. The Medium preset offers a balanced 107 FPS average with recorded minimums of 91 FPS and maximums of 123 FPS.

Q: How significant is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra settings?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 403 FPS on Low to 197 FPS on Ultra, a reduction of over 50%. At 2560x1440, the drop is from 260 FPS to 127 FPS, and at 4K, from 140 FPS to 69 FPS.

Q: What is the performance percentile of this CPU and GPU in their respective benchmark pools?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is in the 85th percentile of all CPUs tested, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs tested. This indicates both components are high performers in their respective categories.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, scores 36945, showing a delta of 0%. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is slightly behind at 37018, a delta of -0.2%.

Q: Is the RTX 5090's performance in Minimum significantly better than its nearest rivals?

A: According to the data, the RTX 5090's average benchmark score is 79842. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79605, a delta of only 0.3%. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is 1.1% behind, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is 1.4% ahead. The performance is very closely matched in these aggregate benchmarks.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of how the settings presets scale with resolution. The primary goal is to find a balance between visual quality and frame rate that suits the user's display and preference for smoothness.

For users with a 1920x1080 display, the High preset offers an outstanding experience with a 259 FPS average. This is an excellent middle ground, providing a significant visual upgrade over Low while still delivering frame rates well above what most displays can show. The Ultra preset at 197 FPS is also exceptionally smooth and is the best choice if maximum visual fidelity is the priority, as it still clears the 144Hz threshold by a wide margin.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended starting point, delivering a 167 FPS average. This is ideal for 144Hz monitors and provides a substantial visual improvement over Medium. The Ultra preset, at 127 FPS, is still very playable and will satisfy users with 120Hz displays who want the best image quality. The Medium preset, at 199 FPS, is a strong alternative for those who prioritize higher frame rates over the extra visual details offered by High.

The 3840x2160 resolution presents a different challenge. The High preset yields a 90 FPS average, which is a solid baseline for a smooth experience. However, the Medium preset, with its 107 FPS average, is the sweet spot for 4K. It offers a noticeable performance bump over High while also providing more visual detail than Low. The recorded minimum of 91 FPS and maximum of 123 FPS for Medium at 4K indicate a stable frame time experience. The Ultra preset at 69 FPS is playable for slower-paced content but may not be ideal for a third-person shooter where responsiveness is key.

The data suggests that the Low preset is only necessary for the absolute highest frame rates, primarily at 1080p. For most users, the High or Medium presets provide the best overall experience depending on their resolution and refresh rate priorities.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant force in this pairing. Its specifications are vast, including 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The GPU is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and has a boost clock of 2407 MHz. These figures translate into immense raw throughput, which is clearly reflected in the game's performance.

The GPU's role becomes more or less critical depending on the resolution. At 1920x1080, the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor, as evidenced by the very high frame rates (403 FPS on Low). The GPU has enough power to render frames faster than the CPU can feed it data. However, as the resolution increases to 2560x1440 and then to 3840x2160, the rendering load on the GPU increases significantly. This is why the frame rates scale down as resolution increases, even at the same settings presets.

The RTX 5090's massive memory bandwidth and 32 GB of VRAM are more than sufficient for a game from 2014. Even at 4K Ultra, the memory subsystem is not a bottleneck. The performance difference between resolutions at the same settings is purely a function of the GPU's compute and fill-rate capabilities. For instance, at High settings, the average frame rate drops from 259 FPS at 1080p to 167 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 90 FPS at 4K. This scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate its high-end status. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 18355, and its Geekbench Vulkan score is 376728. These synthetic numbers place it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, highlighting its position as a top-tier part. The data shows that the RTX 5090 is not a bottleneck for Minimum at any tested resolution, but its headroom is most fully utilized at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the specific database for Minimum, this combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 72 out of 2939 tested combos. This places the system in the top 2.5% of all configurations tested for this game. This is a very strong result, indicating that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for producing high frame rates in Minimum.

The high ranking is a direct consequence of the RTX 5090's immense power, which is the primary driver of frame rates in this game. The CPU, while not the main bottleneck, is more than capable of keeping up with the GPU's output, ensuring that the system operates efficiently. This combination of a top-tier GPU and a strong mid-range to high-end CPU prevents any significant performance ceiling from being hit.

The fact that the combo ranks 72nd rather than 1st suggests there are a few combinations that perform even better. These are likely systems with even more powerful CPUs that can push frame rates even higher at lower resolutions where the CPU becomes more relevant. However, for practical purposes, a rank of 72 out of 2939 means that the user is getting a top-tier experience. The system is in the top tier of all measured configurations, making it an exceptional choice for playing Minimum at high frame rates and resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. While it is not the most powerful CPU in the benchmark database, its performance is more than adequate for gaming, as its 85th percentile ranking suggests.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. At lower resolutions like 1920x1080, the CPU becomes more of a factor. The data shows that the system can achieve 403 FPS at 1080p Low, which indicates that the CPU is capable of handling a very high number of frames per second. However, the frame rate scaling from Low to Ultra at the same resolution suggests that the GPU is still the main determinant of performance, as the frame rate drops significantly when the GPU workload increases.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a single-core score of 3655, show it has solid all-around performance. Its Passmark single-thread score of 4412 is particularly relevant for gaming, as it indicates strong per-core performance, which is often more important than raw multi-core power in titles like Minimum. The CPU's nearest rivals in aggregate score, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, have nearly identical scores, suggesting that the Core Ultra 5 225 is in a competitive performance tier.

The data indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor for this GPU in most scenarios. The only time it might become more relevant is at 1080p with the Low preset, where the frame rates are extraordinarily high. In this case, the CPU's single-thread performance will be crucial, and while it is strong, it may cap the absolute maximum frame rate before the GPU does. Overall, the Core Ultra 5 225 is a well-matched partner for the RTX 5090 in this game, providing enough throughput to avoid creating a significant bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following breakdown provides the exact average FPS figures from the benchmark data for this specific combination.

1920x1080:

• Low: 403 FPS average.
• Medium: 309 FPS average, with a minimum of 262 FPS and a maximum of 355 FPS.
• High: 259 FPS average.
• Ultra: 197 FPS average.

2560x1440:

• Low: 260 FPS average.
• Medium: 199 FPS average, with a minimum of 169 FPS and a maximum of 229 FPS.
• High: 167 FPS average.
• Ultra: 127 FPS average.

3840x2160:

• Low: 140 FPS average.
• Medium: 107 FPS average, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 123 FPS.
• High: 90 FPS average.
• Ultra: 69 FPS average.

The data shows a predictable pattern of decreasing performance as resolution and graphical settings increase. The only preset with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values is Medium, which provides insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the frame rate ranges between 262 and 355 FPS, showing a stable high-performance window. At 1440p Medium, the range is 169 to 229 FPS. At 4K Medium, it narrows to 91 to 123 FPS, which is still a consistent and playable range.

This table of results confirms that the combination is capable of a wide range of experiences. For the highest possible frame rates, 1080p Low is the choice. For a balanced 4K experience, Medium is the best option. The Ultra preset is playable at 1080p and 1440p but drops to a level at 4K that might not suit all players.