Minimum

# Minimum — Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070

This combination of Intel's 14-core Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA's RTX 3070 produces a wide spread of frame rates in Minimum, a 2014-era Third-Person Shooter. Across the twelve measured configurations, average FPS ranges from 39 at 4K Ultra to 229 at 1080p Low. The data reveals a system where the GPU is the dominant constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance (2,085 in Cinebench R23 single-core) becomes increasingly relevant as resolution drops. The combo ranks 1,589th out of 3,712 tested combinations, placing it in the 57th percentile of all pairings tested for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 147 FPS at 1920x1080 to 95 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 51 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 65% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling pattern strongly suggests the RTX 3070's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become the limiting factors at higher pixel counts.

Low settings tell a similar story with different absolute numbers: 229 FPS at 1080p, 148 FPS at 1440p, and 79 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is particularly telling—it remains above 60 FPS, indicating that even at the most demanding resolution, the GPU can deliver playable frame rates when visual load is minimized. The 1080p Low figure of 229 FPS approaches the kind of performance that would benefit from a high-refresh-rate display, though the data does not specify monitor refresh rates.

The scaling from Medium to Ultra at each resolution reveals how settings interact with resolution. At 4K, Ultra drops to 39 FPS (a 36% reduction from Medium's 61 FPS), while at 1080p, Ultra achieves 112 FPS versus Medium's 175 FPS (a 36% reduction as well). This consistency suggests that the settings scaling is relatively uniform across resolutions, pointing to the GPU as the primary bottleneck throughout—the RTX 3070's 20.31 TFLOPS FP32 compute is being taxed similarly at each resolution when the same relative settings are applied.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1,589 out of 3,712 tested combinations places it in the upper-middle portion of all tested pairings for Minimum. This rank reflects a balance between the CPU's 89th percentile standing among all CPUs and the GPU's 61st percentile among all GPUs. The CPU is notably stronger relative to its peers than the GPU is relative to its own peers, suggesting that the RTX 3070 is the component holding this pairing back from a higher rank.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 3070's average benchmark score of 17,208 is just 0.7% above the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17,083) and 1% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17,037). It trails the NVIDIA Tesla K40c (17,468) by 1.5%. These tight margins indicate that the RTX 3070 sits in a crowded performance tier where minor differences in game optimization can shift relative positions. The GPU's percentile of 61 means it outperforms roughly three-fifths of all GPUs in the database, which aligns with its position as a mid-to-upper-range card from the Ampere generation.

On the CPU side, the Core Ultra 5 235's average benchmark score of 46,062 places it nearly even with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46,030, 0.1% ahead), the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46,098, 0.1% behind), and the AMD EPYC 4364P (45,970, 0.2% ahead). This clustering within 0.2% shows the Ultra 5 235 delivering performance comparable to both mobile flagship and server-class processors in general benchmarks, though game-specific results may differ from these synthetic averages.

GPU Role

The RTX 3070's specifications reveal a card designed for high-refresh 1440p gaming at the time of its release. Its 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the GA104 chip contains 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation units. The boost clock of 1725 MHz (base 1500 MHz) drives 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. These figures explain the measured performance: at 1440p High, the card sustains 95 FPS, which is respectable for a game from 2014 but shows the age of the architecture when pushed to 4K.

The measured 4K results are particularly instructive. At 4K High, the average of 51 FPS is playable but not smooth, while 4K Ultra drops to 39 FPS—below the 40 FPS threshold some players consider minimum playability. The 4K Medium figure of 61 FPS (with a minimum of 52 and maximum of 70) represents the only 4K configuration that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The gap between Medium and Ultra at 4K (61 to 39 FPS, a 36% reduction) suggests that Ultra settings introduce effects that heavily tax the GPU's memory bandwidth or shading resources.

The GPU's memory capacity of 8 GB may also be a factor at 4K. While the data does not provide VRAM usage figures, the significant frame rate drops at higher resolutions are consistent with a card approaching its memory limits. The RTX 3070's position at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, combined with its nearest rivals all scoring within 1.5%, indicates that this is a card near the middle of the performance distribution—capable but not exceptional by current standards.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 3070 demonstrates its strength as a high-refresh 1080p card. Low settings produce 229 FPS average, Medium 175 FPS (minimum 149, maximum 201), High 147 FPS, and Ultra 112 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 51% reduction in frame rate (229 to 112 FPS), which is substantial but leaves even the most demanding 1080p configuration well above 100 FPS. The 1080p Medium minimum of 149 FPS indicates that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate stays comfortably high.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops become more pronounced. Low averages 148 FPS, Medium 113 FPS (minimum 96, maximum 130), High 95 FPS, and Ultra 72 FPS. The 1440p Ultra figure of 72 FPS is still above 60 FPS, suggesting that this resolution is the practical ceiling for maxed settings with this combo. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 76 FPS (148 to 72), a 51% reduction that mirrors the 1080p scaling exactly, reinforcing the uniform settings scaling noted earlier.

