Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination delivers a playable experience in Minimum, but the data reveals a system heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions. The CPU provides ample headroom, while the GPU’s 6 GB VRAM and Turing-era architecture become the primary bottlenecks as pixel count rises. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings.

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

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 by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s of dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth provide substantial data throughput for game logic and physics. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and single-core score of 2085 indicate strong computational performance, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs tested.

In the context of Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, the CPU’s capabilities far exceed what the game’s engine likely requires. The processor’s performance is nearly identical to its nearest rivals: it trails the Intel Core i9-13900HX by a negligible 0.1% and leads the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and AMD EPYC 4364P by 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively. This parity suggests that the Core Ultra 5 235 is not a limiting factor in this combination. The high single-core score of 2085 in Cinebench R23 is particularly relevant for gaming, as most game engines rely heavily on single-threaded performance for frame rendering and input processing.

The PassMark multithread score of 37816 further reinforces the CPU’s capability, showing robust parallel processing power. The data compression score of 390711 and floating-point math score of 117951 point to strong general-purpose compute, which could help with background tasks while gaming. However, the measured FPS data shows that the system’s performance scales in a pattern consistent with GPU limitation rather than CPU limitation. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 79 FPS (155 vs 76), which is a massive swing that typically indicates the graphics card is the primary constraint, not the processor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat across settings changes.

The 14-core configuration with no hyperthreading (14 threads) is an interesting design choice, but it does not appear to hinder gaming performance. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz provides the high-frequency response needed for frame pacing. Given the game’s 2014 release date, the Core Ultra 5 235 is vastly overqualified for the CPU demands, leaving all performance headroom to the GPU. The data suggests that players could run demanding background applications without affecting frame rates, as the CPU has plenty of spare capacity.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture using a 12 nm process, featuring the TU106 chip. It operates with a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The card is equipped with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. With 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, the RTX 2060 delivers a theoretical FP32 performance of 6.451 TFLOPS.

The GPU’s 6 GB VRAM is a critical factor in Minimum at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 26, which is barely playable. This suggests that the game’s texture and geometry demands at 4K exceed the available VRAM, causing the GPU to stutter or reduce performance. The RTX 2060’s 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the mid-range tier, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, has an identical average score (deltaPct of 0%). This is surprising given the generational gap, but it highlights that raw benchmark scores don’t always translate to real-world gaming performance.

The RTX 2060 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which is more than sufficient for Minimum’s requirements. The 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present but unlikely to be utilized by this older title. The GPU’s texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s provide adequate fill rates for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p, the GPU can push 155 FPS on Low settings, which indicates strong raw performance when not constrained by VRAM or resolution.

At 1440p, the RTX 2060 still performs admirably, with 100 FPS on Low settings and 64 FPS on High. However, the jump to 4K reveals the card’s limitations. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 54, which is playable, but at 4K Medium it drops to 41, and at 4K High it falls to 35. The 4K Ultra setting at 26 FPS is essentially unplayable for a fast-paced shooter. This pattern suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and VRAM capacity are the limiting factors at 4K, rather than raw compute power. The 336.0 GB/s bandwidth may not be sufficient to feed the GPU at 4K resolutions with high texture detail.

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

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent drop as resolution increases across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 155 at 1080p to 100 at 1440p (a 35.5% decrease) and then to 54 at 4K (a 46% decrease from 1440p). This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component, as CPU-bound scenarios would show much smaller FPS differences between resolutions. The scaling pattern at High settings is similar: 100 FPS at 1080p, 64 FPS at 1440p (36% drop), and 35 FPS at 4K (45.3% drop).

The Medium settings data provides the most complete picture, with min and max FPS recorded at all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average is 119 FPS with a range of 101 to 137 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 77 FPS with a range of 65 to 88 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 41 FPS with a range of 35 to 47 FPS. The consistent proportional drops across each resolution step strongly suggest that the RTX 2060 is hitting its memory bandwidth ceiling. The 4K Medium results show a 65.5% drop from 1080p Medium, which is more than the 42% increase in pixel count (from 2.07M to 8.29M pixels). This super-linear drop indicates that the GPU is not just rendering more pixels but also struggling with memory access patterns.

The Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 76. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 49 (35.5% decrease). At 4K Ultra, it falls to 26 (46.9% decrease from 1440p). The fact that the FPS drops are so consistent across all settings (roughly 35-36% from 1080p to 1440p, and 45-47% from 1440p to 4K) points to a memory bandwidth bottleneck. The RTX 2060 has 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is simply insufficient for 4K gaming with high detail levels. This is further supported by the fact that the CPU’s performance is statistically tied with its rivals, meaning it is not causing any frame pacing issues.

The data implies that the system is balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the RTX 2060 becomes the clear bottleneck at 4K. Players seeking 4K performance would need to significantly lower settings or accept sub-30 FPS frame rates. The 6 GB VRAM is also a concern, as modern games at 4K can easily exceed this capacity, leading to texture popping or reduced draw distances.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2929 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the bottom 21% of all tested systems, which is surprising given the CPU’s high performance. The rank suggests that while the CPU is powerful, the GPU’s limitations drag the overall combo down significantly. The ranking implies that most tested combos achieve higher average FPS in this game, likely due to more powerful GPUs.

The combo’s rank of 2929 out of 3712 means that 783 combinations performed worse. This puts the system in the lower third of the performance distribution. The data indicates that the RTX 2060, despite being a capable card for 1080p gaming, is not well-suited for the higher resolution demands of Minimum. The game’s third-person shooter nature means that players need consistent frame rates for smooth camera movement and aiming, which the 4K results fail to provide.

