Minimum

This combo of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a decisive performance profile in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter from 2014. The data places this pairing at rank 930 out of 2939 tested combos, putting it firmly in the upper third of all systems. That ranking is a strong statement about the balance here: the CPU is a top-tier performer by synthetic averages, while the GPU sits in a mid-pack percentile, yet the measured frame rates show this pairing punches well above its component-level percentile expectations. The following analysis breaks down exactly how these parts interact, what the frame data reveals about bottlenecks, and what you can expect at each resolution and quality setting.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s overall rank of 930 out of 2939 tested combinations is a solid, above-median result. With 2939 total configurations, landing at 930 means roughly 68% of all tested systems perform worse, and 32% perform better. This is not a top-tier enthusiast pairing, but it is a very capable one that should handle high-refresh 1080p and smooth 1440p gaming without complaint.

To contextualize that rank, look at the individual components. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 achieves an average benchmark score of 46062, which places it in the 89th percentile among all CPUs. That is an elite-level result for the processor alone. The GPU, however, tells a different story. The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT has an average benchmark score of 11627, landing it in just the 51st percentile among all GPUs. That is a squarely average position for the graphics card on its own.

The fact that the combo ranks at 930/2939 (about the 68th percentile) despite having a GPU in the 51st percentile suggests that Minimum is not heavily GPU-bound at lower resolutions, and the CPU’s strength is pulling the combined result upward. The data confirms this: at 1080p Low, the system hits 252 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that only a strong CPU can feed. The GPU is far from the limiting factor there. This is a case where a mid-pack GPU paired with a top-tier CPU yields a combined rank much higher than the GPU’s individual percentile would suggest.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process. It carries 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. Those are strong specs for a mid-range card, and the memory capacity is generous for 4K gaming, though the raw compute power is more modest.

The GPU’s clock behavior shows a base clock of 1295 MHz, a game clock of 2124 MHz, and a boost clock of 2430 MHz. The memory runs at 2438 MHz, which translates to 19.5 Gbps effective. This is not a flagship part; its FP32 performance is measured at 37.32 TFLOPS, and it has 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs.

In Minimum, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution and settings increase. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 43, which is the lowest measured result on this page. That is a clear indication that at the highest settings and resolution, the GPU is being pushed to its limits. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the GPU is barely taxed, and the CPU becomes the primary driver of performance. The measured FPS data shows a smooth scaling curve that reflects the GPU’s capabilities: it can handle 1440p High at 104 FPS but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra. This is a GPU that excels at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K is only viable at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K, which reveals the shifting bottleneck between the CPU and GPU. At 1080p Low, the system produces 252 FPS. That number is extraordinarily high and almost certainly CPU-limited, as the GPU has plenty of headroom at that resolution and setting. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 162 FPS, a 36% reduction. That is a significant drop, indicating the GPU is starting to become more relevant, but the CPU is still doing the heavy lifting.

At 4K Low, the average falls to 87 FPS. That is a 65% drop from 1080p Low, and a 46% drop from 1440p Low. This is where the GPU clearly becomes the limiting factor. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings shows that the CPU alone cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K; the GPU’s pixel throughput is the constraint.

Looking at the High settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. 1080p High yields 162 FPS, 1440p High yields 104 FPS, and 4K High yields 56 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, and from 1440p to 4K is 46%. This consistent scaling pattern across settings indicates a balanced system where the CPU dominates at low resolutions and the GPU takes over at higher resolutions. The transition point appears to be around 1440p, where both components are working in concert to deliver strong results.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Minimum with this combo for a high-refresh monitor?*

A: The data shows 1440p is the sweet spot. At 1440p High, the system averages 104 FPS, and at 1440p Medium it hits 124 FPS. These numbers are well above 60 FPS and suitable for high-refresh displays. 1080p is also excellent, with 162 FPS at High and 193 FPS at Medium, but 1440p offers a better balance of visual fidelity and frame rate.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Minimum?*

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Low, the system averages 87 FPS, which is playable. At 4K Medium, it drops to 67 FPS, still smooth. However, at 4K High it falls to 56 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it drops to 43 FPS. For 4K, stick to Low or Medium settings for a consistently smooth experience.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: It depends on the resolution. At 1080p, the CPU is the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 252 FPS at Low settings. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with the 43 FPS at Ultra showing the GPU cannot keep up with the CPU’s capability. The crossover point is around 1440p, where both components are relatively balanced.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, scores 46030, a negligible 0.1% difference. The Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098, which is 0.1% higher. The AMD EPYC 4364P and EPYC 7303 score 45970 and 45960, respectively, both 0.2% lower. The CPU is essentially tied with these parts.

Q: What is the GPU’s synthetic benchmark standing relative to its peers?

A: The RX 7800 XT has an average benchmark score of 11627, placing it in the 51st percentile. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660, scores 11680, which is 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M scores 11528, 0.9% lower, and the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT scores 11842, 1.8% higher. The GPU sits in a very tight cluster of mid-range performers.

Q: Does the GPU’s 16 GB of VRAM matter for this game?

A: The game is from 2014, and the data does not show any VRAM-related performance issues. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than sufficient for Minimum at any resolution and setting tested. The observed FPS drops at 4K are due to raw compute limitations, not memory capacity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions and four settings, providing a complete picture of performance.

1080p (1920x1080)

• Low: 252 FPS average. This is the highest result on the page and indicates a CPU-bound scenario.
• Medium: 193 FPS average, with a minimum of 164 FPS and a maximum of 222 FPS.
• High: 162 FPS average.
• Ultra: 123 FPS average.

1440p (2560x1440)

• Low: 162 FPS average.
• Medium: 124 FPS average, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS.
• High: 104 FPS average.
• Ultra: 79 FPS average.

4K (3840x2160)

• Low: 87 FPS average.
• Medium: 67 FPS average, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS.
• High: 56 FPS average.
• Ultra: 43 FPS average.

The frame time consistency, where available, shows that Medium settings at 1080p and 1440p have tight minimums relative to averages, indicating stable performance. The 4K Medium result has a minimum of 57 FPS, which is close to the 67 FPS average, suggesting no major stuttering. The data shows a linear scaling pattern that is easy to predict: each step up in settings costs roughly 20-25% performance at the same resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3. It supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU is a standout performer. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 14769, and its single-core score is 2085. In PassMark, it scores 37816 for multithread and 4516 for single-thread. The CPU’s percentile rank of 89th among all CPUs confirms its high-end status. Its nearest rivals in average score are the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030, 0.1% higher) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, 0.1% lower), showing the Ultra 5 235 is right at the top of its class.

In Minimum, the CPU’s role is clearly dominant at lower resolutions. The 252 FPS at 1080p Low is a direct result of the CPU’s high single-thread performance, which is critical for feeding the GPU in a 2014 game that is not heavily multi-threaded. Even at 1440p Low, the 162 FPS result shows the CPU is still capable of pushing high frame rates. The CPU’s 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient for this game, and the high boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures that single-threaded performance is excellent. The data shows that this CPU is not a bottleneck until the GPU is pushed to its limits at 4K Ultra, where the 43 FPS result is clearly GPU-bound.