Minimum

# Minimum Performance Analysis: Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

This pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 lands at rank 1549 out of 2939 tested combinations for Minimum, placing it in the middle of the database's combo leaderboard. The data shows a system that is neither a top-tier outlier nor a bottom-feeder, but rather a balanced mid-pack contender whose real-world capabilities depend heavily on the resolution and settings you choose.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1549 out of 2939 places it at roughly the 52nd percentile of all tested configurations for this game. That is a surprisingly middling position given the hardware involved, and it suggests Minimum's engine is either unusually demanding in specific scenarios or that the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM creates a bottleneck at higher settings. The CPU sits at the 89th percentile among all processors, while the GPU only reaches the 61st percentile among all graphics cards, which hints that the graphics card is the limiting factor in most scenarios. When compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 5 235's average benchmark score of 46062 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030, just 0.1% behind) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, just 0.1% ahead). This means the CPU is essentially a statistical tie with those alternatives, so any performance differences in Minimum would come down to the GPU and system configuration rather than processor choice. The GPU's average benchmark score of 17639 sits slightly above the AMD Radeon 780M (17588, 0.3% behind) and just below the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666, 0.2% ahead), which is a curious comparison given the generational gap between those parts.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 brings 14 cores and 14 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This is a modern Arrow Lake-S design built on a 3 nm process at TSMC, featuring 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and single-core score of 2085 indicate strong all-around compute capability, though Minimum is a 2014 title that may not fully utilize 14 cores. The PassMark multithread score of 37816 and single-thread score of 4516 suggest the processor can handle both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads, but the game's age means it likely relies more on single-core performance for game logic and physics. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 202 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. This indicates that when the GPU is not heavily taxed, the CPU can feed frames at a very high rate. However, the fact that the CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.2% in average benchmark scores means that swapping in a different high-end processor would yield negligible differences in Minimum's frame rates. The CPU's 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provide a solid foundation, but the game's release date of 2014 suggests it was designed for older memory architectures, so the benefits of DDR5 may be partially unrealized.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the clear performance limiter in this configuration, and its 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is the most likely culprit for the combo's mid-pack ranking. The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz are respectable for the Ada Lovelace architecture, and its 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs provide solid rasterization throughput. The PassMark G3D score of 19545 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302 show moderate performance, but the GPU's percentile ranking of 61 among all graphics cards reveals that it is not a top-tier part. The RTX 4060's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (0.2% higher), AMD Radeon 780M (0.3% lower), and AMD Radeon Pro 560 (0.5% higher), which is a surprising grouping that suggests the 4060's raw compute is not dramatically ahead of much older or integrated parts. In Minimum, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a critical factor at higher settings and resolutions. The measured data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 34 FPS, which is barely playable, while at 4K High it manages 45 FPS. This steep drop-off from 1080p to 4K strongly indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity are being saturated, causing the frame rate to collapse as texture detail and resolution increase. The GPU's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate are adequate for 1080p gaming, but the 128-bit memory bus is a notable weakness for higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of how this combo performs across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 202 FPS on Low, 155 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 131 and maximum of 178), 130 FPS on High, and 99 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show that at 1080p, the system is more than capable of delivering smooth gameplay at any setting, with even the most demanding Ultra preset staying well above 60 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop to 130 FPS on Low, 100 FPS on Medium (85 min, 115 max), 84 FPS on High, and 64 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p results are still playable across the board, but the Ultra setting falls to just 64 FPS, which is approaching the threshold where some players might notice stuttering. At 3840x2160, the performance takes a significant hit: 70 FPS on Low, 54 FPS on Medium (46 min, 62 max), 45 FPS on High, and 34 FPS on Ultra. The 4K results show that this combo struggles to maintain 60 FPS at any setting, and the Ultra preset at 34 FPS is a poor experience for a third-person shooter where smooth aiming is critical. The minimum FPS figures for Medium settings across all resolutions show a consistent pattern: 131 at 1080p, 85 at 1440p, and 46 at 4K. These minimums indicate that frame pacing remains relatively stable, but the gaps between average and minimum FPS widen at higher resolutions, suggesting increased frame time variance under load.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the combo drops from 202 FPS at 1080p to 130 FPS at 1440p (a 35.6% reduction) and then to 70 FPS at 4K (a 65.3% reduction from 1080p). At Ultra settings, the drop is even more severe: from 99 FPS at 1080p to 64 FPS at 1440p (35.4% reduction) and then to 34 FPS at 4K (65.7% reduction). This consistent percentage drop across settings strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rate scales almost linearly with pixel count. The CPU, with its high single-thread score of 4516 and the fact that it can push 202 FPS at 1080p Low, is clearly not the constraint. The data implies that at 1080p, the system has headroom to spare, but as resolution increases, the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become progressively more inadequate. The 4K Low result of 70 FPS is interesting because it shows that even with minimal graphical detail, the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K, which points to memory bandwidth limitations rather than raw compute constraints. The 1440p results represent a sweet spot where the combo delivers playable performance across all settings, but the 4K Ultra result of 34 FPS is a clear warning that this configuration is not suited for high-resolution, high-detail gaming.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset at 99 FPS is the best choice, as it provides the highest visual quality while still maintaining a frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 130 FPS is also excellent, and players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity might prefer it, but the data shows that Ultra is not a significant compromise. For 1440p, the High preset at 84 FPS is the recommended choice, as it stays comfortably above 60 FPS while delivering good visual quality. The Ultra preset at 64 FPS is borderline, and the Medium preset at 100 FPS is the safer choice for competitive play where consistent frame pacing matters more than visual detail. For 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset at 70 FPS is the only setting that reaches playable frame rates, but it sacrifices significant visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 54 FPS is playable but not ideal, and the High preset at 45 FPS and Ultra preset at 34 FPS are both too low for a fast-paced shooter. The data suggests that 4K gaming is not a realistic option for this combo, and players with 4K displays should either lower their resolution or accept reduced visual settings. The Medium preset across all resolutions shows the most balanced performance, with 155 FPS at 1080p, 100 FPS at 1440p, and 54 FPS at 4K, making it the safest recommendation for players who want a consistent experience without knowing their exact display setup.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?

A: The 1440p resolution offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with the High preset achieving 84 FPS and the Medium preset reaching 100 FPS.

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

A: The data shows that 4K is not recommended, as even the Low preset only reaches 70 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 34 FPS, which is too low for a third-person shooter.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 5 235 compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 46062 is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030), Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098), AMD EPYC 4364P (45970), and AMD EPYC 7303 (45960), making them statistically equivalent.

Q: Is the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Minimum?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, the 8 GB VRAM is adequate, but the significant FPS drops at 4K suggest that memory capacity and bandwidth become limiting factors at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the highest FPS this combo can achieve in Minimum?

A: The highest measured result is 202 FPS at 1080p with Low settings, indicating that the CPU can push very high frame rates when the GPU is not heavily loaded.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested combinations?

A: It ranks 1549 out of 2939 combos, placing it in the middle of the pack, which aligns with the GPU's 61st percentile ranking among all graphics cards.