At 3840x2160, the results show a card under significant strain. Low averages 79 FPS, Medium 61 FPS (minimum 52, maximum 70), High 51 FPS, and Ultra 39 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum of 52 FPS means that even this mid-range setting can dip below 60 FPS in demanding moments. The 4K Ultra result of 39 FPS is the only measured configuration below 40 FPS, making it the only setting where smooth gameplay would be questionable. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K (79 to 39 FPS) represents a 51% reduction, consistent with the other resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, all tested settings produce playable frame rates, but the data suggests Ultra is the sweet spot for visual quality. The 112 FPS average at 1080p Ultra is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay while delivering the highest visual fidelity. Players prioritizing maximum frame rates could choose Medium at 175 FPS, but the 63 FPS gap between Medium and Ultra may not justify the visual downgrade for most users.

At 1440p, Ultra's 72 FPS average is acceptable, but the Medium setting offers a more comfortable margin at 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS. The jump from Medium to Ultra at 1440p costs 41 FPS (113 to 72), a 36% reduction for what may be subtle visual improvements in a game from 2014. For competitive play or high-refresh monitors, High at 95 FPS provides a balanced compromise.

For 4K displays, the choice is constrained. Ultra at 39 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and High at 51 FPS is marginal. Medium at 61 FPS (minimum 52) is the only 4K setting that consistently stays above 50 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K owners. Low at 79 FPS offers a smoother experience but sacrifices significant visual quality. Given the 2014 release date of Minimum, Medium settings at 4K likely still look substantially better than the game did at launch on contemporary hardware.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K Medium, the average frame rate is 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS, which is playable. 4K High drops to 51 FPS average, and 4K Ultra falls to 39 FPS. Only 4K Medium offers consistently smooth performance.

Q: What is the best resolution for high-refresh monitors?

A: At 1080p, the combo delivers 147 FPS at High and 229 FPS at Low, making it suitable for 144Hz or even 240Hz displays. At 1440p, High produces 95 FPS, which suits 100Hz-class monitors. The 1080p Medium minimum of 149 FPS ensures no drops below 144 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 3070's average benchmark score of 17,208 is 0.7% above the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17,083), 1% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17,037), and 1.5% below the NVIDIA Tesla K40c (17,468). These are very close margins.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops consistently as resolution increases (e.g., 147 FPS at 1080p High versus 51 FPS at 4K High), which is characteristic of GPU limitation. The CPU's strong single-thread score (2,085 in Cinebench R23) suggests it is not holding back performance.

Q: What is the highest setting that maintains 60+ FPS at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, all settings maintain 60+ FPS, with Ultra at 112 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra averages 72 FPS. At 4K, only Medium (61 FPS average) and Low (79 FPS) maintain 60+ FPS; High (51 FPS) and Ultra (39 FPS) fall below.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested pairings?

A: The combo ranks 1,589th out of 3,712 tested combinations, placing it in the 57th percentile. The CPU ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 61st percentile among all GPUs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 brings 14 cores and 14 threads to this pairing, a configuration that prioritizes multi-threaded throughput over simultaneous multi-threading. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz boosts to 5.00 GHz, and the Arrow Lake architecture on a 3 nm TSMC process (17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die) delivers strong single-thread performance. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,085 places it in the upper echelon of processors, which is critical for Minimum, a game from 2014 that likely relies heavily on one or two threads.

The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 per core provide substantial cache resources for game data. Its dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures the CPU can feed the RTX 3070 without creating a memory bottleneck. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,516 and multithread score of 37,816 indicate strong performance across both lightly and heavily threaded workloads.

In the context of Minimum, the CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score—the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46,030, 0.1% behind) and Intel Core i9-13900HX (46,098, 0.1% ahead)—are both high-end mobile or desktop parts, showing that the Ultra 5 235 competes with significantly more expensive processors in general compute. The fact that the combo's rank (1,589th of 3,712) is lower than the CPU's individual percentile suggests that the RTX 3070, not the CPU, is the limiting factor in this game's performance.