Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a fascinating case study in system bottlenecking when running Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. The data reveals a configuration that is heavily influenced by resolution and settings, with the GPU consistently emerging as the primary limiting factor. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across various configurations to understand where this combo excels and where it struggles.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the system delivers a robust 106 FPS on High settings. Moving to 2560x1440, that number drops to 68 FPS, a significant 36% reduction. The jump to 3840x2160 is even more punishing, with the average FPS falling further to 37, representing a 46% drop from the 1440p figure and a 65% drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline is a clear indicator that the Intel Arc B580 is the component being stressed the most, as the workload on the GPU scales directly with pixel count.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. For instance, with Low settings, the system achieves 165 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 106 FPS at 1440p, and then to 57 FPS at 4K. Similarly, on Ultra settings, the frame rate goes from 81 FPS at 1080p to 52 FPS at 1440p and bottoms out at 28 FPS at 4K. The consistent proportional drops suggest that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution; if it were, we would see a smaller performance gap between 1440p and 4K, as the CPU load would remain constant while the GPU work increased. The data implies that users seeking higher frame rates at 4K would be limited by the GPU's processing power, while the CPU has ample headroom to handle more frames.

The fact that the game is from 2014 is relevant here; its engine is not particularly demanding by modern standards. Yet, the Arc B580 still struggles to maintain high refresh rates at 4K. This suggests that the game's optimization or the GPU's driver overhead for this title might be a contributing factor. The measured data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is the sweet spot for high refresh rates, 1440p is a compromise, and 4K is only viable for lower settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the clear focal point of this system's gaming performance. Its specifications include 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This is a substantial amount of memory for a game from 2014, which likely doesn't require close to that capacity, suggesting that memory size is not a limiting factor here. The core clocks are set at a base and boost of 2670 MHz, which is a high frequency for a GPU.

However, the measured FPS suggests that raw clock speed is not translating into stellar performance at higher resolutions. The benchmark results show the Arc B580 has an average score of 23021, placing it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (with a deltaPct of 0.6) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (with a deltaPct of -0.2). This indicates that while the Arc B580 is competitive with older high-end cards, it is not a top-tier performer by modern standards.

The data shows that the GPU's performance is the deciding factor in Minimum. The transition from Low to Ultra settings at 1080p cuts the frame rate by more than half, from 165 FPS to 81 FPS. This is a massive performance hit, indicating that the settings presets are heavily influencing the GPU's workload. The GPU's 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is being taxed by the game's visual effects at higher presets. The 4K results, where even Low settings only produce 57 FPS, confirm that the Arc B580 is simply not powerful enough for smooth 4K gameplay in this title, regardless of the CPU's capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience for this combination depends heavily on the user's target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset provides an excellent balance, delivering an average of 106 FPS. This is a smooth, playable experience for a shooter. The Low preset pushes this to 165 FPS, which would be ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the visual compromise may not be worth it for a game that can already achieve over 100 FPS on High. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 81 FPS, which is still playable but shows that the GPU is beginning to struggle with the highest settings.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is still the recommended choice, yielding 68 FPS. This is a solid frame rate for a competitive shooter. The Medium preset offers a more stable experience with an average of 81 FPS and a minimum of 69 FPS, which could be preferable for those who prioritize frame consistency over maximum visual quality. The Low preset at 1440p provides a very high 106 FPS, but the visual downgrade is significant. The Ultra preset at this resolution falls to 52 FPS, which is borderline for a fast-paced game.

For 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve a consistently smooth experience. The High preset averages 37 FPS, which is not ideal for a shooter. The Low preset is the only viable option for playability, with an average of 57 FPS, but this requires a significant sacrifice in visual fidelity. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo is not recommended. The overall best experience is at 1080p with High settings, where the system provides a high frame rate without compromising on visual quality. The Medium preset at 1440p is a good alternative for those with higher-resolution monitors.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Minimum at 4K resolution smoothly?*

A: The data shows this is not a good idea. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 57 on Low settings, with Ultra dropping to 28 FPS. High settings only achieve 37 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth competitive shooter.

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Minimum with this hardware?*

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. It allows for high frame rates across all settings, with High preset delivering 106 FPS and Low reaching 165 FPS, providing the best balance of performance and visual quality.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of overall performance?

A: The Arc B580's average benchmark score is 23021. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which is 0.6% faster, and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which is 0.2% slower. This places it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a mid-to-high-range performer.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The FPS drops dramatically as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU's performance remains constant across resolutions, suggesting it has ample headroom.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce an average of 106 FPS, while Ultra settings produce only 52 FPS. This is a 51% reduction in frame rate, showing that the Ultra preset is very demanding on the GPU.

Q: Is the 12 GB of VRAM on the Arc B580 useful for this game?

A: While the GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, Minimum is a 2014 title that is unlikely to use even a fraction of that capacity. The memory size is not a limiting factor in these results; the GPU's compute performance is what determines the frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This is a powerful modern CPU, and its benchmark scores reflect that. For example, it scores 14769 in the Cinebench R23 multi-core test and 2085 in the single-core test. Its average benchmark score is 46062, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU's performance is critical for ensuring the GPU is fed with data, but in Minimum, the data shows the CPU is not the bottleneck. The FPS scaling with resolution is entirely consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would see similar FPS numbers across all resolutions at a given setting, but that is not the case. The fact that the Low preset at 1080p yields 165 FPS, while the Ultra preset at 4K yields only 28 FPS, shows that the CPU can handle the game's logic and physics at high frame rates, but the GPU cannot keep up with the rendering demands at higher resolutions.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (0.1% faster) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (0.1% slower), indicating it is a top-tier performer. In this game, its power is largely untapped. The 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient for a title from 2014, which likely uses only a few threads. The 24 MB of L3 cache also helps with game data, but the bottleneck remains firmly with the GPU. This combo demonstrates a system where a high-end CPU is paired with a mid-range GPU, resulting in a GPU-limited experience that leaves CPU performance on the table.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured results provides a detailed picture of performance. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average FPS of 165 on Low, 126 on Medium, 106 on High, and 81 on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 107 and a maximum of 145, indicating some frame time variance. At 2560x1440, the averages are 106, 81, 68, and 52 for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra, respectively. The Medium preset here shows a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93.

At the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 57 FPS, Medium averages 44 FPS (with a min of 37 and max of 50), High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages just 28 FPS. These numbers illustrate a clear trend: the higher the resolution and the higher the settings, the more the Arc B580 struggles. The data suggests that for a consistent 60 FPS experience, users must either play at 1080p on High settings or drop to Medium at 1440p. The 4K results are all below 60 FPS, confirming that this resolution is not suitable for this game with this GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B580 combination is ranked 2185 out of 2939 tested combos in the database for Minimum. This places it in the 26th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it is performing better than roughly a quarter of the configurations tested. This ranking is influenced by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

Given the CPU's high percentile ranking (89th) and the GPU's lower one (68th), this ranking is expected. The combo is held back by the graphics card, which struggles with the game's demands at 4K. However, it is important to note that this ranking is for a single game. For a title like Minimum, which is from 2014, the overall ranking might be lower than in more modern, CPU-intensive games where the Ultra 5 235 could flex its muscles. The data shows that this system is a capable 1080p machine, but it is not a high-end 4K rig for this specific title. The performance gap between the CPU's potential and the GPU's delivery is the defining characteristic of this combination.