Given that the CPU ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs and the GPU ranks in the 58th percentile, the combo’s 21st percentile ranking in-game reflects a significant imbalance. The system is essentially a high-end CPU paired with a mid-range GPU, which creates a scenario where the GPU is always the limiting factor. This is evident in the FPS data, where the system cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K on any setting, and even at 1440p, only the Low preset achieves 100 FPS while the Ultra preset drops to 49 FPS.

The combo’s low rank is not a reflection of poor individual components but rather a mismatch for this particular game’s requirements. Minimum appears to be GPU-intensive at higher resolutions, and the RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K gameplay. Players using this combo should focus on 1080p or 1440p gaming to get the best experience, as the system’s performance at those resolutions is much more competitive.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 155 FPS, which is excellent for a fast-paced shooter. However, the Medium preset at 119 FPS still provides a smooth experience with better visual fidelity, and the min FPS of 101 ensures no major drops. The High preset at 100 FPS is also viable, offering a good balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 76 FPS is playable but may suffer in intense combat scenes with many particles or effects.

At 1440p, the Low preset achieves 100 FPS, which is the best option for competitive play. The Medium preset at 77 FPS is still smooth and offers better visuals, with a min FPS of 65 that is acceptable. The High preset at 64 FPS is borderline, as it may dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 49 FPS is not recommended for a competitive shooter, as the lower frame rate can impact aiming precision and reaction time.

At 4K, the data shows that only the Low preset (54 FPS) is playable. The Medium preset at 41 FPS and High preset at 35 FPS are below the 60 FPS threshold typically desired for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 26 FPS is not viable for anything other than screenshots or slow exploration. Given these results, the best experience for most players would be to run the Medium preset at 1080p, which provides a good balance of visual quality (119 FPS average, 101 FPS minimum) and smoothness. For players with 1440p monitors, the Medium preset at 77 FPS is the sweet spot, offering better detail than Low while maintaining a comfortable frame rate.

For those who prioritize frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 1080p (155 FPS) or 1440p (100 FPS) is the clear choice. The data suggests that the High preset is only recommended for 1080p gaming, as it provides 100 FPS average. Players should avoid Ultra settings at any resolution above 1080p, as the performance cost is too high relative to the visual gains.

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

1920x1080 (Full HD):

• Low: 155 FPS average
• Medium: 119 FPS average (min 101, max 137)
• High: 100 FPS average
• Ultra: 76 FPS average

2560x1440 (Quad HD):

• Low: 100 FPS average
• Medium: 77 FPS average (min 65, max 88)
• High: 64 FPS average
• Ultra: 49 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K UHD):

• Low: 54 FPS average
• Medium: 41 FPS average (min 35, max 47)
• High: 35 FPS average
• Ultra: 26 FPS average

The data reveals that the RTX 2060 can handle 1080p gaming with ease, even on Ultra settings (76 FPS). At 1440p, the card starts to show its limits, with the Ultra preset dropping below 50 FPS. The 4K results are disappointing, with only the Low preset achieving playable frame rates above 50 FPS. The min FPS values for Medium settings show that the system can experience significant frame drops, particularly at 4K where the min FPS of 35 is only slightly above the 30 FPS threshold for playability.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent performance penalty: at 1080p, Ultra is 51% slower than Low (155 to 76 FPS); at 1440p, Ultra is 51% slower (100 to 49 FPS); at 4K, Ultra is 52% slower (54 to 26 FPS). This consistent ~50% penalty across resolutions suggests that the Ultra preset adds a significant but predictable load on the GPU, likely through increased shadow quality, texture filtering, and post-processing effects. The Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and visual improvements, with only a 23% performance penalty compared to Low at 1080p (155 to 119 FPS) and a similar 23% penalty at 1440p (100 to 77 FPS) and 4K (54 to 41 FPS).

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the highest frame rates, with 155 FPS on Low and 76 FPS on Ultra. At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 100 FPS, but Ultra drops to 49 FPS. For 4K, only the Low preset (54 FPS) is playable.

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

A: Barely. The 4K Low preset averages 54 FPS, which is playable, but the Medium (41 FPS), High (35 FPS), and Ultra (26 FPS) presets all fall below the 60 FPS threshold. The 6 GB VRAM on the RTX 2060 is a likely limiting factor.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is statistically tied with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (0.1% faster), Intel Core i9-13900HX (0.1% slower), and AMD EPYC 4364P (0.2% faster). The CPU’s performance is not a bottleneck in this game.

Q: Is the RTX 2060's performance similar to newer GPUs?

A: The benchmark data shows the RTX 2060 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (0% delta) and AMD Radeon 680M (0.1% faster). It is 0.6% slower than the RTX 3050 OEM and 0.8% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 7600.

Q: What is the recommended settings preset for a smooth experience?

A: At 1080p, the Medium preset (119 FPS average, 101 FPS minimum) offers the best balance. At 1440p, the Medium preset (77 FPS average, 65 FPS minimum) is recommended. For 4K, only the Low preset (54 FPS) is viable.

Q: Why is the combo rank so low despite having a powerful CPU?

A: The combo ranks 2929 out of 3712 tested systems. This low rank is due to the RTX 2060’s limitations at higher resolutions, as the GPU’s 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K, dragging down the overall performance.