Minimum

The pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 produces a set of measured results for Minimum that reveal a clear performance hierarchy based on resolution and graphical preset. The data indicates a system that is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p play, but which encounters significant limitations as resolution scales upward. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS figures, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and how this combination ranks against other tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this combination in Minimum suggests that the choice of settings is highly dependent on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the data shows considerable headroom across all presets. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 84 FPS, which is a solidly playable frame rate for a third-person shooter. However, the Low preset achieves an average of 171 FPS, and Medium hits 131 FPS. For competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, the Medium preset appears to offer a strong balance, providing a 131 FPS average while presumably retaining more visual fidelity than the Low preset. The High preset also performs admirably at 110 FPS, making it a viable option for those prioritizing image quality over maximum frame rate. Given that the gap between Medium and High is only 21 FPS (131 vs. 110), while the jump from High to Ultra costs 26 FPS (110 vs. 84), the High preset could be considered the sweet spot for 1080p if visual quality is a priority, as it maintains a triple-digit frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance landscape shifts. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the baseline for smooth gameplay. The High preset, however, maintains a respectable 71 FPS average. The Medium preset provides a more comfortable margin with an 84 FPS average. The Low preset reaches 110 FPS, indicating that the GPU is still capable of high frame rates at this resolution if settings are reduced. For a 1440p experience, the Medium preset appears to be the recommended choice, as it offers a significant performance advantage over High and Ultra while likely still providing a substantial visual upgrade over Low. The data shows that the step from Medium to High results in a 13 FPS drop (84 to 71), which is a modest penalty for potential quality gains, but the step to Ultra is a much steeper 17 FPS drop (71 to 54), making Ultra less appealing at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the combination struggles to maintain smooth frame rates on higher presets. The Ultra preset yields a low 29 FPS average, which is not playable for a fast-paced shooter. The High preset is only slightly better at 38 FPS. Even the Medium preset, with its 45 FPS average, falls short of 60 FPS. The Low preset is the only option that approaches playability, with an average of 59 FPS. The data clearly indicates that 4K gaming with this hardware requires significant compromises. The Low preset is the only viable choice for 4K, and even then, the 59 FPS average is marginal. The steep performance cliff between Medium (45 FPS) and Low (59 FPS) at this resolution underscores the GPU's limitations. Ultimately, the Medium preset at 1440p provides the best overall experience, balancing frame rate and visual quality, while 1080p High is the optimal choice for a high-refresh-rate setup.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is the primary driver of frame rate in Minimum, as evidenced by the dramatic scaling of FPS with resolution and settings. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 2655 MHz, with a game clock of 2250 MHz. Its performance percentile vs. all GPUs is 57, and its average benchmark score is 15171. The nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (deltaPct -0.2) and the AMD Radeon 680M (deltaPct -0.7), are statistically similar in average score, suggesting the RX 7600 is positioned in a competitive mid-range segment.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 4K with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 29, which is a 63% drop from the 1080p Ultra result of 84 FPS. This steep decline points to the GPU's raw rendering power being insufficient for the pixel count at 4K, especially with demanding settings. The 8 GB VRAM capacity may also be a factor at 4K, as higher resolutions and textures can exceed this limit, potentially causing performance dips. However, the data shows that even at 4K Low, the GPU can manage 59 FPS, indicating that the core architecture is capable but that memory bandwidth or capacity might be stretched at higher settings.

The GPU's role is further clarified when comparing the 1080p and 1440p results. At 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU enough data to reach 171 FPS on Low, but the GPU's limit becomes apparent on Ultra, where it drops to 84 FPS. At 1440p, the same pattern holds, but the GPU's workload increases, causing the Ultra preset to fall to 54 FPS. This suggests that for the most part, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially as resolution increases. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2310 and the Passmark G3D score of 16634 provide a synthetic context, but the game-specific data confirms that the RX 7600 is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with mid-range settings to achieve a high and stable frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 provides the processing foundation for this system. It is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its performance percentile vs. all CPUs is 89, placing it well above the GPU's percentile. The CPU has a substantial 24 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 14769, and its single-core score is 2085, indicating strong all-around processing power.

In the context of Minimum, the CPU's role appears to be more supportive than limiting, particularly at 1080p. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 171 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU is capable of keeping up with the GPU's output. However, the fact that the frame rate scales down to 84 FPS at 1080p Ultra indicates that the GPU becomes the bottleneck as the graphical load increases, rather than the CPU. The CPU's high single-thread performance, as shown by its Passmark single-thread score of 4516, is likely sufficient to handle the game's logic and draw calls without becoming a constraint at these settings.

The CPU's limitations, if any, would likely only become apparent at very high frame rates, such as the 171 FPS seen at 1080p Low. The data does not show a scenario where the CPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the frame rates consistently drop with higher resolutions, which is a GPU-bound characteristic. The 14 cores and threads provide ample processing capability, and the high L3 cache helps reduce memory latency. The CPU's nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (deltaPct -0.1), have nearly identical average benchmark scores, indicating that the Ultra 5 235 is a top-tier performer in its class. This headroom means that for Minimum, the CPU is unlikely to be a bottleneck, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of performance at higher resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 is ranked 2008 out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum. This rank places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is an interesting result given the individual component performance. The CPU is in the 89th percentile for all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 57th percentile for all GPUs. The disparity between these two percentiles is a key factor in the overall ranking.

