Minimum

Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter, is not a demanding title by modern standards, but the benchmark data for this specific configuration—the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER—reveals a nuanced performance profile that scales predictably with resolution and settings. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the board indicate that this is a system capable of delivering high refresh-rate gameplay at 1080p, solid performance at 1440p, and playable, albeit less smooth, frame rates at 4K. The data clearly shows where the bottlenecks lie, with the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor as resolution increases, while the CPU's capabilities remain largely untapped at the highest settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is the most telling aspect of this data, highlighting the graphics card's role as the primary driver of frame rates in Minimum. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces an average of 121 FPS. Stepping up to 1440p High reduces that figure to 78 FPS, a 35.5% decrease. Moving further up to 4K High brings the average down to 42 FPS, which is another 46.2% drop from the 1440p result. This steep, non-linear decline is a textbook sign of a GPU-bound scenario; the RTX 2070 SUPER is working progressively harder to fill the increasing number of pixels.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. With Low settings, the system averages 188 FPS at 1080p, 121 FPS at 1440p, and 65 FPS at 4K. This shows that even when the graphical load is reduced, the sheer pixel count at 4K still overwhelms the GPU. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly brutal in every preset, with the frame rate often being nearly halved. For instance, on Medium settings, the average drops from 93 FPS at 1440p to 50 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and its bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s are sufficient for 1440p but become a significant constraint at 4K resolution.

The data suggests that the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is not the limiting factor in this title. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, is more than capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions. The fact that the frame rate scales almost entirely with resolution and settings points to the GPU being the sole bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system hits 188 FPS, a figure that is likely near the upper limit of what the game engine can produce, but it is still the GPU that is doing the heavy lifting. As the resolution increases, the CPU's workload remains relatively constant while the GPU's workload skyrockets, which is why we see such dramatic frame rate drops.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Minimum with this hardware for a high refresh rate experience?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system consistently exceeds 120 FPS. On High settings, it averages 121 FPS, and on Low settings, it reaches 188 FPS. This makes 1080p the clear choice for 144Hz or 165Hz monitors.

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

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K with Low settings, the system averages 65 FPS, which is playable. However, at High settings, the average drops to 42 FPS, and at Ultra, it falls to 32 FPS. The 4K Medium preset offers a middle ground at 50 FPS, but it is not a consistently smooth experience.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The gap is substantial. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 121 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 59 FPS. This represents a 51.2% performance reduction for the maximum visual fidelity, which may not be worth it given the slight visual differences in a game from 2014.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 4K?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck at 4K. The frame rate drops of over 45% when moving from 1440p to 4K across all settings demonstrate that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the component determining performance, not the Intel Core Ultra 5 235.

Q: What kind of frame rate stability can I expect on the Medium preset?

A: The data includes minimum and maximum FPS for the Medium preset. At 1080p, the frame rate varies between 122 and 165 FPS, with an average of 144 FPS. At 1440p, it ranges from 79 to 106 FPS, and at 4K, it fluctuates between 42 and 57 FPS. This suggests a generally stable experience, though the variance increases with resolution.

Q: Does the Intel Core Ultra 5 235's performance relative to other CPUs matter for this game?

A: The CPU's benchmark percentile is 89, meaning it outperforms most other processors. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, have nearly identical average scores (46030 vs 46062). However, in Minimum, the data shows the game is GPU-bound at higher resolutions, so the CPU's headroom is not fully utilized.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the benchmark data points to the Medium preset as the optimal choice for most users. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers a stellar 144 FPS average, with a minimum of 122 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience even in demanding scenes. This is a 19% improvement over the High preset's 121 FPS average and only a modest step down from the Low preset's 188 FPS. Given that Medium will provide a better visual experience than Low, it is the superior choice for 1080p gaming.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset remains the best option, yielding a 93 FPS average with a minimum of 79 FPS. This is a 19.2% improvement over the High preset's 78 FPS and keeps the frame rate above the 60 FPS threshold for a good experience. While the Low preset at 1440p offers a higher 121 FPS average, the visual quality reduction is likely too steep a price for the extra performance. The Ultra preset at 59 FPS is technically playable but sits right on the edge of the 60 FPS target and may feel less consistent.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging, and the recommendations change. The High preset at 42 FPS is not ideal. The Low preset, at 65 FPS, is the only one that approaches a smooth 60 FPS experience. The Medium preset at 50 FPS is a playable compromise, but it is not as fluid. For 4K, the data suggests that lowering to the Low preset is the most practical way to achieve a decent frame rate, as the graphical detail in a 2014 game may not justify the significant performance penalty of higher presets. The Ultra preset at 32 FPS should be avoided.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the context of the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1659 out of 2939 tested combos for this game. This places it in the middle of the pack, which is not surprising given the age of the GPU relative to the CPU. The RTX 2070 SUPER, while competent, is an end-of-life product from 2019, and its performance is the anchor for this combo's ranking.

In comparison to other CPUs, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a strong performer. Its average benchmark score of 46062 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, and it sits within a 0.2% performance delta of its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and the Intel Core i9-13900HX. This suggests that pairing this powerful CPU with a mid-range GPU creates an imbalance for a game like Minimum. The CPU has more than enough power to handle the game's calculations, but it is held back by the GPU's limitations, especially at higher resolutions.

The combo's middling rank is a direct result of this bottleneck. If the system were paired with a more powerful GPU, the ranking would likely be significantly higher, as the CPU's headroom would be utilized. The data indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER's performance, which is in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, is the determining factor in this pairing's overall position. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc B570 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, have average scores within 1.5% of it, confirming that it is a solid but not exceptional graphics card by current standards.

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. In the context of Minimum, this CPU is a massive over-provision of processing power. The game, released in 2014, was designed for the multi-core processors of that era, and the Ultra 5 235's modern architecture and high clock speeds are more than sufficient to handle its physics and game logic.

The benchmark results confirm this, as there is no scenario in the data where the CPU appears to be the limiting factor. The frame rates are dictated entirely by the GPU's performance, which is typical for a game that is not heavily threaded. The CPU's strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4516, ensures that it can process the game's main thread without becoming a bottleneck, even when trying to maintain frame rates above 180 FPS at 1080p.

The CPU's large 24 MB of shared L3 cache and fast DDR5 memory support also contribute to its ability to feed data quickly to the GPU. However, in this title, the game's data footprint is small enough that these features do not provide a tangible advantage over a less capable processor. The CPU's role here is to be a silent, efficient partner that never gets in the way, which it does admirably. The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU-related stuttering or frame drops, even at the highest frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset combination.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 188 FPS average
• Medium: 144 FPS average (min 122, max 165)
• High: 121 FPS average
• Ultra: 92 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 121 FPS average
• Medium: 93 FPS average (min 79, max 106)
• High: 78 FPS average
• Ultra: 59 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 65 FPS average
• Medium: 50 FPS average (min 42, max 57)
• High: 42 FPS average
• Ultra: 32 FPS average

These numbers illustrate a clear performance hierarchy. The 1080p Low preset is the only configuration that breaks the 180 FPS barrier, while the 4K Ultra preset is the only one that falls below 35 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one that provides minimum FPS data across all resolutions, showing a consistent 122 FPS floor at 1080p, a 79 FPS floor at 1440p, and a 42 FPS floor at 4K. This data confirms that the system is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can provide a high-refresh-rate experience, while 4K is limited to lower settings for playable performance.