The rank suggests that while the CPU is a high-end part, the GPU is holding back the system's overall game performance. Many combos with a less powerful CPU but a more powerful GPU would likely rank higher, as game performance is often more dependent on the GPU. The data shows that the combo is capable of high frame rates at 1080p, but its 4K performance is poor, which likely contributes to its lower rank. The combo's rank of 2008 implies that there are many other tested systems that achieve higher average FPS across the benchmark suite, primarily due to having a stronger GPU. This is not a criticism of the CPU, but rather a reflection of the balance of this specific pairing. The RX 7600 is a solid mid-range GPU, but it is not in the same performance class as the CPU, which creates an imbalance that is reflected in the overall rank.

The ranking also indicates that the system is not optimized for the highest-end gaming experiences, such as 4K Ultra, but it is well-suited for more common scenarios like 1080p or 1440p gaming. The fact that it ranks in the 68th percentile (calculated from 2008/2939) of all combos suggests that it is a capable but not exceptional gaming system. For a game like Minimum, which is a third-person shooter, the system's ability to deliver high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p is more important than its 4K capabilities, so the rank may be somewhat misleading if a user's primary target is 1080p. The data shows that the combo's performance is competitive with other mid-range systems, but it is clearly outclassed by those with higher-end GPUs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and expected pattern of performance decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p, the average FPS across all settings is high, ranging from 84 FPS on Ultra to 171 FPS on Low. At 1440p, these figures drop to a range of 54 FPS (Ultra) to 110 FPS (Low). At 4K, the range falls further to 29 FPS (Ultra) to 59 FPS (Low).

The scaling behavior indicates a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions. For example, the Medium preset sees a drop from 131 FPS at 1080p to 84 FPS at 1440p, which is a 36% decrease. The jump from 1440p to 4K is even more severe, with the Medium preset falling from 84 FPS to 45 FPS, a 46% decrease. This non-linear scaling is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of pixel processing power and memory bandwidth. The CPU's performance is not the limiting factor here, as its workload does not scale with resolution in the same way.

The data also shows that the performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is less severe than from 1440p to 4K. This suggests that the GPU can handle the increased pixel count at 1440p with some settings reductions, but 4K represents a significant hurdle. The 4K results, with a maximum average of 59 FPS on Low, indicate that the GPU is saturated. This resolution scaling analysis confirms that the system is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates. At 4K, users would need to make significant compromises to settings, and even then, the frame rate would be marginal. The limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU, as the CPU has ample headroom to handle the game's logic at any resolution.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Minimum with this CPU and GPU combo?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the highest frame rates, with an average of 171 FPS on Low and 84 FPS on Ultra. 2560x1440 is also viable, with the Medium preset achieving 84 FPS. 3840x2160 is only playable on the Low preset, which averages 59 FPS.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM of the RX 7600 a limitation in this game?

A: The measured data suggests that at 4K, performance drops significantly, with the Ultra preset averaging only 29 FPS. While the data does not explicitly state VRAM usage, the sharp performance decline at 4K and high settings implies that the GPU's memory capacity or bandwidth is a contributing factor to its performance limits.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, has a score of 46030, a deltaPct of 0.1. The Intel Core i9-13900HX has a score of 46098, a deltaPct of -0.1. These differences are negligible, indicating near-identical CPU performance.

Q: What is the system's overall rank for this game?

A: This specific combination of CPU and GPU is ranked 2008 out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all tested systems, suggesting that while capable, it is not a top performer due to the GPU's mid-range position.

Q: Which graphics preset offers the best balance of performance and quality at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the most balanced, with an average frame rate of 84 FPS. The High preset is also playable at 71 FPS, but the Medium preset provides a larger performance buffer while still offering a significant visual upgrade over Low.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher settings. The frame rate drops from 171 FPS on Low to 84 FPS on Ultra, which is a GPU-bound characteristic. The CPU has sufficient headroom to support these frame rates, as indicated by its high single-thread performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the measured average FPS for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 combination in Minimum. Where available, minimum and maximum FPS are also provided.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: Average 84 FPS
• High: Average 110 FPS
• Medium: Average 131 FPS (Min 111, Max 150)
• Low: Average 171 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: Average 54 FPS
• High: Average 71 FPS
• Medium: Average 84 FPS (Min 72, Max 97)
• Low: Average 110 FPS

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: Average 29 FPS
• High: Average 38 FPS
• Medium: Average 45 FPS (Min 39, Max 52)
• Low: Average 59 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern where the Medium preset is the only one with complete minimum and maximum FPS data, suggesting it may be a common test point. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial across all settings, with the Ultra preset suffering the largest relative loss, falling from 84 FPS to 29 FPS, a 65% reduction. The Low preset sees a smaller, but still significant, drop from 171 FPS to 59 FPS, a 65% reduction as well. This consistency in percentage drop across settings indicates that the GPU's scaling is uniform, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions.